 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages) |
The Motorola bag phone is the colloquial name for a line of personal transportable cellular telephones manufactured by Motorola, inc. from 1988 to 2000.
Motorola introduced the Bag Phone line in 1988. [1] These phones offered more durability and higher power output (up to 3 watts) than more conventional cell phones of the time, such as Motorola's own DynaTAC and MicroTAC handheld phones, making them popular for truckers, boaters, and people in rural areas. Because of their durability, many examples of these phones are still in working order today.
The Bag Phones are a derivative of the Motorola Tough Talker series of transportable phones, which in turn descended from the DynaTAC car phones introduced in 1984. All of these phones feature a modular design in which the handset attaches to the transceiver, which is then powered by either a vehicle's power system (in the car phones) or a battery pack (in the transportables). By reducing the size and weight of the transceiver and battery pack, and introducing more fashionable bags (originally nylon on the earliest models, but changed to leather in about 1990 or so) in which to contain them, Motorola was able to make them more marketable to the average cellular phone consumer, and hence the Bag Phone.
The handset consists of a digital numeric or alphanumeric display with Pwr (indicating the phone is turned on; indicated by a dot in some models), InUse (indicating that a call is in progress), NoSvc (cannot receive a cellular signal and is unable to make or receive calls), and Roam (accessing a cellular system other than your home system) indicators, a numeric keypad with other buttons for different functions (depending on the model), and a loudspeaker for the ringer and hands-free use. This plugs into the transceiver, which also houses connections for a removable "rubber duck" antenna, and the power supply header which plugs into a 12 volt automotive outlet and an optional 12 volt sealed lead-acid battery. The battery provides up to 2.5 hours of talk time and 48 hours of standby time. All of these parts are put together in a specially designed bag made by either Caseworks, Inc. of Chicago, Illinois, or Service Manufacturing Corporation of Aurora, Illinois. These phones can also be permanently installed in a car. The only Bag Phone to deviate from this architecture was the Power PAK, which placed the controls and display on the transceiver and used an LED display similar to that used in some DynaTAC and MicroTAC phones.
The majority of Bag Phones operated on the AMPS network, and a few special models produced in the late 1990s, dubbed the Digital Concert Series, ran on the TDMA network, in addition to AMPS. Because both the AMPS and TDMA networks are extinct as of February 2008, [2] the service life of all Motorola Bag Phones have come to end, and they now serve only as a collector's item.
The original Motorola Bag Phone has been succeeded by the Motorola M800 and M900 Bag Phones, introduced in 2005. While they are technologically dissimilar to the original Bag Phones and use an entirely different user interface, the M800 and M900 support CDMA and GSM, respectively, and add the basic features of modern cell phones. Additionally, they are backwards compatible with batteries for the original Bag Phones.
Although they are technically all similar, Motorola produced many different models of the bag phone, differing in features and display type. These can be determined by the model number on the underside of the handset, beginning with SCN (TLN on early models). Each type of handset also had its own transceiver, marked with a model number beginning with SUN. Random handsets can be used with random transceivers, but some mismatches may result in unusable functions. For example, plugging a 4500 handset into a 3 Button transceiver will result in the Up/Down, one-touch, VOL and STO buttons to be either unusable or perform a totally different function. Some transceivers will detect a mismatched handset, and display "LOANER" upon power-up.
Most handsets utilized a monochrome LCD display capable of displaying 7 or 10 digits, with green or orange LED backlighting. The better featured handsets used a 7 digit alphanumeric display, and offered a color LCD display as an option.
The color LCD display utilized the colors orange for the alphanumeric display area (red on the Digital Concert Series), green for the power and InUse indicators, red for the NoSvc indicator, and yellow for the Roam indicator. While the color display was more attractive, it has a few downsides. An incandescent lamp is used for backlighting, which not only draws more power, thus reducing battery life in a portable application, but has a definite lifespan. In addition, the display can be hard to read in sunlight, and when the backlight extinguishes during battery operated use, the indicators become nearly invisible.
The America Series 820 and Power PAK bag phone models used an LED display.
