landline telephone with a second handset

[mint]

Can someone please recommend a phone they are happy with?

Bought a new phone with extension handset only a couple of years ago and it is already playing up.  Callers tell me that it is most disconcerting when they ring up, there is no audible ringing their end and then OH or I pick up the phone and speak to them!

Just the make or, of course, make and model would be great.  All I want is a nice, solid, no-nonsense phone with a second handset for elsewhere in the house and that's it!  No need for fancy "extras", just something that is not some flimsy rubbish and that works and preferably that lasts!

Thanks

[andyh4]

We use Siemens Gigaset - which I hope is not what you have at the moment.

Actually a three way set but a replacement for a two way after an incident with a cat put the two way out of action.

[mint]

Thank you, Andy.  Will investigate further!

[Department71]

I have one of those two handset jobbies the second handset works wireless from the base station, can't help you on the make as I brought it in the UK (its got BT on it!) works fine here and one good thing the answerphone part is in English, I'm sure it buggers up the cold callers.

[suein56]

We have Phillips and they work a treat and have done for years. A friend has Gigaset and they work well too with no problems such as yours.

Sue

[mint]

Thanks, guys.  Going to order one from Amazon today.....probably the Siemens as their "duo" seems to have a large, easy to read screen!

Thanks again[:)]

[Mikew]

If it is not too late- our Panasonic set has behaved very well for some years. Recommended.

[EuroTrash]

Just to say, I don't see how the lack of ringing tone on the caller's end can be anything to do with your phone. The caller doesn't actually hear your phone ringing. What they get is the appropriate signal to tell them the progress of the call - either brrr, brrr, if the line is clear for them to get through, or bip bip bip if the line is engaged, or a number unobtainable message if there's a problem on the line. So even if there was no phone plugged in, they would still get a ringing tone (or not, in your case), so I don't see what difference changing your phone will make. Am I right or am I wrong?

[mint]

Don't know, ET, but, in any case, the phone makes strange pulsing noises though does work like normal once you ring the number you want.

TBH, it didn't cost us anything!  Bought it on line and there was a crack in the battery casing.  Got our money back after exchanges of emails.  When I asked for return labels, they never sent any so I guess it was a case of it being a cheapo phone and not worth their while having it back!  I have a feeling that the company was Alibaba though that wasn't the actual name.

In a mood to change many things at the moment and the phone really has been a bit unpredictable, eg, sometimes we have to change handsets in order to get it to dial even though both handsets have been on their cradles.

Thanks Mikew but now ordered[:)]

[nomoss]

We have used a Siemens Gigaset AS285, with three handsets, since about 2008.

Any problems we have had have always been due to faulty batteries, and consist mainly of random ringing when no-one is calling, and cutting off during a conversation even though the battery was showing fully charged.

The battery life (2 ea NiMH AAA cells) seems to be around 2 years maximum, regardless of which of various brands were tried, although "Energiser" cells seem to give the best results. I have tested the individual cells, after a battery has failed, and reinstalled those which tested OK, but the re-used cells did not last very long.

One big nuisance when replacing the batteries, even if they are disconnected and the same ones replaced for any reason, is that they have to be charged for 8 hours after installation, then left off the charging base until they are completely discharged; this is to reset the charge indicator for the new battery.

If the phone is not used a lot, this can take several days, and, naturally, the battery will eventually go flat in the middle of a conversation.

[mint]

Thank you for the info, nomoss.

Will bear that in mind.  As I remember it, those special batteries are very costly...........sigh.........

[suein56]

mint wrote :

As I remember it, those special batteries are very costly...........sigh.........

No longer mint ... if you look for promos ... even Lidl has good quality rechargeable batteries on offer from time to time at the power level you need for a phone - around 2300 mAh. I think they were 4€99 for 4 x AA or 4 x AAA.

Sue

[Jonzjob]

I agree ET, unless the handset is dragging the line down until it's answered?

We have had the Siemens Gigaset S455 for over 10 years now and due to changing from having a fixed line and ADSL together we now have 4 handsets on it. Great because we have then in different parts of the house and my workshop. One of the best is that we can have 2 or more handsets, SWMBO and me on the same external call. We can also use them as an intercom system. Useful if I am in the workshop and SWMBO wants to contact me and she is upstairs in our mezannine. No problems and the batteries have lasted for years!

