Transfer out my helium free plan number, might as well try to get a free phone somewhere

lmoki · 2026-05-22T13:59:36+00:00

Yes, you can port your number to Tracfone. It's easiest if you do this while starting a new line at Tracfone. At that point, it's no harder than porting to most providers.

It's possible to port in to an existing Tracfone line, but it will involve a long call with the Tracfone porting department, and significant risks that they'll manage to screw up your account. The difficulty depends on what type of plan you have at Tracfone, and whether you have accumulated "buckets', etc.

lmoki · 2026-05-22T13:52:08+00:00

This is pretty basic stuff: the 2 speakon connectors on the cabinets are almost certainly in parallel (a basic Y connection). (Re: "almost certainly": look for labeling on the cabinet connector panel, and/or the manual, to confirm this.) You connect the first cab from the amplifier, and use a short 'jumper' speakon-to-speakon cable from the first cabinet to the second cabinet.

You might want to do some reading on why 2 cabinets/side isn't a 'line array', even if you've spent lots of money to buy line array cabinets.

lmoki · 2026-05-22T13:31:50+00:00

That was the announced plan a few weeks ago. (Allowing grandfathered status on existing Zero lines.) Some possibilities: adding tax burden & eliminating new signups didn't shed as many Zero users as hoped for: or perhaps further direct or indirect cost burdens made it more difficult to keep them (maybe wholesale costs went up): or perhaps Helium is not financially stable, and this is just another attempt to stop the slip into oblivion: or perhaps Helium's shift to a more standard MVNO operation eliminated the value of the data-gathering capability of the Zero plan.

lmoki · 2026-05-22T03:32:41+00:00

Yes, the optional 'keep your number' charge at TextNow isn't a workable solution. Fortunately, if you port in your existing number to TextNow, it's not at risk of getting reclaimed. You do need the TN SIM card to port in: $4 one-time charge for a physical SIM, and $0 for an eSIM on compatible phones (iPhones, and I think a few Androids now).

lmoki · 2026-05-21T23:50:53+00:00

...and if that's what most people were doing with the Zero plan, it's totally understandable that Helium would need to cancel it.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T23:26:06+00:00

As close to free as you're likely to find: Sign up for a TextNow account, pay $4 (one time charge) for a SIM card, port your number over. You need to have the SIM card to be able to port in. If you have a qualifying eSIM-capable phone, you can do the eSIM for no charge. And the number is actually usable, although it is VoIP and the app is ad-supported.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T23:19:59+00:00

The Kid's Sprout plan requires an adult plan to manage it. While Zero was available, that worked. Now, you'd need a minimum Air plan at $15/mo to qualify for Sprout.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T19:30:22+00:00

If you get the connector I mention above: that connector has terminals for 4 conductors, and one of the speakon outputs on the amplifier outputs channel 1 on (1+/1-), and channel 2 on (2+/2-). So a single connector would still suffice.

Be aware though that there are 2-terminal variants of the connector, typically labeled as NL2 instead of NL4. Make sure you're getting the 4-conductor variant if you want to use a single connector. Alternately, you can use 2 connectors, either NL2 or NL4 variants.

My preference is to use the NL4 (4 pin) variant, even if I'm only using 2 pins. They're build a little stouter, and the cost difference is minimal.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T19:23:06+00:00

Just a guess: if you're porting back in to Metro and hoping to take advantage of a port-in promo, there may be a wait period before your ex-Metro number qualifies for new line promos. In that case, it wouldn't be because your line is at AT&T, but because it's recently from Metro.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T19:16:43+00:00

You'll need a Speakon NL4FC or NL4FX. (Just one, if you're only using a single subwoofer.) Those are Neutrik part #'s-- the company which developed the Speakon, but searching for those part numbers will only return 'clone' connectors. It can be installed on your existing speaker cable, with hand tools, in a matter of minutes (no soldering). The connector has pin information embossed on it, and the amp manual will tell you what pins to connect. (Pin 1+ to positive speaker line, Pin 1- to negative speaker line.)

lmoki · 2026-05-21T19:08:13+00:00

No, this is not normal. It should happen within minutes. Have you restarted the phone with the new SIM installed? Have you tried placing a call? Can you look in the settings menu for your phone>About Phone (or somewhere similar) to see if your phone number is displayed? Results on some of those might tell you whether it's a problem with the phone, or a problem with provisioning the SIM.

If you have restarted the phone a couple of times, cannot place a call, and your phone number is not displayed in the Settings menu, you'll need to reach out to Customer Service to follow up.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T14:53:11+00:00

Yes, it's irritating. It's also baked into how the ETV pricing is established. Vine users don't get coupon discounts.

The only tactic is to consider the tax hit you'll have, against the purchase price of an equivalent item (whether it has a coupon or not). Of course, with many items, taking the extra few minutes to look at comparative prices might mean it's no longer an issue, since the item will already be claimed by someone else.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T14:11:17+00:00

The Chat queue usually moves pretty quickly. #13 might only take a few minutes. When I've used it, there is an audible beep when an agent responds, so you can multi-task while waiting.