The Motorola Bag Phone was sold in several types of carry cases ("bags"), with each model being available with one or two types. The earliest bag phones, which used a large transceiver similar to that used in the Tough Talker transportable phone, came in a large upright case, in which the transceiver and battery (if applicable) sat in the bottom of the case, with the handset and hang-up cup assembly placed on top. Later bag phones were available in a smaller upright case, which also contained a side pocket where the battery could be placed.
Other cases available included the Soft-PAK, which houses the transceiver and battery in a large pocket beside the handset, and the Attaché Carry Case, which in addition to a setup similar to the Soft-PAK, contains several pockets for accessories such as a pen, day planner, and the phone's included documentation. [3]
The Dynasty, Meteor, Pulsar, Ambassador II, and America Series AMS833 phones were all available in a unique case which contained a setup similar to the Soft-PAK, and a single pocket on the exterior of the case, and the name of the phone stitched into the case. The Power PAK phone came in a unique case similar to the Soft-PAK, with an external zippered pocket in which to contain the battery.
| Model | Handset part number | Display type | Function keys | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TLN2777A | 7-digit LED | PWR, END, SND, Volume/Control | Very early bag phone (1988). Uses same handset as the Motorola DynaTAC 2000X. Very basic functions, with no battery-life meter, signal-strength meter, or lock capability. Uses very early lever-action hang-up cup. | |
| Pulsar 2000 | SCN2165A | 7-digit LED | PWR, END, SND, Volume/Control | Early bag phone. Uses same handset the DynaTAC 2000X, except gray in color. |
| 3 Button | SCN2194A SCN2398A SCN2453A SCN2383A | 7 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, Volume/Control | The most basic bag phone. Volume/Control button on side of handset allows adjusting loudspeaker and ringer volume and accessing other features. The less-common SCN2383A model is white in color, instead of the usual black. |
| Dynasty | SCN2390A | 10 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, VOL/CTL | VOL/CTL button is moved to main button area |
| Meteor | SCN2394A | 10 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, VOL/CTL | Similar to Dynasty. Handset is grey and charcoal in color. |
| Pulsar | SCN2387A | 10 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, VOL/CTL | Similar to Dynasty. Handset is grey in color. |
| SE Plus | SCN2544A | 10 digit numeric monochrome LCD; 10 digit LED | PWR, END/CLR, SND, VOL/CTL | Similar to Dynasty. Handset is white in color. |
| Ambassador II | SCN2209A SCN2473A | 7 digit numeric monochrome LCD; 10 digit monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND; PWR, END/CLR, SND, VOL/CTL | SCN2209A model is similar to 3 Button, SCN2473A model is similar to Dynasty. Grey and black in color. |
| Genesis | SCN2473A | 10 digit monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, VOL/CTL | Similar to SCN2473A Ambassador II. |
| America Series 815 | SCN2392A | 10 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, VOL/CTL | Similar to 3 Button. Handset is grey in color. |
| America Series 820 | SCN2174A | 10 digit LED | PWR, END, SND, CTL, RCL, Volume | Grey handset with volume button on side. Aside from handset color, this handset is identical to that used in the Motorola DynaTAC 4500L car phone. |
| America Series AMS833 | SCN2476B | 10 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, VOL/CTL | Similar to Pulsar. |
| Soft-PAK | SCN2497B SCN2498B SCN2744A SCN2745A SCN2533A | 7 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, RCL, FCN, VOL; PWR, END/CLR, SND, RCL, STO, FCN | RCL button recalls stored phone numbers and other information, and STO button stores information into memory and sets options in the feature menu. CTL button is renamed FCN and separated from VOL. Besides the four mainstream models, there was also a less-common SCN2533A model, which had a white handset and grey bag. |
| 4000 | SCN2800AA | 7 digit monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, RCL, VOL, FCN | Similar to Soft-PAK. |
| Series III | SCN2395A | 10 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, RCL, STO, FCN | Similar to Soft-PAK. |
| Series III 6 Button | SCN2607B SCN2396A | 7 digit numeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END/CLR, SND, RCL, STO, FCN | Similar to Soft-PAK. This handset was used in the Tough Talker transportable phone. |
