On Sat, 14 May 2016 12:39:52 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

On Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 2:11:22 PM UTC-4, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On 05/14/2016 10:57 AM, trader_4 wrote:

[snip]

When the power goes out, the cellphone works for me. I'm sure people
will say it's not as reliable as copper, etc, but IMO, not worth all
the worrying about extreme hypothetical situations. Each has it's
advantages and disadvantages.


When we had a tornado last year, cell phone service was unreliable
(probably overloaded and dropping calls), but was working OK in less
than an hour. Wired phone was out for 5 days.

In the previous major outage (hurricane Ike), wired phone was out for a
couple of days. Cell worked all that time.

It was the same here in NJ after Sandy. I had cell service the whole
time. Landline in my specific area, I can't say, because I don't have
it, but given the extent of lines down all over and that many shore
towns the poles and everything were kaput, I think a lot of landline
service was out. In many of those badly damaged shore towns, Verizon
will not be putting copper back in, it's gone for good.

What makes POTS so good here is when Sprint bought UTS, they replaced
just about everything with lots of fiber and virtually all of it is in
the ground. They put fiber in front of my house but Century Link never
used it and now it appears to be abandoned. A "locate" only comes up
with 2 services and there used to be 3. When Century Link replaced the
pedestals, the installer said he never heard anything about a fiber.

On 5/14/2016 10:56 AM, Mark Lloyd wrote:

Be careful running multiple bases concurrently. Some may not like this.

I never did. The second base was to replace the first one when it failed.

So, at least one handset lived without a charging cradle;
or, you had the second base set up strictly as a charging
cradle (hoping that it wouldn't try to talk to the handsets?)

On 5/14/2016 9:18 AM, wrote:
I have been through several hurricanes here in Florida. Internet is
the first thing to go. Power failures will take that out, even if it
is not bad where you are. Anything up on a pole is going to go early
too so power is at risk. Cell phones are going to be spotty and cable
TV is worse.
Phone infrastructure is buried in my area and I have never lost my
POTS phone and my DBS satellite comes back as soon as the sky clears.
Broadcast TV was still there in the storm.

+1

I've *never* (in my lifetime) had a "phone outage" (have lost power,
water, and natural gas, but never phone).

Had a problem with a line once that I traced to a length of
quad that had fallen onto the top of the furnace (and, eventually,
degraded the insulation enough to cause a partial short).

Here (below grade services), had a problem that interfered with DSL
(but not voice) that was probably a result of moisture infiltration
in the cable (the linesman just moved us over to a "better" pair).

Watched a city worker once drive the post for a street sign
THROUGH the cable feed for the neighborhood (with a pneumatic
hammer). I suppose he could just as easily have caught the
phone, instead -- but I think it is buried deeper (CATV is
really "cheap", IME, when it comes to installation)

On Sat, 14 May 2016 14:00:32 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 5/14/2016 9:18 AM, wrote:
I have been through several hurricanes here in Florida. Internet is
the first thing to go. Power failures will take that out, even if it
is not bad where you are. Anything up on a pole is going to go early
too so power is at risk. Cell phones are going to be spotty and cable
TV is worse.
Phone infrastructure is buried in my area and I have never lost my
POTS phone and my DBS satellite comes back as soon as the sky clears.
Broadcast TV was still there in the storm.

+1

I've *never* (in my lifetime) had a "phone outage" (have lost power,
water, and natural gas, but never phone).

Had a problem with a line once that I traced to a length of
quad that had fallen onto the top of the furnace (and, eventually,
degraded the insulation enough to cause a partial short).

Here (below grade services), had a problem that interfered with DSL
(but not voice) that was probably a result of moisture infiltration
in the cable (the linesman just moved us over to a "better" pair).

Watched a city worker once drive the post for a street sign
THROUGH the cable feed for the neighborhood (with a pneumatic
hammer). I suppose he could just as easily have caught the
phone, instead -- but I think it is buried deeper (CATV is
really "cheap", IME, when it comes to installation)

Century link is trying to delay a full FiOS installation here so they
went through and tuned up all the copper. I get a solid 10mb on my DSL
and that seems to be fast enough for anything I am doing. I think they
have a way of doubling up on the pairs and getting me 20meg but I am
not willing to spend more. My "central office" actually a fiber hub,
is right up the road.

