any way to sim unlock orange hero for free?

[Guest Martyn.28]

Hello all ,

May be a bit of a noob question but is it possible to sim unlock Orange Gsm hero for FREE?

I have seen posts of where there is problems unlocking orange heros (bug) but have yet to see if unlocking can be done for free.

point being i want to change from orange to T-mobile so my second question is if i flash rom with t-mobile branded will my handset then accept only t-mobile sims ? or will this still be locked to orange network.

Hope this makes sence

Take care

Martyn

[Guest Baggieboy]

Flashing the ROM does not affect SIM lock, so flashing with the T-Mobile ROM would not help you.

[Guest uk786]

Martyn.28, For a cheap simple solution try a Turbo SIM.

They are readily available on eBay from approx £2, It is basically a kind of chip that you put on top of your SIM then you insert it into your device and it should work like a charm. With some of them you have to cut your SIM.

I ain't guaranteeing it will work put you should try it. I have a turbo SIM which I use for my old Nokia E65 saved £20.

[Guest pulser]

As far as I know, it is not possible to unlock modern phones for free, but a TurboSIM or RebelSIM would achieve the objective cheaper.

I know that unlocking is to do with entering a code connected to the IMEI number, but I would be interested in any information anyone has about this, since I have been unable to find out much about the logistics and innards of this. eg. Where do the websites get these codes from? I have heard of manufacturer databases, but I would have thought that manufacturers would rather keep this information and sell it at a price premium due to the monopoly they would have.

Or is there a way to generate the unlocking code based on the IMEI. If so, (which I doubt is the case), it would surely be possible to create an application which would calculate the code for any given IMEI, putting all the unlocking websites out of business.

As for what the number actually does, I would love to know tha too. I would have thought it would be possible to patch a radio to be unlocked, but I haven't heard of it being done as of yet.

If anyone knows more about this, I would love to know, as it's the one thing about phones I don't know much about.

[Guest Iggy82]

Not for free, you'll need an unlock code and some patience!

There is a known bug with the ROM that Orange pre-load onto thier Hero's; unlock codes do not work on them. I and many others have had this problem with the Orange ROM, it is very annoying! The best way I have found to unlock your Hero permanently is to read through the forum for instructions on how to load a custom ROM like MCR (MoDaCo Custom ROM). Once you have loaded a custom ROM onto your phone, get an unlock code from many of the unlocking websites on the internet. The unlock code will work with a custom ROM, just not with the Orange one.

I personally used the MCR 2.8, so I'd try and use this as I know it definitely works. Once you've unlocked the phone, you can re-load any ROM back onto the phone and it will remain unlocked forever. You could even re-load the Orange ROM back on if you wanted!

[EDIT] - I just found the post I wrote on the android forum regarding how to unlock, its brief, so you'll have to do a little research if you're not clued up with Android stuff - http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/14833-ho....html#post88770

Edited January 1, 2010 by Iggy82

[Guest shenshang]

you have 2 options:

1. get a RebelSim, it works 100%, I can confirm that.

or...

2. Buy an unlock code for 10-20 Euros and flash a generic/MCR rom onto your phone for it to work. The code only works on generic ROM, it doesnt work on branded ones.