WV- a town w/ no payphone!

upthesaukee · 12-29-2011, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Crazy how things change....the other day I needed a new horseshoe and do you think I could find a blacksmith anywhere?? go figure !

http://www.polocenter.com/farrier/farrierusnh.htm#M

Back to our regular program.

NoBozo · 12-29-2011, 01:08 PM

Summer before last, we had a medical emergency at home while we were up at the lake. (Wolfeboro) We had to Fone Home..and we didn't have cell phones then. Wolfeboro Chamber of Commerce, in the old train station, had the only pay phone we could find, it was outside..but it didn't work. The lady in the chamber let us use theirs.

The next day we had our first Cell Phone, a Tracfone..from Wal Mart in Gillford. Tracfone in the lakes region uses Verizon. We lucked out, because Tracfone in RI uses AT&T. We've never dropped a call or had a weak signal. We get Double Minutes for the life of the phone every time we add time. We don't use the phone very often.

BTW: We bought the phone anonymously. No name, address, contract, or signature required. Only our home area code to activate. (We did pay for it with a credit card). The first time I was running low on "days", our home LANDLINE rang with a recorded message from Tracfone reminding me I was getting low on days and needed to add more.

Somehow they found me. The next time I got special offers in the mail from Tracfone....to MY address...no name, just "Resident".

BIG SIS is watching.

NB

sa meredith · 12-29-2011, 02:01 PM

Less...I tried to order some take out food last summer...and could not believe that no lakes region restaurants accept smoke signals as a method of ordering. I was shocked. People used to communicate with these all the time. No smoke signals, no Chinese food. No pizza, No Lobster Rolls...nothing.
Geezze...I send out the signal anyway...but no luck.

As an aside...Imagine, now, in this germ crazy, wrap your kids in bubble wrap, world we live in. I would think many parents would tell their kids that touching a public phone is the same as smoking a ciggarette.
Those things could be pretty gross though.

SIKSUKR · 12-29-2011, 03:50 PM

I believe WV doesn't have the Wells Fargo delivery coach anymore. What's that you say? I went to the telegraph office and it too was closed.

Just so you know FLL, you do your pushups on a Wii or smartphone now.

gtxrider · 12-30-2011, 08:23 AM

Used to work for Western Union on teletype (TWX). When was the last time you saw a teletype writer? How about an operator at a cord board?

If the smoke signals don't work try the drums.

FYI no pay phone in morse code
-. --- | .--. .- -.-- | .--. .... --- -. .

Irish mist · 12-30-2011, 03:57 PM

I think there are still a couple of pay phones on the Weirs right at the bottom of the Lobster Pound parking lot.

dog paw · 02-13-2012, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtxrider

Used to work for Western Union on teletype (TWX). When was the last time you saw a teletype writer? How about an operator at a cord board?

If the smoke signals don't work try the drums.

FYI no pay phone in morse code
-. --- | .--. .- -.-- | .--. .... --- -. .

LOL! My father worked PBX @ USGS back in the day. I can still see the rows and rows of what looked like mailbox's Jammed with hundreds of moving parts hammering like machine guns all day long. You could tell the number dialed by the position off the contacts LOL! Rows of batterys the size of garbage cans bubbleing away. At the time they had one rack of solid state equipment that they made fun of. Brings back good memorys of a time long gone...

NoBozo · 02-14-2012, 12:11 PM

Not only a phone....but it even looks like it has Phone Books.

NB

AC2717 · 02-15-2012, 10:28 AM

WE found two in North Conway this weekend, both working and with phone books, I did not use them because I havea cell phone and yuck, but I did pick them up to see if they worked and they did

geordie · 02-20-2012, 03:49 PM

The problem is that the few remaining users don't spend enough to maintain the network, much less make money on it. In the capitalist system that means no more payphones. I think AT&T got out of the business in 2007.

