The 'good old days'....
Posted on 03/29/2021 11:36:20 AM PDT by OneVike
Thanks
Interesting.
So do I.
When power goes off, I still have service, because the old phones worked off the small charge that is in the phone line.
Well, I have my cell phone, but it’s always good to have that old rotary. around.
Yes, our first phone was a party line. I remember them calling my mom complaining because my older brothers ands sisters were always on it with their friends.
The problem with 8 children and a two family party line.
I remember Evergreen.
Exchange names didn’t necessary have anything to do with the area they are in.
Manassas, VA for example was EMpire-8 (368).
And it cost an arm and a leg to call long distance
I have a push button desk phone on reserve which has kept communication lines open in a storm etc. Just plug it in and it’s a go!
And Heaven forbid you didn’t have any change on you for the pay phone and had to call someone collect...
The ones like Lum and Abner had. Earphone was on a car and the microphone was attached to the box. There was a crank on the side of the box that you cranked to ring the phone. We were on a twelve party line and each home had a custom ring. Two longs and a short as I recall was our ring, sadly when you rang one house you rang them all. Some things are better left in the past, freedom is not one of those things and as long as we old timers can remember what it used to be like, we can hold on a little bit longer.
Then there were collect calls.
After driving back home from my Dad’s house I would place a collect call to him and he would know I was back home safe. He
never had to accept the collect call.
A pioneer hacker.
I think Sarah listened in on all of Barney’s phone calls with his girlfriends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yHuv0tufcE
first phone in our house was a four party line. We knew if the call was for us because the phone would ring one long and two shorts. Also had a rural route mail address.
We had a two party line
our number 249L
No dial on our phone in Roslyn Heights (LI, NY) until July 1, 1957.
ML/NJ
Remember how people kept a three minute egg timer (sand and in a small hour glass) by the phone? The first three minutes were a flat rate - after that the call was charged by the minute. And your right - long distance was expensive.
BR549
ATT had a stranglehold on long distance in those days...pre divestiture.
.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.