New blue tick phone

Agree with orejap the telstra 165i phone is a good phone, if your in rural areas and the next g network has coverage this phone works even when your on the fringe of the network.Couple it with an external antena and it's even better as it has an antena jack for direct antena connection, not a patch lead type. Only drawback is 5 hrs to charge but you do this at night. Had no problems with phone even though its chinese made.
Have a few farming mates and they all use them

Murray

Turn off Bluetooth if you dont need it. That chews battery life.

Thanks for the tip - was wondering why my battery life was so short.
Will see how long I get now - Bill

Sorry i meant the Nokia 6720.

You can get a patch lead for the Iphone but it's the induction type. Sort of a half hearted lead that sticks to the back of the phone, not into a socket.

Probably better than nothing but not by much.

Carl

May I suggest you get the proper external antenna for the phone. Technically the impedance of the antenna will not match your phone and its like jamming a square block in a round hole. Push hard enough and it may work. You are making that poor little think push a lot of #### uphill. When the CB was installed did anyone mention anything about "matching" or "tuning" the antenna. That CB antenna if its installed and maintained properly is set up for the CB frequencies. Not the phone frequencies.

The correct antenna will do an even better job.

Eventually your phone will quit on you if you continue.

Phil

In the days of CDMA, I bought a patch lead and 850MHz antenna for my Nokia 2112, and it made absolutely no difference to the indicated signal level. But some people are reasonably happy with them; obviously I bought the wrong brand patch coupler for my Nokia.
I currently have a Samsung A411 (blue tick, but now superseded) and it has a proper antenna jack in the back. This definitely works significantly better with my external antenna. And the antenna lead to match is cheap.
So I'm not a fan of the patch couplers. My preference is for a phone with a proper antenna connecter at the back.
Gerry

What is a "patch coupler"?

Whilst I have worked on radios for many years I have never heard this term. Terms like this seem to pop up everywhere these days.

Phil

I think I have figured out what a patch coupler is. I wish they would use the correct terms. Its an inductive antenna adaptor.

Therefore if my guess is correct then my earlier comments still stand. Any impedance missmatch along the whole antenna system will be reflected right back into the internal antenna on the phone and the final transmit circuitry.

Why not get the correct gear for the job. Beats me. And don't claim the cost. We spend heaps on winches, bull bars, snorkles, tyres, fridges, campers, tentage, diff locks, computers and GPS and can't find some for one of the most important safety devices. Communications for when you are in a pickle.

Hmmmm???

Hi Phil,
Yes, technically you're right about it being an inductive antenna adaptor. Being a "patch" which sits on the back of the phone, it's a term been often used by laymen, so I used it here.
As far as getting the correct gear for the job, I agree, that's why I chose a Samsung, but with Nokia phones, very few come with an antenna connector, so the inductive bastardry must be used with mixed results. The mismatch can be quite bad, but virtually all (low power) transmitter output stages these days will take a 100% mismatch without damaging the output stage - they just run a bit hotter.
Gerry

The missmatch may not damage the phone but it can be, in the worst case, akin to putting a short circuit on the antenna or even like trying without even the antenna in the phone. I got carried away mentioning the missmatch instead of talking about the effect that a badly missmatched gizmo can have.

I guess that I am lucky because I don't have to worry about the lack of phone coverage. I have access to the full HF spectrum and lots of my fello hams have phone patch capabilities. Cost = local call. I can also relay at home. Did so a few years back for one of my sons friends who went to the Antarctic. His family and friends would either come here or phone me and I would patch them through. Cost = local phone call. Time - limited by the ionosphere and my need to go to bed.

I don't use a mobile phone. No need. Thats why I am not familiar with these terms. Hadn't the faintest idea what "blue tooth" meant for a while. I though it had something to do with stain on the teeth. Twit. "Fire wire" - isn't that an explosive cord or something. I have to chuckle sometimes. You se I don't care about "keeping up". So pretentious and false.

But I do have a chuckle every now and then when I find out its not a blue stain after all!!!.

Looking at the Telstra website, it appears that none of the phones now have provision for an external aerial to plug into them ??

Think I may have to keep the LG550 a bit longer

I have the 6720and the battery life is pathetic. Sometimes not even a two days. Telstra guy said he wont be recommending them to any more people because of there poor battery life and apparent problems. Hope mine lasts the distance.

olcoolone, where is the external antenna. I can't find any reference to it on Nokia or Telstra's websites.