On 5/14/2016 5:52 PM, wrote:
Century link is trying to delay a full FiOS installation here so they
went through and tuned up all the copper. I get a solid 10mb on my DSL
and that seems to be fast enough for anything I am doing. I think they
have a way of doubling up on the pairs and getting me 20meg but I am
not willing to spend more. My "central office" actually a fiber hub,
is right up the road.

We dumped CenturyLink when they wanted to up our rate to $60/month.
"No thanks. It's not *worth* $60/month to us!"

On Sat, 14 May 2016 18:30:34 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 5/14/2016 5:52 PM, wrote:
Century link is trying to delay a full FiOS installation here so they
went through and tuned up all the copper. I get a solid 10mb on my DSL
and that seems to be fast enough for anything I am doing. I think they
have a way of doubling up on the pairs and getting me 20meg but I am
not willing to spend more. My "central office" actually a fiber hub,
is right up the road.

We dumped CenturyLink when they wanted to up our rate to $60/month.
"No thanks. It's not *worth* $60/month to us!"


My total bill is over $200 but most of it is the bundled satellite.
With the bundle they say the "phone" is only $11 plus about the same
in taxes. The DSL is about $40.

On 5/14/2016 7:01 PM, wrote:
We dumped CenturyLink when they wanted to up our rate to $60/month.
"No thanks. It's not *worth* $60/month to us!"

My total bill is over $200 but most of it is the bundled satellite.
With the bundle they say the "phone" is only $11 plus about the same
in taxes. The DSL is about $40.

They wanted $60 for the DSL (actually, 58, I think) -- before taxes and
fees.

Our current "communications" bill is just about $60 -- one cell phone,
land line and internet (no CATV/dish)

On Sat, 14 May 2016 20:22:02 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 5/14/2016 7:01 PM, wrote:
We dumped CenturyLink when they wanted to up our rate to $60/month.
"No thanks. It's not *worth* $60/month to us!"

My total bill is over $200 but most of it is the bundled satellite.
With the bundle they say the "phone" is only $11 plus about the same
in taxes. The DSL is about $40.

They wanted $60 for the DSL (actually, 58, I think) -- before taxes and
fees.

Our current "communications" bill is just about $60 -- one cell phone,
land line and internet (no CATV/dish)

The dish is the real killer on my bill but my wife wants it. I have
been looking at just buying HBO, Show etc as a stream but by the time
I get them all, I may be back where I started. They all seem to have
one show she just needs to see. I could live with broadcast, Netflix
and maybe Hulu or something.

On 5/14/2016 8:29 PM, wrote:
The dish is the real killer on my bill but my wife wants it. I have
been looking at just buying HBO, Show etc as a stream but by the time
I get them all, I may be back where I started. They all seem to have
one show she just needs to see. I could live with broadcast, Netflix
and maybe Hulu or something.

A friend is a Netflix junkie -- many movies each week.

We tend not to have time for movies. Daylight hours we try to be
outside "doing things" (chores, hiking, etc.). Nighttime hours
I spend working; SWMBO paints (hobby).

The TV sees most of its use as "companionship"; we bring home
~10 movies each week from the local library and let them play
while we're "doing other things" -- tuning in just "in passing".

E.g., tonight I'll watch most of _John from Cincinnati_. Having
already seen the entire series, it is more important for me to
*hear* the dialogue -- to uncover things that slipped by me
previously.

Last week, I "watched" the first season of Pinky & The Brain.
No need to *see* the shtick, again -- the humor lies in the
dialogue! (*Narf*)

Tomorrow, I'll re"watch" _The Matrix_ for similar hints.

After that, start on _SOAP_.

On Sat, 14 May 2016 20:54:26 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 5/14/2016 8:29 PM, wrote:
The dish is the real killer on my bill but my wife wants it. I have
been looking at just buying HBO, Show etc as a stream but by the time
I get them all, I may be back where I started. They all seem to have
one show she just needs to see. I could live with broadcast, Netflix
and maybe Hulu or something.

