[BC] Cell phones

[Broadcast List USER]

WAY BACK -- maybe 1986 or 87, we were able to make a cell phone  
trade.  There was a cell phone aggragator who charged $1/minute (to  
us anyway, in trade Dollars).   Their main customer was someone who  
came to DC and wanted a phone, and didn't want to pay the outragious  
Roaming charges of the day.

We did a trade with them.   It was very cool.  I had a Novatel phone,  
with a switch on the outside of the handset, marked "A" and "B."

At the time, neither Bell Atlantic Mobile (now Verizon) nor Cellular  
One (which became Cingular, then AT&T) had complete coverage in the  
area.  I learned where each had the best coverage and would select  
the correct -- or more correct -- system and make the call.  I just  
had to give people two numbers to call me.  Since this was before  
voice mail, if you got "not available" try the other number.  If that  
didn't work, call the receptionist hand have her send a text message  
to my pager.

THAT was a good employer.  They thought engineers were important.   
Only THREE of us had trade phones.

Since then, I have never been able to do a cell trade, though I will  
bet Metrocall MIGHT do it in the few markets where they have IMTS  
systems.  It isn't cellular, but it is a car phone.  Last I checked,  
they did have a system in DC and Richmond, VA.  The Richmond system  
is cool.  It allows for the first three minutes of a call to be  
free.  People have put three minute timers on their phones that hang  
up the phone, and they just redial.

I DID have a deal with a company I built cells sites for in the 90s.   
I would call them when I was in their area and they would take my ESN  
and give me a number.  They only asked that we used calling cards for  
long distance calls.  In one of their markets we built a two-channel  
AMPS cell site.  If you are not laughing already, it really is funny.

AMPS requires a dedicated control channel.  This left only ONE  
channel for the voice call.  This meant that to call my business  
partner I had to find a wireline phone.  If I used my cell, there was  
no voice channel for his phone.  AH, placeholders.  It happened  
before those rat bastards at Nextel.


I have even tried to exchange cellular minutes for tower rent.  No  
carrier was ever interested.  I was once trying to negotiate an  
agreement with a cellular company in rural West Virginia.  They  
wanted to go on our existing tower and basically pay no rent.   
Ultimately, a farmer allowed them to build a tower RIGHT next to our  
towers.  My partner and I were on our way to the site and ran into  
the farmer.  He was so proud of his new tower.  He got $200 a year  
and a free phone.  I asked if he got service, and he said no.  His  
service was just like anyone else got.

I explained we were offering them very low rent -- $800 a month.  He  
was sad.  He then said, "But I got the free phone."  We opened the  
back of my partners Suburban and dug out half a dozen phones and put  
them in his truck.  I then explained what they cost.

It amazes me all the time.  I see cellular operators, and even worse  
Nextel, taking advantage of land owners and building owners all the  
time.  Of course, this has gone way off the rails from trades for  
cell service.

--chip

On May 31, 2008, at 7:58 PM, broadcast-request at radiolists.net wrote:

> Message: 30
> Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 18:20:40 -0500
> From: "Dale Adkins- WINI AM" <wini at intrnet.net>
> Subject: Re: [BC] Cell phones
> To: "Broadcasters' Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
> Message-ID: <001b01c8c374$f2ace960$86c7fc04 at ValuedCustomer>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Smith W4KNX" <paul at amtower.com>
> To: RE: [BC] Cell phones
>
>> I'm surprised that cell phones arent trade out items.
>>
>> Paul Smith
>> Sarasota, FL
>
>      Boy....I'd love to trade for our station cell phones...
>     but I caan't even find someone to talk to at
>    the phone companies anymore.  Nobody has authority
>     to do anything.   The last time I had to call
>     Verizon (hard wire...not wireless)  I had to show the
>     Verizon repairman how to fix the problem.....and that
>     was  after he came out once and left saying
>      there was no problem.
>     and when I tried to cancell an 800 number it took
>     three weeks for someone to figure out how                    to
> discontinue the service.
>
>     I can't imagine who I would talk to about a trade-out         even
> though I think it would be a mutual benefit.
>
>     DA.