Back before cellphones

[jkwilson]

Remember the rows of pay phones campgrounds had near the office? Phone calls when you changed campgrounds and periodically so people back home could get in touch if they had to. It was nothing to be out of touch for days if you were out west.

This came up last night as some neighbors complained about the lack of cell coverage in the campground and how “dangerous” it was to be unreachable.

[jkwilson]

darkmind25 wrote:
I remember owning pagers and a Motorola MicroTAC cellphone.

I had a StarTAC that I hated. Job required I carry it and have it on at all times, but absolutely prohibited from using it for anything personal. I setup my desk phone at work to forward to my wife’s phone and I’d call her from the West Coast early so the minutes didn’t count and no one was the wiser. My boss wanted me to call in to a 3 hour meeting once. I told him I was in a roaming area and he wanted me to call in anyway I can’t remember whether that call itself cost $1600 or that was the total bill, but he had some splainin’ to do.

[mr__ed]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I recently found some post cards I had sent to parents 65 years ago. I was 15 and took off hitch hiking around the country. You could do that in the 1950s. Parents didn't have a phone so once in a while I sent a post card. Here I sit with an I-12 and wonder if anyone sends post cards anymore

I had 2 postcards (now lost) from around 1906. Both were made of soft leather and stamped (never saw a postcard made of anything but paper), and there was still barely legible writing on them. I vaguely remember they were sent from the east coast (possibly Brooklyn). I wish I still had them today as interesting curios.

[darkmind25]

I remember owning pagers and a Motorola MicroTAC cellphone.

[atreis]

Reader1 wrote:
I hope families with children still to fun things together, play board games, ride bikes, camp, and shut down the tech each day for those times. The importance of family time for children can never be overstated.

Many parents, including us, do exactly that. I can't say we do it EVERY day, but 2-3 days a week.

[Reader1]

Veebyes wrote:
I don't know how people enjoyed the RVing lifestyle before cellphones. How did you do the research required for multi month trips involving thousands of miles with all of the complications of weather delays & mechanical issues thrown into the mix?

Today is easy. The basic route is plotted out. CGs are found on the fly, usually making a same day reservation a few hours from the dtination.

We relied on AAA. One trip we were gone for a month but did the same no matter how long our trip was. We planned it all out, utilized the library and then went to AAA. We gave them our itinerary and they gave us our "trip tix" that mapped out every road we would be on. We had travel books and camp books from AAA and made reservations from those. We thought it was simple

[Reader1]

We both use tech a lot, but I half the time do not know where my phone is. I think it do it intentionally...I am not married to a phone. I know this winter when DH was in the hospital, I could send updates so easily so I do appreciate it. I hope families with children still to fun things together, play board games, ride bikes, camp, and shut down the tech each day for those times. The importance of family time for children can never be overstated.

[monkey44]

We never needed that kind of coordination in early pre-cell phone days. With cell phones come the crowds, or maybe the ability to plan with web information and the emerging of more technology helps.

Once the RV stampede across all of USA as the RV matured into a condo on wheels, then it almost necessitates the complexity of organizing your trips. If we had no smart phones, we probably could not organize well enough, and therefore, less crowds and less need for smart phones. Chicken before the egg, or which is it??

[Veebyes]

I don't know how people enjoyed the RVing lifestyle before cellphones. How did you do the research required for multi month trips involving thousands of miles with all of the complications of weather delays & mechanical issues thrown into the mix?

Today is easy. The basic route is plotted out. CGs are found on the fly, usually making a same day reservation a few hours from the destination.

[ferndaleflyer]

You all joke about that but I really did it. We didn't even have a car or a phone. Toys for Christmas?, if I was lucky I got a new pair of shoes from the Sears catalog. I just don't know how we lived like that looking at what I have today.

[BobsYourUncle]

Yeah me too, anything less than 2 miles was considered next door

[GDS-3950BH]

I remember before cellphones when we walked to school, uphill both ways, in 4' of snow, with no shoes.

[BobsYourUncle]

A week and a half ago we were walking around the Lake Minniwanka park area (Across the highway from Banff).

We had our cameras, capturing shots of the area and I spotted this!
Thinking of this thread, I just had to take a picture of it.

And yes, I walked over to it and lifted the handset. It was working, I got a dialtone.

[BobsYourUncle]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I recently found some post cards I had sent to parents 65 years ago. I was 15 and took off hitch hiking around the country. You could do that in the 1950s. Parents didn't have a phone so once in a while I sent a post card. Here I sit with an I-12 and wonder if anyone sends post cards anymore

Whats a postcard?
:W :W
I tried buying some postcards about 9 years ago to send to a friend (long story) I had a heck of a time even finding them.

[JimBollman]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
I recently finished some volunteer work at a fairly remote Scout camp. I had water hooked up but used my Solar for power and I did not have internet. I don't like to carry my pay as you go, cheapo, cell phone while I work, I soon became use to the peace and quiet of living there. My DW likes to hear from me so between 4pm and 6pm I had strict instruction to phone home.

Your mention of remote Scout camps reminded me of a trip I went on, as one of the leader, back in the early 90s. Our troop went on a High Adventure canoe trip in the back woods of Maine. We were assigned a guide to go with us and dropped off at a lake that was interconnected with several more lakes (Richardson Lakes). About half way through the trip we had to change plans because of some near hypothermia after a few days of rain. The guide carried a two-way radio to call in any problems or changes of plans. When he tried to call in he got no answer. Good thing we solved our own hypothermia problem. He even tried from the middle of one of the lakes, no answer. After a day of rest and warming we decided to hike to the top of a small mountain. He called in from the top and the other end wanted to know where he was at, said it about blew out their speaker he came in so strong. Turned out the batteries had went dead on one of their relay radios on a mountain top and they had not gotten around to hiking in to replace. On top of the mountain we had line of site with a working repeater or base camp. No one thought about being without a telephone for around 10 days. The boys were more concerned with how long we had to drive when we were back before we could find a McDonalds, since they had enough camp food and wanted "real" food. Can't imagine a trip like that now where ever boy and leader would have a cell phone. Wonder what the coverage is in the back woods of Maine?

[D_E_Bishop]

I recently finished some volunteer work at a fairly remote Scout camp. I had water hooked up but used my Solar for power and I did not have internet. I don't like to carry my pay as you go, cheapo, cell phone while I work, I soon became use to the peace and quiet of living there. My DW likes to hear from me so between 4pm and 6pm I had strict instruction to phone home.

Now that I'm home, the internet is not so important and neither is the cell phone. I do like the cell while we're on the road but no longer miss the rest of the gadgets.

Oh yeah, I'm an 80 year old grumpy old man.