But there are still advocates for the payphone, I just don't think they have much chance.

http://www.consumer-action.org/coali...ublic_communi/

I have noticed a growth in the emergency phones though, but I think they just go to a call center.

fatlazyless · 02-21-2012, 02:37 PM

How about this? Did you know the Town of Center Harbor has a Fairpoint payphone that looks to be in excellent condition in their town athletic facility that includes a softball field and two tennis courts. It is just a simple payphone that's attached to the outside of a storage shed, and YES, it works just fine even though one would need to walk through some very light snow cover now, to get to it.

So, how about that interesting piece of local payphone info? Is this fascinating or what!

ApS · 01-07-2014, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoBozo

Not only a phone....but it even looks like it has Phone Books.

NB

I called AT&T for a new phone book—they said "What?"

(They've discontinued them).

However, AT&T would send me a "Real Yellow Pages" directory. (No "White Pages")

Ten days have passed without any directory in sight.

As for phone booths, they appear in duplicate on Virginia-area Interstate rest-stops. (Could be useful information when "Getting Here").

(With directory covers intact!)

fatlazyless · 01-07-2014, 08:18 AM

....as far as i know....the Centre Harbor softball field and two tennis courts area are home to the last working pay phone in the area......pretty close to the intersection of Route 25 and Route 25B ..... in case you are looking for a payphone????

.....here's a big round of applause and a big thank-you to all the Center Harbor property tax payers for paying the Fairpoint monthly phone bill to maintain what may be the last working pay phone in the lakes region...thanks again!

8gv · 01-07-2014, 07:35 PM

We had one or two pay phones at each location. There was a modest revenue stream from them. The contract required a revenue threshold be met before any money came to me. Early in the program the money, paid quarterly, covered a nice dinner out. Later, it might have funded a few dollar menu choices. In my last few years it went to zero and then the phones disappeared.

Similar, but different...

In our early attempts to meet our customer's wifi needs we were force fed (from big brother) a fee based wifi system. In the "drink the Kool Aide" meeting announcing the program, we were promised a revenue stream from people logging onto the system.

The results? Not a penny of revenue...duh! Once the wifi competitive set became more clear a nifty (read: expensive) new system was required so we could give away the wifi we could not sell.

Technology marches on...

12-29-2011, 01:08 PM	#2
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	Speaking Of Tracfone Summer before last, we had a medical emergency at home while we were up at the lake. (Wolfeboro) We had to Fone Home..and we didn't have cell phones then. Wolfeboro Chamber of Commerce, in the old train station, had the only pay phone we could find, it was outside..but it didn't work. The lady in the chamber let us use theirs. The next day we had our first Cell Phone, a Tracfone..from Wal Mart in Gillford. Tracfone in the lakes region uses Verizon. We lucked out, because Tracfone in RI uses AT&T. We've never dropped a call or had a weak signal. We get Double Minutes for the life of the phone every time we add time. We don't use the phone very often. BTW: We bought the phone anonymously. No name, address, contract, or signature required. Only our home area code to activate. (We did pay for it with a credit card). The first time I was running low on "days", our home LANDLINE rang with a recorded message from Tracfone reminding me I was getting low on days and needed to add more. Somehow they found me. The next time I got special offers in the mail from Tracfone....to MY address...no name, just "Resident". BIG SIS is watching. NB Last edited by NoBozo; 12-29-2011 at 01:55 PM. Reason: Clarify

12-29-2011, 02:01 PM	#3
sa meredith Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 986 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 32 Thanked 352 Times in 137 Posts	take out Less...I tried to order some take out food last summer...and could not believe that no lakes region restaurants accept smoke signals as a method of ordering. I was shocked. People used to communicate with these all the time. No smoke signals, no Chinese food. No pizza, No Lobster Rolls...nothing. Geezze...I send out the signal anyway...but no luck. As an aside...Imagine, now, in this germ crazy, wrap your kids in bubble wrap, world we live in. I would think many parents would tell their kids that touching a public phone is the same as smoking a ciggarette. Those things could be pretty gross though.

