pete@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Pete Lyall) (09/28/89)
Hello! I am a cordless phone neophyte with a question or two that I
hope the group(s) can help me with.
We gave my daughter our old kitchen phone last week (her first
apartment), and went off in search of a cordless phone. We ended up at
Sears because of a sales flyer. Experience has taught me never to buy
the cheapest of anything (at least not in the techno-toys department),
so I steered clear of the $52 special, and bought the $80 AT&T 4200.
I took it home and found that while I could still hear, there was a
bit of audible static & distortion when I went around a wall or two,
and also when I went outside.
I talked with a friend who was blissfully happy with his AT&T 5320, so
I went back to Sears and took the 4200 back. They didn't have a 5320..
only a 5310 @ $175 or so. I compared features on the box with the 5200
(next model down that they carried) and it appeared on the surface
that the 5310 was just a feature-fat version of the 5200. Since the
latter was $134, I opted for it.
Well - we still get some buzzing and static, sometimes even in close
proximity to the base unit. Now what I'm wondering is:
o - Is this just the nature of cordless phones, and should I just get
used to it?
o - Is the 5310 really worth the extra $40 or so ?
o - Is there another make that I should check into?
o - Is 'compression' a valued feature or a marketing gimmick?
o - What are other folks' experiences and what are they using?
Thanks for any and all help. Please mail replies vice posting them
if possible..
Thanks!
Pete Lyall Contel Corporation
Compuserve: 76703,4230 OS9_Net: (805) 375-1401 (24hr 300/1200/2400)
Internet: pete@wlbr.imsd.contel.com UUCP: {hacgate,jplgodo,voder}!wlbr!petetad@ssc.UUCP (Tad Cook) (09/30/89)
There are lots of things that can cause interference to cordless phones. We have a Leading Edge computer at work that sounds like a thousand vacuum cleaners in my Plantronics Liteset. Light dimmers also radiate RFI and can interfere with cordless phones. Try reorienting the antenna, or moving the base unit. The further away you get from the base the worse the signal will be. (This is in response to Pete Lyal's questions about his new cordless phone.) Also, remember that your phone calls on a cordless phone are not private, or are less private than wireline communications. Anyone in your neighborhood with a VHF scanner radio can tune to the 46-49 MHz area and listen to your calls. Tad Cook tad@ssc.UUCP