goggoose's Full Review: Uniden TRU 3485 2.4 GHz - Cordless Phone
I wanted to replace a 5 years old Nortel 49MHz cordless, which still works but has always had low handset volume, which means we cannot hear properly if the radio or TV is on. I bought two units to try, this Uniden and a GE 27936 (see that review). One will go back to the store. Both have strengths and weaknesses but of course neither are perfect.
I got this phone at a large drugstore chain for less than $100 Canadian ($65 US), which I thought was a very good price. The normal price is $150 Canadian ($100 US). It was described as “manufacturer refurbished”. The packaging and the phone appeared brand new, with no evidence of either having been opened. The battery was also brand new and uncharged.
The styling is conventionally modern in silver and black. Being style snobs we found it uninspired.
The main features are:
1) 2.4GHz spread spectrum (good security against eavesdropping and theft of your dial tone).
2) A speakerphone, something we are used to and find handy when the phone rings and we just can't find the handset in time. Also useful as an intercom if someone has taken the handset out to the garage or garden.
3) Caller ID.
4) Digital answering machine.
General
Ergonomically it’s not bad but there is room for improvement. In particular I found the four little buttons for memory, volume, and flash at the top of the handset’s keypad a bit awkward and too close together. In particular the frequently used memory button needs a careful and firm press. But the handset has a nice chunky feel with rubber grips at the sides.
I found it fairly easy to program after just a quick glance at the manual, including storing names/numbers in the memory. Unlike another reviewer's experience, my unit allows direct entry of upper or lower case letters using the number keys. For example to enter upper case E you press 33, for upper case F you press 333, and for lower case d you press 3333. You can store 20 in the handset. Another 10 can be stored in the base but only the numbers, no names, and to recall you have to remember the single digit you stored it under. To access numbers in the handset memory you must either scroll all through from the beginnning or enter the single digit that corresponds with the entry, if you can remember it. In scroll mode you can see three different entries at a time. My old phone has direct entry, i.e. you to just punch in 5=J for JOE or 7777=S for SMITH; also you can scroll up or down until you get to the name you want. I think this is a much easier system.
There are a lot of options available on this unit to deal with call waiting, if you subscribe to the service. They are hold, send a busy message, conference, answer and drop, drop first and drop last. We don’t subscribe to call waiting so didn’t use these. The phone can also display call waiting caller ID, as well as normal caller ID.
There is a built in answering device which digitally records up to 13 minutes. For domestic use this is probably enough but if you use the phone for a home business it may be inadequate. Likewise if you go away for a week or two. Again, we have not used this feature as we subscribe to the telephone company’s call answer service.
Our old phone has typical 49MHz (feeble) range. This Uniden has excellent range. I was able to walk out of my driveway and about half a block up the street (about 300 feet) before it suddenly got noisy and lost the signal.
I did not experienced any interference problems. Microwaves use a frequency that is very close to 2.4GHz phones, hence the potential for interference, but I'd guess that only a leaky microwave would cause a severe problem, unless you place the phone very close to it.
Handset
The handset is of average size and as mentioned before has a chunky, substantial feel to it. It will stand up on its own which would protect the finish from scratches and scuffs. There is the usual short antenna. The contrast of the three-line backlit LCD display is average but not adjustable. The characters are small and thin, and can be a bit hard to see if you are middle-aged or older.
The buttons are logically positioned, and most of them and the display light up whenever the handset is used or there’s an incoming call.
Uniden claim a choice of four ringer tones. Actually there are only two but each has a low or high volume option. The ringer can be turned off if desired.
The battery is the usual nicad and unless completely discharged occasionally will exhibit the well-known memory effect.
The voice quality is fair and the volume adequate. There is a constant low level hiss but it isn’t too distracting. There is also an “echo” effect. This is actually excessively loud sidetone, the built in feedback of the user’s voice into the earpiece which all telephones have. If you don’t have this the phone sounds “dead” and people tend to raise their voices.
Base Unit
There is no provision for mounting the base to a wall and its design prevents this anyway...the handset would fall out. There is a red LED display for the built in answering device. As mentioned above this was not used. The same device is able to act as a voice memo; in other words you can record messages or notes to yourself or other members of the household. The inclusion of the answering device is no doubt why there is no telephone company message waiting indicator.
The ringer is rather strident and not adjustable except for volume. Even at the lowest setting it is fairly loud. You wouldn’t want this in a bedroom unless you are a heavy sleeper. But it can be turned off completely.
There is a 6” antenna on the side. Generally speaking the higher/longer the antenna the more efficient it will be. 2.4GHz antennae only need to be about 1.5” long. I assume that the actual antenna is that length and it is just raised away from the unit, but it could actually be double. In either case it would aid efficiency.
The speakerphone works well and has plenty of volume.
Summary
We quite like this unit but it lacks some features that we require, like a message waiting light and wall mounting. Also, we don’t like the looks much, although there are plenty worse. There are a lot of features, some of which are of rather dubious worth. The very long range is a definate plus and would make this phone a good choice for those with large lots or in apartments where you might want to take it to the laundry room with you. Even at the typical price of $150 Canadian ($100 US) it is not too expensive given the built in speakerphone, the answering device and the call handling features.
The Uniden 2.4 GHz cordless phones are designed and engineered to exacting standards for reliability long life and outstanding performance. Digital Sp...More at BuyMeBuyMe.com
The Uniden 2.4 GHz cordless phones are designed and engineered to exacting standards for reliability long life and outstanding performance. Digital Sp...More at Clearance.net
2.4 GHz digital spread spectrum cordless with digital answering system 15-minute record time Caller ID/call waiting caller ID 50-number caller ID memo...More at Amazon Marketplace
The Uniden 2.4 GHz cordless phones are designed and engineered to exacting standards for reliability long life and outstanding performance. Digital Sp...More at Clearance.net
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