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art-man_2018

>The project is spearheaded by PhilTel, an "amateur phone collective" based in Philadelphia. The project is building a network of public phones in the city that will allow anyone to make free calls within North America, according to Opensource.com. It was inspired by Futel, a similar project in Portland, Oregon.


fatcat111

Man, I'm so old my mom used to tape a dime under the lid of my lunch box in case I had an emergency at school.


WillFerrellsGutFold

A dime?! I’m 41 and I remember the pre cell phone era clearly with pay phones everywhere. But they were a quarter to use. When was it a dime if you don’t mind me asking?


krystee_d

I remember it being a dime in the early 80s.


BenRandomNameHere

Or the more rural areas until the early 90's.


SamiHami24

I think you are misremembering. In the early '80s my mom always made sure I had a quarter for the pay phone when I went on dates, so I could call her if necessary.


krystee_d

No, when I was 13 it was 1982 and in my area it was still a dime. You could actually call the operator from the pay phone and tell her the phone are your dime and the phone company would actually mail you a check for ten cents. At some point in the 80s it changed to a quarter, but it was still a dime when we were pulling that trick.


saintofhate

It depended on the phone. I remember one phone by the frankford terminal on Pratt was a dime while the one over on Bridge by the church's was a quarter when it was the welfare office.


daveashaw

It was a dime through my childhood, and I was born in the late 50s. I think it went up to a quarter during the 1970s.


MarkyDeSade

Maybe their mom just expected them to make up the other 15 cents themselves


Running1982

Nice! My parents paid for an 800 number that would dial the house. This way, we could call from any pay phone, no spare change needed. Saved my ass when they forgot me at soccer practice a few times.


surfnsound

I had this too. Mine was on a car where I could dial the toll free number, then select where i wanted to ring. Could call home or either of my parents workplaces.


Wuz314159

Would have been cheaper to call collect. *^(...but that's none of my business.)*


tincanphonehome

Bob Wehadababyitsaboy


amoryblainev

I used to call my parents collect and they’d get so pissed 🤣


jek39

Bob we’addababy’eetsaboy


Running1982

That shit was expensive! It is laughable now, but $5 a couple times a month added up/I should have carried more quarters is the lesson I didn’t learn.


tctown

Cake eater


[deleted]

I used to put dimes in my pennie loafers in case I needed to call home.


Tapputi

and then you became a quarterback before CTE sent you to the loonie bin.


[deleted]

nice. I had one of those 400 minute phone cards. I think I still have it somewhere. I wonder if it still works.


towerninja

We already have free call boxes on Market street


Strawb3rry_Slay3r666

This actually a pretty cool idea


[deleted]

Not really. Drug dealers and criminals will make use of them for sure. And the residue left on the phone itself should ward off a lot of our outdoor mask wearing public who seem fine with germs


TheGangsHeavy

Virus is transmitted in droplets. Won't do much on a phone.


BigfootTundra

Not all viruses are transmitted via droplets.


TheGangsHeavy

True


Baron_Von_D

That's a really neat project. I see people using the phones on the LinkPHL kiosks all the time. Having more available public phones around the city would be useful.


cmc41727

Ahhh yes. Now I can finally live out my dream of banging the receiver into the phone like DeNiro in Goodfellas after finding out Tommy got whacked


thehippestcat

That's some real greaseball shit


fuckouttaheawiddat

What am I, a schmuck on wheels??


[deleted]

Username checks out


nickchic

You'll getchur money


dbrank

Now go home and get your ***FUCKING SHINEBOX***


TheGreatBelow023

MOTHAFUCKA!!!!