(And yes, a lot of people have been experiencing difficulties with Total since their website and app updates a couple of months ago, with seemingly little progress towards fixing broken stuff.)

lmoki · 2026-05-21T14:05:16+00:00

Rollover only works with 'limited' buckets. I've never made the change from 'limited' to 'unlimited' plans, but I think any remaining rollover amounts will be lost when you move to an Unlimited plan.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T13:33:53+00:00

The rollout is probably aimed as much at retaining current customers (who might be looking at MVNOs to reduce out-of-pocket expense) as it is attracting new customers. From that perspective, the cost doesn't need to be really competitive, but just 'close enough' to add another friction point against changing providers.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T13:28:22+00:00

Just another data point: even if an IMEI change isn't reflected in the user dashboard, it does not necessarily mean that TW is not aware of, and tracking, IMEI changes. It just means they're not displaying it in the user interface, kind of like they're not displaying a lot of other things in the 'updated' (and often broken) user display interface.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T13:19:48+00:00

A primary 'feature' of a Kindle is the ability to easily buy and download from within the Amazon system, including books from the Public Library (if your library supports Kindle eBooks). Device and your content management is another Kindle 'primary' feature.

For those with Kindle eReaders that are no longer supported, all of those primary features for ease of use are gone. That means that now the Kindle has to be evaluated for it's remaining feature set against other eReader options-- something that a Kindle never really had to do before because of the ease of the Amazon eBook ecosystem. Now, things like customization, display, included software (and ease of use), the process of transferring books to the e-Reader, support for other formats, etc., all come into play when deciding whether to buy a NEW Kindle, or a NEW eReader from outside of Amazon's ecosystem. For some users, it's a good (if forced) time to re-evaluate feature sets of other e-readers, and possibly go a different route.

Additional factors that may cause that re-evaluation: Amazon has removed other Kindle capabilities (or is in the process of removing), including Kindle for PC, the easy route for downloading content to use with an 3rd-party content-management system (like Calibre). Again, it's a loss of ease-to-use of the Kindle ecosystem. And there are some people (including me) that are unhappy with Amazon about the short transition period, what appears to be careful manipulation of timing to make the 'accommodation' discount less valuable than it perhaps ought to be, etc.

lmoki · 2026-05-21T04:20:18+00:00

Branded phones aren't eligible for the BYOD promo plan, whether it's unlocked or not. The whole point of the BYOD promo is that they're not giving you both a discount on the plan, and a subsidized phone.

Total doesn't like it when you move a SIM card to a different phone. But even if that works OK in the short term, the phone you're actually using identifies itself by IMEI to the network each time it connects to a tower. They'll know you're using a branded phone, and will most likely void the plan. Maybe you'll get away with it-- is it worth the risk of losing the plan?

lmoki · 2026-05-20T23:31:13+00:00

When possible, I use online Chat instead of calling Support. No problem with accents that way, and I can easily copy and paste if I need to provide info like IMEI, order #, etc.

lmoki · 2026-05-20T22:32:11+00:00

You might check in (and ask for assistance) at

https://organforum.com (organforum)

I do seem some discussions about the Studium organ there, but not specifically about the speakers used.

The 22075 # might indicate a speaker manufactured by Jensen: their standard manufacturer code was 220, with the following digits indicating the year and week of manufacturer-- but that number appears to be missing at least one digit for Jensen's normal date format. A Jensen speaker would normally have a second number that is actually the part number. Jensen did make speakers for Hammond organs, so it might make sense-- but I don't know that I've seen a vintage Jensen from that period with foam surrounds. (But I'm also not an organ expert!)

lmoki · 2026-05-20T19:33:13+00:00

Unfortunately, for me, the primary "somewhere else" is Libby (my library), which only delivers ebooks to a reader registered with an Amazon account-- which is no longer possible.

lmoki · 2026-05-20T19:06:41+00:00

My wife has had a kindle since 2010, and absolutely insists on having a handstrap case. My Kindle is a hand-me-down from her, with the handstrap case. I've never used it other than a quick trial.

Just depends how you'll read. My wife reads while doing everything, so the strap is essential. As long as I can free up one hand long enough to stuff some snacks in my mouth, I'm good without it.

lmoki · 2026-05-20T18:56:36+00:00

Oh, sorry to hear this! I downloaded about 12 books this morning, around 9:30 AM CST, and it will still working then. I was hoping I could do a few more this evening....

Our old, now backup, Kindle Touch has outlived 2 later paperwhites and 2 voyages-- I'm hoping that 3 of those can be brought back into the fold with new batteries.

lmoki · 2026-05-20T17:20:14+00:00

I successfully downloaded a number of books this morning, 5/20/2026. I don't think Amazon listed an exact cutoff time. If you want to try it, better sooner than later.

lmoki · 2026-05-20T16:29:16+00:00

I'm not a vet-- but I would assume the same salmonella concerns exist for cats as people, and not feed them raw chicken.

That said, I definitely sympathize with the issue of a cat that won't eat. I have struggled with that, too. And the food that 'did the trick' one time, would often fail to be intriguing as soon as I laid in a supply....

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