This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Happy Anniversary

April 3rd marks the 50th Anniversary of the first Mobile Phone call made on a Motorola hand held phone.
And haven't they grown in reach in 50 years.

View attachment 155481
I well remember the early phones, more like the black table top/desk type that were cumbersome and not that flash in picking up a signal.
Chalk and cheese comparision with today's types.
 
Way back when they were the size of a brick and needed the car battery for power; in the 90s, a realtor acquaintance closed a house sale by letting the buyer phone his wife.
"I'm calling on a mobile phone!"

They were an expensive novelty.
 
Way back when they were the size of a brick and needed the car battery for power; in the 90s, a realtor acquaintance closed a house sale by letting the buyer phone his wife.
"I'm calling on a mobile phone!"

They were an expensive novelty.
It was like carrying a handbag around back then.
 
It's a worldwide experiment on the human race. Not sure it's going that well.
Mr Knobby mobile phones are definitely part of the furniture these days. I doubt people a bit younger than me would not know how to live without one.
I still can remember morse and smoke signals if need be.
Failing that a written letter via AusPost, be lucky to have it deivered though.
 
From SMH on the 40th anniversary:


Geez, I wonder how many of those "boat anchors" are still around?

I was using two pagers back in the day but what an awesome piece of kit the mobile phone was and is.

Apart from seeing those "brick" phone on TV and in the movies, my first experience was in the late '80's actually being with, seeing and hearing the builder use his on top of a five storey building in Kent St, Sydney.

We were troubleshooting rain ingress and finding flashing that was rusted through, needed to order prefabbed flashing for ASAP pickup.
I so wanted this luxury item but the cost was a killer and seeing how tech was advancing at pace, glad I held off.
One of my best judgement calls as by early '91 I had made my way back to the bush and was gifted a CDMA Hyundai mobile.

Limited range out here of course, much the same now and the boffins are still talking about having mobile access all the way to Adelaide and 5G no less.
Ah, one day eh!

Still, if there is one item that is ubiquitous around the globe and a symbol of the modern homo sapien, it'd have to be the mobile phone.
 
5G across the country. That's what dreams are made of!!!!!
Crickey 40 k's East of Perth and numerous spots of NO service at all.
 
5G across the country. That's what dreams are made of!!!!!
Crickey 40 k's East of Perth and numerous spots of NO service at all.
I know! Ridiculous right?
Well not really as am guessing that if we had a much bigger population filling up this great land of ours, the situation would be different.

FWIW.
Via the business, currently we have two sat phones permanently hired out. Another two on short term hire.
Also, we're having the RFDS TV series being filmed out here and they've bought all our sat phone in car kits.

At PPR, where I can see the very new Telstra tower from the back room I get 4G but out the front I get 5G. However even though a lot further away, I can see the other tower from the front and from the driveway, I can see both towers. Go figure.
 
5G across the country. That's what dreams are made of!!!!!
Crickey 40 k's East of Perth and numerous spots of NO service at all.
Man, I'm 8 minutes from Midland (unfortunately) and I still have to stand on a pile of books, one one leg and a finger in my ear, to get a signal... and even then, that only works in the laundry room.
 
Man, I'm 8 minutes from Midland (unfortunately) and I still have to stand on a pile of books, one one leg and a finger in my ear, to get a signal... and even then, that only works in the laundry room.
Ah Wayne try putting your phon up against a red gum branch with green leaves, seems to work for me at the other fsrm on the edge of the scarp. useless for a signal there sometimes.
 
For those that were unaware, Thursday is World Cannabis Day.
From Cannactiva
Not a smoker myself, but for those who are, happy Hooch Day for Thursday.
Mick
 
Happy 45th anniversary to the ubiquitous Motorola 8086 chip.
It started a revolution that is still running today, albeit on better architecture.
Mick
 
Happy anniversary to the mighty CRAY super computer'
View attachment 159455
Mick
I bought one of these Tandy TRS80 computers in 1980, when they first came out for $1500, it had 16kb of extended memory, thankfully I found an engineer that agreed that it was the future and bought it off me. ?
Missed a big loss on that one.