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Ericsson R290 Satellite

PostPosted: 2015 Jul 15, 18:52
by pena
Discussion about Ericsson R290 Satellite. Click 'Postreply' to write a comment!

Re: Ericsson R290 Satellite

PostPosted: 2015 Jul 15, 19:05
by pena
Just bought one of these on online auction site, but unfortunately it comes without charger so it will be tricky to charge... :lol:

Biggest problem is finding an operator which supports satellite calls and has prepaid SIM cards available on Ebay. Finnish operators don't like satellite services; TeliaSonera supports nothing, Elisa supports Thuraya only (Globalstar was supported many years ago but not anymore), and I have no idea about DNA (their price list for outgoing calls says Inmarsat and "others" which leaves open whether Globalstar works or not).

So, question is: is there a prepaid SIM card which works on satellites? Some say Norwegian Telenor prepaid cards could be used, but so far I haven't found any confirmation. Yes, Globalstar sells SIM cards too but their cheapest plan costs $100 + activation fee... I'm seeking for about 20€ solution here to just try the phone.

Re: Ericsson R290 Satellite

PostPosted: 2016 Aug 31, 11:54
by strowger
Hi,

Thank you for the pictures. I see you're without a "proper" charger as well - how are you doing the 9V battery charging? Do you have a broken charger or no charger?

Pena - any luck with finding a working SIM?

Cheers

Re: Ericsson R290 Satellite

PostPosted: 2016 Sep 02, 12:41
by pena
Hello,

at that time I didn't have a charger, but the seller who sold me the phone had a big box of random chargers, where I found the original Ericsson charger for the R290. The charger contacts are on the right side (holding right way up, phone screen facing you), the rightmost pin is positive and the next pin to the left, after the charger slot, is negative. The original charger gives 9,3 volts at 1 amp so fresh 9 volt battery + metal wire will charge it in case of emergency, which is good news.

Bad news is the SIM card because there aren't any Globalstar prepaid SIMs around. I didn't want to subscribe to their service (not sure if they give SIMs even then), and seems like prepaids are only supported in GSP1700 and newer handsets. Also GlobalStar barely covers Finland. In Northern Finland, some talk about 10-15 minute windows in an hour when you might have signal, and Southern Finland doesn't have a lot better coverage in GlobalStar's maps. But the R290 works fine as a GSM900 phone, until the network is shut down...

Re: Ericsson R290 Satellite

PostPosted: 2016 Sep 05, 11:06
by strowger
pena wrote:Hello,

at that time I didn't have a charger, but the seller who sold me the phone had a big box of random chargers, where I found the original Ericsson charger for the R290. The charger contacts are on the right side (holding right way up, phone screen facing you), the rightmost pin is positive and the next pin to the left, after the charger slot, is negative. The original charger gives 9,3 volts at 1 amp so fresh 9 volt battery + metal wire will charge it in case of emergency, which is good news.

Bad news is the SIM card because there aren't any Globalstar prepaid SIMs around. I didn't want to subscribe to their service (not sure if they give SIMs even then), and seems like prepaids are only supported in GSP1700 and newer handsets. Also GlobalStar barely covers Finland. In Northern Finland, some talk about 10-15 minute windows in an hour when you might have signal, and Southern Finland doesn't have a lot better coverage in GlobalStar's maps. But the R290 works fine as a GSM900 phone, until the network is shut down...


Hey,

Thank you for replying.

Regarding the charger - I have something which works - just about. It looks very similar to the connector on other Ericsson phones (am unsure whether it is physically different) - so perhaps would be possible to re-use the connector, although the voltage is higher. The design of it is not impressive - thin brittle plastic pieces which flex when things are connected - and clearly shows its age.

I've found the same as you re Globalstar prepaid SIMs. I've tried quite a lot of GSM SIMs in the r290 and none seem to work on G* - whereas most will on Thuraya. I'm unclear whether or not G* support SIM cards and GSM-type authentication *at all* anymore - as you note, the handsets they're pushing/supporting now use IS-95 type authentication.

GSM900 works fine, as you note. The menus are pretty slow and clunky even by 1990s standards; you wouldn't want to do many SMS with it. Even when it was brand new, you'd have been well aware of what a bad GSM terminal it is. Sound quality is not great either - it's loud enough but the quality isn't great even making allowances for it being pre-AMR codec.

Cheers

Re: Ericsson R290 Satellite

PostPosted: 2016 Sep 07, 15:07
by chetak1432
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