[Boatanchors] POTS vs. Other Services (Was: Short Wave Broadcast Folks)

[Bill Cromwell]

On 04/16/2014 10:26 PM, Rob Atkinson wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 8:01 PM, Frederick Bray <fwbray at mminternet.com> wrote:
>> A couple things to keep in mind.
> amen--Western Electric 302 here, pre-WW2 steel not bakelite, and a
> ringer that is a real ringer--a two frequency BELL pair.
> When someone gives me a ring, it's the real thing!
> One more thing I can do that wireless users can't do:  I can hang up on people!
>
> 73
>
> Rob
> K5UJ
>
Heh,

I use a "smart a**" phone and so does my XYL. I can assure you that we 
can hang up on people! We also remember the days when we didn't answer 
the phone when it rang if it wasn't on our agenda - or when we were 
working outside. The world didn't end if we didn't answer. With Wall St 
criminals plundering the economy and nest eggs everywhere severely 
eroded we both have cellular service (that we need) and POTS is out of 
reach. We can't afford both. Around about Thanksgiving time this past 
year, having the cell phones that made my daughter and myself available 
while away from her at home my XYL's life was saved. Without those 
connections she would have been *gone*. There are two sides to every 
story. That unused wire from the utility pole to the front of my house 
sure does look pretty dangling in the breeze, though. I wonder how it 
would work as an antenna...

Hmmmm...

Come to think of it the 911 system uses conventional wires into the 
central dispatch center. Those go down with alarming regularity. I know. 
I started with Civil Defense a few weeks ago (has it really been all 
those years) and have followed through with FEMA and CERT (no matter 
what you think of the sissies who ride in the helicopters for the 
national television photo ops). 911 dies more than once each and every 
year. Wireless helps fill the gap.

73,

Bill  KU8H