You are too old if you remember.......

[ZLoth]

My parents, for their small business, got a small but luggable AMPS (Analog Mobile Phone Service) bag phone for emergencies because the price per minute was a tad high and I would be in deep trouble if I used it for personal use. It was not uncommon for someone to have a AMPS phone installed on their vehicle in a non-removable fashion. Bluetooth didn't start appearing on phones until 2000, and that specification, Bluetooth 1.0, was a bit rough.

[kphoger]

When cell phones were fastened to your belt as they were way too big to fit inside pockets

My cell phone is currently fastened to my belt.

[Rothman]

When cell phones were fastened to your belt as they were way too big to fit inside pockets

My cell phone is currently fastened to my belt.

https://youtu.be/W-w57-md974?si=9j8xFKFItXODpi0A

[mgk920]

When cell phones were fastened to your belt as they were way too big to fit inside pockets. Plus you had to extend the retractable antenna to get reception.

My father's first cellular phone (work-issued, as at the time he would not have bought one himself) was too big to attach to a belt—it was more like a small briefcase. Ok, not as big as a briefcase, but shaped sort of like one and slightly bigger in footprint than a desk phone. Looking at my iPad as I type this, I think its footprint was maybe slightly smaller than my iPad's is. That was definitely the era when nobody said "cell phone" yet because we called them "car phones" (see also Roger McGuinn's song of that title).

The other day I was behind an SUV that had one of the old cell phone antennas on the outside, the type with the curly part near the top. I had not seen one of those in a long time and it made me think of this thread, but then I forgot about it while driving the rest of the way home.

I remember someone offering fake cell phone antenae for cars in the late 1980s (one was marketed as the 'Phoney™') because having one of those little curly black stiff wire things on the back window was considered to be a status symbol.



Mike

[GaryV]

... the orange ball that went on the top of your car's radio antenna.

[1995hoo]

When cell phones were fastened to your belt as they were way too big to fit inside pockets. Plus you had to extend the retractable antenna to get reception.

My father's first cellular phone (work-issued, as at the time he would not have bought one himself) was too big to attach to a belt—it was more like a small briefcase. Ok, not as big as a briefcase, but shaped sort of like one and slightly bigger in footprint than a desk phone. Looking at my iPad as I type this, I think its footprint was maybe slightly smaller than my iPad's is. That was definitely the era when nobody said "cell phone" yet because we called them "car phones" (see also Roger McGuinn's song of that title).

The other day I was behind an SUV that had one of the old cell phone antennas on the outside, the type with the curly part near the top. I had not seen one of those in a long time and it made me think of this thread, but then I forgot about it while driving the rest of the way home.

I remember someone offering fake cell phone antenae for cars in the late 1980s (one was marketed as the 'Phoney™') because having one of those little curly black stiff wire things on the back window was considered to be a status symbol.

I had forgotten about those, but now that you mention them, those never made sense to me at all because I never understood why you'd want to put something on your car that might make someone else more likely to break into it to steal the car phone. (For the younger forum members, bear in mind that "car phones" back then were either not portable due to being permanently mounted or were large enough that people did not generally remove them from the car.)

[Big John]

... the orange ball that went on the top of your car's radio antenna.

after the snowstorms so something would be visible.

[kphoger]

A good friend of mine was in a bad motorcycle accident a few months ago (death wobble), and I ended up driving his vehicle for a day.  He has a roof-mounted antenna for a GPS-tracking device (he uses this whenever going on trips, especially to/from/within Mexico, where they live, so I can track them along their journey from my PC).  When we went to visit him at the hospital, the antenna kept going scrape-boing at every other ceiling beam and overhead sign.

[tmoore952]

... the orange ball that went on the top of your car's radio antenna.

after the snowstorms so something would be visible.

Would have helped my brother in 1979.
Huge mid-January snowstorm in Chicago, and a white car.
You can guess what happened when he shoveled.

[kphoger]

Huge mid-January snowstorm in Chicago, and a white car.
You can guess what happened when he shoveled.

He then brushed off the car, got in, and drove away?

[tmoore952]

Huge mid-January snowstorm in Chicago, and a white car.
You can guess what happened when he shoveled.

He then brushed off the car, got in, and drove away?

No, he damaged it with the shovel (white car in white snow). And then presumably got in and drove away (I was 1000 miles away at the time which is why I say presumably).