| 480 | SCN2532A SCN2705A SCN2449A SCN2555A SCN2552A | 7 digit alphanumeric monochrome LCD; 7 digit alphanumeric color LCD | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, MSG, Up, Down | One of the most well-featured bag phones. Differences between the five models are cosmetic and button placement. MSG checks missed calls, up and down buttons scroll through stored phone numbers and menu items, and adjust volume. An alphanumeric display replaces the standard numeric display, allowing name tags to be entered with stored phone numbers, and easier reading of messages the phone displays. |
| 2800 | SCN4057AB SCN2742A | 7 digit alphanumeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, MSG, Up, Down | Similar to 480. |
| 2800DLD | SCN2766A | 14 digit alphanumeric color LCD | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, MSG, Up, Down | 2800 with dual-line color LCD display. |
| 4500 | SCN2801AB SCN2772A | 7 digit alphanumeric monochrome LCD | Power, End, Send, Recall, Store, Function, Clear, Up, Down, three Once-Touch Dial keys | One of the most well-featured bag phones. One-Touch Dial keys allow dialing numbers with the touch of one button. Button functions are spelled out instead of abbreviated. |
| 4500S | 7 digit alphanumeric monochrome LCD | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, MSG, Up, Down | Similar to 480. | |
| 2900 | SCN2462A SCN2520A SCN2500A SCN2501A SCN2594A | 7 digit alphanumeric monochrome LCD; 7 digit alphanumeric color LCD | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, Up, Down, three Turbo Dial keys | Similar to 4500 aside from some omitted features and cosmetic differences. SCN2500A model has color LCD display. SCN2594A model has a white and grey handset, and a color LCD display. SCN2501A model was specially designed for Bell Atlantic Mobile, and has a *BAM hot key in place of one of the Turbo Dial keys, and color LCD display. |
| Gold Series | SCN2499A | 7 digit alphanumeric color LCD | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, MSG, Up, Down, two Turbo Dial keys | Similar to 2900, aside from cosmetic differences, and MSG key in place of one of the Turbo Dial keys. |
| 2950 Special Edition | SCN2463A | 14 digit alphanumeric color LCD | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, Up, Down, three Turbo Dial keys | Similar to 2900, but with dual-line color LCD display. |
| Digital Concert Series | 7 digit alphanumeric monochrome LCD; 7 digit alphanumeric color LCD | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, MSG, Up, Down | Similar to 480, but with TDMA compatibility, in addition to AMPS. | |
| Power PAK | SCN4044A | 7 digit LED | PWR, END, SND, RCL, STO, FCN, CLR, Up, Down | Deviates from the standard Bag Phone architecture by placing the controls and display on the transceiver, and utilizing an LED display similar to that used on the MicroTAC DPC 550. |
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers to display information. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but instead use a backlight or reflector to produce images in color or monochrome.
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded in 1928 as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin. The company changed its name to Motorola in 1947. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, Motorola was split into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions, on January 4, 2011. The reorganization was structured with Motorola Solutions legally succeeding Motorola, Inc., and Motorola Mobility being spun off.
A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into electronic signals that are transmitted via cables and other communication channels to another telephone which reproduces the sound to the receiving user. The term is derived from Ancient Greek: τῆλε, romanized: tēle, lit. 'far' and φωνή, together meaning distant voice.
A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipment.
A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver, HT, or handheld radio, is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, Henryk Magnuski and engineering teams at Motorola. First used for infantry, similar designs were created for field artillery and tank units, and after the war, walkie-talkies spread to public safety and eventually commercial and jobsite work.
A car phone is a mobile radio telephone specifically designed for and fitted into an automobile. This service originated with the Bell System and was first used in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, on June 17, 1946.
The history of mobile phones covers mobile communication devices that connect wirelessly to the public switched telephone network.
