What phone for Next G operation

[Ross]

Hi Crew

 

Has anyone experience of what make and model mobile phone will interface with the aircraft headphone system for use in the next G system that replaces the CDMA network.

 

I have heard that some Next G phones have a "tick" implying suitability for marginal area operation.

 

But they also need a suitable socket for ease of interfacing with the AC system.

 

The phone needs to be able to be plugged into the AC headphone system without causing additional battery drain on the phone battery and only coming live with an incoming call or the dialling of an outgoing call.

 

 

[slartibartfast]

My iMate JasJam (same as a HTC Tytn or Dopod 838) rocks as a NextG phone Ross. Unfortunately though, it has a proprietary mini-USB port and nobody has made an interface cable to a 3.5mm standard headset socket. There are audio only sockets, but none include the mic.

 

I am going to try wiring one up so I can plug it into a FlightCell 2Go.

 

It does internet really well too. I can nearly always call up radar, weather and AWS readings en-route.

 

Ross

 

 

[blueshed]

Hi Ross

 

Which cell phone interface are You using or do you have a headset with the compatable plug. I have been using my Nokia CDMA with a cell phone amplified interface and also an intercom that I can plug in both my MP3 player and phone. One chap I have sold one of these to has a LG TU500, with which he has had good results. Hence I have purchased a LG TU500 and waiting for my new SIM to arrive. Some other friends here also have LG TU500's with which they are very happy, we are in some very marginal area's. These cell phones have the "industry standard" 2.5mm plug. Which is what these interfaces come with. Have also another friend with a Nokia 6120 I thinks, as yet he has not got back to me with how it has worked with these items. If you need a linkto these PM and I shall send link.

 

Cheers Guy

 

 

[FlyBye]

If the LG is the go sofar as connecting then LG TU550 is supposed to have a better anntena than the TU500.

 

I have both but as yet I have not had the chance to put it to the test.

 

 

[Ben Longden]

Its a bit like asking what plane to buy.... :;)2:

 

Surely a major consideration would be the capability of it plugging into a car kit - that is mic and speaker to a box of bits that can be connected to the intercom, as well as an external aerial.

 

Now this leads us to the next question.... how to connect it into the intercom system... anyone?

 

Ben

 

 

[hihosland]

Simple cheap and workable connection to the intercom.

 

Place the microphone for the portable hands free unit that comes with the phone inside your headset ear cup and place the ear bud speaker in you ear under the headset. Works well because what the headset microphone picks up is echoed inside the ear cup.

 

Davidh

 

Considering the so called next-g the original and most reliable digital communication is still the smoke signal

 

 

[Captain]

Mine is smaller than Slarti's

 

it has a proprietary mini-USB port and nobody has made an interface cable to a 3.5mm standard headset socket. There are audio only sockets, but none include the mic.I am going to try wiring one up so I can plug it into a FlightCell 2Go.

Ross

Ross(s)

 

 

 

I just bought a Motorola V9 and it is a great phone, but I have a similar issue to Slarti in that it uses a micro-USB (even teensier than his Mini) and I'm waiting for someone to come out with a micro-USB to 3.5 mm socket cord to connect to my FlightCell.

 

 

 

Waiting .............. waiting.

 

 

 

Slarti ... do you know whether there is a Bluetooth receiver to 3.5 mm option?

 

 

 

If neither of those are available soon I'm just going to get a pre-paid Nokia with the right connection options and leave it in the aircraft.

 

 

 

Regards to you both

 

 

 

Geoff

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Slarti ... do you know whether there is a Bluetooth receiver to 3.5 mm option?

 

That's an option I am looking into Geoff.

 

The guy from FlightCell emailed me about 6 months ago with that suggestion.

 

He named a bluetooth device which did just that. The 2Go can plug into that and they both stay in the plane. When you get in you pair your phone with it.

 

A few weeks ago I was trying to remember what device it was and googled around, but didn't find it. I'll have to dig out his email and get back to you.

 

Sounded like a great option - about $120 for the device from memory.

 

Ben, that's the answer to your question. FlightCell2Go. Easy if you have a phone with a standard 2.5 or 3.5 headset jack. Otherwise you'll need a converter. With some phones, like Geoff's or mine, there are no converters yet.

 

Check the FlightCell website for a list of phones, or email them. They are very helpful.

