Proving in the cellular concept
John Winward of Metroliner (internal link) fame checks in. More pictures tomorrow:
"While searching for other things, I found two cellular pictures and one Metroliner picture which I'm attaching to this e-mail. Naturally, they are in black and white. The cellular work I did with Bell Labs was in the 1976 - 1980 +/- time frame. Bell of PA was actively involved with cellular development."
"The small van was used to establish 450 MHz communication points prior to the arrival of the 'Big Van' which had the computer and all of our mobile 800 MHz communications gear with the exception of the fixed stations."
"The fixed stations broadcasted continuously while the van drove up and down every street plotting the received signal strength. We were looking to establish what kind of propagation characteristics we could expect in the 800/900 MHz region, as this had never been done before. We were hoping to find a form of ducting or wave guide effect from the streets and buildings as we wanted the antennas to be mounted low on the buildings and channel the signals up and down the streets."
"This first photo shows a myself and a small Bell Labs van parked outside City Hall in Philadelphia, it was an attempt to link the birth of cellular to the birth of our nation for a company article that never materialized."