Nextel Direct Talk (not Direct Connect) - Page 3

rescuecomm · #41 (**permalink**) 03-04-2010, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Has anyone ever figured out a way to get a Nextel i355 to boot directly into the Direct Talk mode? I'd love to be able to speed up the process and avoid pushing so many buttons to get there.

menu/settings/personalize/powerup. Find Directalk and make it the powerup.

Bob

drunyon · #42 (**permalink**) 03-05-2010, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rescuecomm

menu/settings/personalize/powerup. Find Directalk and make it the powerup.

Bob

You, my friend, are a genius!!!!!!

Thank you. Been trying to figure that out for a year or so.

n1das · #43 (**permalink**) 03-05-2010, 12:05 PM

My girlfriend and I recently went to a concert and we used our old (no longer in service) i355 phones in DT mode. We used them during the intermission while I was still seated and my g/f went to get some food and souvenirs. DT mode worked GREAT! We use them as "stealth" digital 2-way radios for local simplex ops because anybody seeing them including security views them as our cell phones and have no issue with them.

We both abandoned NEXTEL service a few years ago. The quality of service went downhill after the Sprint/NEXTEL merger. The service was expensive and always had poor coverage where I needed it most and AT&T and other cell phone providers have made huge improvements in quality of service and phone offerings. I loved NEXTEL's features though and is what originally attracted us to NEXTEL service. Friends of ours also got rid of their NEXTEL service for the same reasons, leaving us nobody to talk to using the on-network DirectConnect feature.

We purposely held onto our i355 phones even though they're no longer in service so we could still use the OFF-NETWORK DirectTalk (DT) feature.

rescuecomm · #44 (**permalink**) 03-05-2010, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Thank you. Been trying to figure that out for a year or so.

Don't feel like a lone ranger. It took a good read of an online i355 manual to extract that info. My son and I used a couple of the 355's at the Blade Show in Atlanta last June. I have the i325 type fixed antennas on those units for greater range. We were using "tactical callsigns" just to see how the "unwashed" would react. We got quite a few stares from people who overheard our comms. LOL.. You would think that in a society where people walk around with Bluetooth remotes clipped in their ears, our use of external antennaed Nextels would go unnoticed. It might have been the particular personage that goes to "blade shows".

Bob

stmills · #45 (**permalink**) 03-11-2010, 12:13 AM

I am using 2 nextel i560s for direct talk, I have them setup to power up to mototalk, but they first try to connect to the nextel network, then I have to push a key to switch them to mototalk. Anyone know of a way to make the, stop trying to connect to nextel and just boot right up to mototalk. I do have Mototalk selected in the power up app in settings.

gabrielddc · #46 (**permalink**) 04-06-2010, 3:48 PM

I will use direct talk at Oasis of the Seas. It is a big ship so I don't know if this 900mhz radios will work great.
After my trip, I will return to tell you.
I used 4 talkabout radios last year in a 900 feet Ship, but it didin't work so good.

gabrielddc · #47 (**permalink**) 04-06-2010, 4:03 PM

I will use direct talk at Oasis of the Seas. It is a big ship so I don't know if this 900mhz radios will work great.
After my trip, I will return to tell you.
I used 4 talkabout radios last year, but it didin't work so good.

rescuecomm · #48 (**permalink**) 04-08-2010, 1:45 AM

Quote:

Anyone know of a way to make the, stop trying to connect to nextel and just boot right up to mototalk.

If you can get "wiped" Sim cards, they won't do that. I got mine off of ebay. Nextel and Boost Sim cards try to connect with the cash register first.

Bob

RADIOGUY2002 · #49 (**permalink**) 04-09-2010, 12:26 PM

I get user unavaiable when I attempt to do this. I have pulled it out from direct connect to direct talk.

