DTC <me@nothingtoseehere.zzx> wrote in news:FDgKj.891$V14.255
@nlpi070.nbdc.sbc.com:

> That might have been a COAM unit (Customer Owned And Maintained) as
> the stock Motorolas were only 25 watts after the VHF duplexer. I think
> GE had a 70 watt unit with a Secode IMTS control head.
>
>

We had some running 125 watts on Dialpage's system. They had 4 channels
and Bell$outh had the other 4 channels. Not sure whos transceivers they
were.

I could get nearly 80 miles up the road in this flat country before losing
the call.

Before IMTS, I had a Motorola 2-way in the trunk tied to a manually
operated answering service which had operators do the interconnects.
Toumey's Answering Service, Sumter, SC. It was the best service because of
the live operators. When someone called my business, she answered the call
as if I were IBM, all very professional. Callers could leave a message if
I wasn't checked in and she would blow my car horn to signal me, much to
the dismay of the other shoppers in the parking lot. Cars didn't blow
their own horns in those days like today...(c;

Toumey's had 2 channels, so we did some waiting during rush hour, but the
price of interconnect time kept the conversations short from chit chat,
except for the real estate millionaires who didn't care. It didn't do you
any good to bitch at them because it was half duplex with 2 freqs and other
cars couldn't hear you. We did have a free 3rd channel for calling other
cars, once the operator contacted them and we both switched channels off
the telephone/operator channels. Considering its low technology, it was a
great service, very personal.