Not sure why I have to explain everything, use your brain.

[kphoger]

How did he not notice the very large, five-foot-tall, car-shaped pile of snow nearby, right where he had last seen his car?

[tmoore952]

How did he not notice the very large, five-foot-tall, car-shaped pile of snow nearby, right where he had last seen his car?

I don't know. As I said, I wasn't there. Heard about it from him later.

I suspect you're not being serious --- but in any event I will say that the 1979 Chicago blizzard had 20-30 inches of snow. With drifting I assume it covered all of his car. I had a similar experience in the Jan 1996 storm on the East coast (30 inches where I was).

[GCrites]

When cell phones were fastened to your belt as they were way too big to fit inside pockets. Plus you had to extend the retractable antenna to get reception.

My father's first cellular phone (work-issued, as at the time he would not have bought one himself) was too big to attach to a belt—it was more like a small briefcase. Ok, not as big as a briefcase, but shaped sort of like one and slightly bigger in footprint than a desk phone. Looking at my iPad as I type this, I think its footprint was maybe slightly smaller than my iPad's is. That was definitely the era when nobody said "cell phone" yet because we called them "car phones" (see also Roger McGuinn's song of that title).

The other day I was behind an SUV that had one of the old cell phone antennas on the outside, the type with the curly part near the top. I had not seen one of those in a long time and it made me think of this thread, but then I forgot about it while driving the rest of the way home.

I remember someone offering fake cell phone antenae for cars in the late 1980s (one was marketed as the 'Phoney™') because having one of those little curly black stiff wire things on the back window was considered to be a status symbol.

I had forgotten about those, but now that you mention them, those never made sense to me at all because I never understood why you'd want to put something on your car that might make someone else more likely to break into it to steal the car phone. (For the younger forum members, bear in mind that "car phones" back then were either not portable due to being permanently mounted or were large enough that people did not generally remove them from the car.)

Especially since there was a huge stigma against cellphones before 1997 or so unless you were a doctor or somehow else needed it for work. "Who do you think you are?"

[Rothman]

When cell phones were fastened to your belt as they were way too big to fit inside pockets. Plus you had to extend the retractable antenna to get reception.

My father's first cellular phone (work-issued, as at the time he would not have bought one himself) was too big to attach to a belt—it was more like a small briefcase. Ok, not as big as a briefcase, but shaped sort of like one and slightly bigger in footprint than a desk phone. Looking at my iPad as I type this, I think its footprint was maybe slightly smaller than my iPad's is. That was definitely the era when nobody said "cell phone" yet because we called them "car phones" (see also Roger McGuinn's song of that title).

The other day I was behind an SUV that had one of the old cell phone antennas on the outside, the type with the curly part near the top. I had not seen one of those in a long time and it made me think of this thread, but then I forgot about it while driving the rest of the way home.

I remember someone offering fake cell phone antenae for cars in the late 1980s (one was marketed as the 'Phoney') because having one of those little curly black stiff wire things on the back window was considered to be a status symbol.

I had forgotten about those, but now that you mention them, those never made sense to me at all because I never understood why you'd want to put something on your car that might make someone else more likely to break into it to steal the car phone. (For the younger forum members, bear in mind that "car phones" back then were either not portable due to being permanently mounted or were large enough that people did not generally remove them from the car.)

Especially since there was a huge stigma against cellphones before 1997 or so unless you were a doctor or somehow else needed it for work. "Who do you think you are?"

Nah.

[gonealookin]

I grew up in the East Bay and was an Oakland A's fan in my grade school years.

I didn't get to go to any of the World Series games in the Reggie/Catfish/Rollie/Captain Sal years in the 1970s, but Mom took me out of school to go to the victory parades in downtown Oakland a couple times.

As I recall it I'm pretty sure it never occurred to me I might be shot at one of those.  Sadly it seems that's no longer the case.

[tmoore952]

I grew up in the East Bay and was an Oakland A's fan in my grade school years.

I didn't get to go to any of the World Series games in the Reggie/Catfish/Rollie/Captain Sal years in the 1970s, but Mom took me out of school to go to the victory parades in downtown Oakland a couple times.

As I recall it I'm pretty sure it never occurred to me I might be shot at one of those.  Sadly it seems that's no longer the case.

More recently, in 2018 I went to the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup parade with my son. The same thoughts have been going through my head.