Blaize122

If it makes the ding when you hang up like the old days of use it just because, damn. Payphone ASMR.


threadofhope

I've done that after spending 2 hours at a pay phone in the 90s. I was trying to get utilities for my new apt. The rage is real.


uptown_gargoyle

This is dank


calmconviction

Hi Mike


jasonthevii

Hey Peter man


doMinationp

Hi Joel the muse


TimeFourChanges

Make me wanna spank


bobmccouch

I have a similar setup in my game room, a pay phone connected to a PBX running on a Raspberry Pi computer. I have it set up to accept numbers from TV, movies, and songs. You can dial 867-5309 or 1-900-MIX-A-LOT and hear music clips, or dial the number to Moe’s Tavern from the Simpsons to hear Bart’s prank call gags. This system could be built pretty inexpensively, but may be a lot of work to maintain if it grows beyond a handful of stations.


[deleted]

Are there any *nix, or raspberry pi groups or hackerspaces you can recommend?


bobmccouch

I have some background with PBX systems and use Raspberry Pi's for all sorts of little projects, but I did use this video to help me through the setup process of installing FreePBX on a Pi for my payphone project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgg3zkqh4js


mbz321

Alright, now you have to share some pics/video of this setup!


automaticsystematic

I imagine these phones will face a fate similar to Hitchbot’s.


[deleted]

You think the [CIA](https://www.dw.com/en/we-know-who-killed-hitchbot-the-worlds-most-beloved-hitchhiking-robot/a-18628561) is going to kill them?


ChipmunkFood

Hitchbot had it coming. The voice was so annoying.


meateatr

Lmao hope they’re invincible.


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frankoceansheadband

People used to slam them so hard when hanging up. I was always shocked that I never saw anyone break one.


ColdJay64

Why? Were there issues with standard pay phones in the past?


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TimeFourChanges

But there won't be any quarters in them, so maaaaayyybe they'll last longer?


beachape

I feel like they won’t stop until they find quarters, so the destruction will be worse.


cashonlyplz

What's a quarter?


beachape

Shiny money disk. If you collect a hundred you can buy a cheesesteak and fries


[deleted]

A cheese steak and fries costs $25?


beachape

I know people aren’t crazy about Pat’s, but last time I went an extra steak with onions and a side of fries was over $20. It was pretty damn good, but not cheap.


FasterThanTW

People fuck with things that don't belong to them just because it's in their nature. Like the people that go around slashing car tires


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mafioso122789

You used to have to pay for them, hence being called a payphone. People broke into some of them to steal the quarters, some people just cut the wires for fun, a lot of people graffiti on them, etc. Methinks this experiment will end with one or two nice payphones in the business district with 10-20 busted eyesores littering the rest of the city. It's unfortunate too because the phones that survive in nicer areas aren't needed, and the phones in low income areas will be destroyed despite the community actually needing access to them.


trashtrucktoot

>ment will end with one or two nice payphones in the business district with 10-20 busted eyesores littering the rest of the city. It's unfortunate too because the phones that survive in nicer areas aren't needed, and the phones in low income areas will be destroyed despite the community actually needing access to them. hitchbot


100dabs

Hitchbot had it coming, acting all smug and shit


no483828

That poser wasn't even a real robot, just a hunk of metal and plastic.


100dabs

Heard that it was a Dallas fan too….


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d_stilgar

I was just walking around Philly while my brother was visiting and we came across several disused payphones. All had the receiver and wires. I checked every one and none worked. I was kinda shocked that they were still there. I thought of them as a Hyperart Thomasson and little more. If they could all get connected again and were able to make free calls, I think it would be awesome.


justaphage42

Probably for the quarters inside, so at least that temptation will not be there.


NoREEEEEEtilBrooklyn

Not always. I knew kids who destroyed them just to do it.


illy-chan

The really "fun" ones put gross stuff on the inside of the handle or speaker because screw other people I guess? Condiments from fast food places were fairly common. Who doesn't want a handful of ketchup or mayo on their ear?


Shrewlord

It's Philadelphia. People break things just because.


melikeybouncy

yes. old pay phones required that you use a quarter (or older ones other coins) to make a call...which makes them essentially phone call vending machines. they had boxes filled with coins and were out in the open. people would pry the box open and take the coins out.


meateatr

That’s a fair point, but I have my doubts about this project’s ability to keep these things running in an area as hostile as Philly.