A friend is a Netflix junkie -- many movies each week.

We tend not to have time for movies. Daylight hours we try to be
outside "doing things" (chores, hiking, etc.). Nighttime hours
I spend working; SWMBO paints (hobby).

The TV sees most of its use as "companionship"; we bring home
~10 movies each week from the local library and let them play
while we're "doing other things" -- tuning in just "in passing".

E.g., tonight I'll watch most of _John from Cincinnati_. Having
already seen the entire series, it is more important for me to
*hear* the dialogue -- to uncover things that slipped by me
previously.

Last week, I "watched" the first season of Pinky & The Brain.
No need to *see* the shtick, again -- the humor lies in the
dialogue! (*Narf*)

Tomorrow, I'll re"watch" _The Matrix_ for similar hints.

After that, start on _SOAP_.

I listen to TV more than watch it, hence my RF headset. I prefer PBS
stuff because there are no commercials. If I want to hear a history
channel show, I go to Netflix for them.
This thing has enough range so I can be working anywhere in the yard
and in my shop in the garage. I do have a transmitter on the roof of
the screen cage tho, with a very good ground plane. I use that out in
the yard and when I am walking the dog.

On 5/14/2016 9:41 PM, wrote:
I listen to TV more than watch it, hence my RF headset. I prefer PBS
stuff because there are no commercials. If I want to hear a history
channel show, I go to Netflix for them.

I don't wear a headset unless I'm in the office (would disturb SWMBO's
sleep if I didn't). So, when in the living room or den, I am free to
use the TV "as is".

As I enjoy REwatching things, I know which scenes I will want to
"drop everything" and sit in front of the tube to watch. E.g.,
very little of The Matrix needs to be seen -- once you've already
seen it. There's no particular visual that is "exciting". Likewise,
in P&tB, you can easily imagine what is on the screen as each line
is being spoken ("Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?")

OTOH, there are many scenes in SOAP that I'll *rush* to the TV
in order to catch -- because facial expressions and other antics
are an inherent part of the humor.

E.g., when Burt tries to demonstrate his invisibility to Mary
while bathing with her. Or, when he later *actually* disappears
while she is watching him (in the diner, after he has been
abducted by the aliens, escaped and is now being recaptured).
Or, Peter's introduction to the Campbells & Tates...

And, as it's all recorded video, there's nothing to prevent me
from pausing a show and returning to it later -- or the next day.

This thing has enough range so I can be working anywhere in the yard
and in my shop in the garage. I do have a transmitter on the roof of
the screen cage tho, with a very good ground plane. I use that out in
the yard and when I am walking the dog.

The real ****er is when I'm rendering a 3D animation or something
that the machine just crunches on for a *really* long time -- it
usually can't be "resumed" if the power drops out in the middle.

Yeah, the power always seems to go out when I'm converting or encoding
video. Like you, there's no "resume" I have to start all over again when
the power comes back on.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

When the power goes out, the cellphone works for me.

Unfortunately, we are rarely able to get a cell signal here at home. I'm
not sure why as I can see the cell tower on the hill above us. Must be the
topography or something. We've tried different phones and guests can't get
reception with their phones either.

Thankfully, phone service is the least of my concerns during a power
outage. I don't call anyone anyway.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

My total bill is over $200 but most of it is the bundled satellite.
With the bundle they say the "phone" is only $11 plus about the same
in taxes. The DSL is about $40.

I pay about $70 a month for Comcast cable (internet only).

VOIP phone service from another provider is about $20 a month.

I think Netflix costs me about $25 a month now (DVD and Streaming plans).

Tracfone cell phones cost us under $10 a month per phone (three phones).

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

On 2016-05-15, HerHusband wrote:

Unfortunately, we are rarely able to get a cell signal here at home. I'm
not sure why as I can see the cell tower on the hill above us. Must be the
topography or something. We've tried different phones and guests can't get
reception with their phones either.