The DynaTAC is a series of cellular telephones manufactured by Motorola from 1983 to 1994. The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X received approval from the U.S. FCC on September 21, 1983. A full charge took roughly 10 hours, and it offered 30 minutes of talk time. It also offered an LED display for dialing or recall of one of 30 phone numbers. It was priced at $3,995 in 1984, its commercial release year, equivalent to $11,716 in 2023. DynaTAC was an abbreviation of "Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage".
The Motorola International 3200 was the first digital hand-held mobile telephone introduced in 1992, along with the more compact 5200, 5080, 7200 and 7500 "flip phones" introduced in 1994. It was preceded by the International 1000 and 2000 GSM phones, quite big, and although being the first GSM portable phones, they were not GSM certified, therefore couldn't be officially connected to the network.
The StarTAC is a series of mobile phones released by Motorola starting in 1996. It is the successor of the MicroTAC, a semi-clamshell design first launched in 1989. Whereas the MicroTAC's flip folded down from below the keypad, the StarTAC folded up from above the display. The StarTAC was among the first mobile phones to gain widespread consumer adoption; approximately 60 million StarTACs were sold.
MOTO Talk is a feature on some Motorola iDEN cellular phone handsets which allows users to make short-range 'push-to-talk' calls to other such handsets without being on the iDEN network. This feature goes by different names on iDEN service providers. In the US, Nextel called it 'DirectTalk' and included it as a free service on most new models of Motorola handsets. Boost Mobile disabled the function via handset software settings. SouthernLINC calls it LINCaround and ships handsets with the feature disabled. It can be enabled after paying an activation fee of $20. In Canada, TELUS calls it "Mike's Talk-Around."
Martin Cooper is an American engineer. He is a pioneer in the wireless communications industry, especially in radio spectrum management, with eleven patents in the field.
The Palm m500 series is a series of handheld personal digital assistants that consisted of three devices: the Palm m500, Palm m505, and Palm m515. The series was a follow-up to the Palm V series with a similar, though slightly shorter, footprint and form factor.
The Motorola F3, frequently known as the Motofone, is a candybar style GSM mobile phone from Motorola, released on 28 November 2006. It was the first mobile phone to use an electronic paper display.
The Nokia 1110 and Nokia 1110i/1112 are low-end GSM mobile phones sold by Nokia. The 1110 was released in 2005; the 1110i/1112 was released in 2006. Both are aimed at first-time mobile phone users. In Nokia's view, the 1110i has the advantage of ease-of-use, reliability and a low price. These phones are very similar to the Nokia 1100. Between January and May 2007, the 1110 was sold by Nokia as their basic low-end monochrome model, before being superseded by the Nokia 1200. One of its key markets is that of developing countries.
The Motorola MicroTAC is a cellular phone first manufactured as an analog version in 1989. GSM-compatible and TDMA/Dual-Mode versions were introduced in 1994. The MicroTAC introduced a new "flip" design, where the "mouthpiece" folded over the keypad, although on later production the "mouthpiece" was actually located in the base of the phone, along with the ringer. This set the standard and became the model for modern flip phones today. Its predecessor was the much larger and heavier Motorola DynaTAC "brick" phone, and it was succeeded by the Motorola StarTAC in 1996. "TAC" was an abbreviation of "Total Area Coverage" in all three models.
PenTile matrix is a family of patented subpixel matrix schemes used in electronic device displays. PenTile is a trademark of Samsung. PenTile matrices are used in AMOLED and LCD displays.
The Motorola i920/i930 is Motorola's first wave of iDEN Protocol-based smartphones.
An always-on display (AOD) is a computer-device feature mostly found on smartphones that has the device display show limited information while the phone is asleep. It is widely available on Android handsets, and is available on Apple iPhone Pro models since the iPhone 14 Pro. On some Android devices, the feature is sometimes called Ambient Display or Active Display, depending on its implementation and behavior. Depending on the phone's design, it may be a replacement or complementary to another feature, such as the notification LED.
Motorola Mobility phones by series | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4LTR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Android smartphones |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Android tablets | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TAC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Others | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By prefix |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
