| My introduction to the grand daddy of cell phones was | | | | has about 56 voice channels available.The cell phone |
| while I was working as a Forest Fire Lookout man, in | | | | system is divided into small cells, which allows greater |
| the early 1980s. One of my colleagues worked on a | | | | frequency reuse in an area, so that millions of |
| lookout tower, in radio range of a radio telephone | | | | customers can use cell phones at the same time. |
| repeater tower. So he could use a radio telephone, | | | | Today modern cell phones can communicate on 1,664 |
| and free up more of the Forest Service frequency | | | | frequencies or more! Each cell occupies about 10 |
| that I used. His radio telephone was about the size of | | | | square miles. There can be 56 people talking on their |
| a lap top. Cell phones are really down-sized radio | | | | cell phone at one time within the area of a cell. The cell |
| telephones.The advantage cell phones have today, | | | | phone uses a much less powerful radio signal than a |
| over the old Radio telephone, is that they are much | | | | radio telephone. The larger number of cell phone |
| smaller and easier to use than the old radio telephones. | | | | towers makes this possible.Another advantage of |
| Cell phones use very little battery power compared, to | | | | using a low power radio signal of 3 watts is that it |
| a radio telephone. This fact has helped the cell phone | | | | fades to near nothing past the edge of the cell; so the |
| designers reduce their size to that of an object that | | | | same frequencies can be reused in the neighbouring |
| can fit in your pocket.The radio telephone was big and | | | | cells. As you travel you are switched automatically |
| had to have a very powerful radio signal to reach the | | | | from the cell tower you are moving away from to the |
| few radio towers that existed. The radio signal it | | | | next best located tower in the area you are going |
| transmitted had to be powerful enough to reach a | | | | toward. As you travel your cell phone sends out a |
| tower 40 or 50 miles away.Cell phones today are | | | | code signal which identifies itself, you the user, and the |
| much smaller, and easier to use. Both people on a cell | | | | service provider. Your cell phone is always |
| phone call can talk at once. Both listen at the same | | | | communicating with the cell tower and its service |
| time. When using a radio telephone, only one person | | | | provider. This is done to keep track of which cell it is |
| can talk at a time, while the other person can only | | | | located in, how strong the signal strength is received, |
| listen. Since there are many cell towers in the system, | | | | and transmitted, and to determine if the cell you are in, |
| many more people can use cell phones, than could use | | | | is owned by your provider, or another company. A |
| the old radio telephones. Radio telephones only had | | | | person can travel for hundreds of miles and hold a |
| about 25 frequencies, available to use. Today each cell | | | | conversation the entire time using cellular technology. |