Great system. We can also allocate different rings for special friends/family as well as having the call identifier naming who's calling if they are in the memory [8-|]

[Chancer]

[quote user="mint"]Don't know, ET, but, in any case, the phone makes strange pulsing noises though does work like normal once you ring the number you want.


[/quote]

 

That is your problem right there, it is set for pulse dialling and not multi-frequency dial tone, there will be a little slider switch on the side marked pulse/MFDT set it to MFDT

 

Problem solved.

[Jonzjob]

Pulse dial isn't recognised now Chancer, so if iyt were that it wouldn't operate at all. Everything is tone dial now/multi-frequency.

That's why, if you but an old phone with a dial on it then it has to be converted.

[nomoss]

[quote user="mint"]Can someone please recommend a phone they are happy with?

Bought a new phone with extension handset only a couple of years ago and it is already playing up.  Callers tell me that it is most disconcerting when they ring up, there is no audible ringing their end and then OH or I pick up the phone and speak to them!

Just the make or, of course, make and model would be great.  All I want is a nice, solid, no-nonsense phone with a second handset for elsewhere in the house and that's it!  No need for fancy "extras", just something that is not some flimsy rubbish and that works and preferably that lasts!

Thanks

[/quote]

Maybe you could give the make and model of the phone you have, and also where you bought it?

I sometimes make calls where I hear no ringing tone, but the person picks up. I always thought this to be a fault on the system.

[mint]

I think the make is something like Ucom and the model is Cocoon 950.  Bought on line for, I think, just over 40 euros.

It does play up now and again but, like you have explained, probably the batteries.  I am not a great phone user and so have not been particularly bothered.  If one handset doesn't work, I just use the other one and it's usually fine.  Otherwise I just use the mobile.

[nomoss]

[quote user="mint"]I think the make is something like Ucom and the model is Cocoon 950.  Bought on line for, I think, just over 40 euros.

It does play up now and again but, like you have explained, probably the batteries.  I am not a great phone user and so have not been particularly bothered.  If one handset doesn't work, I just use the other one and it's usually fine.  Otherwise I just use the mobile.

[/quote]

the Cocoon 950 seems to be made by Samsung, which is quite a well-known and respectable brand, so no particular reason to get rid of it if it works well enough with good batteries.

If you search for "cocoon 950" you will see there are plenty around.

Ucom is an Armenian telephone company, so perhaps your phone was supplied by them to a customer who eventually sold it on line?

[mint]

Thanks for coming back, nomoss.

In fact, it seemed to have been sold from Germany because all the instructions were in Deutschland language[:)]

Talk about Armenia, I once bought some beautifully decorated dishes in Jerusalem but made in Armenia.............deffo, the world's a global village!

[Chancer]

I had one of them from either Aldi or Lidl, worked OK, changed batteries once then slowly the handsets stopped being recognised by the base station.

 

I liked it because it had large buttons and the base station was hardwired with no batteries to go flat.

 

I have a Sagemcom now, cheapest available from Bicoelectromachintruc, its OK but the batteries are getting weak now, you could end up without a phone if both handsets are not replaced "just so" in their charging cradles.

[mint]

Have come back to say merci encore to everyone who's answered.

New phones now all charged up and working well.

Like the handsets as the screen is easy to read (a priority for me as my cataract op won't be till at least early next year) and then all I need do is record an answerphone message.  I bought the model with the répondeur........ for anyone who is also phone-hunting.

[nomoss]

An update regarding battery life on my Siemens Gigaset AS28H handsets.

I replaced the batteries in one set (still using "Energiser" brand) in May, but they indicated flat (only one bar showing) three days ago, and the charger was having no effect on the charge level shown.

It occurred to me that there may be an inherent fault in the battery charge monitoring logic in these 'phones, so I removed the batteries, which were quite warm because the system was trying to charge them, left them out for about half an hour until they were cool again, and replaced them.

As soon as I replaced them the charge indicator showed full charge (3 bars).

As instructed in the manual for new or temporarily removed batteries, I left them in the charging base for 8 hours, then took them out to wait for them to go flat.

I did the same with the other two handsets, one of which was indicating full charge but blinking to show it was charging.

Now all three handsets are off  charge. There have been several calls in and out, but two are still indicating full charge while the one most used is showing two bars.

Time will tell, but this may be the solution to battery problems with these 'phones.

[mint]

Thanks for the top, nomos.

Since I bought mine, after high recommendation from here, I have not given them a second thought as they have not given me any reason to think about them[:)]

They work and, well, that's it.  Cost a bit more but worth a lot more as well.