Motorola StarTAC Flip Phone in 2019

-- Jan 2023 Update: Had to switch to a 4G phone. Got a used LG Exalt LTE. --
-- April 2021 Update: I'm still using my StarTAC! --
Motorola StarTAC flip phones were Motorola's first modern-style flip phone and their first digital mobile phone. In this video, I show two of the later-model StarTAC flip phones in use.
Verizon announced that they are shutting down their 2G network (that this phone uses) on December 31, 2022 (this sunset date keeps getting postponed). All non-VoLTE (Voice over LTE) phones like mine will cease to function at that time. So while I'm still using my old StarTAC, I know I'm on borrowed time. Carriers will no longer activate 2G or 3G phones like this one.
See www.verizon.com/about/news/3g...
*A note about advertisements in my videos*
I do not monetize my videos. That means that I do NOT place advertisements before, during, or after my videos. However, a recent change by KZbin allows KZbin to place advertisements with my videos. I do not support this change but don't have a way to opt out. I don't want ads before, during, or after my videos, but am powerless to stop it short of leaving KZbin.

[@anonymator]

My first mobile was MicroTac. I bought my first StarTac in 1999 and parted ways with this model in 2003. I absolutely loved it. Like most of the world I went with slab phones for 15 years or so. Now that foldable screen phones are quite robust and solid I bought Samsung z flip 5, and the feeling of having a nice foldable phone once again brings me nostalgic joy that I haven't felt for a quarter of a century.

[@TheFlatEarthChannelcom]

I used to web browsing in Highschool and people were shocked lol. The good old days.

[@felipedamasceno6823]

Nice! I love this phone and I wish it still would be trendy these days lol... anyway thanks for sharing

[@MikeSmith-cx2dj]

Best phone I ever owned. F smart phones this phone was amazing! I was running a pentium 66MHZ on win 3.1 back in my day. 56k baud dial up baby but it always connected at 36.6K due to phone system in the area. To play doom I would have to boot to dos to free up all memory to push toward game , of course running from DOS prompt. LOL I miss this phone- IT has crazy signal strength!!!

[@retrophoneshow]

Great video very interesting thanks

[@Justincrock10]

Man I love flip phones they’re so cool

[@zahemi914]

MS Dos? I remember using it back in my college year.. well carrying a big box with all the floppy disk, looked awesomely genius (during that time though) hahahha. BTQ, I used Startac in the late 90s.. and early 2000, it was an elegant phone to flaunt with, espclly when pulling the atenna out..

[@justiceforall1288]

I always wondered what happened to ALLTEL! Make since if Verizon bought them out.

[@MikeSmith-cx2dj]

my startack ran on the airtouch mobile service- who version bout out years ago.

[@willyizaguirre2401]

Thats awesome! can you still activate them? I will love to active one. I found 3 of my old ones and they still hold charge. * Never Mind I just read the comments bellow. I'm wonder if someone can retrofit the guts from a modern phone to the startac

[@MikeSmith-cx2dj]

I want the 90s back and this phone!! Please.

[@MikeSmith-cx2dj]

I had the extra large battery pack 1 hour talk time LOL standby was weeks long

[@carlocremonesi2082]

Hi. Happy new Year; Thanks for Your video. Could it work on a 3 g network? I live in Brazil, and if it is not possible to change the card to 3g, can I take a blackberry curve that I have and try to connect to the display and speaker so that I can have at least one cell phone in operation in the startac housing?

[@w8nwo]

I'm not familiar enough with how 3G is implemented in Brazil, but I'd guess that its not compatible. The network would have to support CDMA2000 and at least in the USA, CDMA is a 2G technology.

[@redressrisk2759]

Nelson, I have a BMW Star Tac that came in my 2001 M5. the buttons are all cracked and broken off of it. Is there a way to replace the button pads?

[@w8nwo]

You probably could if you could find another identical phone on eBay. They aren't too hard to disassemble. The back cover slides up -- there are two little catches near the bottom that hold the cover in place. Do you still have service on your StarTAC? If so, what carrier? I'm just curious! If its Verizon, it probably won't work after the end of this year.

[@Johngengelbach2]

I had one in 2000 through Sprint. I thought it was a cool phone.

[@willitmakeit]

Cant seem to find the link can you send it to me please

[@aiskelly]

What release year StarTAC is this one?

