Vintage Cell Phones

[mr_rye89]

Nope. 2g is digital. AMPS was analog, but they shut it down in 2008

[Telecolor 3007]

Why they shut it down.
A.M.P.S. was 1G.

[lnx64]

Yea AMPS was Analog and was shut down for a huge reason: People with scanners could snoop on the conversations. There was simply no security with it. I have a newer Nokia here somewhere that was my grandmothers, it was an AMPS phone actually and it's weird to see, you'd think it was a 2G phone.

[Telecolor 3007]

The N.M.T. 450 which also was used in Romania had the seame "feature" But the really bad thing was that phones could be cloned so some one other else could talk in your acount and you would pay extra.
But the people complained or it was just a gouverment decision?

[old_tv_nut]

A slight digression, but for anyone who accumulates old phones without intending to, the next time consider donating the old one to a place that needs them, like a battered women's shelter.

[jr_tech]

I still have my first cellphone from about 1990, it is analog, and won’t connect to the system anymore, but makes a nice paperweight.



Still use flip phones, but my all time favorite was the diminutive Nokia 8210. I see that these are available on eBay... can they be configured to operate on a US system?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nokia-8210-...97.m4902.l9144

not affiliated,
jr

[Telecolor 3007]

If A.M.P.S. would have had still exist you could still use your big brick.
Tuning a small mobile phone I don't think is possible. Better look for the U.S. version.

[lnx64]

Yea they can't be re-tuned. I took apart one of my Nokia 5190's here, and it has specialized filters just for the frequency they operate at: https://i.imgur.com/xUP9ZDG.jpg

On another note, I'm leaving MetroPCS, and switching to Mint Mobile. Entering my Nokia 5190's IMEI number into Mint's phone checker says it IS compatible and identified it properly as a 2G phone. So I guess we'll see if the Nokia gets to keep ticking. I'll find out maybe Tuesday, if the number ports fast enough. (I don't see why not, because they are using T-Mobile's network so technically I'd be hitting the same towers).

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by lnx64

Yea they can't be re-tuned. I took apart one of my Nokia 5190's here, and it has specialized filters just for the frequency they operate at: https://i.imgur.com/xUP9ZDG.jpg

On another note, I'm leaving MetroPCS, and switching to Mint Mobile. Entering my Nokia 5190's IMEI number into Mint's phone checker says it IS compatible and identified it properly as a 2G phone. So I guess we'll see if the Nokia gets to keep ticking. I'll find out maybe Tuesday, if the number ports fast enough. (I don't see why not, because they are using T-Mobile's network so technically I'd be hitting the same towers).

If keeping that phone is more important than the carrier and your not confident you can go back if mint doesn't work, then you may want to first try and get a cheap prepaid sim from mint to test the phone with before switching number and turning off your old plan.

There's an old proverb about making sure the new bucket holds water before getting rid of the old one...Good words to live by in situations like this.

[Chip Chester]

I seem to recall back in the AMPS/NAMPS days that you could configure a pair of cell phones to act as walkie-talkies, just connecting with each other. Config/maintenance software and interface was probably required.

Asking because I have two NAMPS Audiovox phones that are pretty small (size of TV remotes) that would be handy in this application. I even have 'car kits' for them for higher output and antenna addition. FCC issues may 'squelch' that idea, however...

[lnx64]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

If keeping that phone is more important than the carrier and your not confident you can go back if mint doesn't work, then you may want to first try and get a cheap prepaid sim from mint to test the phone with before switching number and turning off your old plan.

There's an old proverb about making sure the new bucket holds water before getting rid of the old one...Good words to live by in situations like this.

I'm already 90% sure it's going to work. MetroPCS that I have right now is a T-Mobile MVNO, and Mint is an MVNO as well on the T-Mobile network. Both are no different. The SIM card Mint is sending is a 4G LTE SIM, that's the same kind of SIM Metro gave me 2 years ago (not a 5G SIM, which won't work in the Nokia). So the SIM versions are the same, same network, frequency, both are MVNO's (which was in the 2G specification by the time the Nokia was made anyway), I honestly am sure it'll work.

But at this point saving money was more important, so if I need to put the SIM in my smart phone, it's not entirely a deal breaker. It will suck, but Mint has the best deal in my area for services with coverage.

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

If A.M.P.S. would have had still exist you could still use your big brick.
Tuning a small mobile phone I don't think is possible. Better look for the U.S. version.

There' been floating around for a little over a decade now the discussion and designs for an AMPS repeater that fit in a briefcase. The idea was that a (then modern) CDMA phone was passing the call on through a heavily modified AMPS phone unit, much like the walkie-talkie idea.

Problem is however that with AMPS deallocated, running the repeater now bleeds into several bands and it's extremely illegal. The page seems to pop up from time to time in different places before it disappears again due to legal threats most likely.

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

If keeping that phone is more important than the carrier and your not confident you can go back if mint doesn't work, then you may want to first try and get a cheap prepaid sim from mint to test the phone with before switching number and turning off your old plan.

There's an old proverb about making sure the new bucket holds water before getting rid of the old one...Good words to live by in situations like this.

This would seem to be a very cheap experiment:

https://www.amazon.com/Mint-Mobile-S...s%2C226&sr=8-4

not affiliated,
jr

[lnx64]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

This would seem to be a very cheap experiment:

https://www.amazon.com/Mint-Mobile-S...s%2C226&sr=8-4

not affiliated,
jr

The only problem with that as far as I was told by sales, was that I wouldn't get the $15 a month special when I recharged it. I'm fairly certain it'd work though, there's really no reason it wouldn't, the Nokia 5190 knows about MVNO's, and it's still on the same band and network technically. I'll find out Tuesday. If it doesn't work, I'd be more happy to save $15 on my phone bill as it is.

[Dude111]

I would rather have a cell phone on an analogue network as analog sounds better.. I dont care if someone is listening,THEY ARE ANYWAY!!!!!!!!

I would love having a 1980s cell phone.... Just a nice basic phone that works and sounds excellent!