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Vintage Police Phone

Started by HarrySmith, January 14, 2011, 07:01:45 PM

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HarrySmith

I am about to buy this car phone to put in my Corvair phone truck. Before I overpay does anyone have one they want to get rid of?
http://tinyurl.com/6bqoqbo ( dead link 03-27-21 )
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Dan

I don't, but I am curious how they work and how you will get it to work.
"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

HarrySmith

I do not intend to get it working, I just think it would look cool on the truck! There would be a transceiver unit that would be mounted in the trunk of the car it was installed in.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

JorgeAmely

Harry:

I guess there are a number of boxes/accessories  that connect to the back of this unit. So if the seller doesn't provide them, you won't have a functional radio. Even if you have a working radio, will there be any other radios to talk to? Are these like CB radios? In that case, it will be usable with many existing radios.
Jorge

Adam

#4
No, CB radios were almost always self-contained.  This is the control head for a business-band FM transceiver.  Similar to police radios of the period but they used different frequencies.  Even if you could get the transceiver, there would be no one you could talk to, and if you had two of them to intercommunicate, you couldn't do it legally, because these were run under special, hard to get licenses.  I think these frequencies are not even licensed for this anymore.

An excellent idea for the truck, though. I don't know if the Bell System had radios in their trucks to communicate with their personnel, but if they did, it would be a business-band FM radio like this one.

Harry, you're missing a piece.  You need to get a mounting cup for the receiver to hang on the dash board.  The cup wouldn't have a switch hook or anything, just a holder cup.
Adam Forrest
Los Angeles Telephone - A proud part of the global C*Net System
C*Net 1-383-4820

AE_Collector

Quote from: HarrySmith on January 14, 2011, 07:34:01 PM
I do not intend to get it working, I just think it would look cool on the truck!

But....how are you going to talk with the guy up front in the tow truck?.....

:-\

Terry

HarrySmith

I was thinking I will hook up 12 volts just to make it light or maybe if I get real energetic put a bluetooth in it and use it with my cell!!

Dave, I have a holder but I was just trying to figure out some kind of locking device to hold the handset in place so it does not hit the floor on the first bump or turn.

Terry, you are hilarious! I will be sure you are the first person I call when I am driving it to the first car show of this spring.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Craig T

I talked to the owner of this website a while back and he said we could use this link. He has lots of early mobile phone history here. Believe it or not; 1945 first mobile radio telephone.

This is the section on the police phones. You will see the power units they used for them too. Your looks like right near the top "Deluxe Line (1940-1950)."

http://tinyurl.com/486p25e

HarrySmith

Pretty cool site. Thanks! Look at the size of the equipment in the trunk! Looks like it weighs a ton!
Also seems like the one on ebay is older than my truck but I still like it.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Craig T

#9
Is that a one ton truck you have  :)

You're welcome Harry, thanks for sharing the phone on ebay, I am curious to see what it sells for. Hope you get it so we can see more of it.

Greg G.

#10
What makes it a police radio?  There's nothing to indicate that other than the seller's claim.  ???  

On a side note, that is the type of ebay ad that annoys me, no real description, but plenty of verbage about bidding, shipping, payment, etc.   >:(
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

K1WI

 Hi,
  Maybe I can help with a little fill-in on that unit. It is just the control head for an FM (not AM) mobile radio. Probably from 1940-41.   These would have been used primarily for police , and public services such as ambulances ....but probably not military They were also used as Business radios , though not commonly , by power companies etc.
     FM only really came into use in 1940 ( This control head has a squelch control indicating for FM) . World war II started in 1941 and changed everything. Most  of the post war heads have Motorola designation. Link , the maker of this unit ,  had some sort of partnership with Motorola in  an attempt to keep GE out of the mobile radio business.
   I am sure there are much more knowledgeable forum members that could fill in the history more concisely.

Andy    K1WI