I know I should consign it to a drawer or the big phone recycling pile
in the sky, but I've got a new battery and I'm using my 10-year old
Motorola D170 again. It's ideal as an emergency phone as if the battery
runs out you can stick in 4xAA cells :-)
It's locked to o2 (OK, it says CELLNET) and I've got £15 odd of credit
on the SIM, but when that runs out I'd like to use my Asda SIM in its
place. Should be OK in a single band phone as they are both 900MHz.
Any ideas how to unlock cheaply? Online I've seen pay-for unlocks where
you send off the IMEI and get a code back (about £12-£15). Is this the
only way? I guess CELLNET, sorry O2, will unlock it but at greater cost.
As an aside, back in 1997, we bought 2 of these on contract; £150 each
plus the monthly payments. Eeek!
--
Gyp
Change to dotcom to reply
Gyp wrote:
> I know I should consign it to a drawer or the big phone recycling pile
> in the sky, but I've got a new battery and I'm using my 10-year old
> Motorola D170 again. It's ideal as an emergency phone as if the battery
> runs out you can stick in 4xAA cells :-)
>
> It's locked to o2 (OK, it says CELLNET) and I've got £15 odd of credit
> on the SIM, but when that runs out I'd like to use my Asda SIM in its
> place. Should be OK in a single band phone as they are both 900MHz.
>
> Any ideas how to unlock cheaply? Online I've seen pay-for unlocks where
> you send off the IMEI and get a code back (about £12-£15). Is this the
> only way? I guess CELLNET, sorry O2, will unlock it but at greater cost.
>
> As an aside, back in 1997, we bought 2 of these on contract; £150 each
> plus the monthly payments. Eeek!
If you want to use it as "emergency" phone only a SIM lock should not
matter. At least here in Germany any phone will allow you to make an
emergency call in any network even with no SIM card at all. 112 will
always go through here. But now when I am writing this I seem to
remember that this is different in the UK.....
In message f6kspt$thk$1@news.al.sw.ericsson.se,
Horst Peiffer <epmhop@gmx.de> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:
> Gyp wrote:
>> I know I should consign it to a drawer or the big phone recycling
>> pile in the sky, but I've got a new battery and I'm using my 10-year
>> old Motorola D170 again. It's ideal as an emergency phone as if the
>> battery runs out you can stick in 4xAA cells :-)
>>
>> It's locked to o2 (OK, it says CELLNET) and I've got £15 odd of
>> credit on the SIM, but when that runs out I'd like to use my Asda
>> SIM in its place. Should be OK in a single band phone as they are
>> both 900MHz. Any ideas how to unlock cheaply? Online I've seen pay-for
>> unlocks
>> where you send off the IMEI and get a code back (about £12-£15). Is
>> this the only way? I guess CELLNET, sorry O2, will unlock it but at
>> greater cost. As an aside, back in 1997, we bought 2 of these on
>> contract; £150
>> each plus the monthly payments. Eeek!
> If you want to use it as "emergency" phone only a SIM lock should not
> matter. At least here in Germany any phone will allow you to make an
> emergency call in any network even with no SIM card at all. 112 will
> always go through here. But now when I am writing this I seem to
> remember that this is different in the UK.....
Might be wrong, but I think he means 'emergency' like the car has broken
down, and he needs to call his wife so tell her that he is going to be late,
rather than an actual EMERGENCY - call 911or 112 or 999...
--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)
In message <1eidndjRCc2ghBPbnZ2dnUVZ8vednZ2d@bt.com>, ChrisM
<chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com> writes
>Might be wrong, but I think he means 'emergency' like the car has broken
>down, and he needs to call his wife so tell her that he is going to be late,
>rather than an actual EMERGENCY - call 911or 112 or 999...
That's more like it, but what I mean is can use it day to day, but just
keep some batteries in the car "just in case"
--
Gyp
Change to dotcom to reply
In message nYl3qTAxhmjGFw+g@orange.orange,
Gyp <Gyp@gyponline.co.uk> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:
> In message <1eidndjRCc2ghBPbnZ2dnUVZ8vednZ2d@bt.com>, ChrisM
> <chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com> writes
>
>> Might be wrong, but I think he means 'emergency' like the car has
>> broken down, and he needs to call his wife so tell her that he is
>> going to be late, rather than an actual EMERGENCY - call 911or 112
>> or 999...
>
> That's more like it, but what I mean is can use it day to day, but
> just keep some batteries in the car "just in case"
As far as getting the old thing unlocked, you could try the mobile phone
stall in your local street market, or some perserverence with Google MIGHT
turn up a way of unlocking it yourself via a website/downloaded software
generated code, but as far as I know, this is not normally possible with
Motorola phones...
Good Luck.
--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)
In message <RYGdnV3pM88s8xPbnZ2dnUVZ8tmhnZ2d@bt.com>, ChrisM
<chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com> writes
>As far as getting the old thing unlocked, you could try the mobile phone
>stall in your local street market, or some perserverence with Google MIGHT
>turn up a way of unlocking it yourself via a website/downloaded software
>generated code, but as far as I know, this is not normally possible with
>Motorola phones...
I popped to the local market this afternoon. No success.
Well, no success after the chap stopped laughing.
The online ones seem to work on the basis of them providing the same
code that O2 would provide to put in, and takes a couple of days to turn
up, not the instant magic that I've used on Nokias in the past.
In article <ppFkm$DyUnjGFwNf@orange.orange>, Gyp <Gyp@gyponline.co.uk>
writes
>In message <RYGdnV3pM88s8xPbnZ2dnUVZ8tmhnZ2d@bt.com>, ChrisM
><chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com> writes
>
>>As far as getting the old thing unlocked, you could try the mobile phone
>>stall in your local street market, or some perserverence with Google MIGHT
>>turn up a way of unlocking it yourself via a website/downloaded software
>>generated code, but as far as I know, this is not normally possible with
>>Motorola phones...
