Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 (edited) I’m watching NCIS Sydney and one of the bad guys used a pay phone in a phone booth to contact someone. Someone else mentioned a pay phone in a 7-11. Do they have old style pay phones in phone booths? Edited January 11 by Rye Miles #13621 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Sortakinda yes ..... ..... I don't think Superman is very fond of them ...... 🙃 1 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 (edited) Thanks Wallaby, the pic is kinda fuzzy but is that an old fashioned corded phone? In the tv program the bad guy just left the phone hanging down he didn’t hang it up. I wonder if it’s a push button dial ? We haven’t had those here in my area for years! Edited January 11 by Rye Miles #13621 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painted Mohawk SASS 77785 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Public pay phones yes...but a few years back they went to no charge..at least that's the case in my state [ Queensland] .I'd imagine all over Aus would be the same. Push button to dial number.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Yeah, it would be a shame for a drug dealer to miss out on a deal due to the lack of a coin… The last of the pay phones in California were still mostly being used by gang-scum and drug dealers before they were completely phased out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 55 minutes ago, Pat Riot said: Yeah, it would be a shame for a drug dealer to miss out on a deal due to the lack of a coin… Great point! Any response from our Aussie friends? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 1 hour ago, Painted Mohawk SASS 77785 said: Public pay phones yes...but a few years back they went to no charge..at least that's the case in my state [ Queensland] .I'd imagine all over Aus would be the same. Push button to dial number.... How do you "dial" a button"? There's a guy about three miles from me. He sells safes and vaults....and phone booths. Wood, metal, and one plastic one. If you want to be Superman, he's the man to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 1 hour ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: How do you "dial" a button"? There's a guy about three miles from me. He sells safes and vaults....and phone booths. Wood, metal, and one plastic one. If you want to be Superman, he's the man to see. When you push the button the phone dials itself! Pretty cool huh? 😂😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 (edited) No idea about how they work in OZ but for the last several years that there were payphones in the US. They did not use land lines. They used the cellular phone network. The interface was called a Fixed Wireless Terminal. Phone plugged into a RJ-11 Jack on the terminal. Interface was transparent to the user. The terminal took care of the dial tone, dialing and everything needed to interface a land line phone to wireless. Had one for years in my current house. Allowed me to use multiple landline cordless phones without having to pay the high monthly charge for a landline. Stopped using it after my wife died. Edited January 11 by Sedalia Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 A few years ago when I was still doing Dig-Safe mark outs, pay phones here were still hard wired. Although they are far and few between nowadays. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Crimes Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 (edited) 6 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said: Great point! Any response from our Aussie friends? Ask the people in LA how their mobiles are going. Our payphones don't need mobile towers and so keep working (in the main) after fires and floods. They are an emergency back up when you can't call any other way or are too poor for a mobile. You will also see pay phones on remote roads where there is no mobile reception (that's a lot of Australia). This is pretty generous a lot of the blue coverage would be very poor at best. The below is from 2022 and the Telstra (our main telecom company) CEO of the time (highlights are mine). Triple zero is our 911. This means any Australian can now use all of our 15,000 payphones on street corners and in the tiny towns, truck stops and airports in every corner of the country to make calls for free. It’s an important moment, and I wanted to explain why we’ve done it. Payphones have been part of Australia’s landscape since they were first used in the 1880’s and at one point – just before the arrival of mobiles – there were more than double the number that we have today. Since mobiles became nearly universal, a lot of Australians might not give them much thought. Until there’s a natural disaster. Until you’re in vulnerable circumstances, homeless or fleeing domestic violence. That’s why I decided it’s time to make payphones free. Because even in the age of the smartphone they play such a critical role in our community, particularly in times of need, and particularly for those in need. I’ve seen myself how much payphones are part of the fabric of Australia and how important they are in good times, and bad. I’ve seen queues of people waiting in line, coins at the ready, to use a payphone to call home and tell their family and friends they’re safe after a bushfire, a cyclone or some other natural disaster has taken the mobile network down. I know payphones are also a lifeline for thousands of vulnerable Australians – the homeless, the isolated, those escaping domestic violence – and often provide their only link to critical support services and those that care about them. Last year alone Australians made 11 million calls on payphones, including more than 230,000 calls to vital services like Triple Zero, so there’s no doubt payphones are already often the lifeline that’s there when it’s needed most. Telstra’s purpose is to build a connected future so everyone can thrive. To deliver on this ambition we want to contribute to a better, more caring and more inclusive Australia, an Australia where people can reach out for help if and when they need to, or just connect if they feel like it. The payphone network that we’ve been maintaining since the 1880s is a key part of that, and I’m delighted it’s now free for everyone to make calls anywhere in Australia. Edited January 11 by Major Crimes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckshot Bear Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 7 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said: Great point! Any response from our Aussie friends? Yes pay phones are free and they are also free WiFi access points. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 39 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said: Yes pay phones are free and they are also free WiFi access points. So drug dealers have free phones all over the place huh? 🙄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Crimes Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 10 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said: So drug dealers have free phones all over the place huh? 🙄 Maybe read my response? Sure, some drug dealers may use them, but I don't care given the major use and lifesaving possibilities. Also, if police believe they are being used I am sure they can watch the ones they suspect from time to time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 48 minutes ago, Major Crimes said: Maybe read my response? Sure, some drug dealers may use them, but I don't care given the major use and lifesaving possibilities. Also, if police believe they are being used I am sure they can watch the ones they suspect from time to time. I did read your response and I get it , it just bugs me that scumbags can take advantage of them too. I hope the police can keep an eye on them as you say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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