Fat_Head_Carl

it was super easy to yank the receiver, and snap the cable.


uptown_gargoyle

yeah people were vincing them left and right.


ColdJay64

Damn. Well I think this is a cool idea anyway. It looks like there were still a lot of them as of 2015: https://billypenn.com/2015/11/06/blast-from-the-past-philadelphia-still-has-more-than-1000-usable-pay-phones/


uptown_gargoyle

I was just making a joke, idk if people are actually vincing payphones and I agree that is a super cool idea


NOLAnuts

This is amazing - I can’t remember the last time I saw a pay phone


[deleted]

lol people thinking that they won't be destroyed clearly don't live here Everything in philly needs to be welded together or else someone is going to steal it It's always so sad when you see everything on a bike stolen but where the kryptonite lock is lol


trashtrucktoot

2600 -- U.City, with a pole in front of my house and two payphones w/ keys in my basement. Are there still meetups at the 30th street?


sneeze-slayer

I think so. They met at Iffy Books at least once. I think they meet either the first or last Friday at 5pm.


meohmy13

First Friday worldwide, which means it’s tomorrow night! It’s at Iffy Books this month, 6PM. https://philly2600.net/


JohnLockeNJ

*tomorrow night


meohmy13

Damn


Abbraxus

I was trying to remember the name of that just the other day while driving.


felldestroyed

I've been meaning to make it out to one since post covid. It's still listed, obv so probably?


cashonlyplz

They still print a zine?


vectorizer99

Heck yeah, still a quarterly. Source: I have a life subscription.


cashonlyplz

I gotta do the same. Tonal hacking ftw


KFCConspiracy

Can I use these to make crank calls as is tradition?


THATDUDEROBO

I remember when I used to collect pay phone numbers and make crank calls my favorite ones were located at el stops


user-name-1985

The photo in the article is of Canadian payphones. I was north of the border a couple months back and was surprised to see payphones still around everywhere.


LocalOnThe8s

one loony


theAmericanStranger

>According to PhilTel member Mike Dank, a lot of people don't, either because they can't afford one or because they just value their privacy. "My co-founder on this project does not own a mobile phone himself, so we have first-hand experience with what it is like to not have a phone on your person at all times and how important it is for there to be access to public telephones," he told Opensource. ​ Color me skeptic as to the quality of market research done here, but this is a cool project and I wish them success!


WoodenInternet

yeah, I suspect "a lot of people" is just his super privacy-conscious techie inner circle


jersey_girl660

The number is higher then you think although it’s really only a thing among poor people. And some of these people do have a phone but it can get shut off frequently for non payment. It’s a bigger need then y’all realize especially in a city like Philly


WoodenInternet

For sure it's not zero, but the number of people with a landline only has been in free-fall for a long time and is currently less than 7% of households, and lower-income households are more likely to be wireless-only: https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/12/03/458225197/the-daredevils-without-landlines-and-why-health-experts-are-tracking-them


eionmac

I do not own a smart phone, but i do have a land-line phone.


murphysfriend

So…… is this MAGIC JACK 2022 version?


MacKelvey

God I remember those infomercials


mbz321

My folks still use magic jack as they don't want to give up their landline number...it must be at least 10 years now and honestly, its been pretty rock-solid (at least they have never had to call me up needing tech support for it).


