Motorola Startac 7868 - simple problem?

I'm still using my old Startac, and it seems to be muting itself. Now
according to the manual:

http://www.cellphones.ca/upload/manu...la_st7868w.pdf

....the mute option is only for muting your voice, and you should still be
able to hear the other party.

What's happening to mine is I'll open the flip cover, press PWR, and enter
then number and SEND, and I can't hear the phone on the other end ring. The
phone will dial and the other party will hear -me-, but I can't hear them.
AFAIK, the PWR button is not damaged. Turning it on and off again doesn't
randomly allow me to hear the dialing or ringing

So I go through the menu options, even looking at the 'roadmap' (pg 091) in
the PDF, and can NOT find the 'MUTE ON/OFF' screen. I know I've seen it on
the phone window. In fact I can't get the FCN key and the 6 key shifted
function (mute) to do anything when the phone is on. I press it a couple
times and then a '6' appears. I thought I recalled a little icon or
something appear and toggle, but can't recall.

The picture in the PDF looks -exactly- like my phone and all the menu items
match in the roadmap.

At any rate after endless and frustrating cycling through the menus not
changing anything, that I'm aware, I'll try it again and this time I can
hear the phone ring - though not every time. Took me three tries and as far
as I can tell, changing nothing, I'll hear it ring when I call my home
phone.

My question is simply:

1. am I somehow unintentionally muting it, or hitting some button with my
finger (I open it very carefully touching nothing but the case).

or

2. is this phone just FUBAR?

I remember this happening when my wife used it, we'd call her at the store
and be talking and she'd keep saying 'hello hello'. Then she'd get home I'd
go through the menus and find the word MUTE ON and change it to MUTE OFF,
and it would work, iirc. It's been years. She and the daughter have the new
phone and dear old dad has to take the old one.

Maybe I have the wrong model number and mine has a 'Set Demonic Mute
Option', lol. Not sure how to determine my model #.

Thanks for any help. I figure it's a lost cause and I should get a new
phone. Despite being good with computers, learning cell phone menus just
make me want to use the sledghammer option at times. ;-D

-Badger

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› See More: Motorola Startac 7868 - simple problem?

Sounds to me like the ribbon cable that runs through the hinge has been
damaged - a fairly typical problem.

From:Badger
[email protected]

> I'm still using my old Startac, and it seems to be muting itself. Now
> according to the manual:
>
> http://www.cellphones.ca/upload/manu...la_st7868w.pdf
>
> ...the mute option is only for muting your voice, and you should
> still be able to hear the other party.
>
> What's happening to mine is I'll open the flip cover, press PWR, and
> enter then number and SEND, and I can't hear the phone on the other
> end ring. The phone will dial and the other party will hear -me-, but
> I can't hear them. AFAIK, the PWR button is not damaged. Turning it
> on and off again doesn't randomly allow me to hear the dialing or
> ringing
>
> So I go through the menu options, even looking at the 'roadmap' (pg
> 091) in the PDF, and can NOT find the 'MUTE ON/OFF' screen. I know
> I've seen it on the phone window. In fact I can't get the FCN key and
> the 6 key shifted function (mute) to do anything when the phone is
> on. I press it a couple times and then a '6' appears. I thought I
> recalled a little icon or something appear and toggle, but can't
> recall.
>
> The picture in the PDF looks -exactly- like my phone and all the menu
> items match in the roadmap.
>
> At any rate after endless and frustrating cycling through the menus
> not changing anything, that I'm aware, I'll try it again and this
> time I can hear the phone ring - though not every time. Took me three
> tries and as far as I can tell, changing nothing, I'll hear it ring
> when I call my home phone.
>
> My question is simply:
>
> 1. am I somehow unintentionally muting it, or hitting some button
> with my finger (I open it very carefully touching nothing but the
> case).
>
> or
>
> 2. is this phone just FUBAR?
>
> I remember this happening when my wife used it, we'd call her at the
> store and be talking and she'd keep saying 'hello hello'. Then she'd
> get home I'd go through the menus and find the word MUTE ON and
> change it to MUTE OFF, and it would work, iirc. It's been years. She
> and the daughter have the new phone and dear old dad has to take the
> old one.
>
> Maybe I have the wrong model number and mine has a 'Set Demonic Mute
> Option', lol. Not sure how to determine my model #.
>
> Thanks for any help. I figure it's a lost cause and I should get a new
> phone. Despite being good with computers, learning cell phone menus
> just make me want to use the sledghammer option at times. ;-D
>
> -Badger

On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 04:53:07 GMT, "BruceR" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Sounds to me like the ribbon cable that runs through the hinge has been
>damaged - a fairly typical problem.
>
>From:Badger
>[email protected]

Thanks Bruce. The problem seems to have stabilized at present. Wouldn't you
know was soon as I start whining on acm, the beyotch straightens up. ;-)

I'm pretty sure now that my phone is not a 7868. Wonder if the phone model
number would be on the menu.

Oh well, 'preciate your taking the time.

-B

Badger wrote:
> I'm pretty sure now that my phone is not a 7868. Wonder if the phone model
> number would be on the menu.

If it's a StarTac, the number is probably on a sticker under the battery.

--
If John McCain gets the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination,
my vote for President will be a write-in for Jiang Zemin.

On Wed, 02 Nov 2005 12:48:46 -0600, clifto <[email protected]> wrote:

>Badger wrote:
>> I'm pretty sure now that my phone is not a 7868. Wonder if the phone model
>> number would be on the menu.
>
>If it's a StarTac, the number is probably on a sticker under the battery.

Yeah, I looked there also and didn't see it. I did find this number on the
battery which is searchable to some items on the 'Net:

motorola SNN4814B

If you google that a few webstores that sell batteries and cellphone
accessories come up that are associated with the StarTac.

I found the original papers to the phone and that says it's a 6000. This is
probably one of the original versions and the 7868 is a later series in
that model, but very similar. The internal menus are slightly different.

-B