Second mobile (emergencies)

Idiophreak

Hi All,

I'm *sure* this is a dumb question, but I've been searching for a while and just can't find the answer, so please feel free to point me at the correct place...

I want to get a second mobile phone, mainly for taking out running / mountain biking with me...I don't want to take my first mobile as I don't want it getting knocked about, scuffed etc...I'll only the new one to call out of when I get run over or my body falls to pieces, so hopefully hardly ever...might take a couple of calls now and then I guess if people need to contact me while I'm out.

What's the best PAYG plan for people with *really* low usage (I'd like £10 to be able to last a couple of years, if that's possible).

Secondly, I hope I've got an old nokia 5100 at home somewhere...if I can't find it, though, can anyone recommend a *cheap* mobile that would be "rugged" enough to take the odd bump and also preferably be able to last a week or so on a charge. (doesn't need to be able to do *anything* but make/receive calls...

Many thanks, sorry again for cluttering the forum with stupid questions...

Cavey

You can get many free SIM cards and the O2 ones are particularly useful as they just work. Get some and then you can call 999 when you break yourself... or are you only hoping to use it in non-emergencies?

In this case most of the operators are as bad as each other in that if you don't make them any money for a number of days (ie you don't use your phone 180 days) they switch off the SIM and take whatever the money is left. I lost about £8 to Mobile World (now TalkTalk mobile) that way. I don't know of any that still implement the policy of credit "expiring", so all you therefore need to do is send yourself a text every so often and the SIM will stay live and you keep the remainder of your credit.

As for mobiles that are bomb proof, Nokia's are notorious for being able to survive most things. For example, I have accidentally kicked both a 3310 and a 3210 and had them work fine after reattaching the pieces. Generally phones that are less complicated and have fewer features will be more capable of surviving an accident. The one thing to look out for with older phones is the battery. A NiMH will discharge even if the phone is off, so it is not so useful for an emergency phone. Most modern phones have Li-ion and Li-polymer batteries which are better at holding a charge, but they do still decay from the day they are manufactured and after many years cease to function whether they are used or not.

Furthermore, most simple phones (ie not a multimedia/3G/smart phone) tend to have good battery life. My 4-year old Motorola V500 lasts 5 to 7 days on a single charge if left alone (ie on, but not using it). If I switch it off and leave it in a bag until I need it, it can last months. That said, I can kill it in 7 hours if I keep turning the screen on, sending texts and making calls, but that is also true for most phones.

To find cheap/older phones, a good place to look is the PAYG sections of most third party retailers of Carphone Warehouse or Phones4U. While I doubt I would buy a contract from these guys, they do offer the older and less fashionable models that the networks have stopped stocking. For example, you can get a Motorola W220 for £25 including £10 of airtime (I am in the minority in that I like Motorola phones and find them quite rugged, many other people do not), Samsung C300 £25, Nokia 2610 £25...