2degrees pre-pay SIM card & my Motorola Talkabout.

Forums › Mobile handsets › 2degrees pre-pay SIM card & my Motorola Talkabout.

Phaedrus

74 posts

Master Geek

#39825 19-Aug-2009 20:51

Hi all, some time ago I purchased an old (but in good condx) Motorola Talkabout GSM 'phone to use with my on-plan VF account as a backup 'phone & in areas where the Sony was lacking in coverage. Also I like the 3 AAA cell battery layout of the Motorola.

To cut a very long story short I found the 'phone was locked by VF to pre-pay SIM cards only

No amount of trying locally could elicit any method of making it work but Kudos to Johnr for trying to help at the time.

So I put the 'phone away, somewhat grumpily, until a few days ago when it dawned on me that a 2deg pre-pay SIM card would be just the ticket & I'd be able to use the Talkabout :-)

Or at least so I thought - it doesn't work >:-( I know it does work with a VF pre-pay card (have tried a friend's) & John told me at the time that the cards have a bit set to ID a pre-pay from anything else. So it looks like the 2deg card(s) I have tried don't have this bit set.

Does anyone have any ideas for me here - either about the 2deg SIM cards or a way to unlock the 'phone?

BTW I'm here 'cos I'm a closet geek from wayback & did my share of messing with the old AMPs 'phones etc so am keen to find a method around this problem that doesn't involve a new 'phone or spending lots of $$ with a third party - apart from the fact that the unit isn't worth it that removes any challenge and really isn't what any self-respecting geek would do eh?! What I'd really like to do is clone a SIM or two, for various reasons that'd be particularly useful to me but that seems a bit unlikely so it looks like an operation on the 'phone somehow. Presently it just asks for a security code when I switch it on (with anything but a pre-pay VF SIM)....

Cheers, P.

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sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

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#248817 19-Aug-2009 21:39

If you'd asked around ~8 years ago you could have got the unlock code from Vodafone. They offered these free for handsets that were SIM locked.

andrewcnz

953 posts

Ultimate Geek

#248880 20-Aug-2009 06:43

That's an old phone have you tried these guys?

Requesting an unlock code
Vodafone New Zealand's official unlocking supplier Brightpoint can be contacted on the following numbers to request an unlock code.

From within New Zealand, call 0800 VF UNLOCK (0800 838 656)
From overseas, call +64 9 368 7069
Brightpoint operates Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm. If you call out of these hours, please leave a message and Brightpoint will return your call.

sbiddle

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#248894 20-Aug-2009 07:57

I believe Brightpoint only handle the unlock codes of the handful of handsets that were locked last year and not the ones from the late 90's early 00's that were locked.

Phaedrus

74 posts

Master Geek

#249248 21-Aug-2009 00:10

Yeah thanks for the suggestions, it's a little while ago but I think I did try them to no avail - they didn't do something of this age.

Johnr had a look thru some earlier VF documentation 'cos he thought there was something for it as well but again nothing turned up.

I briefly hovered over one of these on-line unlock services (actually one that advertised here on the 'zone) but a read of their T&C put me off. I'm not completely convinced it's as simple as just entering the right code either, I'd be pleased if it were but I'm not keen on seeing my $$ go up in smoke for no return...

Also I have a suspicion that it makes a difference how one deals with it 'cos it's locked to a service (ie. pre-pay vs plan but same carrier). I guess it may also be carrier-locked. What a PITA idea locking is >:-(

Cheers, P.

Aaroona

3065 posts

Uber Geek

#249392 21-Aug-2009 12:44

Phaedrus: Yeah thanks for the suggestions, it's a little while ago but I think I did try them to no avail - they didn't do something of this age.

Johnr had a look thru some earlier VF documentation 'cos he thought there was something for it as well but again nothing turned up.

I briefly hovered over one of these on-line unlock services (actually one that advertised here on the 'zone) but a read of their T&C put me off. I'm not completely convinced it's as simple as just entering the right code either, I'd be pleased if it were but I'm not keen on seeing my $$ go up in smoke for no return...

Also I have a suspicion that it makes a difference how one deals with it 'cos it's locked to a service (ie. pre-pay vs plan but same carrier). I guess it may also be carrier-locked. What a PITA idea locking is >:-(

Cheers, P.

It may seem like a stupid thing to say, but wouldnt it just be easier to upgrade to a cheap Nokia phone that will do just as good a job, and is still rather cheap. ( around $60-$80)

Other than the battery type thing (while I do ad mit, it was, and still is, quite a good idea for a mobile phone.) is there anything else that you can think of that would stop you from moving to another phone?

(Apologies if you have covered this already, I only had a quick skim over the thread)

Phaedrus

74 posts

Master Geek

#249569 21-Aug-2009 23:59

Yep, that battery system is as close to ideal as it gets for me (AA's would be better), I like Motorola's (had 'em for years) and I believe the coverage in my marginal area will be better with this 'phone. A GSM brick would do better but that's another story.

All of this pales into insignificance however when you consider that here is a piece of technology that's refusing to play ball when it could. Artificially it's been prevented from working and I don't believe that it should, nor that it should be impossible to get it to work somehow. It's one of those things that separates the Geek from the mere mortal - the curiosity, perversedness & sheer bloody-mindeness that often bears no relation to pragmatism. It may have only cost a few bucks but it's looking at me poking its tongue out and saying 'nyah nyah' - I want to give it the finger but I need some help to do that!

Cheers, P.