LAND MOBILE, SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN THE 1970'S
Jerry S. Stover · 1980
The author identifies rapid solid-state adoption as the greatest 1970s success but notes that the 1974 allocation of 115 MHz of new spectrum remained largely unimplemented after six years.
Plain English Summary
The author describes how solid-state technology transformed mobile radio equipment and paging in the 1970s. A single RF channel could serve 30 or 40 thousand pager users or 1500 voice messaging users in a metropolitan area. Equipment costs fell in real terms, with a mobile unit staying at $800 while car prices rose from $4,000 to $8,000, and a pager price fell from $300 to $150 with twice the battery life. The author cites a 1974 Department of Commerce estimate that three radio-equipped vehicles could do the work of five unequipped vehicles, saving a billion gallons of gasoline annually. However, the FCC's 1974 allocation of 115 MHz of new spectrum saw little implementation after six years.
Why This Matters
He suggests an incremental approach to channel spacing would have avoided years of lost utilization. The author criticizes auction and lottery proposals, warning that auctions could let wealthy organizations tie up spectrum and that spectrum is too important to be left to chance.
Finding
Unquestionably, the greatest LM success story of the 1970's is the remarkable way that land mobile engineers have so rapidly incorporated solid state advances into the design of mobile radio equipment and pagers.
In their words
“Unquestionably, the greatest LM success story of the 1970's is the remarkable way that land mobile engineers have so rapidly incorporated solid state advances into the design of mobile radio equipment and pagers.”
Show BibTeX
@article{land_mobile_successes_and_failures_in_the_1970_s_g6449,
author = {Jerry S. Stover},
title = {LAND MOBILE, SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN THE 1970'S},
year = {1980},
}