Land line phone

[Van]

That's right! "No seatbelts, we died like men"

[windtrader]

I think it means a phone which the service is delivered via a wire to the phone itself without the benefit of the internet and not radio frequency.

Nor power. remember, phone lit up even when the lights were out. Those were the days! NO internet NO wireless NO power. Life was so much simpler lol

[luvrbus]

Nor power. remember, phone lit up even when the lights were out. Those were the days! NO internet NO wireless NO power. Life was so much simpler lol

Yep you need my old hand crank phone on the wall it works when the power goes out ,lol you can call and tell the power company your power is off

[chessie4905]

When I was in Scouts as a kid, we toured the local phone company. Still remember the rows of batteries and hundreds of switching relays.

[freds]

When I was in Scouts as a kid, we toured the local phone company. Still remember the rows of batteries and hundreds of switching relays.

Actually they still have the batteries. Friend still remembers dropping a wrench across some bus bars.

Telco computer servers run off of 48V DC power...

You can find server power supplies for that voltage on eBay...

[CrabbyMilton]

Nor power. remember, phone lit up even when the lights were out. Those were the days! NO internet NO wireless NO power. Life was so much simpler lol

That's very true. However, if you keep a few of those power banks around and charged up, your cell phone can be used for an extended period too. I gave up on traditional alarm clocks/clock radio's a few years ago. You never have to worry about a power failure and the time is always correct.

[RJ]

How many airports and train stations even have those white courtesy phones anymore?

Milton -

We have the white courtesy phones at GEG, for both terminal issues and taxi service - a phone for each. Terminal issue phones ring at the airport police dispatch center, taxi phones ring at the taxi stand dispatch desk.

FWIW & HTH. . .   

RJ

[luvrbus]

Public pay phones are becoming a thing of the past, when you do find one, they want dollars not a quarter to make a local call,We lost all privacy with the cell phones and the computer 

[dtcerrato]

Public pay phones are becoming a thing of the past, when you do find one, they want dollars not a quarter to make a local call,We lost all privacy with the cell phones and the computer

I fully agree and to be more broad - IMHO we lost all privacy when we transitioned from analog to digital and digital keeps getting more & more transparent. We are in the land of big brother and now going for contaminating outer space. 

[luvrbus]

I fully agree and to be more broad - IMHO we lost all privacy when we transitioned from analog to digital and digital keeps getting more & more transparent. We are in the land of big brother and now going for contaminating outer space. 

Nowadays you can just think about buying a item and when you turn the computer on Goggle will be there with an ad for that item

[CrabbyMilton]

All great and interesting points. But with those courtesy phones, granted there are still some at airports but how many people really use them? There are always cabs lined up at the airports plus just about everyone has a mobile in their pocket. Next time I go thru an airport, I will see how many I encounter.

[luvrbus]

All great and interesting points. But with those courtesy phones, granted there are still some at airports but how many people really use them? There are always cabs lined up at the airports plus just about everyone has a mobile in their pocket. Next time I go thru an airport, I will see how many I encounter.

At one time with the courtesy phones, you could rent a car, a hotel room and make your dining plans or entertainment plans lol and find your lost kid ,one thing you don't see now either are the pianos people would play to pass the time   

[CrabbyMilton]

You're right. Of course now your call may get routed thru who knows where and the person at the other end would be hard to understand. Or, they'll say we don't accept reservations over this phone anymore. I remember as a little kid of about 8 traveling with a group thru a train station in the early '70's. I saw the yellow cab phone on the wall. Our group leader said don't pick up that phone. So naturally I did. "Cab 4" and I got scared and hung up. Sometimes it's best to expect the worst nowadays and when it actually goes well, you feel great.

[luvrbus]

I gave up on flying after 911 and TSA ruled the airports, wasn't worth the hassle to me   

[chessie4905]

Well you can get there with Google maps, warned of police ar accidents. Remember trying to find a restaurant on a trip, or a fuel station, flat tire repair or breakdown. Despite the other issues, cell phones have helped. Course everyone knows that. And the bill that goes on till you die.
For several years they have been touting 5g. Now that it is available here, they want you to upgrade to a new more costly plan. It never ends...
I am able to share family plan with daughters and we get veteran discount, which helps.