Sim card slot

[924nutter]

At great expense I bought a Sainsbury's sim card for the 996 and I have tried it in the slot but I get a no card message on the obc. I have checked orientation, (it really only fits one war round anyway) and tried the proverbial paper shim under it but to no avail
Does it have anything to do with the mechanism? When I bought the car the slot was wedged shut with a tiny piece of cardboard so the slide doesn't lock in, not an insurmountable problem, but I would have though that simply holding the slide in place would allow it to detect the card. Any ideas? Am I missing an installation step? It would be a shame to waste the £1 that I spent on the sim card

 

[Rodney Naghar]

IIRC you need a Vodaphone or O2 sim to make it work as those are the only two networks that run on the correct frequency

 

[Pete B]

Giff Gaff work as well

 

[Rodney Naghar]

ORIGINAL: Pete B

Giff Gaff work as well

That's because GiffGaff use the O2 network

 

[kasspa]

I have a Virgin PAYG in mine & works fine!!

 

[watlina]

Just to back up Rod's recollection.

PCM 1 is single band GSM 900Mhz so limited to Vodafone and O2

PCM 2 is dual band GSM 900/1800 so works with anybody's SIM (3 have 2G fallback with Orange)

3: 3G 2100
Orange: GSM 1800, 3G 2100
O2: GSM 900/1800, 3G 2100
T-Mobile: GSM 1800, 3G 2100
Vodafone: GSM 900/1800, 3G 2100

If you looking for a cheap supermarket PAYG then Tesco use the O2 network.

 

[924nutter]

I think mine is PCM 2 but anyway after walking out of the car phone warehouse and the Vodafone shop because I refuse to buy a card + bundle for £10 which disappears if I do not use it in 30 days, because I think it is a rip off, I bought a basic vodfone card from the newsagents across the road for 99p. My refusal to pay £10 upfront is justified because it still gives me a no card message in the obc and sim not ready in the centre console so there is something more fundamental as to why it wont work. Thanks for all the replies

 

[watlina]

Early 996 had PCM 1 which had a cassette tape then from September 2002 it was PCM 2, which has a cd slot

All PCM have the SIM slot but the phone module wasn't standard fit, it's option 666. If it's fitted you'll find a silver box under the drivers seat.

It's not uncommon for the latch on the SIM slot to break but it is possible to change just the SIM tray if your handy with a screwdriver.

You used to be able to buy just the tray from the UK Becker repair agent for about £22 so it would be worth trying AEL with the detail below.

Advanced Electronics & Logistics
Albert House
High Street
Princes End
Tipton
DY4 9HG

0121 522 6666
info@a-e-l.com
sales@a-e-l.com
enquires@qualtronyc.co.uk

 

[924nutter]

Yes mine has cd slot so something else is broken, because obviously , not knowing I first tried my EE sim card in the slot when I bought it 3 years ago, and now Sainsbury's and a Vodafone card do not work, so perhaps the I don't have option 666 fitted. I will check the drivers manual

 

[924nutter]

I have option 666

 

[kasspa]

Have you copied any contact numbers on to it?

Mine sometimes takes a while to recognise & load Sim!

Don't know if there are any 'settings' you can change once you press Tel button.....

I'll check mine at weekend if you've had no luck in sorting it beforehand

Rgds

Paul

 

[924nutter]

Its a blank card I will try the long wait option and see if it will recognise it overnight.

 

[kasspa]

Or maybe copy a few contacts on to it so it's reading something!!

 

[Jon_Dakeyne]

I have a broken sim try, but I don't have option 666 or a silver box under my drivers seat, so do I not have a phone in the PCM? When I press the phone button on the unit it says insert sim card and the display also shows signal strength (of nothing), presumably these wouldn't show if there wasn't a phone module? Would they? (Also SOS tries to call emergency services)