• Handsets can communicate with each other privately, independent of base and phone line.
• Phone calls can be transferred from one handset to another.
• Each handset comes with two battery packs, and one can be charged while the other is being used. You can change batteries while a call is on hold! Talk time is up to 4 hours, and recharging time just 90 minutes. Standby time is up to 36 hours.
• The use of multiple base units can permit a group of handsets to be used in a large area.
• If bases are connected to different "extension" or "station" circuits on a phone system, users can dial 9 to get any line available.

• Three lines of text and graphics are shown on illuminated display.
• Caller ID with Call Waiting. Log shows last 30 calls received.
• Graphical signal strength indicator on display, with audible warning when you're about to leave communications range.
• Each handset comes with a leather pouch, a small antenna to save space, and a long antenna for maximum range.
• Base can be connected to optional external high-gain antenna for maximum range.
• Hearing Aid compatible
• 30-Number speed dialing
• 6-Level voice volume control
• Four different ringing sounds with three different volume levels, plus silent vibration alert.
• Battery charger has refresh button to completely discharge battery before charging.
• Handset weighs 12 ounces -- more than many handsets -- but the performance is worth it.
• Approved for both US and Canada.

Optional external 6dB-gain antenna. 

As many of you know, the Panasonic KX-TD7890 has been an AbleComm favorite for several years, and we've considered it to be the long-range champion.

That title now passes on to an exciting new phone, made by a company that is unknown to most consumers, but has smart people, exciting technology and extremely high production standards.

The EnGenius SN-900 ULTRA can provide much more range than any other cordless phone that can be legally sold in the United States.

Because there is a separate base and charger, as with the Panasonic KX-TD7890, the base can be mounted up high for maximum range, and the handset just has to go into the small charging cradle, which needs electrical power, but no phone jack. The handset can be kept in a place that has no phone wiring. It can provide phone service and intercom in a garage, barn, guest cottage or construction site.

You have several options for increasing range that can be used individually or in combination:

1. You can replace the standard 2" handset antenna with the included 7.25" antenna.
2. You can install the base as high as possible.
3. You can install the optional external base antenna as high as possible.
4. You can install multiple bases to provide coverage in several areas, or over a large area.

The "build quality" of the handset sets a new standard for phones. The case has a luxurious satiny feel. The seams are tiny, and there are none of the blemishes that are common even on costly phones. The screw-on antenna connections are smooth and secure, showing attention to detail that is seldom seen in this type of product.

The handset weighs more than most other cordless phones, but it has a 4 x AA battery pack, instead of the tiny 3 x 1/2 AA packs that are used in many cordlesses. The bigger batteries give this the phone its indomitable punch-through power, and long talk and standby times. "Smart Power Control" adjusts transmitting power for the distance between users, so battery power is not wasted.

Although the phone is feature-rich, it is easy to operate. You can figure out how to do almost anything, without having to "RTFM."

The display is very useful, guiding you through most tasks, and telling you what is going on. If you call another handset or the base and there is no response within a preset time, the screen says "NO RESPONSE," or "NO BASE" so you can try something else instead of waiting forever.

The MENU button and set of four cursor buttons gives you access to a big collection of operations and options, like a modern cellphone. Screen text is big and illuminated for easy reading. If you do something wrong, you'll hear an error beep. A pre-dial feature shows the to-be-dialed digits on the screen, and you can easily delete and replace any incorrect digits. The speed-dialing directory holds 30 names and numbers in each handset. The Caller ID log  holds information on the last 30 calls.

The two-way radio operation is unlike what you'll find in ordinary business, Citizens Band or FRS radios. Conversations are duplex, like a normal phone call, with no need to "push-to-talk," and transmissions are digital and spread-spectrum, so there is almost no chance of eavesdropping or interference. Each handset and base has its own intercom number, that can be dialed after pressing the INTCOM button on the handset.

Handsets can provide secure "walkie-talkie" or "two-way radio" operation even when hundreds -- or thousands -- of miles from the base. You can use them to coordinate several cars traveling together, or even for a small army!

A total of 36 handsets can be used, with 4 bases. If you try to make a call in a multi-base environment, your handset will first try to connect to the last base it used. If it fails to connect, it will search for the next one within range.

Depending on user preferences, incoming calls can ring at one, some. or all handsets. A call answered on one handset can be transferred to another handset.

The features and flexibility of the EnGenius cordless provide lots of possibilities.

• You can have one base and handset like an ordinary cordless.
• You can have several handsets and one base, to provide both phone and "walkie-talkie" functions.
• You can connect several bases to different "station ports" on a phone system to distribute dialtone to multiple handsets.
• Handsets can select specific bases to make outside calls on specific lines.

The more you use EnGenius, the more uses that become apparent. It's an amazing phone, and we recommend it highly. 

  Michael N. Marcus

Animated EnGenius logo at top was designed by Jaco Cheung of
Anco Communication & Electronics, Vancouver, BC, Canada; and used with his permission.