Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Sat, 8 Jun 1991 19:28:21 GMT From: David Lemson Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Emergency Highway Phones Message-ID: Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 436, Message 11 of 11 Lines: 29 decwrl!well.sf.ca.us!well!dag@uunet.uu.net (Darren Alex Griffiths) writes: > A local newscast reported on some interesting highway emergency phones > this morning. It seems that CalTrans is installing phones throughout > the San Francisco bay area on major highways. The phones connect you > All that is fairly standard, the interesting part is that the phones > are all cellular and run on solar power so no wires are needed to hook > 'em up. The reported said that the phones could be installed in about Are you sure they're cellular? We have those along I-270 between St. Louis, MO and Collinsville, IL, and I believe they are either VHF or UHF, judging by the antennas. It's easier to build a lower-power- requiring radio that's VHF than Cellular! Also, these types of radios would be cheaper to operate, I'm sure (since you "cut out the middleman" by not using a cellular carrier). Also, I've seen these types of radios in Israel, where it's not surprising to see solar-powered utilities on the sides of the road. The radios there all have a little "Motorola" flag on them ... free advertising, which must have them gotten a break on the price of the phones. David Lemson University of Illinois Computing Services Consultant Internet : lemson@uiuc.edu UUCP :...!uiucuxc!uiucux1!lemson