I bought a 1988 BMW 528e a month ago, and i could see the remnants of an old phone in it...i found an antenna wire near the back window, a speaker behind the center console, on the floor hump...and when i was doing suspension work, i had to take out the back seat, and I found the "brain" for the system...about 12" x 8X x 2" tall, and it weighs a TON...it says motorola, made in USA...lol
I liked how you could whack them on the steering wheel when pissed off; 3 great things. 1-The phone was tough enough to take it. 2-The car had no airbags to risk deploying. 3-It was legal to talk and drive.
The cost of phones back then was priced way out of range for teenagers. So, more responsible adults (businessmen) were mainly the only people using them.
Nowadays you can pick up a prepaid phone for as little as $10 and talk away.
HELLZ YEAH! My very first cell phone was a Motorola bagphone. That thing had a stellar coverage area and made the clearest calls of any POS phone I've had since.
@chanceyboymcgilly but there's sadly nothing to connect to, as all analog cell service was cut off back in 2008; this is an early phone so no digital capability.. Had I gotten a hold of this sooner, it would have been pretty cool to try and connect.
The first Motorola moblie phone I saw was about the length of a brick, and it had one of those tiny screens like a calculator, and a really long antenna, but this phone is even BIGGER! Nice video! 5*!
@TiMeCapsule123 Say is this phone still working on digital? What about if you had your own analogue transciever, you could set up your own neighborhood network if you can get a frequency license cound't you?
@OliviaSST this phone is old enough that it's analog only; it can't hop onto the modern digital frequencies used by modern cell phones. If I had gotten this phone back in 2007, I coulda potentially used it as a cell phone. All analog service was shut down back in 2008, no doubt to move with the times and advancing technology. I would not expect (given the misuse potential) the FCC to hand out a license or equipment to any joe to create a network; it might interfere with modern equipment.
@HappyDiscoDeath 800 MHz (the section that was used by this phone) is at this point being used by emergency services; fire, police, ambulances, etc. Besides, the FCC's tight regulation of the usable spectrum (and the equipment used), a localized neighborhood network of old-school brick and bag phones would mess up the emergency services. It's gonna be kinda impossible for any joe to just buy (legally) the gear used to create a cell phone network.
Awesome! Well, I can't watch it since i'm on an old computer, but I can still comment. lol
Well this was unexpected - that's exactly the same as my Bag Phone! That's a model 2900 as well! And yours also has the special color display and Attache Carry Case! And yours has a battery too - lucky!
Mine ran on the Sprint network - it has the Sprint logo sewn right onto the outside of the bag.
Yep, I would active mine if analog service was still existant.
Also, although the Bag Phone is usually thought of as only being used with truckers, boaters, people in machines, and as an emergency phone, the nicer looking, more user-friendly versions, such as the Dynasty, Meteor, 2900, 2950 SE, and Digital Concert were actually popular with the average cell-phone user.
I wouldn't say they are more portable than the Brick phones, since the Bag Phone isn't a single unit.
What is the SCN number on the back of your handset. I'm guessing SCN2500A?
If you press FCN and the down arrow key, you can listen to the ringer. If you press FCN and 4, it will give you the current battery level, whether it's plugged in or not. It's too bad your battery doesn't hold a charge. You can still buy those batteries brand new though - some old video cameras use the same battery.
I bought a 1988 BMW 528e a month ago, and i could see the remnants of an old phone in it...i found an antenna wire near the back window, a speaker behind the center console, on the floor hump...and when i was doing suspension work, i had to take out the back seat, and I found the "brain" for the system...about 12" x 8X x 2" tall, and it weighs a TON...it says motorola, made in USA...lol
lilpoindexter 1 month ago
I liked how you could whack them on the steering wheel when pissed off; 3 great things. 1-The phone was tough enough to take it. 2-The car had no airbags to risk deploying. 3-It was legal to talk and drive.
freethoughtmusic 11 months ago
@freethoughtmusic
The cost of phones back then was priced way out of range for teenagers. So, more responsible adults (businessmen) were mainly the only people using them.
Nowadays you can pick up a prepaid phone for as little as $10 and talk away.
