Boat Phone

[LondonRascal]

I’ve been doing that thing I do so often, getting lost on Amazon – look for one thing and end up on another page finding something else very interesting that initially you think is pointless and then realise how handy it might actually be.

Link to buy

We all have mobiles these days so initially the idea of having a ‘boat phone’ seems completely pointless and a waste of money, but then I thought about things a moment this is not someone’s personal phone, it is not going to get lost and the charger is not going to be forgotten – it is the always there, always on permanent link to the rest of the world regardless of who is on the boat or where the boat is. 

Once such a system would have cost many many thousands, now it is under £35.00 and consists of a desk phone that has a battery enabling up to 3 hours use with no power, but otherwise is powered by a small plug in transformer – this of course can often be done away with on a boat and in its place a suitable bit of kit installed (Buck Converter) to provide the equipment whatever voltage is required without the need of a 240v power and a transformer to step that voltage down to say 5v.

Just pop in a Pay&Go SIM – make a chargeable call once every 90- days to keep the SIM live and away you go.  You then give your contacts the number of the boat and then even if you’ve lost your phone when people know you are on the boat they have a means to contact you, likewise should you need to contact them (or the emergency services for example) you just pick it up and dial. 

So long as the SIM is that of say Vodafone or O2 which provide very good voice coverage over the Broads (but not so good data coverage) you won’t find many spots it won’t work.

[SwanR]

There's a phone like that in our reception area where I work. I had wondered what it was ... now I know.

[ExUserGone]

This is the best phone for on a boat...

If they can't contact you they can't annoy you.

Incidently have you heard about PPI payments, I can get someone to call you if you like.

[Limbury1]

It sounds like you are still relying on A sim  card service, which can be hit and miss on the Broads regardless of whom your with but would be a good idea on the rivers and canals.

regards Rob/Lim.

[ScrumpyCheddar]

Someone beat you to it Robin.... 27 years to late he he he....

[imtamping2]

"Holy conversations Robin"

Ah Boat phone......have to start wearing my specs............

[Viking23]

Yes you can take the boat phone with you to the pub, in case anybody needs you, take it round the shops too. hmmm. 

Or take a much smaller iphone and get on the internet too.

I think I know what I would rather spend my money on...

[ExSurveyor]

I had the two way securicor radio telephone wired to the car, patched to a land line via an operator.  I was at the cutting edge in them days. 

 

[ChrisB]

9 hours ago, ScrumpyCheddar said:

Someone beat you to it Robin.... 27 years to late he he he....

I had one of those in the early 80s but not quite so nice looking. It wa like carrying a small car battery about. It had a mounting bracket in the boot and you plugged in the car aerial and another handset that was between the front seats. Mobile was like shown, mine was a Racal Vodaphone. There was no roaming in those days but I could phone my wife from Calais to say I was boarding the Hovercraft. In 1985 I went to the Fleet Motor Show at Wembley and saw the future by Motorola and a Swedish company that started with an "S" theirs were cream Motorola were black. I ordered 5 of them. I think they were 8000s. Cost, buying 5 we got a discount! £2400 each. Within a year the present scheme of giving them way was in place. So although in my late 60s I have been a Vodafone customer for half my life. Think I will stick to my waterproof Sony, though tempted by new Samsung when I am due new in July. My tablets are Android so makes sense.

[TheQ]

10 hours ago, ScrumpyCheddar said:

Someone beat you to it Robin.... 27 years to late he he he....

We got issued with a company phone like this on one job I was working on because the landlines hadn't been installed yet.

The company still complained they couldn't contact us though....

 

Not suprising really we were working in a secure Radio Frequency screened building.

 

Time to get back to measuring 305hz

 

[ChrisB]

Storno was the Swedish version of the Motorola 8000, knew it was in the grey matter somewhere!

[Polly]

15 hours ago, Dilligaf said:

This is the best phone for on a boat...

If they can't contact you they can't annoy you.

Incidently have you heard about PPI payments, I can get someone to call you if you like.

Absolutely ! We had one memorable conversation with paramedics at 3am who had been called out to our rather random friend 120miles away.

'Does she normally answer straight questions?' 

'No, she hasn't in the 30 years I have known her, just go on your stats.' 

[Limbury1]

I had pagers and radio phons in my vehicles in the eighties but you could only speak for 2 minutes then the operator cut in and told you to finish your call cutting edge tech at the time.i used to come on the Broads with a pager.

[Siddy]

On 27/03/2017 at 6:10 PM, SwanR said:

There's a phone like that in our reception area where I work. I had wondered what it was ... now I know.

Yes you find these where staff like cleaning team have to ring and enter a pin to prove there at work and same going home. Since most places with hold the number like banks etc staff have to use phones like these as it send a number to the time loggers. 

Plus it's a mobile that isn't frying your ear, but can you play snake on it whilst on a call????

Good find LR.