12-29-2011, 03:50 PM	#4
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	I believe WV doesn't have the Wells Fargo delivery coach anymore. What's that you say? I went to the telegraph office and it too was closed. Just so you know FLL, you do your pushups on a Wii or smartphone now. __________________ SIKSUKR

12-30-2011, 08:23 AM	#5
gtxrider Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Piscataway, NJ Posts: 1,030 Thanks: 2 Thanked 46 Times in 24 Posts	Telegraph? Used to work for Western Union on teletype (TWX). When was the last time you saw a teletype writer? How about an operator at a cord board? If the smoke signals don't work try the drums. FYI no pay phone in morse code -. --- \| .--. .- -.-- \| .--. .... --- -. . Last edited by gtxrider; 12-30-2011 at 08:46 AM. Reason: adding

02-15-2012, 10:28 AM	#9
AC2717 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Maynard, MA & Paugus Bay Posts: 2,582 Thanks: 755 Thanked 355 Times in 267 Posts	WE found two in North Conway this weekend, both working and with phone books, I did not use them because I havea cell phone and yuck, but I did pick them up to see if they worked and they did __________________ Capt. of the "No Worries"

12-30-2011, 03:57 PM	#6
Irish mist Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 686 Thanks: 128 Thanked 85 Times in 49 Posts	I think there are still a couple of pay phones on the Weirs right at the bottom of the Lobster Pound parking lot.

02-14-2012, 12:11 PM	#8
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	Not only a phone....but it even looks like it has Phone Books. NB

02-20-2012, 03:49 PM	#10
geordie Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 33 Thanks: 10 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	The problem is that the few remaining users don't spend enough to maintain the network, much less make money on it. In the capitalist system that means no more payphones. I think AT&T got out of the business in 2007. But there are still advocates for the payphone, I just don't think they have much chance. http://www.consumer-action.org/coali...ublic_communi/ I have noticed a growth in the emergency phones though, but I think they just go to a call center.

02-21-2012, 02:37 PM	#11
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,793 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 301 Thanked 1,024 Times in 745 Posts	How about this? Did you know the Town of Center Harbor has a Fairpoint payphone that looks to be in excellent condition in their town athletic facility that includes a softball field and two tennis courts. It is just a simple payphone that's attached to the outside of a storage shed, and YES, it works just fine even though one would need to walk through some very light snow cover now, to get to it. So, how about that interesting piece of local payphone info? Is this fascinating or what! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

01-07-2014, 08:18 AM	#13
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,793 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 301 Thanked 1,024 Times in 745 Posts	....as far as i know....the Centre Harbor softball field and two tennis courts area are home to the last working pay phone in the area......pretty close to the intersection of Route 25 and Route 25B ..... in case you are looking for a payphone???? .....here's a big round of applause and a big thank-you to all the Center Harbor property tax payers for paying the Fairpoint monthly phone bill to maintain what may be the last working pay phone in the lakes region...thanks again! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

01-07-2014, 07:35 PM	#14
8gv Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,115 Thanks: 64 Thanked 749 Times in 483 Posts	Back when I flipped burgers... We had one or two pay phones at each location. There was a modest revenue stream from them. The contract required a revenue threshold be met before any money came to me. Early in the program the money, paid quarterly, covered a nice dinner out. Later, it might have funded a few dollar menu choices. In my last few years it went to zero and then the phones disappeared. Similar, but different... In our early attempts to meet our customer's wifi needs we were force fed (from big brother) a fee based wifi system. In the "drink the Kool Aide" meeting announcing the program, we were promised a revenue stream from people logging onto the system. The results? Not a penny of revenue...duh! Once the wifi competitive set became more clear a nifty (read: expensive) new system was required so we could give away the wifi we could not sell. Technology marches on...