Posted: 11/8/2012 8:59:06 AM EDT
| Will I be able to use the walkie talkie feature on a Motorola i355 here in America if it was originally sold on the Telus Mike network in Canada? What type of SIM will I need? |
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Two different PTT features on that phone. Direct Connect that accessed theCellular network and Direct Talk that did not.
Nextel or Boost Mobile SIM that is not active to use the Direct Talk function. An active Nextel or Boost Mobile SIM for Direct Connect. My old Nextel worked on your Canadian system for a small extra fee. A buck or two a month IIRC. |
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Probably, I think iDEN is iDEN. Nationwide I think Boost Mobile is still activating bring your own iDEN phones but by the middle of '13 Sprint is going to start shutting down the service. There are a few regional carriers who use iDEN and also some private and government networks.
These phones also have Direct Talk (direct phone to phone off the network). That should work with any previously activated SIM which is compatible with the phone (i.e. your Mike SIMs, or Nextel or Boost Mobile). I use my old Nextel i880s for Direct Talk, they work pretty good. Better range than FRS radios and somewhat more secure. I know one of the Motorola guys who was putting together some of the early iDEN stuff when it was till in development, all of the other cell phones were analog and that stuff seemed like magic. My company went to Nextel early on and we made pretty good use of them. These days we all email each other on our Blackberries, iPhones, and Droids, the brand of phone and carrier we have doesn't matter! |
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Thanks. I'm not looking to put these on the Network at all, I just want to use the direct talk feature off network.
In that regard how do these compare to the TriSquare walkie talkies? It seems like the TriSquares operate at a full watt of power, as opposed to the .6 of the i355. Also, batteries for the Trisquare would be much easier to stock because they run on plain AA's. What is the better choice for short range semi secure communication? |
| I've not experienced the tri square radios, but do have 6 of the i355's and have been impressed. In my area of ops which can be flat farmland or wooded ravines I get performance that equals or betters bubble pack gmrs. I have tested these and get reliable signal from 1.5-2.2 miles |
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BOOST required an extra charge to activate Directalk. My I580 won't DT with a Boost SIM. A Nextel SIM will attempt to connect with the service first then go to DT. Using blank SIMS, the I355 can be setup to power up into Directalk with no key play. I have four of the I325 antennas ( a 4 inch whip) that seems to help a little on range. The range is on par with FRS, and with 15 codes and 10 channels, finding an empty channel should be easy.
RS |
| Moto Talk a.k.a. Direct Talk uses simplex freq. range 902-928 MHz ISM band (off network). Will work regardless of location (check local restrictions). 1w vs. .6w (actually .7 I believe) is inconsequential in the 900 MHZ range. The TriSquares are known to be buggy and not as durable as the i355's. |