Subj : a phone for someone who hates phones
To   : All
From : August Abolins
Date : Thu Feb 04 2021 23:09:00

Hello y'All!

Not sure where to post this, but I'll x-post in a few other  
echos.

I am looking for ideas on how to set up a cantankerous old  
Yosemite Sam fellow with a cellphone system that he would use.

What DOESN't work for him are the touch-screen smartphones that  
require swiping and tapping.  Swiping left for one thing and  
right or up or down for other things just confuses him.

A flip-phone was OK.  But navigating through the menus was  
confusing - especially with previous Alcatel models, I think.

The main problem is that cell signals do not work very well just  
50ft from the end of the driveway to his cabin.  He claims that  
the signal is fine at the end of the driveway (where he parks  
his vehicle during the winter) but a phone would not work in his  
dwelling.

Personally, I have a feeling that his old phones were configured  
to work in 4G LTE only. Perhaps if his previous phones were  
switched to 3G/2G, the signals would be better?

I was imagining a solution like this: keep a fully charged  
cellphone in the truck (at the end of the driveway) and have a  
normal phone in the dwelling that is linked up with the one in  
the truck.

Does anyone here employ such a solution and have experience with  
such a thing?

Not long ago I was looking to replace an older 2.4G cordless  
phone of my own with something else and learned that there are  
domestic cordless stations that now have the ability to utilize  
a nearby cellphone's service.  That way, one can use a regular  
handset for answering and making calls. I think my Yosemite Sam  
friend would be more comfortable if he could use a larger  
handset that is typical for cordless phones. He seems to fumble  
with delicate little cellphones and hates them.

The cell-to-cordless distance would be at most 50ft.

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