This is topic Portable phone in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000963
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-08-2002, 08:12 AM:
Any recommendations for a portable phone? I've had a few 900Mhz phones over the years and was always pleased with the Panasonic ones I had, but they are on their death bed. The unit must have a volume control so when I am in a noisy environment, I can still hear the caller. It would also be nice if the frequency response was a little bit better than 1-2Khz, like many phones are out there today. Fortunately the Panasonics had a nice sound, had plenty of earpiece volume boost if I needed it and people could hear me easily as well.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-08-2002, 09:13 AM:
Hmmmm.... I hear the Panasonics are good. I'd get one of those. 
Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 06-08-2002, 09:27 AM:
I just got a "factory reconditioned" panasonic 900MHz "digital" (we all know that digital = better) portable. I looked at the new ones with more features but got the basic one with no display, I don't feel like paying the telco for caller ID so whats the point of a display? Plus it was fairly cheap. And my theory is fewer features = fewer problems.
I asked about the newer 1.xGHz (1.2? 1.4??) band and basically there is no advantage unless you're in a high density area where a lot of people have the 900MHz ones and the channels are congested. Same range and ability to penetrate concrete.
I've had friends recommend Sony and Panasonic.
The newest models follow cell phone deesign philosophy - smaller is always better. I disagree!! I want something I can hang on to, read the buttons without a magnifier, and use adult size fingers to dial. (It's OK when I want something "obsolete" that costs 1/4 what the fashionable new one does)
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-08-2002, 09:39 AM:
I don't like the Sony cordless phones. They have a very high noise level, both on the receive and send ends. When the phone rings and my Sony cordless (very high end model, BTW) is nearest to me and I answer it, I always travel to get the Panasonic. Once I switch phones the sound is SOOOOO much better. The caller is far more intelligible and they also hear me better as well. When Brad calls and I use the Sony phone, he becomes irate and begins to threaten me because the quality is so bad. Then he sends me a BILL for having to listen to such a high noise level! But then I send him a bill for having his Sprint cellular phone cut out every couple of minutes so it evens out.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-08-2002, 09:51 AM:
Hey Joe, at least I am getting rid of this Sprint piece of 
, you should get rid of that Sony phone! A friend of mine has a Sony 900Mhz phone and it is plagued with hiss. I am not fond of the idea of cramming the phone halfway into my ear to hear anything over all of that HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. It also has such a limited frequency range that it sounds like the person I am talking to is talking through a poster tube. Then again, I can say the same thing about a Bell 900Mhz phone I have used as well.I wish some company would make a headset phone, kind of like those radio headsets that joggers wear, but with the Time Life Operator microphone that sticks around the side of your face. All of the "headset phones" I've seen are nothing more than a plug-in headset/mic to a regular phone.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-08-2002, 10:44 AM:
They do make cordless phones (not just cellular) with headsets. My friend Bill has one and it sounds great. I don't know what brand it is, I'll have to ask. He is very pleased with it. It is a plug in type but the phone can clip to your belt or whatever. Good luck finding a self contained headset phone. That would be too convenient.
Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 06-08-2002, 10:52 AM:
I think you would have to use voice technology to dial out on an all-in-one headset phone, unless you punched in numbers blind, or wanted to remove the headset whenever you dialed a number.Office Depot and Office Max have cordless headset phones for about $100. Made by GE, 900mHz, spare battery in charger cradle, volume control (but it doesn't really boost too much). I use one all the time. My main complaint is the belt clip doesn't work and unless I stick the phone part in a pocket, it'll invariably fall off my belt and pull on the headset.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-08-2002, 11:07 AM:
We have a Panasonic cordless at home. It works really well but there are two things I don't like about it:1. The shape of the handset is not very comfortable on the ear. If you're the type who likes to keep hands free and prop the phone between your head and shoulder, it's pretty hard to do with this phone.
2. The battery is a goofy Panasonic proprietary one, rather than one of the more generic styles. We haven't replaced it yet but I'll bet it's espenive.
Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 06-08-2002, 11:44 AM:
Wireless 900MHz headsets are awesome in a work environment. At Dynamix, sometimes I would be waiting for a return call from a support rep, and didn't want to wait indefinitely in the server room, so I gave them my office phone number. When they called, I could put on the headset, walk to the server room (about 75 feet away, signal passing through 4 metal-studded walls) and talk hands-free. Very convenient. Decent reception, though not as good as a regular 900MHz phone. Not the greatest audio fidelity but adequate. I forget who the mfr. was though. It did have a spare battery in the headset cradle.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-08-2002, 01:05 PM:
There's at least one Panasonic phone model (which, of course, I don't remember at the moment) that will interfere with 802.11b wireless network traffic under some circumstances. I don't know how many people actually care about this, but it's probably worth making sure that the phone can be returned to the dealer if it causes problems.And, yes, Brad, you really do need to get rid of that Sprint POS!