[@w8nwo]

Not sure.

[@delraydan1939]

Does this phone still work now... considering all the carriers are pushing 5g ?

[@w8nwo]

Yes, surprisingly! Though I know its days are numbered. Any day now I know I'll turn it on and find it doesn't work. I actually manage a fleet of mobile devices at work and I asked Verizon a while ago if the sunset date was still Dec. 31, 2020. They said technically yes, but they weren't turning off the whole network all at once on that date. They are slowly shutting down parts of their 2G/3G network as they need capacity. They said that we'll notice some things might not work properly (like maybe text messaging, for instance), before we lose signal altogether.

[@delraydan1939]

@@w8nwo I appreciate the insight... so what phones would you recommend for a prepper? I have some ham radios... but was wondering if you had any recommendations for flip phones.. ?

[@w8nwo]

@@delraydan1939 I don't really know! Since the phone is only as good as the network it runs on, I'm more concerned about the reliability of the network. Carriers do a decent job of keeping their networks running during minor incidents but not larger disasters or long-term power outages.

[@mrmcguru163]

Have you ever screwed around with the amps network? There’s actually a way to bring it back

[@w8nwo]

Really? How so? I'm intrigued!

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

Do tell.

[@burkanx5546]

@mrmcguru163 Please tell us more. I'd love to find a loophole towards activating my startac as it has a mini-sim

[@js-ny2ru]

How long does battery last on standby?

[@w8nwo]

2-3 days, depending on signal strength. The phone "checks in" with the tower periodically, and the weaker the signal, the more transmit power it has to use to check in. In weak or no signal areas, it will die in a few hours.

[@rabat1974]

hello i have a star tac Motorola but i forgot the lock code the phone works but i don't know how to call what to do in your opinion is there a solution i live in brussels thank's lot

[@fenner4334]

FCN 0 000000 RCL is how you do it for the simple 3 digit lock If you have the 6 digit security code and you don't know it there's more steps and it involves a total reset FCN 0 ** 83786633 STO 32# 01# And should be reset

[@bornaloncar1114]

Is it possible to use this phone but with unregistered sim card. In a way that u can explore the phone functions but without calling and texting ability?

[@w8nwo]

Yes. In fact, the CDMA, TDMA, and analog versions don't use SIMs.

[@bornaloncar1114]

Thanks for fast reply. So when i turn on the phone it says "insert card" and by pressing "menu" button nothing happens, i can only type random numbers. When i put an older sim card (i had one home laying around) phone says "unregistered sim card" and still cannot enter phone menu/settings. Is there any bypass for that? I have motorola startac 85 (gsm arena says: network 2g bands, gsm90

[@w8nwo]

@@bornaloncar1114 That's disappointing! I'm not sure of a way around that. We never had the GSM models here in the 'states.

[@mexjcstar]

how can i use? i have one!...live in mexico city

[@w8nwo]

I honestly don't know what it would take in Mexico City. You'd have to find a carrier that still supports 2G and is willing to activate old phones.

[@deejohnson2725]

Yo NELSON, I'M LOSING MY MIND BECAUSE I BOUGHT THIS PHONE AND IT WOULDN'T TURN ON. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE BATTERY.?

[@w8nwo]

Is it charged?

[@burkanx5546]

@deejohnson2725 I had to buy a brand new battery for my Startac mid-2022. You can still find them for sale online, brand new. Even though I have no reception currently, the battery stays powered for days. (have forgotten to turn it off occasionally)

[@burkanx5546]

I have one I just bought a new battery for. Lol while messing with the dialpad menu I managed to lock myself out of the phone and now IDK how to unlock it. The LCD display says "LOC'D". I played myself! Wish I could activate these. If I knew you could've activated these all this time-I would have bought and activated one 5 years ago back when I was 16. :( Hopefully Motorola remakes these for newer cell-networks in the future though, not futuristic looking and ugly like how Nokia has done with their recreated 3310's and the 8110. If remade for newer networks: I'd be the first to buy and activate.

[@w8nwo]

Too bad its locked. I don't have any suggestions there!

[@burkanx5546]

@@w8nwo I actually just got it unlocked yesterday. I saw a comment down below on your video of the secret pin release you'd press on the dialpad. FCN 0 000000 RCL Unlocked and disable the locking. Fixed. So glad to have seen that. Thanks for responding though! Is your phone still in service currently? I hear the sunset date is now dead-set for this December. It's a shame.