SeberHusky 10 months ago
@SeberHusky amazing isn't it. Not only that, but if u were a lucky teen, u could only call, not text or that other crap people do today.
luigi2999 9 months ago
HELLZ YEAH! My very first cell phone was a Motorola bagphone. That thing had a stellar coverage area and made the clearest calls of any POS phone I've had since.
GoGoGadgetBeer 1 year ago
Bag phone, its whats for dinner.
KiloByte69 1 year ago
Does anyone know what the "5" means on the display of the phone?
ttrueman1 1 year ago
@ttrueman1 its just saying that its on and ready to make a transmit
chanceyboymcgilly 1 year ago
@chanceyboymcgilly but there's sadly nothing to connect to, as all analog cell service was cut off back in 2008; this is an early phone so no digital capability.. Had I gotten a hold of this sooner, it would have been pretty cool to try and connect.
HappyDiscoDeath 1 year ago
Awsome old phone! Should be in a museum! 5/5 as always!
BobsAutoRepair 2 years ago
The first Motorola moblie phone I saw was about the length of a brick, and it had one of those tiny screens like a calculator, and a really long antenna, but this phone is even BIGGER! Nice video! 5*!
TiMeCapsule123 2 years ago
thanx
HappyDiscoDeath 2 years ago
@TiMeCapsule123 Say is this phone still working on digital? What about if you had your own analogue transciever, you could set up your own neighborhood network if you can get a frequency license cound't you?
OliviaSST 1 year ago
@OliviaSST this phone is old enough that it's analog only; it can't hop onto the modern digital frequencies used by modern cell phones. If I had gotten this phone back in 2007, I coulda potentially used it as a cell phone. All analog service was shut down back in 2008, no doubt to move with the times and advancing technology. I would not expect (given the misuse potential) the FCC to hand out a license or equipment to any joe to create a network; it might interfere with modern equipment.
HappyDiscoDeath 1 year ago
@HappyDiscoDeath 800 MHz (the section that was used by this phone) is at this point being used by emergency services; fire, police, ambulances, etc. Besides, the FCC's tight regulation of the usable spectrum (and the equipment used), a localized neighborhood network of old-school brick and bag phones would mess up the emergency services. It's gonna be kinda impossible for any joe to just buy (legally) the gear used to create a cell phone network.
HappyDiscoDeath 1 year ago
Oh yeah, one last thing: how many minutes are on the life timer? Press RCL, #, #, #, # to see that.
themaritimeman 2 years ago
11.
HappyDiscoDeath 2 years ago
C 00011?!? Holy crap, that's incredible! Mine is in as good shape as yours, and mine has over 10000 minutes! Wow!
themaritimeman 2 years ago
Awesome! Well, I can't watch it since i'm on an old computer, but I can still comment. lol
Well this was unexpected - that's exactly the same as my Bag Phone! That's a model 2900 as well! And yours also has the special color display and Attache Carry Case! And yours has a battery too - lucky!
Mine ran on the Sprint network - it has the Sprint logo sewn right onto the outside of the bag.
Yep, I would active mine if analog service was still existant.
themaritimeman 2 years ago
Also, although the Bag Phone is usually thought of as only being used with truckers, boaters, people in machines, and as an emergency phone, the nicer looking, more user-friendly versions, such as the Dynasty, Meteor, 2900, 2950 SE, and Digital Concert were actually popular with the average cell-phone user.
I wouldn't say they are more portable than the Brick phones, since the Bag Phone isn't a single unit.
What is the SCN number on the back of your handset. I'm guessing SCN2500A?
themaritimeman 2 years ago
bullseye. looks like I hit it pretty good on this one. didn't see an option to select different ringers, though.
HappyDiscoDeath 2 years ago
That's because the 2900 only has one ringer.
You must've seen one of my Bag Phone videos? I'm using my 2900 with the transceiver of a 4500 I used to have. The 4500 had 9 different ringers.
themaritimeman 2 years ago
If you press FCN and the down arrow key, you can listen to the ringer. If you press FCN and 4, it will give you the current battery level, whether it's plugged in or not. It's too bad your battery doesn't hold a charge. You can still buy those batteries brand new though - some old video cameras use the same battery.
themaritimeman 2 years ago
what you mean OldComputer!?!?
drum00 2 years ago
I meant exactly what I said - an old computer. My Compaq Presario 5360. Not enough power to play YouTube videos.
themaritimeman 2 years ago