Hi Eric, Back in the old MTS (pre-IMTS) days ... (MTS = Mobile Telephone Service / IMTS = Improved Mobile Telephone Service)
I was on mobile telephone in the late sixties / early seventies on lo-band - the ZM channel. My 'mobile telephone' consisted of a Motorola 80-D (30 watts output) installed in the trunk of my car ... connected to the old mechanical Secode Decoder. The Secode Decoder was anything but quiet in its operation. I could easily count the mechanical steps as it decoded each number dialed to it by the mobile operator. (Alternating 600 / 1500 Hz tones) I think my number was ZM-76244 ... maybe not as Paul (then K6CHR) was also on that channel and had a similar number. A short carrier burst from my radio and the mobile operator would come on the channel asking for the number I wanted to call. The lo-band 80-D radio was (I think) 43+ Mc transmit and 35+ Mc receive. I bought the used radio at the local junk store (Mann Communications for those who remember Jim) for $50-60. The mobile service was $7 per month. BTW, for you who remember Jim Mann (Mann Communications) he was WB6JAJ (or as we happily called him, Jack Ass Jim.) For you guys who fondly remember those days, the mobile telephone channels were as fun to listen to as you may wish: I was listening one evening as I was driving across town ... some guy called his wife about an extended meeting at the office ... then shortly, called three separate lady friends setting up each visit for 1 1/2 hours apart. Those were the days ................. 35 some odd years ago. BTW, the 80-D (complete model number: FMTR-80D) was all tube, vibrator power supply for the receiver / dynamotor power supply for the transmitter. Yes, I do have the manual for that radio in case any of you ... Neil >----- Original Message ----- >From: Eric Lemmon >To: [email protected] >Sent: 25 March, 2006 21:24 >Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] AGT = IMTS ? > > >Skipp, > >I'm just grasping at straws. The IMTS is a lot more complex than a >simple >duplex system that might have been used internally by AGT rather than >by >subscribers. Back in the late 60's, I used a half-duplex GE Pacer >(!) radio >in an MTS system for a couple of years after IMTS became available. >It >would have been better to use a full-duplex radio, but this is what I >had at >the time. The Pacer was an all-tube radio, except for the >transistorized >power supply. It had a mechanical decoder made by Secode. To make a >call, >I had to key the handset for a few seconds, and wait for the mobile >operator >to respond. That was not much more sophisticated than a magneto >telephone! >I eventually got kicked off the system because there were only a >handful of >people using the manual MTS- everyone was scrambling to get on the >IMTS >bandwagon. Ah, yes... Those were the good old days! > >73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY > > >-----Original Message----- >From: [email protected] >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of skipp025 >Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 9:01 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: [Repeater-Builder] AGT = IMTS ? > >Would the Alberta Gov Telephones system be something like >an IMTS (system) operation? > >Cute to think Motorola came out with something later than >the Pulsar for IMTS... or was there a UHF/VHF Privacy Plus >IMTS Phone? > >skipp > >> "Eric Lemmon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> I suspect that your full-duplex radio was used in a mobile >> telephone system by Alberta Government Telephones (AGT), >> which later changed its name to TELUS. If there's no >> selective call decoder in it, or loose wiring suggesting >> that one was connected, it might have used multiple PL tones for >> simple selection. Just a thought... >> >> 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY > > Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
