Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] stupid cell phone question

From: Scott <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 10:07:24 -0400

No one else answered, so I'll take a shot at it--the SIM card is the 
brain of the phone. The minutes and number go with the SIM card. So when 
you swap SIM cards, you get a new number, different minutes, etc. For 
all intents and purposes it's a different phone once you swap SIM cards.

But let one of the EEs on here tell you for sure. That's just my 
experience in Europe. I assume any GSM system would operate the same, 
but I'm not a phone network engineer.

Scott

On 8/25/2013 3:20 PM, Dave C wrote:
> I have relatively modest cell phone needs.  I use a cheap (free) 
> Tracfone and buy more minutes once a year.  It works for what I need 
> but doesn't work in Canada, at least, not reliably.  Since I live in 
> WA I go to Canada occasionally, usually on my motorcycle, and cell 
> phone coverage is kind of a nice thing to have.
>
> Could I buy a cheap, unlocked GSM phone on Amazon, like this one, for 
> example,
>
>> http://www.amazon.com/BLU-T190i-RD-Unlocked-Quad-Band-Bluetooth/dp/B00AA6WTOO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1377457163&sr=8-8&keywords=unlocked+gsm+phone 
>>
>
> put the SIM card from my Tracfone in it, and then buy a prepaid SIM 
> card in Canada?  If yes, do the phone number and  minutes I have 
> accumulated on my US Tracfone reside on the sim card, and will the 
> phone number and minutes just transfer on to the new phone?
_______________________________________________

[email-masked]
Archive: http://www.team.net/archive

---

From: "Arvid Jedlicka" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 09:22:46 -0500

Is there a Canadian equivalent of the Tracfone available ... one where you 
simply pay for the minutes?

Maybe just get one when you are in Canada and then carry it with you when 
ever you travel in Canada. Yes, two numbers but at least you would have 
"call out" ability for emergencies and those that you share the second 
number with would be able to get a hold of you.

Arvid

-----Original Message----- 
From: Dave C
Sent: Sunday, August 25, 2013 2:20 PM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: [Shop-talk] stupid cell phone question

I have relatively modest cell phone needs.  I use a cheap (free)
Tracfone and buy more minutes once a year.  It works for what I need but
doesn't work in Canada, at least, not reliably.  Since I live in WA I go
to Canada occasionally, usually on my motorcycle, and cell phone
coverage is kind of a nice thing to have.

> http://www.amazon.com/BLU-T190i-RD-Unlocked-Quad-Band-Bluetooth/dp/B00AA6WTOO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1377457163&sr=8-8&keywords=unlocked+gsm+phone

put the SIM card from my Tracfone in it, and then buy a prepaid SIM card
in Canada?  If yes, do the phone number and  minutes I have accumulated
on my US Tracfone reside on the sim card, and will the phone number and
minutes just transfer on to the new phone? 
_______________________________________________

[email-masked]

---

From: Miq Millman <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 08:24:07 -0700

Tracfone uses both GSM (removable SIMcard) and CDMA (non-removable SIM
card) phones for their service, and allows their customer to piggyback on
existing carriers.  You can determine which carrier you are using by the
leading characters of the SIM card, it will say something like SIMT for
T-Mobile or SIMC for ATT/Cingular.  The point is, if you are using a CDMA
based tracfone, it will be on Verizon or Sprint, and you won't be able to
swap out a foreign card.

Pulling the SIM will allow you to move the number to another phone, but you
will not keep you r local Washington State number if you put in a Canada
Rogers SIM--you will then have a British Columbia based number.

Depending on how the Tracfone stores the contact information, you may have
access to it.  So the question for you is do you have a CDMA or a GSM
Tracfone?

--
__
Miq Millman   [email-masked]
Tualatin, OR  Big Llama Productions

On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 7:07 AM, Scott <[email-masked]>wrote:

> No one else answered, so I'll take a shot at it--the SIM card is the brain
> of the phone. The minutes and number go with the SIM card. So when you swap
> SIM cards, you get a new number, different minutes, etc. For all intents
> and purposes it's a different phone once you swap SIM cards.
>
> experience in Europe. I assume any GSM system would operate the same, but
> I'm not a phone network engineer.
>
> Scott
>
>> I have relatively modest cell phone needs.  I use a cheap (free) Tracfone
>> and buy more minutes once a year.  It works for what I need but doesn't
>> work in Canada, at least, not reliably.  Since I live in WA I go to Canada
>> occasionally, usually on my motorcycle, and cell phone coverage is kind of
>> a nice thing to have.
>>
>>  http://www.amazon.com/BLU-**T190i-RD-Unlocked-Quad-Band-**
>>> Bluetooth/dp/B00AA6WTOO/ref=**sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1377457163&**
>>> sr=8-8&keywords=unlocked+gsm+**phone<http://www.amazon.com/BLU-T190i-RD-Unlocked-Quad-Band-Bluetooth/dp/B00AA6WTOO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1377457163&sr=8-8&keywords=unlocked+gsm+phone>
>>>
>>
>> in Canada?  If yes, do the phone number and  minutes I have accumulated on
>> my US Tracfone reside on the sim card, and will the phone number and
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---

From: Peter Murray <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 11:26:49 -0400

Dave-

Your SIM card carries your account information, and (if you store your
numbers there, and not in the phone itself) your contacts, albeit in the
limited way that a SIM can (only 250 contacts, name and number only).