Lewis Black, the comedian, does an entire bit on this. Talks about
how his cellphone vendor (AT&T?) is unavailable to him in downtown
NYC. He complained to his vendor and they offered to sell him a
"transmitter" to boost his cellphone signal. He then went on to
berate sed same vendor for charging the him $200 to complete the
vendor's "infrastructure".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJvHfGKm8e8

Well, I thought it was so funny, I cancelled my cellphone service.
Damned if the thing doesn't work jes fine on my wifi modem.

nb

On 05/14/2016 03:39 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 5/14/2016 10:56 AM, Mark Lloyd wrote:

Be careful running multiple bases concurrently. Some may not like this.

I never did. The second base was to replace the first one when it failed.

So, at least one handset lived without a charging cradle;
or, you had the second base set up strictly as a charging
cradle (hoping that it wouldn't try to talk to the handsets?)


The second base was probably just a charger, I'm not sure not since a
few of the handsets failed. This was a cheap phone.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"Of the delights of this world, man cares most for sexual intercourse,
yet he has left it out of his heaven" [Mark Twain]

On 05/14/2016 11:41 PM, wrote:

[snip]

I listen to TV more than watch it, hence my RF headset.

I'm like that too. Most of my TV "watching" is while doing other things.

I prefer PBS
stuff because there are no commercials.

There are "pledge breaks" that really are long, boring commercials.

If I want to hear a history
channel show, I go to Netflix for them.
This thing has enough range so I can be working anywhere in the yard
and in my shop in the garage. I do have a transmitter on the roof of
the screen cage tho, with a very good ground plane. I use that out in
the yard and when I am walking the dog.


I guess you got a good one. I have a RF headset that claims 300 foot
range, but is excessively noisy above 25-30 feet.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"Of the delights of this world, man cares most for sexual intercourse,
yet he has left it out of his heaven" [Mark Twain]

On 05/15/2016 11:43 AM, HerHusband wrote:

[snip]

Tracfone cell phones cost us under $10 a month per phone (three phones).

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com


My first cell phone was a Tracfone. Unfortunately, It used AT&T wireless
which works here only if I go out in the back yard and stand on one foot
while holding it over the oleander plant, and then it works
occasionally. Verizon and Sprint do work fine here. I never had a
T-mobile phone, so don't know about it.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"Of the delights of this world, man cares most for sexual intercourse,
yet he has left it out of his heaven" [Mark Twain]

On Sun, 15 May 2016 16:43:53 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

My total bill is over $200 but most of it is the bundled satellite.
With the bundle they say the "phone" is only $11 plus about the same
in taxes. The DSL is about $40.

I pay about $70 a month for Comcast cable (internet only).

VOIP phone service from another provider is about $20 a month.

I think Netflix costs me about $25 a month now (DVD and Streaming plans).

Tracfone cell phones cost us under $10 a month per phone (three phones).

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

So you are paying $90 for a house phone and internet. I think mine
actually comes out less than that but it is hard to tell when they
bundle stuff. If you believe the top line I pay $11 for phone and $35
for DSL but I am not sure how many of those taxes and fees go where.
Just deducting satellite gets me down to about $70 so that number is
probably close.

On 5/15/2016 9:33 AM, HerHusband wrote:
The real ****er is when I'm rendering a 3D animation or something
that the machine just crunches on for a *really* long time -- it
usually can't be "resumed" if the power drops out in the middle.

Yeah, the power always seems to go out when I'm converting or encoding
video. Like you, there's no "resume" I have to start all over again when
the power comes back on.

Exactly. And, often "Save As" only applies to the final result.
So, you can't save your *settings* in case you need to restart.

An example of something software vendors *should* do but are oblivious
to (automatic checkpoints in potentially lengthy processes).

On 5/15/2016 9:43 AM, HerHusband wrote:
My total bill is over $200 but most of it is the bundled satellite.
With the bundle they say the "phone" is only $11 plus about the same
in taxes. The DSL is about $40.

I pay about $70 a month for Comcast cable (internet only).

VOIP phone service from another provider is about $20 a month.

I think Netflix costs me about $25 a month now (DVD and Streaming plans).

Tracfone cell phones cost us under $10 a month per phone (three phones).

So, you could put an extra kilobuck or more in the bank each year if you
started reading books! :

I'd be scared to see what that comes out to over a lifetime! :
(retire at 45?)

