a hobby phone keeps our lives separate.  There are lots of repercussions of the hobby with not just SOs, family, friends, your minister, neighbors, not to mention LE.  
Your hobby e-mail should be separate as well.  I can not see into your life...  You may not have an issue with your SO...  but I'd not furnish her with the details.  

Until / unless the hobby is legalized & de-stigmatized...  I will continue to keep them separate.  
skb

One that lets you register anonymously and works in your location...

I have a TRAC phone. I took my laptop to the local wifi shop to register the phone, etc...

There are others out there. I'd suggest searching the Newbie forum for more.

Follow-up question.  I'm retired and my wife is OK with my hobbying, so there's no requirement of privacy on my part.  My wife would never answer my phone.  What other reasons are there to have a hobby phone?  Identity theft, or whatever???

I choose the $20 every 90 days version for which I buy a top up card with cash.  This program generally gives me enough minutes for chatting and texting during the time period.  If it runs low, I just buy another top up card.  The phone was purchased with cash as well for less than $40.  No bills to pay to trace as long as I keep the phone out-of-sight (multiple hiding places).

Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network so the reception is good most everywhere.  

-- Modified on 11/17/2010 4:15:02 PM

my reason would be discretion.  I don't want a lady calling me on my regular cell period.

Good point.  I do have a totally separate e-mail address for hobbying, but I use my cell phone so little that having only one doesn't seem much like a risk, unless there's another reason that hasn't been stated yet.

Using a hobby phone that is registered anonymously can't be tracked to you as long as you don't use real info and pay cash for phone and refill cards.  If someone you see happens to be detained by LE, they can go through her phone contacts, and POOFFF!!!  There is your number/name!!!

A very good point.  A hobby phone is now on my shopping list. Thanks, chispliff!

I have seen the ID of a Tracfone user who has the ID set to anonymous (it says anonymous caller...imagine that), but does anything show up when you don't enable that function?  I assume the number, but something like "Tracfone" or the city of the tower you are calling from?

This is mainly for the providers who won't pick up if it is blocked but I would imagine having a Tracfone makes the screening process much more difficult with any provider.

I'm about to go get one of these but need to know how to set it up properly so it's correctly configured for providers' requirements.  In other words, so it shows up to them as a non-suspicious #.  I'm a little confused here since I'm not tech-savvy and am not clear on providers' requirements.  Please hurry!  Need to buy one today!

Really any prepaid mobile phone will work.  I went with Tmobile... The phone was $20 at Target and you can buy replacement minutes there (all cash transactions). Registration was done by the phone, no personal information needed.

As other have mentioned, this phone is about your anonymity, making sure that anyone can't somehow trace you back.  Read around and there are stories of LE, jealousy, blackmail, etc.  Just another way to be safe.

went to the Virgin web site and followed the prompts.  Don't forget to purchase a top-up card when you buy the phone so you have some minutes to use (calling or texting).  I chose not to have web access from this phone.

Just went out and bought the el-cheapo Virgin Mobile phone that Keystone recommended, along with the ten-dollar top-up plan.  All done for cash and total anonymity.  So thanks to Keystone and everyone else who provided useful advice on this thread.  Now it's off to the bank to fill up the tank!

I had them set it up for me where I bought it (Radio Shack).  No issues of confidentiality there.  I did buy the $10 initial service. Thanks again.

Home again.  Had a great time.  The Virgin Mobile phone got its first call and the results were delightful. A Virgin phone made it happen; can you spell irony???

what's keystone?

so the bottom line is a pre paid cell at target or radio shack is g2g?