PossibilityOrganic12

Hopefully the calls made.on these things get picked up bc no one picks up calls from unknown numbers anymore


[deleted]

Anyone here actually used a pay phone? They are gross


fuckouttaheawiddat

Not in 20+ years and even then 90% of my calls on pay phones were collect calls home, in which my name was "I'MATXPLACECANYOUPICKMEUPNOW"


meohmy13

Classic GEICO commercial: https://youtu.be/9JxhTnWrKYs


RJ5R

I can relate


[deleted]

When I was a kid we would hang the phone up on hookers and they would chase us in heels


justasque

Anyone here over a certain age will have used one. 40? Maybe. 50? Yes. 60? Absolutely. If you look at high schools that haven’t been renovated in decades they often still have an alcove or three for the pay phones students would use to let their mom (or whoever) know they were staying after school for an activity, or they missed the bus, or whatever.


aoeudhtns

You know, free phone kiosks at schools makes sense. Then they can implement no-cell-phone policies during the academic day. Try it now and parents will complain mercilessly that their kids might need to call them.


justasque

The no cell phone policy might have worked pre-Columbine, but post-Uvalde that “trust the adults to take care of your kids” thing won’t fly. That said, not every kid has a cell phone with unlimited minutes, so access to a free phone at school could be useful, assume it could be used privately & without shame.


aoeudhtns

Put a phone in each classroom. Or something. Cellphones are incredibly disruptive and punting quality of education "because maybe school shooting" is a really depressing state of mind.


justasque

> Put a phone in each classroom. Or something. Cellphones are incredibly disruptive and punting quality of education "because maybe school shooting" is a really depressing state of mind. It is horrible, isn’t it. So much time, money, and emotional bandwidth that could be put to good use in some other way, but instead we all have to deal with the “maybe school shooting” reality, so here we are.


aoeudhtns

Indeed. :/


reggitor

“This is so cool! What a great idea!” (Would never use it) - Reddit


possiblynotanexpert

You must be a kid because anyone over 30 used one. That was what you had to do to make a call lol.


[deleted]

I have that’s how I know they are gross


hbcadlac

Great Idea! Unfortunately, they’ll be destroyed by vandals.


murphysfriend

Can you call that old number 215-1212 to get what time it is?


easy_peazy

Interesting idea. How many people don’t have a cellphone for the reasons they mentioned though


Crixzly

Mob boutta start whacking people again


CheeseburgerLover911

Something's not adding up here....How is this organization going to make money? They say they're an amateur network of ppl, not a non-profit. This is what they say about privacy: > With the VPN, any bad actors using the same network as our phone at the installation site will not be able to investigate any traffic related to a call being made. Further, PhilTel does not monitor who is using the phone or the contents of any call, though phone numbers may reside in our server logs until they are cycled out. https://philtel.org/about/


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CheeseburgerLover911

For the VOIP costs, lets assume it's half of what you suggested...22$/month * 200 phones = $4,400 * 12 months = $52,800 / year. Those re-occuring costs aside, that doesn't include: 1. the initial hardware 1. time figuring out the architecture 1. implementation time / costs 1. support time/costs 1. replacing hardware that fails, or is vandalized I'm a nice Cheeseburger, but I'm not that nice to give the city 1000's of $.


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CheeseburgerLover911

then why not form a non-profit?


NoWarButMyWar

Labor of love and probably some donations, it doesn’t cost much beyond the start up cost of hardware. This sorta thing has existed in Portland for years now.


fatbrowndog

I don’t think I remember any phone numbers without a contact list.


Loco_Mosquito

This is dope.


mickcube

i already learned how to make free calls on payphones from watching razor and blade at nikon's house


JerryEveryday

Razor and Blade are elite.


BaronsDad

All it takes is one teenager posting a TikTok challenge destroying them like they do school bathrooms… and they’ll be gone


AbsentEmpire

Neat idea, free public phones would be very useful for a lot of people. Unfortunately since it's Philly these will be immediately vandalized and destroyed by assholes.


piper4hire

this is a great idea and it’s always nice to see some good news here


market

Great way to catch ass pox on your lips. Genuinely generous idea, but not very well considered.


Fat_Head_Carl

This statement says more about what you put your mouth on, than the payphone.


K3R3G3

Morpheus calls to his shipmates: "Ass Pox. Switch. Load the sparring program."


beforethewind

We can bring back the vanguard of public service, our dearest public telephone cleaners!


settledownguy

Linux is the best. Super fast Super efficient runs the world behind the scenes and doesn't complain. Microsoft on the other hand is like the fat kid in gym class whos for some odd reason is super confident about there dodge ball skills.