 

Ross

 

 

[Harthy]

Phone connection

 

There is a way, Most mobile phones come with a personal hands free. If you go to your local electronics shop and purshase a 3.5 mm plug and socket. You can then cut the wire on the hands free after the plug that goes into your phone and before the answer button. Join the plug and socket into the lead (you will need a multi metre to connect the right wires). Then just plug it into your radio for use in your plane, and join it back up to use the hands free.

 

Also sometimes you can get none genuine hands free very cheap for mobiles. Just cut the lead and join a 3.5mm pug or socket on, and you have a permanent harness.

 

Hope this will help

 

Harthy

 

 

[Admin]

Hi Ross

 

I was about to buy a HTC Tytn 2 when I was in Dubai but the sales guy was taking to long and I was going to miss my flight so I thought I would get it on my return flight but it seems I was lucky not to get it if it doesn't have the standard plug/connections that will plug into my headset - is that right?

 

That has always been the problem with my current LG phone - it has a strange plug like a mini USB connector.

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Thanks Harthy. Looking into that too, but these mini-USB plugs carry power, sync signals, audio out, mic in, data in/out and more. So it gets a bit complicated. Probably doable, but that's also why there's none on the market.

 

It's harder than it should be.

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Correct Ian.

 

Great phone though. The problem is surmountable.

 

Actually, mine is a Tytn. I haven't seen the Tytn 2 yet.

 

The eternal question eh? Dubai or du rent?

 

Edit: just had a look. Seems to have the same miniUSB connector. Built-in GPS though! Bonus.

 

 

[Admin]

The eternal question eh? Dubai or du rent?

You brought a smile to this dismal home sick face way over here Ross

 

There isn't much of a duty free discount - in Dubai cost about $1k AUD, in Aussie about $1,250 retail

 

 

[slartibartfast]

When I got mine Telstra had exclusive rights and were selling it for $1400.

 

I got mine for $780 on eBay and it was already loaded with Telstra firmware.

 

Might be a safer option to get it here when spending that much.

 

Hurry back. I'm already sick of getting those "why u ban my email" emails again.

 

 

[Admin]

Ross

 

I just have a template that I copy and paste saying that you can NOT register using Hotmail, Yahoo, GMail etc - free email address providers but recomend using your ISP email address. I also explain that this is to prevent unwanted spammers etc from getting into the forums and it protects the current users privacy and information.

 

I received an email from my hosting company today again saying that there have been some more exploits of the phpBB forum - a type of forum software that many people use because it is free:

 

"The main issue we notice is that many people are not keeping their CMS up to date.

 

Common culprits are products like Joomla/Mambo and phpBB but there certainly are others."

 

We keep a very tight hand on security and can say that "THESE FORUMS DO NOT USE phpBB forum software or Joomla/Mambo".

 

I know it may not be nice to say, but I would rather protect many then to let a few others in. Another thing - people think because a forum is on the internet that they have a right to use it. That may well be with public forums but these forums are NOT public, they are private forums set up for the benefit of RA-Aus members, hence why the posts are not able to be read by the public - you must be a member first - there is a big difference between public forums and private forums. You could say that these forums are private property and a person just uses the internet to access them, they are not freely available on the internet.

 

Time to go down to breakfast and see if the trains are running yet - not another sleepless night in Paris

 

 

[Ross]

The phone?

 

After going to Sydney with a bad chest infection then back to Leeton then to Mildura for the weekend they put me in hospital when we returned to Leeton from Mildura-got out today still coughing but an imrovement.

 

However I found out that my cousin's husband Eric Muntz is building a Jab230 in Albury and he is installing a Bluetooth interface in his A/C which he got or is getting some Wagga techo to install. I think it involves small screen display installed in the panel that displays the current state of the connection.

 

 

 

What might Bluetooth do to a GPS reception and transponder?

 

 

I do not have any more details at this stage as I was having difficulty holding a conversation with my continuous coughing once I started talking - quite a disadvantage in a large family get-together.

 

I shall try and get some details by e-mail over the next couple of days.

 

Regards

 

 

[Guest disperse]

nokia n95 has everything from a 5mp camra to wfi b-tooth inbuild GPS and a simple 2.5 plug for the hands free plug. also comes with A/V plugs to go straight into your tele so you can watch vids and pics straight from the phone.... it's what I'm using for a wireless modem for the laptop and connects through my W-router when at home

 

 

[Captain]

still coughing but an imrovement.