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 06-08-2002, 04:30 PM:
I got an IBM 2.4 gz digital phone thinking it would end our problem with static when you get on the other side of the booth. Nope. The base is in my office, and it sounds great until you get upstairs on the far ends of the booth. I'm thinking too much electric interference maybe? On a similar topic, does anyone know of a good intercom system (cordless would be easier to set up of course) that doesn't have interference problems? Looking for 6 units to spread throughout the theatre.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-08-2002, 05:08 PM:
David, I assume that headset was a headset plugged into a portable phone?(Must go call Scott now to annoy him with the fabulous Sprint "all digital" PCS service! 
)
Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 06-08-2002, 09:43 PM:
Brad, the headset was totally cordless. It sits in a cradle on the desk. Phone rings, you put on the headset and can walk around anywhere in its range, unencumbered. There are transmitters in the cradle & the headset itself. No wires, nothing on your belt or anything like that. You could mute the microphone by simply flipping it partially up until the headset beeped. Shut off the headset (disconnect) by flipping the mic all the way up. Let me see if I can find it online...OK, the vendor was Hello-Direct. The system I had was H-D brand but obviously mfgd. by someone else. Looking on their web site I don't see one exactly like mine, but some others are at:
Cordless Headsets H-D's support was very good too -- I had some trouble getting the headset working with the company's phone system but they helped me solve it.
-dave
Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 06-08-2002, 10:22 PM:
I've got a V-Tech 2.4 GHz phone at home and love it. It came with an additional charging base & handset, so that you can put a phone anywhere there is an electrical outlet but no phone jack. The handsets also work as intercoms to eachother and they have a phonebook feature just like the ones on cell phones, and a speaker phone in the handset (which i use all the time while on hold!)We have two GE cordless phones at work, both are a POS, but for $15 at Wal*Mart, what would you expect. One picks up noise from someone clangning around in the ice bins at the concession stand (where the base is) and transmits it.
As far as wireless intercoms, we use a RadioShack set (don't know how much they cost, but they work really well, couldn't be very expensive) and there is sufficient volume, even when sandwiched between two running projectors.
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-09-2002, 07:32 AM:
Adam said: "I've got a V-Tech 2.4 GHz phone at home and love it. It came with an additional charging base & handset, so that you can put a phone anywhere there is an electrical outlet but no phone jack. The handsets also work as intercoms to eachother and they have a phonebook feature just like the ones on cell phones, and a speaker phone in the handset (which i use all the time while on hold!)"I'll second that! I have the V-Tech 8L55, 2.4GHz. Good range, clear signal with no interference, and excellent speakerphone (handsfree) quality and volume. Ample programmable memory for names and numbers. Has a headset plug. It's also smaller and lighter than many other phones on the market.
------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-09-2002, 08:53 AM:
Hmmmmm, there's 2 recommendations for the same phone. I've never heard of VTech though. (The name just sounds like a cheaply made phone.) What's the ballpark price and what kind of store do I need to venture to check it out?
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 06-09-2002, 09:50 AM:
Vtech is very common phone up here in Canada Good quality I have a multiline call display cordless from them at the shop
works great
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-09-2002, 11:11 AM:
VTech is the cordless phone we at at the United Artists Greenwood Plaza 12 Movie Theater Complex Projection Booth in Englewood, Colorado, and it worked alright. Once you got to the very end of the projection booth and stepped outside (maybe 150 feet away from the base?) it would begin to break up, especially if the projectors were running.
Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 06-09-2002, 12:02 PM:
I have a V-Tech 2.4 and an IBM 2.4 at home. They are both great phones with good range but I like the IBM 2.4 better because it has a better volume booster, its a little more clear (not saying the V-Tech is bad), has a little (very little) better amount of range to it, and its a little more heavy set and feels more comfortable.
Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 06-09-2002, 12:34 PM:
Brad, I got mine at CostCo. It came in a bundle w/ 2 handsets, the extra charging base, and the main base with a digital answering maching for $150. I've seen them at Best Buy and Circuit City for $160 for just the one handset and answering machine base. They also have a non-answering version, but i'm not sure on cost.