wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil (Will Martin) (11/30/89)
The following ad for a portable phone appears on page 85 of the November '89 issue of SEA TECHNOLOGY magazine (a publication about marine electronics and naval weapons and sensors); I don't normally see this magazine so I have no idea if this is something that is new or has been advertised this way for years... (Italics in the following indicated by leading and trailing _underlines_ like that. The whole ad looks like a "bad example" in a desktop publishing course... :-) For Your BOAT _NON-CELLULAR_ ULTRA LONG RANGE Portable Telephone [The above in a mixture of 5 different typefaces... Yuck!] [The following text surrounds a picture of a hand holding what looks somewhat like a regular bulky portable cell-phone but with fewer buttons showing -- only the standard touch-tone pad. Emerging from the top is a rubber ducky antenna (short enough to be for 800 MHz) and some partially- visible switches and knobs.] "This is _not short range cellular_. GCS portable telephones operate from _Ultra Long Range_ Non cellular services provided by over 1600 stations nationwide, for the ultimate in long range. No need to register or sign in when moving from area to area, town to town, or state to state. You automatically receive a nationwide number at the same low monthly price of a local number. DIRECT DIAL any telephone world-wide from any state. * Make and receive calls to and from anyone, anytime * make calls to other GCS portables, business, & home telphones, or mobile units anywhere * Includes GCS Hi=Max extended long range portable antenna, automatic battery charger, incredible high powered portable unit, and all necessary accessories. * No installation. * International models avail. Distributorships avail. U.S. and worldwide. * Delivery could take more than 30 days." (714) 852-8888 GCS Electronics Inc. 18200 Von Karman Ave. Seventh Floor Irvine, CA 92715 ***End of Ad*** Well, what I am wondering is just what sort of thing this phone is. Is it a maritime mobile unit being advertised for illicit ground-based use? Even though the headline says "for your boat", the text implies the owner can use it anywhere. Or is it a VHF-type traditional mobile phone? The knobs and junk on the top make it look like a hand-held radio with a phone glued on the front. The "1600 stations" should be a clue -- are there that many marine operator nodes? I didn't think so... Regards, Will wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil OR wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil
tad@ssc.UUCP (Tad Cook) (12/04/89)
Regarding Will's question about GCS, they sell a traditional IMTS type VHF telephone. This is the same type of mobile phone that was popular before cellular. Tad Cook tad@ssc.UUCP