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Manager - AB7RG
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My First 'Cell' Phone

Created by Paul Signorelli, W0RW on 2021-03-02
My First "Cell" Phone


A long time ago, before today’s cellular telephones they had Mobile Radio Telephones or Car Phones. In most cities there was only one cell (Transmitter Tower) per frequency so that frequencies (Called Channels) had to be shared by all users. That meant there could not be a whole lot of people on each channel. Cellular systems now reuse channels by using directional antenna’s and low antenna elevations so more people have access to the spectrum.

Access was very limited then and the service was used mostly by Doctors and Lawyers who could afford the monthly rentals ($420 per month, adjusted for inflation). The Telephone Company really liked those people who got the service and rented the radio telephone equipment. Anyone who wanted to use their own personal equipment was put on a long waiting list.

The FCC, however, made a special provision for people who wanted to use their own equipment, so the Telephone Company had to give service to some of them. When you started this process you had to request an ‘Intent to Provide Service’ letter from your Telephone Company. That could take a year without a Priority Use Category, like being a Doctor. A regular person got the lowest Category 7; Red Cross, Doctors, etc. got Category 1. I had to get a Red Cross authorization letter to qualify. After I got my Letter of Intent from the Telephone Company I had to send it to the FCC to complete my application for a Domestic Public Land Mobile Radio Service License for my radio. There were also a few application and registration fees that go along with setting it all up. Another year could go by. My license was finally granted, KG6685, in 1963. That allowed me to operate on the Telephone Company frequencies of 43.38 MHz and 157.89 MHz (2 different units). The FCC Called those the “ZM” and “YJ” Channels. (There were 10 – Low Band Channels, 11 VHF Channels, and 6 UHF Channels In 1964). The equipment had to be “Type Accepted”, Tuned and labeled by an FCC Commercial Radio technician, be narrow banded and sometimes using crystal ovens.

I had to send my FCC license back to the Telephone Company with my final application and they then issued me my “Telephone Number”, like YJ 54321, and ZM 12345, You didn’t use your FCC Call Sign.

After that using the phone using the Manual Telephone Service was easy, you would push the PTT and the “Mobile Service Operator” would come on, then you would give her your Phone number. Then you would ask her to call the number of the person you wanted to speak to. She would dial, it would ring, and if answered you would be connected. All that with 30 to 60-mile ranges for only $65 per month in 2020 dollars. (Plus a little extra charge, $2.50 per minute in 2020 dollars, if you exceeded the free 30 minutes of air time per month). The elite users had the Improved Mobile Telephone Service (IMTS), with multiple channels and a ‘Rotary Dial’ control head.

I had 2 Phones in my car so I could say: “Hold on my other phone is ringing’’. I was actually able to rent my ‘Comm Car’ out to an Aerospace Company for some communication links from the Edwards Air Force Base. That helped pay the bills.

My First radio was a Motorola 140D for 43 MHz and a Motorola FHTRU Handi-Talkie for 157 MHz, ¼ watt. It was modified to make it full duplex by jumpering the receiver filaments ‘On’ so the receiver would be ‘On’ during transmit and just using one 17” whip antenna. When you have a full duplex radio on a repeater system like that you can hear yourself so it becomes immediately obvious when you get into a bad location and finding a ‘Hot Spot” gives the system a 4X range. I replaced that radio with a Motorola HT-200, 1Watt, all transistorized Handi-Talkie. It was called the ‘Brick”. It worked on the YJ Channel in almost every city in the USA but I could not make it operate full duplex.

My regular vehicle Radio Telephone had a Western Electric 106A tone decoder, It used a delicate rotary relay to decode the ring-out tones that the Telephone Company used to call you. The AFSK tones were very slow and could easily be decoder by ear. I could decode incoming calls by ear when using my handi-talkies. The Western Electric decoder could blow the auto horn or just display a ‘Call Waiting’ light on the control head. The Mobile Telephone operator would hold on to your call information when you called back. If you wanted to call some mobile unit in a distant city, you had to call your Operator and ask for the Long Distance Operator, Then ask her to call the Mobile Service Operator in that distant city, She would then call the mobile. It really didn’t take very long. There was no nationwide calling, you had to know where your friend was to call him. There were never any robo calls.

When several of the Red Cross mobiles were active at the same time they could all talk Car-to-Car plus one connection to a land line if desired. These were mostly all Amateur Radio Operators using the Public Telephone System for the Red Cross because there was only one VHF AM amateur repeater in the area at that time. For local disaster operations we also used the Red Cross frequency 47.42 MHz.