[@w8nwo]

@@burkanx5546 No, I finally had to get a new phone. My wife and I found a plan that was less expensive but I couldn't port my StarTAC over, sadly. I sure miss that phone!

[@CityLifeinAmerica]

@@w8nwo What phone do you use now?

[@w8nwo]

@@CityLifeinAmerica LG Exalt LTE

[@wc7511]

If I have an adapter for Nano Sim, can I still use one today, in 2021?

[@w8nwo]

I don't know! I don't have any experience with the GSM versions.

[@willswitchcraft]

OK, Thanks for responding....

[@wc7511]

OK, Thanks for responding....

[@LaddieT]

The GSM models still work just fine, but it depends on your location. Most GSM models were for Europe and ran on GSM900. Some models ran on GSM1800. If you're in North America, you still have 2G through T-Mobile, but they run on GSM850 and GSM1900. Motorola only made two models that would work in the US, the 7000g and the 8000g; based on the 70/75 and 80/85 respectively. These were sold my Motorola directly and not through carriers so they are rare and hard to find. When they do come up for sale they're expensive. You may also need to find somebody with the hardware to network unlock them if it hasn't been done already.

[@w8nwo]

@@LaddieT Good to know. Thanks!

[@picklesquadtv8628]

I just found one from my dead grandfather's house he bought it in 1993 and the antenna still comes out it works but the three doesn't work and I don't know how to activate it to make calls

[@w8nwo]

Sorry, can't activate these anymore.

[@picklesquadtv8628]

@@w8nwo ok it's a Motorola E what I have rn is the Motorola e6

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

@@picklesquadtv8628 just keep it. Will be a cult someday. Like HAM radios in the 00's.

[@picklesquadtv8628]

@@grizzlyaddams3606 I still have it

[@CityLifeinAmerica]

What are you using now in 2020?

[@w8nwo]

Same StarTAC! Verizon postponed the 2G sunset by one more year. Now, my phone will continue working through at least Dec. 31, 2020.

[@hollywoodthedj1673]

Nelson Ogden .. so after that will you still be able to use it? Cause I want to find a one myself!

[@w8nwo]

@@hollywoodthedj1673 No; won't be able to use it.

[@radio-180cc]

Still using it eh

[@w8nwo]

Yes!

[@ljkkj2511]

I wanna revive my Startac but battry is dead, can uou make a video explain hiw change battery cells, thnks

[@w8nwo]

The battery just unclips from the front lid. You can get a new battery and snap it in!

[@ljkkj2511]

Nelson Ogden were you can buy it?

[@w8nwo]

@@ljkkj2511 eBay.

[@shadak2792]

I have that phone.. is it possible to activate now?

[@w8nwo]

Nope, I don't know of any way to activate one now.

[@photographyfanatic8668]

Can I activate one today?

[@w8nwo]

Nope! Carriers won't allow it. These phones won't even get a signal much longer.

[@w8nwo]

@Waylon Finlay Yes. Just used it yesterday!

[@kimcelarmycx229]

@@w8nwo Verizon postponed their CDMA 1x and 3G network shutdown indefinitely so you'll still be able to use them for a while longer, this was due to systems like GM's OnStar relying on Verizon's 1X/3G CDMA network to dispatch responders in an event of a crash and so on, in a car crash severe enough to incapacitate the driver having an automated system like OnStar alert dispatchers and provide the vehicles GPS location is crucial and I imagine that is one of the primary reasons they've decided to not go through with decommissioning that network. Many home security systems including SimpliSafe systems sold up until recently also use Verizon's 3G network to again dispatch police, etc. in the event of a home breakin so them shutting down that network would also render those systems unusable too

[@kimcelarmycx229]

I can disable LTE in my iPhones settings and still use 3G and 1X to make calls and texts and use mobile data and I've still gotten 1X/3G service everywhere I've went here in Indiana so they really didn't decommission hardly any towers at all at least here

[@kimcelarmycx229]

It's a shame you can't activate them anymore, I'd like to think there's still some possible way

[@NeuronActive]

Nelson sell to me one 😬

[@w8nwo]

Watch eBay!

[@NeuronActive]

Nelson Ogden ☹️