Trying to by bypass the network as well, in case of a tower failure etc.

stmills · #50 (**permalink**) 04-09-2010, 11:59 PM

Do you have a pair on the same channel and code, if not you will get User not Available- the unit sends out a signal and if it does not get another unit on the same channel and code in range it will not work.

Steve

Cosantoir · #51 (**permalink**) 04-10-2010, 6:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray_Air

Is it possible to set up "private only" if the phones have new sims and all it says in "my info" for the line number is "not available"? It does have a direct connect number though. I believe you had to use the phones number for private talk?

Thanks.

You can edit the phone number in "my Info" in order to use the "Private" feature. Can be anything from 1 to 10 digits, so long as you don't use "911."

The DC number has nothing to do with Direct Talk.

70cutlass442 · #52 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 2:14 AM

Hello!

Hate to resurrect this thread but is anyone still using DT ? I just picked up 20 I355s, and have been playing a bit with some other phones with the DT feature. Some experimenting and what not has led me to make a cross band repeater (only one direction as of now

but am curious if anyone has tried to hook an amp up to it? I am thinking about playing with a PA amp form a maxtrac radio and seeing if that will get me some more power!

uniden278 · #53 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 8:35 AM

I need to find my old nextel phones and mess with them some more.

Very interested in your repeater idea. Did not think the DT technology would allow for repeater use.

70cutlass442 · #54 (**permalink**) 08-21-2012, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uniden278

I need to find my old nextel phones and mess with them some more.

Very interested in your repeater idea. Did not think the DT technology would allow for repeater use.

It was not very pretty, or reliable. Im sure someone with a bit more knowledge than me could actually make it work well... I bought a speaker mic off ebay for one, i dissected it and from there figured out what the unknown pins on the bottom do. I found one of the leads took a 5V signal to key up the DT... With some programming of the maxtrac, we could then generate that signal when it receives a signal. we piped the audio into the 1/8" headphone jack... it worked!

y10kiscoming · #55 (**permalink**) 08-22-2012, 5:18 PM

I started using some old (unlocked) boost mobile phones a couple months ago after getting very annoyed at the poor reception of FRS. These things are great. Small(er) and good quality (digital) audio even through multiple brick walls. FHSS is just an added bonus.

JASII · #56 (**permalink**) 08-22-2012, 6:27 PM

I still have some of these. My family and I used them on the Carnival Magic cruise ship several months ago during a Caribbean cruise. They work pretty well, but I might spring for some DTR 550/650s at some point, since they are a full 1 watt. (I wish they worked with Direct Talk.) I have also considered a used R765, since they would work with old iDen units, but they are still pretty spendy. I have read that the Nextels with a fixed antenna have the best range. I have also eyed up some i365s with the fixed antenna. In the past I have advocated for these, rather than FRS, because you can still call 911 without a subscription in an emergency, but I guess at some point in 2013 I can no longer make that claim!

If aybody here does any range testing with these, please post your results. I think 1/2 mile is pretty common.

70cutlass442 · #57 (**permalink**) 08-23-2012, 12:29 AM

dont forget, Ebay has a ton of the fixed high gain antenna for the I355

wwhitby · #58 (**permalink**) 11-16-2012, 5:38 AM

My family and I use our i355s in DT mode heavily. We bought them back in June to replace our FRS radios and never looked back. I've replaced our collapsible antennas with fixed antennas and purchased carriers for all of them.

Has anyone found a source for newer batteries than you can get on eBay? The batteries i've gotten on eBay all have a 2008 date code on them.

cdesigns · #59 (**permalink**) 11-16-2012, 6:24 AM

I love this radios, they will work great on a SHTF scenario , the only thing I hate is the "Loud Chirp" sound it makes before talking.

cball917 · #60 (**permalink**) 11-16-2012, 7:59 AM

hello, i am new to the site. i have recently bought some 355's and been fooling around with them. i have figured out how to get them onto private single communications. But i am unsure abou thte group private communication. what i am wanting to do is be able to privately group talk and then privately talk to individuals. can this be done??