>
>I popped to the local market this afternoon. No success.
>
>Well, no success after the chap stopped laughing.
>
>The online ones seem to work on the basis of them providing the same
>code that O2 would provide to put in, and takes a couple of days to
>turn up, not the instant magic that I've used on Nokias in the past.
>
>eg
>
>http://www.unlock-motorola.com/imei.html
>or
>http://www.discount-unlock.com/Unloc.../Motorola/D170
>
>Not sure if they work or if it's snake oil though...
I don't know if it's the same for O2/Motorola but after I'd had my K750i
on a Vodafone contract for a year, I rang them up and they gave me the
code to unlock it over the phone. Is this not the same with all
phones/networks?
--
Peter
On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 18:00:34 +0100, Gyp <Gyp@gyponline.co.uk> wrote:
>In message <RYGdnV3pM88s8xPbnZ2dnUVZ8tmhnZ2d@bt.com>, ChrisM
><chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com> writes
>
>>As far as getting the old thing unlocked, you could try the mobile phone
>>stall in your local street market, or some perserverence with Google MIGHT
>>turn up a way of unlocking it yourself via a website/downloaded software
>>generated code, but as far as I know, this is not normally possible with
>>Motorola phones...
>
>I popped to the local market this afternoon. No success.
>
>Well, no success after the chap stopped laughing.
We can unlock it as we have the hardware for unlocking them here
In message <osfu83d1aoh53u362rt1r1b3vl4jpq1sjr@4ax.com>, Unimobiles. com
<sales@unimobiles.com> writes
>We can unlock it as we have the hardware for unlocking them here
If only I'd seen that a few hours ago... I've contacted one of the firms
that claims to be able to do it by IMEI, and if it transpires that they
can't I'll pop it in the post to you.
--
Gyp
Change to dotcom to reply
> epmhop@gmx.de declared for all the world to hear...
>> If you want to use it as "emergency" phone only a SIM lock should not
>> matter.
>
> Well it matters a great deal!
>
>> At least here in Germany any phone will allow you to make an
>> emergency call in any network even with no SIM card at all.
>
> In the UK this is not the case (and this is a UK group).
Really? I always thought that you were able dial 999 without a valid SIM
card in the phone... never tried it though. Maybe just as well I never
needed to!
--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)
chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com declared for all the world to hear...
> Really? I always thought that you were able dial 999 without a valid SIM
> card in the phone... never tried it though. Maybe just as well I never
> needed to!
You can dial it, the phone will tell you it's trying but the call will
not connect. Try it - you won't do anyone any harm.
--
Regards
Jon
> chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com declared for all the world to hear...
>> Really? I always thought that you were able dial 999 without a valid
>> SIM card in the phone... never tried it though. Maybe just as well I
>> never needed to!
>
> You can dial it, the phone will tell you it's trying but the call will
> not connect. Try it - you won't do anyone any harm.
Actually thinking about it, it might have been that you are able to dial 999
when then phone's keyboard lock is active, though I'm suprised that you are
not able to make an emergency call whatever the state of the phone (as long
as there was a signal and network capacity available)
--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)
On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:25:16 +0100, "ChrisM"
<chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com> wrote:
>Actually thinking about it, it might have been that you are able to dial 999
>when then phone's keyboard lock is active, though I'm suprised that you are
>not able to make an emergency call whatever the state of the phone (as long
>as there was a signal and network capacity available)
Apparently It was discussed whether the mobile networks would allow
you to make an emergency call at one point but they all decided no.
Arn't brits brilliant eh!
--
Gwyn. gwyndewey@btinternetrem.com
Remove rem if replying
note return address is your own computer;-)
"Gwyn" <g@> wrote in message
news:797o93l56qqju5aqkket768viee9he3c9p@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:25:16 +0100, "ChrisM"
> <chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>Actually thinking about it, it might have been that you are able to dial
>>999
>>when then phone's keyboard lock is active, though I'm suprised that you
>>are
>>not able to make an emergency call whatever the state of the phone (as
>>long
>>as there was a signal and network capacity available)
>
> Apparently It was discussed whether the mobile networks would allow
> you to make an emergency call at one point but they all decided no.
> Arn't brits brilliant eh!
How are the emergency services going to identify you with no SIM (and
hence no phone number) if they need to call you back..?
>How are the emergency services going to identify you with no SIM (and
>hence no phone number) if they need to call you back..?
I would hope they would ask for this using the old fashoined system of
asking you for it. Must admit no good if you are having a heart attack
but some system is better than no system.
--
Gwyn. gwyndewey@btinternetrem.com
Remove rem if replying
note return address is your own computer;-)
"Gwyn" <g@> wrote in message
news:8qgaa3panhqbcsqm503i8mvcg9hrurt9ct@4ax.com
> On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:31:30 +0100, "Ivor Jones"
> <ivor@despammed.invalid> wrote:
>
>
> > How are the emergency services going to identify you
> > with no SIM (and hence no phone number) if they need to
> > call you back..?
>
> I would hope they would ask for this using the old
> fashoined system of asking you for it. Must admit no good
> if you are having a heart attack but some system is
> better than no system.
Ask you what, though..? If you don't have a phone number, how are they
going to call you..?
>Ask you what, though..? If you don't have a phone number, how are they
>going to call you..?
I see your point I suppose you would have to stay on the line I agree
not much cop in a patchy coverage area
--
Gwyn. gwyndewey@3mailrem.com
Remove rem if replying
Unlocking my Motorola dinosaur 
Linear Mode