Generally speaking we were to make disaster assessments, see that a disaster shelter was opened and find the shelter manager. Then make sure that he could communicate with headquarters. After an earthquake in 1970, 20,000 people were evacuated and about to be flooded by a Dam break. The shelter I was at had 1000 people but they had no drinking water. They slept in the gymnasium but every after-shock woke them all up. They had pay phones that were inoperative because they were jammed with quarters.

 

My First Cell Phone (FHTRU)

 

HT-200

 

Many Motorola Handi-Talkies carried by the Communications Van

 


See additional information about the story in CQ Magazine, June 2010, p. 62-64.

Paul Signorelli, W0RW

 

 

N2AYM2021-03-31
Re: My First 'Cell' Phone
In the early 90's had a motorola microtac first of the clamshell portables. Later moved on in the mid to late 90's had a startac very small with the carkit that turned it into a very versatil mobile. I always had it in testmode so i could watch the channel progression as it moved from control channels to voice channels as i moved through the cellular network. This was before digital systems had evolved in the analog days. In those days I had worked for a local cellular system and spent a lot of time on the phone noting bad channels to be looked into at a later date.
Reply to a comment by : W0RW on 2021-03-12

There are pictures of these radio telephones and control heads at : http://www.wb6nvh.com/MTSfiles/Carphone2.htm Thanks to wb6nvh Paul w0rw
W0RW2021-03-12
My First 'Cell' Phone
There are pictures of these radio telephones and control heads at : http://www.wb6nvh.com/MTSfiles/Carphone2.htm
Thanks to wb6nvh
Paul w0rw
VE3WI2021-03-11
My First 'Cell' Phone
Interesting stuff!

When I worked in the Albert, Canada oil patch in the 70s, our vehicles had company 2-way radios and AGT (now Telus) mobile phones. To call someone on the phone you had to tell the operator the number. For incoming calls the operator made the phone beep. The phones had a switch that would blow your car horn instead of the beep. When a bunch of people from various companies were in a diner for lunch and heard a horn blow, a lively discussion would ensue as to whose horn it might be!
73
Dave, VE3WI
W0RW2021-03-10
My First 'Cell' Phone
DX, Yes there was skip on 43 MHz.
The system didn't use PL so if you were away from your local base station (exchange) and the skip was in you could key up a DX exchange. Some times the DX exchange would capture your local exchange, You would hear the operator say "New York Mobile Operator".
You might key up several exchanges all at once. It must have driven the Mobile Service Operators crazy.
There were 10 - 43 Mhz channels, 11 - VHF channels and 6 - UHF channels in 1965. The monthly fee was $7 with 30 minutes free air time.
The Improved Mobile Telephone Service was just starting. The IMTS radios had a 11 button control head to select the channel and a Rotary Dial.
i never had one of those.
Paul w0rw
W0RW2021-03-10
My First 'Cell' Phone
Thanks for the story and thanks for your service Peter..
i can't imagine a radio being tossed out like that.
Probably not ZM & YJ on the same control head.
ZM was 43.38 Mhz and YJ was 157.89, 2 different radios.
Paul w0rw
AD0AR2021-03-10
My First 'Cell' Phone
When I was a kid, I garbage picked, yeah garbage picked a YJ phone. It had a standard numeric keypad and the letters ABCD and also had two rows of lights, one row labelled ZM and the other YJ.
I was able to power it up, but never made a phone call with it. I was able to hear the tower, but never did talk directly with an operator.
I ended up installing it on my bike with a bunch of D batteries powering it. Obviously this wasn't a decent power source since the main box for this sonofabitch weighed something like 30 pounds and had 6 gauge wire coming out of it to power the linear amp in that box.
I think it said Sandia Labs on it as a manufacturer.
My mom made me throw it away after I scratched the car moving my bike in and out of the garage.
NN2X2021-03-07
Re: My First 'Cell' Phone
Actually, my first Cell phone usage was in Turkmenistan, I had to design and roll out the first Analog Cell technology from a company called Plexsystem, (Was purchased by Comsat)..

Here is the funny story, when I was testing the Cell phone, the people in Turkmenistan that I needed help (In he head), and called the police and said there is a crazy American man speaking into a Shoe!

The Turkmenistan people were great people, I was there for 1 year (I lived in or short stays of 70 Countries, the last 44 years, that was one country I will never forget!

