CAPH52

As I've mentioned on other threads, we're going to be traveling with a group of 8 family members and friends in late March. We'll be renting two cars and spending three nights together, two apart. We need some way to keep in touch. When we're traveling together, we want to be able to let the other car know if we want/need to pull off the road, etc. When we're apart, we need to be able to coordinate plans to meet up. For obvious reasons (cost!), we don't want to use our cell phones. I know only from watching cop shows on tv that it's possible to buy some sort of "disposable" cell phones here. Are those available in Ireland? And, if so, are they very expensive? Or is there some sort of a walkie-talkie system we could use? Thanks for any suggestions.

CAPH52

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CAPH52

Any suggestions? Anyone?

CAPH52

Maybe I should go at this from another direction...I'm assuming that, as we all have US numbers, if we were to use our cell phones to communicate with each other while in Ireland, we would be charged for a transatlantic call. Is that a correct assumption?

Itallian_Chauffer

Unlocked GSM dual, or (preferably) tri-band. You can get cheap ones for $50-100 each from E-Bay, Overstock.com or any number of on-line sites. Then, on arrival, buy a Vodaphone Sim Card for about 10 Euro each for 'Pay As You Go' @ about 40 Euro cents per call (no charge for in-coming calls -- only charged for outcalls -- so you don't get double charged per call and there are no long distance charges.
Will probably cost you about the same as using your US cell, BUT --- if you hang on to the phone, you can go to almost any contry and use it again and again, for just the cost of the SIM card. Do a text search for MOBILE PHONES or CELL PHONES -- there have been LOTS of threads on the subject.

Bob

CAPH52

Thanks, Bob! Sorry I didn't do a search before posting. I wasn't really sure what I was searching for as we only need to be able to call each other, not back to the States.

I just tried to call Cingular to see whether there's any chance our mobile to mobile free minutes will work overseas. If so, of course, we could just give one of our phones to the people in the other car. But Cingular's offices are closed.

Itallian_Chauffer

When you do talk to Cingular, ask them for the unlock code to your phones - but only if it is 800 and/or 1800 capable --the US only uses the 1900 frequency, I believe, whereas the other two are pretty much universal in Europe.
I doubt if your minutes are valid when overseas - you might check Cingular's website, though. I bought my phone about three years ago from an on-line vendor for about $100 and have used it ever since. I use it statesside with a T-Mobile 'Pay As You Go' and just pop in my Vodaphone Sim on the plane. I buy a small denomination "TOP UP" card right before I leave to come home and that keeps the Vodaphone account good for another year. That way, everyone has my US AND my Irish phone numbers and can reach me anytime.
Last year, BOTH my daughter and my son's wife had babies (prematurely) WHILE we were in Ireland. They were both able to call us everyday (using one of the "10-10-10" numbers for only 10 or 12 cents per minute ( and NO cost to US, as they were incoming calls).
We STILL managed to spend a bunch for lots of OUR calls home, but nothing remotely like the $2-3 that T-Mobile would have charges us for ALL calls.

Bob

Itallian_Chauffer

CORRECTION:

"... nothing remotely like the $2-3 PER MINUTE, that T-Mobile would have charged us ..."
Bob

vino

When we went to France last summer we brough along walkie talkies. Our car had the GPS system so we passed along the info- roundabout coming up or bear to the left at the fork ect to my sister and family traveling in the car behind us. The kids also had fun talking to each other in the different cars.
I think for longer distances the cell phones sound like a better idea.
V

CAPH52

Thanks again, Bob. The reason I mentioned checking with Cingular is that I know both from seeing someone mention it on Fodor's and from Cingular's website that they do offer an international plan.

I don't want to mess with changing the plan we currently have as we probably wouldn't be able to get it back after the trip. Our daughter goes to school several states away so we don't want to screw up the nationwide plan we have. However, I'm hoping that, as they do offer international plans, our phones might work overseas. Thanks for telling me to ask them about the unlock code.

As you suggested, I searched cell phones-Ireland. I feel like I know a little more than I did when I first posted. But it's still very confusing!

I appreciated your information about purchasing a phone that can be used again in Europe with a new sim card. However, this is our first trip to Europe since 1982! If it's that long before our next trip, I'm afraid the technology will have changed dramatically!

However, there's a very good chance that our daughter will be studying abroad next year. So perhaps it would be worth it for us. Not sure whether the people in the other car will feel the same way even though they go to Europe much more frequently than we.

Anyway, thanks again for your help. I'll see what Cingular has to say and take it from there.