[kphoger]

I will say that the 1979 Chicago blizzard had 20-30 inches of snow. With drifting I assume it covered all of his car. I had a similar experience in the Jan 1996 storm on the East coast (30 inches where I was).

Ah.  I lived in the area from birth through age eight (and also a while later), but I was born in '81.

[JayhawkCO]

When cell phones were fastened to your belt as they were way too big to fit inside pockets. Plus you had to extend the retractable antenna to get reception.

My father's first cellular phone (work-issued, as at the time he would not have bought one himself) was too big to attach to a belt—it was more like a small briefcase. Ok, not as big as a briefcase, but shaped sort of like one and slightly bigger in footprint than a desk phone. Looking at my iPad as I type this, I think its footprint was maybe slightly smaller than my iPad's is. That was definitely the era when nobody said "cell phone" yet because we called them "car phones" (see also Roger McGuinn's song of that title).

The other day I was behind an SUV that had one of the old cell phone antennas on the outside, the type with the curly part near the top. I had not seen one of those in a long time and it made me think of this thread, but then I forgot about it while driving the rest of the way home.

I remember someone offering fake cell phone antenae for cars in the late 1980s (one was marketed as the 'Phoney™') because having one of those little curly black stiff wire things on the back window was considered to be a status symbol.

I had forgotten about those, but now that you mention them, those never made sense to me at all because I never understood why you'd want to put something on your car that might make someone else more likely to break into it to steal the car phone. (For the younger forum members, bear in mind that "car phones" back then were either not portable due to being permanently mounted or were large enough that people did not generally remove them from the car.)

Especially since there was a huge stigma against cellphones before 1997 or so unless you were a doctor or somehow else needed it for work. "Who do you think you are?"

I don't remember this stigma. I guess I was a little young, but we got our first "family" cell phone in 1995. It was only really meant to be used in emergencies, and my parents basically bought it for my sister to take with her when she was driving alone (she got her license that year). Seems like that's when the boom really started taking off, since a lot of people I knew had them.

[GCrites]

That wasn't stigmatized. It was mostly adult single men with ordinary jobs that were considered "taking themselves too seriously".

[mgk920]

I'm thinking that cell phone belt holsters will be slowly gaining in popularity with the younger crowd due to the physical protection that they provide to the phones v pockets.  Those screens are getting expensive to repair!  also the newest cell phones are getting progressively larger in physical size and more unwieldy to carry around.

Mike

[hbelkins]

I'm thinking that cell phone belt holsters will be slowly gaining in popularity with the younger crowd due to the physical protection that they provide to the phones v pockets.  Those screens are getting expensive to repair!  also the newest cell phones are getting progressively larger in physical size and more unwieldy to carry around.

Mike

Hence the popularity of the Otterbox. They give us an Otterbox with our work-issued iPhones, and I never use them because they are so bulky.

[vdeane]

I'm thinking that cell phone belt holsters will be slowly gaining in popularity with the younger crowd due to the physical protection that they provide to the phones v pockets.  Those screens are getting expensive to repair!  also the newest cell phones are getting progressively larger in physical size and more unwieldy to carry around.

Mike

Hence the popularity of the Otterbox. They give us an Otterbox with our work-issued iPhones, and I never use them because they are so bulky.

The iPad I was given for field inventory of curb ramps (and sidewalks, once they get the GIS files in the new system) has one for the same reason.  Pity nobody in Main Office thought to check if they keyboard they bought for the tablet actually works with the Otterbox, though, so I ended up returning the keyboard to MO (only to later find the thing necessary to take the Otterbox off the iPad; oh well).

[Rothman]

I'm thinking that cell phone belt holsters will be slowly gaining in popularity with the younger crowd due to the physical protection that they provide to the phones v pockets.  Those screens are getting expensive to repair!  also the newest cell phones are getting progressively larger in physical size and more unwieldy to carry around.

Mike

Hence the popularity of the Otterbox. They give us an Otterbox with our work-issued iPhones, and I never use them because they are so bulky.

Our workplace uses Otterbox as well, but the iPhones are so small and crappy, I don't mind the size.  Still smaller than my own cell phone.

[kphoger]

Back when our field techs used company-issued phones, we provided Otterbox for a while.  It's important when, every so often, someone drops his phone while taking a picture from the mainline pole on his 53-foot ladder.