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"vintage" car phones

5K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  btw1549 
#1 ·
I was going to ask if anyone had figured out a way to still use one in their vintage vehicle, but apparently they are all analog and the network won't accept them anymore

But it would be fun(ny) to have one in a vintage BMW or Porsche or a similar higher-end vehicle

https://autoweek.com/article/car-life/o ... ce-crusher
 
#2 ·
Way back when. It was the late 1980s. My buddy was in the computer tech field (still is). occasionally, he would be "on call" for the weekend and they would give him a "mobile phone". This was a monstrous thing attached to a box the size of an .50 caliber ammo box and a regular sized handset. Here's the kicker: He drove a 1966 British Land Rover, that was somewhere south of pristine condition. Imagine pulling up next to that and the guy is on the phone. I used to say "slide you window open and ask if they have any Grey Poupon". Dennis
 
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#4 ·
RickP said:
Back in the mid 70's, my dad was a construction superintendent for a large pool company. His company car was an 74 AMC Hornet and it had a car phone in it.
I remember seeing phones like that....my friend next door had one in his T-bird.....and he would dial
' mobile' operator.......seems like a million yrs ago..
 
#5 ·
These old 'brick-phones' still work, although there isn't any true service for them. They can still dial '911' and 'Operator' for help at 50 Watts.

The analogue part of this service can get out where a regular digital phone cannot - through trees, over hills and around mountains.

I keep one in each of my vehicles. plus 40 channel CBs and then--- of course --- the digital phones.

When you live here in Montana where things are few and far between, help could take a long time if you were needing to find digital service in The Bob.
 
#6 ·
My father always sought to install a car phone every time he bought a car. It was always a detailed installation with hidden wires and through glass antennas... I borrowed his 96 Dodge 1500 not long ago and he still has the analog phone in it.
 

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#7 ·
RickP said:
Back in the mid 70's, my dad was a construction superintendent for a large pool company. His company car was an 74 AMC Hornet and it had a car phone in it.
wow, I remember similar phones...my old man used to have one in his Ford....when he went to make an call, he would ask for the mobile operator...lol
 
#8 ·
My grandparents had the phone in a bag that you could just plug into the 12v outlet. We had one like the above pictured in our S-10 growing up. All got tossed after they would never work again due to the analog / digital switch.
 
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