Sorry to hear that you have been crook, Ross.

 

Get rid of that cough or next thing there'll be vultures sitting on your fence wanting to buy your 160 kit, cheap.

 

If you can find out anything about the bluetooth connection device I'm sure that I and the non-coughing Slarti Ross would like to know.

 

I don't want a screen on the panel, just a discreet and reliable interface with the flightcell would do ........ and if it can work well it should be better than having the connection cord between the phone and the flightcell getting in the way.

 

Take it easy.

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[Mazda]

I'm not a fan of the network. I have a Jasjam which I've tried on Testra (Next G) and Three 3g. Despite what Telsta say, there's not much difference in coverage and Three is much cheaper. I had to pay out Telstra to get rid of my plan with them.

 

The coverage is generally poor, with lots of drop outs. My OH has the Motorola (poor battery life). People at work have the LG TU 550. They all have coverage issues.

 

It's pathetic compared with CDMA. Personally, I'd say stick to CDMA and let's see what happens. Maybe it will be extended, maybe Next G network will improve by then. But I'd wait.

 

 

[Captain]

Mazda

 

I & my wife went from CDMA to Next G about a month ago expected all sorts of doom and gloom about the coverage based on the anecdotes, and so far have used that service between Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Moama, Deniliquin, and all around Wagga, and in that trapezoid I have to say that we have not had any coverage issues that are worse than we had under CDMA.

 

So far we have no complaints about the upgrade.

 

An issue to bear in mind is that there will be a rush for new phones when the CDMA gets the chop early next year and I am advised that there is a chance that it may be difficult to source the unit you want at that time.

 

 

[Mazda]

You must be lucky with where you go Captain, because I don't even have Next G or 3G coverage in my surburban Sydney office! No one there does - Telstra have even sent out their reps to have a look. There's no Next G and no 3G using Jasjams and LGs, but CDMA coverage is great.

 

I get constant drop outs when I call home on the way home from work, and if I call 3G to 3G I'd say maybe one in 4 or 5 calls is clear. Often I have to call, hang up, call, hang up, call, hang up etc until I actually get a clear line. I do this every single day while driving through suburban Sydney.

 

I had it on Next G but complained because they said I'd get better coverage. When I complained, one Telstra rep said that I was "wasting his time" and hung up. Then they charged me $300 for cancelling the contract (even though I had my own handset and had paid 2 months of fees without even using the service because I gave up on it). I'm now back on 3G. The coverage is just as bad, but at least it is cheaper.

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Here you go Geoff.

 

 

This Bluetooth device has a 2.5mm socket for standard headset connection.

 

FlightCell would provide a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor gratis. This would plug into the FlightCell 2Go and away you go.

 

It's here on Expansys for $105.

 

This looks like a good deal on eBay though. US $20 and $10 shipping for the whole shebang.

 

While poking around today though, I finally found a solution for my JasJam.

 

 

This will convert the EMU (miniUSB) plug to a 2.5mm standard headset. This is the first I've seen which includes the mic in the jack. I'll get one and see how it goes.

 

Ian, I also found this for the TyTn II. $60 at Expansys.

 

It has a 2.5mm headset jack too. Doesn't work on my TyTn I (JasJam) though.

 

 

And Mazda, I've been using the JasJam on NextG for at least 12 months now. I have coverage nearly everywhere I need it in the air and on the ground - including high speed internet. Very happy with it.

 

Ross, as thread starter, I hope this answers a few questions for you too. I'll try to set it up in the air soon and report on success (failure is not an option).

 

Cheers,

 

Ross

 

 

[Captain]

Thanks Ross. That is terrific. I sent an email to FlightCell today asking for their advice but you look like you have solved it for me.

 

Will keep you posted of how it goes for my phone.

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[Geoff]

Next G means no phone here in Red Cliffs Vic:angry: had to go to the new phone when the 7year old cdma phone died. Since then 3 different phones latest is L.G. 550:yuk: last 2 supplied by Telstra at no cost to me.;)

 

Had Telstra Wise come out to test sig strength. Next G next to none. :censored:Cdma full strength.;)

 

Now waiting for a clip on aerial which may or may not fix the problem.:;)3: All in all wish I had my old cdma phone still, it only made phone calls but at lest you could do that.

 

 

[Guest disperse]

N95 comes with one of them (thing in last photo of Slarti's post)