Itallian_Chauffer

SORRY, one more thing. If your Cingular phones AREN'T dual or triband, they WON'T work in Ireland, regardless of what Cingular charges, or what they offer. Cingular and T-Mobile DO have reciprical agreements with the Vodaphone, O2 and Meteor networks, but not all of their phones are compatable. You need to verify which frequencies YOUR phones operate on.
Bob

Itallian_Chauffer

OOPS, we cross-replied.
You don't have to end or modify your Cingular PLAN to use another SIM -- all that data is stored on the SIM that is currently in your phones and will reactivate as soon as you put the old SIM back in. If the phone is "LOCKED", it is set to only recognize a Cingular SIM. You have to enter the four digit UNLOCK code in order for the phone to recognize and use the Vodaphone. When you get home and re-install the Cingular SIM (it may prompt you to re-enter the UNLOCK code), it will act as if you have simply had the phone turned off while on your trip.
Bob

CAPH52

Thanks again, Bob. Our phones are fairly new (less than a year old) so perhaps that's in our favor. Will definitely ask about dual or triband when I call them. It's very good to know that they have reciprocal agreements with Vodaphone and 02. If it turns out that our phones are not dual or triband, I wonder if it would be more cost efficient to get new Cingular phones that *are* rather than buying other phones just to be used for the trip.

vino, so walkie talkies did work car to car? As you said, when we're traveling apart cell phones would make more sense. But, if worse comes to worst, it's good to know that at least we could use walkie talkies to solve part of our problem!

CAPH52

Looks like we cross-replied again! Thanks for that information, Bob. Slowly but surely, I'm understanding this a little better!

janisj

CAPH52: It looks like you and Italian_Chauffer are working things through (can't really help re cell phones since I usually just use calling cards)

But two comments: Whatever you do - DO NOT follow vino's advice. US walkie talkies aren't legal in Europe. They use the same frequencies as many emergency services. You might not get caught, but if you are you will lose the walkie talkies and face a fine.

and - Itallian_Chauffer has been helping you, but you will likely get input from others if you re-post w/ "Cell phone" in your title. There are several other techies on here who can maybe give you other ideas.

Worktowander

About Cingular's international calling plan - I'm served by Cingular, although my contract was written under AT&T (got bought by Cing.) So your mileage may vary... BUT I'm allowed to enable the international plan on a month-by-month basis. So I "turn it on" just before I go, "turn it off" when I get back -- so easy.

rkkwan

Of the two US companies that use GSM phones, Cingular is more expensive than T-Mobile. Cingular's rate in most of Europe is $1.29/min, and there's a $4 monthly international charge (that can be turned on/off). T-Mobile USA charges $.99/min from most of Europe, and no international fees.

NEDSIRELAND

I concur with janisj re: walkie-talkies or hand held CB radios.

I haven't tried this yet but I have Cingular service and an Audiovox SMT 5600 (SmartPhone). It works fine for me in the U.S. but the literature tells me it is 'dual band worldphone' and that I could use it in Europe by putting in a different SIM card. I haven't the foggiest idea wo my service provider would be.

There are some shops that specialize in mobile phones. One I know of is on Bridge St. in Newcastlewest (Limerick) adjacent to the Post Office. It's called 'Talknology.' I don't know if there are outlets of the same Company in other towns but Mobile phones are very popular in Ireland and I would bet that there are mobile phone vendors in any city of more than 40,000.

That might be worth investigating.

CAPH52

Thanks, everyone! janisj and Nedsireland, I especially appreciate the info on walkie talkies.

Worktowander, we also started with AT&T. But last year when one of our phones broke, they pretty much told us we had to change over. So our current contract was written through Cingular. As I told Italian_Chauffer, my fear with switching to Cingular's international plan is that we won't be able to go back to what we have. My past experience with both AT&T and Cingular is that their packages are constantly changing. Anytime we've needed to change, say from local to nationwide for a trip within the US, when we try to go back, our old package is no longer available. Sometimes you luck out and wind up with a better package. Sometimes not. (Not to mention the fact that, everytime we change, they make us renew our contract for another two years!) And, as I said, with a daughter who goes to school several states away, we need our nationwide package. If there's some way to put the international pkg in place temporarily, without losing our current one, then it's probably well worth checking out. I'm hoping that, as Italian_Chaffur said, there's some way to just put in a sim card there without altering our pkg in any way.

zaneyjaney

My Cingular service has an international plan. My phone is something like a Z500a?? They told me they could activate it a couple of days before I leave and I don't need a SIM card.
I can pay something like $5.95 and get all my calls for 99 cents per minute, otherwise it's $1.29 per minute. My free minutes are not part of this plan.
They told me to power the phone down when not in use.