Warning: Your existing Tracfone SIM may not work in a non-Tracfone unit.
See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TracFone_Wireless#TracFone

You may find that you want to change to a different pre-paid carrier in
order to enable the ability to swap SIMs when you cross the border,
otherwise, you may have to carry two phones.

Any "unlocked" GSM/GPRS/EDGE compatible phone (similar to what you linked
to earlier), should be compatible with any Rodgers Wireless pre-paid
offering in Canada as well as with AT&T/T-Mobile offerings. You will
increase the areas where it works if you get a phone that also has 3G
(HSPA) capability like the Samsung Rugby 2 that I got for my FIL:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Rugby-A847-Unlocked-Ruggedized/dp/B005SHQHSE.

If he has not broken it in the 2.5 years he has had it, it *must* be tough.

I would just stop by a Rodgers retail location when you're next up there
and pick up a SIM. Here is a link to their talk-only plans, though they
have several different ones, in case texting is important:

http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-products/plans?cm_sp=wireless-_-pay_as_you_go-_-plans_banner#,Tabset1--3,,,,

You should be able to test it out with your current phone or with your new
phone.

One other note - you could also look at Republic Wireless, which offers
flat-rate US-based $20/mo or $30/mo unlimited talk/text/data plans that
permit roaming (at no additional cost) in Canada. US coverage is very good,
with Sprint as the primary and Verizon where Sprint isn't - and wifi any
time it can get it. I have been happy with the service, and with the use of
wifi for voice/text/data whenever it can, places that have only wifi
internet and no cell coverage (like my house), the phone works just fine!

http://www.republicwireless.com/

NFI, just a happy customer. Happy to answer any questions, too.

-Peter

On Sun, Aug 25, 2013 at 3:20 PM, Dave C <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/**options/shop-talk/**
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---

From: Dave C <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 20:18:27 -0700

There might be one but I have not been able to find it.  Most of the 
prepaid plans require monthly payments, and nothing I have seen seems to 
approach the low cost of the Tracfone.

On 8/26/2013 7:22 AM, Arvid Jedlicka wrote:
> Is there a Canadian equivalent of the Tracfone available ... one where 
> you simply pay for the minutes? 

[email-masked]

---

From: Doug Braun <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 09:46:08 -0400

I have a spare Tracfone, that we bought for my mother-in-law when she was
visiting from overseas.
It cost only seven dollars, and I just added 365 days of service for $50.
That's $4.17 a month!
The actual airtime is about 13 cents a minute, but if you hardly ever use
the phone, it's
the best deal I have ever seen for that sort of usage model.

Their service quality seems fine, and the web-based customer service is OK,
too.

Doug

On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 11:18 PM, Dave C <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/**
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---

From: Peter Murray <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:21:54 -0400

Dave-

If you travel up to Canada enough, it might be worth it to pick up a cheap
unlocked flip phone like those discussed earlier in the thread, and just
get the Rogers prepaid SIM. The talk/text Rodgers plan I thought might fit
you best still had a CA$ 0.75/mo fee, but with a minimum top-up amount of
$20 and pretty reasonable per-minute rates. If you were to drop $100 in, it
would last a year. Otherwise, you can drop in increments down to CA$10 or
CA$20, depending on the "plan" you wanted.

There is conflicting info on whether the Tracfone will work in Cananda or
not, though I'm inclined to believe the forum answers supplied by Tracfone
reps...

https://www.tracfoneforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6200&t=182655&p=443124&hilit=canada#p443124

Less than $60/year to have a US domestic mobile phone available if needed
is indeed a good deal, Doug!

-Peter

On Tue, Aug 27, 2013 at 12:00 AM, Dave C <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Thanks for the link to the Wikipedia article.  If true, and I suspect it
> is, I am probably out of luck as far as using the Tracfone sim in another
> phone.  I have heard that Tracfone has their network screwed down pretty
> tight.
>
> Republic Wireless looks pretty good if I was looking at switching from a
> conventional carrier, BUT they apparently require you to buy one of their
> smartphones, and the minimum monthly charge is $20, which, while modest, is
> still more than twice my effective cost.  I pay about $100 a year for
> minutes and don't use all of them, or even come close, and I really, really
> don't want a smartphone.

[email-masked]

---

From: Dave C <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 19:08:24 -0700

If you are close enough to the border you can usually get service, often 
all the way to Vancouver, but it gets spotty.  Plus, if you do it for 
very long Tracfone gets pretty snotty about it, from what I understand.

Yeah, one of the cheap Rogers phones would probably be the way to go if 
I keep my TF service down here.

On 8/27/2013 1:21 PM, Peter Murray wrote:
>
> There is conflicting info on whether the Tracfone will work in Cananda 
> or not, though I'm inclined to believe the forum answers supplied by 
> Tracfone reps...
>
> Less than $60/year to have a US domestic mobile phone available if 
> needed is indeed a good deal, Doug!

[email-masked]