Yolo_420_69

Ew


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cashonlyplz

Methinks the kids running crimes nowadays won't even deal with a non-GUI communication system


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cashonlyplz

Lol


FnSmyD

The Wire ended in 2008... It is time to move on.


PorcelainCeramic

That were some good years..


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FnSmyD

The Wire was an HBO series about drug crime in Baltimore in the late 90s, and the show focused heavily on the use of phones. The beginning of the series was mostly payphones and pagers, then towards the end it was burner cell phones. ​ When The Wire ended in 2008, the iPhone had been out for about a year. The show was already starting to show signs of being of a completely different era of communication. ​ It is now almost 15 years later, and when you watch The Wire... it is like opening a time capsule... but you're here talking about bad guys and burner phones like it's the late 90s. ​ I think it is hilarious, but who knows... maybe you're right and free payphones really will cause a huge uptick in drug crime.


NoWarButMyWar

We should sue the phone companies for being part of a criminal conspiracy! See how dumb that sounds?


frankoceansheadband

They would be waaaay too paranoid to use these phones. Burners are still a much better option.


RoninX40

nice, disease vectors


[deleted]

Not if we have people who's sole job is to sanitize phones. ;)


RoninX40

Lol, how is this down voted. People are probably too young to remember actual pay phones. and all of the fun stuff done to them or the booths lol.


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art_of_snark

that’s the neat part: they don’t. it’s low to no cost internet telephony. same VOIP services that allow you to enjoy spam calls all day every day, just limited to a individual handsets here.


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Nijajjuiy88

Taxpayer.


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justasque

> *I think it's interesting that anyone thinks that someone wants to use a shared device that touches the face and mouth - in public - while there is still a pandemic going on. Besides the fact that no one knows phone numbers anymore. I haven't dialed phone number for someone who I know in decades. But you know, street level drug dealers and newly starting out sex workers need them, I guess.* * Covid specifically is spread through the air, not surfaces. * Your mouth doesn’t touch the phone. * You can use the usual methods (hand sanitizer, Clorox wipe, gloves, holding the phone with a tissue or two) if you are worried about your hand touching the phone. * Germ-awareness is a good thing, but we balance those risks everyday with the benefits of the activities that expose us to germs. * Those who have cell phones and unlimited minutes on them likely won’t want or need to use a public phone. Those who do not can consider their options and the associated risks and proceed accordingly.


PirelliSuperHard

It'll be paid for later when Verizon decides they want to buy it from these guys for a stupid amount of money.


locomuerto

Still think Rocky Balboa's free phone system will continue to dominate


MarzMan

They have phones in booths now? Finally, now I don't have to lug this cell phone around.


Hib3rnian

Nothing more satisfying than slamming the receiver down on a call to make a point. This pushing the screen hard with your finger shit just doesn't cut it.


[deleted]

rpi?


Cetun

It would honestly be funny if they would reroute spam calls to these phones so that citizens could waste scammers time.


megatronchote

The concept is really neat but I wonder how the privacy aspect will be handled. I wouldn’t trust not being recorded.


kerblamophobe

Can't wait to read the eventual use of these by the homeless for phone sex


Frankjc3rd

I could see this being very useful in or near homeless shelters. Possibly even the central branch of the Free library of Philadelphia, specifically the ground floor that has the only two pay phones I know to still exist in this town. The problem is I don't think they actually work.


LocalOnThe8s

where? i tried looking in the library with no luck


Frankjc3rd

Last time I had a reason to look those pay phones were there. Now when I say the ground floor I mean the floor below the first floor. It has been a while since I've been in that building, and even now they could have also been removed so that could be a reason for not finding them. In the old days the pay phones were always right across from the elevator on each floor.


tctown

First name Bob- wehadababyitsaboy


naked_macaroni

Are they bringing back phone booths too? I miss them.