NN2X Tom
Reply to a comment by : KJ4DGE on 2021-03-02

I had a fellow tech at Heathkit in the early 1980's that had a mobile phone with handset in his caddy. It was UHF and he thought it would so slick to be able to place calls from his car. Thank you for your service with the Red Cross and the article. Greg
W0RW2021-03-06
My First 'Cell' Phone
Getting a Ship Radiotelephone was easy.
All you had to do was contact the Telephone Company and send them your Billing address and a copy of your license.
My call was WG9846 (FCC Part 83) good for 1.6 to 23 MHz and 156 to 158 MHz.
They sent you a nice Operating Manual/Call Book.
A 3 minute HF call through KMI, San Francisco, cost about $15 which is about $125 in 2020 dollars.
Paul w0rw
W0RW2021-03-06
Re: My First 'Cell' Phone
Funny thing about this story is that i don't have a cell phone or a smart phone now. i never even had a 3G (800 Mhz) flip phone. i can tell you one thing, Analog FM radios never went 'Digital'.
i am an anachronism.
Paul w0rw
Reply to a comment by : W0LD on 2021-03-06

Paul, you are a true tech pioneer. My first cell phone was a Nokia "Brick." I will have to get your cell number so we can have a cell QSO.
W0LD2021-03-06
My First 'Cell' Phone
Paul, you are a true tech pioneer. My first cell phone was a Nokia "Brick." I will have to get your cell number so we can have a cell QSO.
KB5ZSM2021-03-06
My First 'Cell' Phone
I have a couple of forest service radios that look just like your first 'cell phone'(top photo). The only difference is the handset. Mine have an ugly round microphone with a little push button (I like your handset better LOL)... Mine still work if I connect them to power supplies and if I remember correctly, they transmit in the 49Mhz range. I love the tiny pencil sized tubes with the multiple wires coming out one end. I don't recall how many tubes it had though.

Enjoyed your article. Thanks for sharing,

Win (KB5ZSM) :-)
K6CRC2021-03-03
My First 'Cell' Phone
First job out of college was as a field engineer for HP computer systems. One manager had a 'radio-telephone' in his car, and managed to bury the cost into expenses. for others. Seemed like a great idea, but few others followed his lead.
Couple of years later, I was with Apple, and went on some sales calls with the top sales guy in the country. He had the first handheld cell phone I ever saw. RadioShack reselling a Motorola unit if I remember correctly. Said it was the best tool ever. $2500 plus like $2 a minute. Seemed extravagant, but he claimed it paid for itself in the first month of added commissions. Within a short while, they were standard with the whole sales force.

On the other side, I remember an older guy I worked with lamenting the Cell Phones that were becoming a requirement for salesmen. 'Driving is the only quiet time in my life, now they took that away!'

VE3CUI2021-03-03
My First 'Cell' Phone
I can recall, maybe some 36 years ago, or so, this one individual with whom I shared a department at work...

John was CONSTANTLY trying to appear "...leading edge," and "...advanced" beyond his worth, in ceaseless personal efforts to impress fellow employees...and what better way, than to flash a mobile telephone antenna attached to the forward lip of the decklid on his Cadillac, & deliberately leaving that massive, & now pre-historic, Bell mobile telephone assembly parked upon the transmission hump of his car's interior, for any & all to see...?!

Looking back, it really was comic relief...
WB8VLC2021-03-03
Re: My First 'Cell' Phone
oops I meant a Princess Phone, that's what I get for watching 'I dream of Genie' reruns while typing.
Reply to a comment by : WB8VLC on 2021-03-02

The closest that I ever saw of a mobile phone was in Farmington Michigan circa about 1973 a local ham only about 17 or 18 years old at the time had only the handset and cord from an old genie style phone in his car. He loved to drive around town and while stopped at a light with his windows down he would pick up that genie handset and make imaginary calls.
Reply to a comment by : KJ4DGE on 2021-03-02

I had a fellow tech at Heathkit in the early 1980's that had a mobile phone with handset in his caddy. It was UHF and he thought it would so slick to be able to place calls from his car. Thank you for your service with the Red Cross and the article. Greg
WB8VLC2021-03-02
Re: My First 'Cell' Phone
The closest that I ever saw of a mobile phone was in Farmington Michigan circa about 1973 a local ham only about 17 or 18 years old at the time had only the handset and cord from an old genie style phone in his car.

He loved to drive around town and while stopped at a light with his windows down he would pick up that genie handset and make imaginary calls.
Reply to a comment by : KJ4DGE on 2021-03-02

I had a fellow tech at Heathkit in the early 1980's that had a mobile phone with handset in his caddy. It was UHF and he thought it would so slick to be able to place calls from his car. Thank you for your service with the Red Cross and the article. Greg
KJ4DGE2021-03-02
My First 'Cell' Phone
I had a fellow tech at Heathkit in the early 1980's that had a mobile phone with handset in his caddy. It was UHF and he thought it would so slick to be able to place calls from his car. Thank you for your service with the Red Cross and the article.

Greg