On 05/15/2016 10:37 AM, HerHusband wrote:
Unfortunately, we are rarely able to get a cell signal here at home. I'm
not sure why as I can see the cell tower on the hill above us. Must be the
topography or something. We've tried different phones and guests can't get
reception with their phones either.

Cell site equipment generally has the operator listed on it so take a drive up to the tower.

You could also check the coverage maps at opensignal.com, sensorly.com and rootmetrics.com

On 5/15/2016 11:02 AM, Mark Lloyd wrote:
I guess you got a good one. I have a RF headset that claims 300 foot range, but
is excessively noisy above 25-30 feet.

I have to find a "respectable" BT stereo headset with microphone
(and "acoustically transparent" earpieces). But, BT only targets
that ~30 ft range!

On 5/15/2016 9:37 AM, HerHusband wrote:
When the power goes out, the cellphone works for me.

Unfortunately, we are rarely able to get a cell signal here at home. I'm
not sure why as I can see the cell tower on the hill above us. Must be the
topography or something. We've tried different phones and guests can't get
reception with their phones either.

We have a similar problem with OTA DTV. I can *see* the towers on
the mountain a few miles (as the crow flies) from here. Yet, our
reception is spotty. Esp during rain/high winds (I suspect there is
a tree in the sightline to the antenna).

Thankfully, phone service is the least of my concerns during a power
outage. I don't call anyone anyway.

On Sun, 15 May 2016 13:02:23 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I guess you got a good one. I have a RF headset that claims 300 foot
range, but is excessively noisy above 25-30 feet.

This one works pretty good. I have 2 transmitters, one in the house
and one on the roof of my screen cage. Between them I get pretty close
to that 300'

So you are paying $90 for a house phone and internet.

Comcast cable internet is crazy expensive, but I don't have any other
options for broadband internet.

I think mine actually comes out less than that but it is hard
to tell when they bundle stuff.

All I get from Comcast now is internet service. They do have a VOIP phone
service I could bundle with it, but it still costs more than I can get
through other providers.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

So, you could put an extra kilobuck or more in the bank each year if
you started reading books! :
I'd be scared to see what that comes out to over a lifetime! :
(retire at 45?)

Ahh... 45. I remember 45... Sort of. Well, not really at all.

If I had saved all the money I've wasted repetitively on little things
(soft drinks, bottles of wine, dinners out, travel, etc.) I would be a
wealthy man.

Still, it's better to enjoy life as it comes. I plan for retirement, but
could easily die tomorrow. Make the most of every day... I'll never be 45
again.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

On 5/15/2016 9:02 PM, HerHusband wrote:
So, you could put an extra kilobuck or more in the bank each year if
you started reading books! :
I'd be scared to see what that comes out to over a lifetime! :
(retire at 45?)

Ahh... 45. I remember 45... Sort of. Well, not really at all.

If I had saved all the money I've wasted repetitively on little things
(soft drinks, bottles of wine, dinners out, travel, etc.) I would be a
wealthy man.

Still, it's better to enjoy life as it comes. I plan for retirement, but
could easily die tomorrow. Make the most of every day... I'll never be 45
again.

Yup. When folks exclaim over some of the monies I pay for equipment,
tools, etc. I just point out the "excesses" (IMO) that I see in
their purchases: dress shoes, vacations, dinners, hiring out for things
they can easily do themselves, etc. When they think about those and see
them as NOT excesses, I tell them "I see *my* purchases the same way!"

We don't plan on being a "burden" to anyone (including each other) in
our old age. OTOH, we've seen our share of friends dying before they
had a chance to enjoy "retirement" (or, whatever you call the
portion of your life when YOU call the shots).

Or, folks squander that time on activities that we consider "sad"
(i.e., work your whole life to reward yourself with days of sitting
in front of the TV??)

On 5/16/2016 12:40 AM, Don Y wrote:
Yup. When folks exclaim over some of the monies I pay for equipment,
tools, etc. I just point out the "excesses" (IMO) that I see in
their purchases: dress shoes, vacations, dinners, hiring out for things
they can easily do themselves, etc. When they think about those and see
them as NOT excesses, I tell them "I see *my* purchases the same way!"

