Well my 3rd phone in 5 years has died, new batts did not help...

Will get another tomm, but any recommendations on a brand...

I have had a

Lucent, which I liked the best, 900mhz, digital

V-Tech, which I hated, glad it died

and last a ATT 900mhz, which I really did not like all that much

I have a Panasonic KX-TG2382 from WalMart. Cordless base phone with seperate cordless phone and charger/base unit which needs no phone jack. Has ability to accept a third mobile base phone. I'm happy with it. Has all the bells and whistels of cordless models these days. My favorite feature is the paging feature. I can take a phone with me out to the shop and my wife can page me either from the base unit or the remaining hand held.

And it works in reverse.......I can page her to bring me a beer or check on dinner!

I've been using the same sony spp-er101 for about 8 years by now I guess.

900MHz Works fine for me.
If I stick the baseunit so the antenna is sticking out of my apartment window I can go downstairs, across the street have a coffee and still keep blabbing on the cordless.  It makes people think I have an antique cell phone or something [:D]

Looks like it uses a 3 cell 3.6 volt battery that if it croaked I could replace it with a premade pack for $16.50 from [url]http://www.batterybase.com[/url] or just get 3 individual cells and make a new pack up.

Second what QUIB suggets. The GF and I have the Panasonic KX-TG2382 and it works just great. Fantastic reception from 100-yep, 100, yards away (the GF drove off with one of the handsets one day, thinking it was her cellphone. It didn't cut off until she went around the corner, about 100yds) the paging feature is superb, especially when we seem to have misplaced BOTH handsets (yep, DUH!!)and best part is the phones operate in 2mHz (?) range and your (in my case, OUR) neighbor with the police scanner can't listen in on your conversations. (Yes, we DO have a "neighbor" that does this. He's bragged about it to people in the 'hood. Not any more, Monty.)