We don't plan on being a "burden" to anyone (including each other) in
our old age. OTOH, we've seen our share of friends dying before they
had a chance to enjoy "retirement" (or, whatever you call the
portion of your life when YOU call the shots).

Or, folks squander that time on activities that we consider "sad"
(i.e., work your whole life to reward yourself with days of sitting
in front of the TV??)

I've known a couple people over the years, long enough
to see how they spend money. I've come to the conclusion
that each person has some hard and fast rules. And some
strong rules. Often, the hard and fast rules make no
sense to me.

One former friend totally refused $10 gas money so
I could take him to a store out of town to save
$75 or so. Aparently, "RULE: NEVER GIVE FRIENDS
MONEY" was louder than "save $75".

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

Per Stormin Mormon:
I've known a couple people over the years, long enough
to see how they spend money. I've come to the conclusion
that each person has some hard and fast rules. And some
strong rules. Often, the hard and fast rules make no
sense to me.

One rule that stuck with me was "Never spend more than 33% of your gross
income".

Stationed at Hickam AFB in Hawaii, working the swing shift, and
hitch-hiking into Waikiki every morning to go surfing on different
occasions I happened to get rides with two different old guys.

The first one was selling stainless steel cookware door-to-door and
driving a clapped out old car - because he needed the money to eat. His
story was that, when he was young, he always had a new car, was always
ready to throw his money around for a good time.... and now he was 65
and living hand-to-mouth.

The second guy had been a bartender all his life. He was a good 10
years older than the first guy - driving a new rental car, and staying
at one of the top hotels in Waikiki. His story was: "Every dollar I
ever earned, I divided into thirds: one third for Uncle Sugar (i.e.
taxes), one-third for me (to be spend), and one-third for the bank
(savings)..... I'm not what anybody would call rich, but the world is my
oyster."

Needless-to-say, the second made an impression.

I never managed to fully live up to the 33% rule, but came pretty close
- and I have to say the guy was definitely on to something.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 5/16/2016 11:48 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
One rule that stuck with me was "Never spend more than 33% of your gross
income".

I never managed to fully live up to the 33% rule, but came pretty close
- and I have to say the guy was definitely on to something.

What people "value" seems to vary, greatly.

Also, those "values" typically change over time.

I tend not to "want much". OTOH, I've always been able to buy
whatever it is that I wanted (as long as I wasn't being unrealistic
in my desires).

One observation that hit home when I was younger was how much
"kids" (apparently) cost! A guy I worked with was excited to
be *finally* purchasing a new microwave oven (back when
microwave ovens were $500 appliances). I couldn't understand
his excitement: first, a microwave oven is just "functional"...
it's not a "toy" of any kind (to get excited over); second,
the fact that his comments suggested he had been PLANNING this
purchase, for some time. I.e., that he didn't just go out and
BUY one when he decided he needed/wanted it!

I knew he made roughly the same pay as me. And, their income
should have been roughly comparable to mine. So, why wouldn't
he be able to just buy what he wanted, when he wanted it?
(no, not a substance abuser so what could be soaking up all
of his income?)

Then, realized the key difference was that they had kids and
we didn't! ("Wow! Could kids make THAT big a difference in
lifestyle??")

[Of course, his wife might have been a clothes horse or
they may have had some unusual medical needs -- youth doesn't
guarantee freedom from health issues...]

On Sun, 15 May 2016 12:55:09 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On 05/14/2016 03:39 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 5/14/2016 10:56 AM, Mark Lloyd wrote:

Be careful running multiple bases concurrently. Some may not like this.

I never did. The second base was to replace the first one when it failed.

So, at least one handset lived without a charging cradle;
or, you had the second base set up strictly as a charging
cradle (hoping that it wouldn't try to talk to the handsets?)


The second base was probably just a charger, I'm not sure not since a
few of the handsets failed. This was a cheap phone.

I almost left one of mine outside all night, with rain scheduled for
tomorrow morning. I had to get out bed at 2AM to get it, and now 2
hours later, I'm still up. At least it didn't have any dew on it.