Communication

Computers,  Internet

Cell phones, Long Distance

Telegrams

Phone , Long Distance

Hamm Radio

Mail, Airmail, Special Delivery

Walkee Talkies

Email

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Phones

Communications
The telephone was not always in every home during the 1800 & 1900's.
Before the phone fast communication came from the telegraph office and Western Union for Important Messages.
It was very expensive, but quicker than mail service.
Phone service in the 1930's looked like the picture on the upper left.

Bottom Middle was
The newer phone my grandparents Johnsons had in the 30's, 40's & 50's.
Grandma would always shout into the portion at the top of the stand and listen with the earpiece attached.

My grandparents Haag, and our house had a phone similar to the dial phone without a dial.

Just pick up the phone and an operator would come online and say, "Operator". Number please.

We would then give the number we wanted to call, 8962 was their #.
1960's We had a special Erokophone

and later a princess dial.

Later the dial was added and you would pull the dial piece all the way from the number you wanted for each number. It was a rotary dial on the front of the phone.

Del and I didn't get a punch dial until 1986.

Few people could afford a private line. That was mostly for businesses. Often someone was listening in when we would make a call. Not too bad when you had a two party or a four party line. Each time the phone would ring it would ring in on everyone's line. Each ring would be special for each home, but every party knew whose ring it was.
Long Distance calls were most difficult because with several others listening in on the line we could barely hear each other so had to shout so they could hear us 300 or 800 miles away.
Our long distance calls were always limited to 3 minutes because it was so expensive. We would set an egg timer in the kitchen so we would know when our time was up. Then we would take another 3 minutes to say goodbye!

Party Lines
When we lived in Nebraska in the 1960's we were in a rural area, and The church line had the church number and our number plus 8 other people on the same line. This made it a 10 party Line.
Because ours was the church number everyone on our party line would pick up when we would answer. Sometimes they knew our business sooner than we did.

Answering services
My parents, Buck & Jean Haag moved to Arizona in 1977. I soon experienced the first answering service phone I encountered.

This was All New to we who were from the country in Iowa. 

I remember getting that message to leave a message, and we will call you.
Oh, how embarrassed I was to have to record that message!  A few weeks and many messages later this chore became a bit easier.

In 2003, when calling someone it is rare not to receive such a message, and if you want to talk with someone you better leave your name!

Voice Mail is a paid service to the phone company. Another way to make money but no machine needed in your home. Just call in and punch in a number. Yes, I said, 'punch a button.'' This is past the time when that rotary dial was on most all phones.

Cell phones -- Analog
Purchased our first one in 1993. We were traveling through out the "Valley of the Sun" officiating at Weddings. It was a security for us and almost necessary to keep in touch as pay phones on street corners were being phased out.

Also, it was a great way to keep in touch with Judy's Dad, Buck Haag, who now lived alone in Leisure World about 50 miles from our house. He liked it when we called when on the road working.

Cell phones -- Digital - Digital meant better technology and ability to call other parts of the country for a lesser cost. Our first digital phone was in 2003 as we became a part of our daughter, Cindy's family service. When traveling we were able to keep in touch from Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Northern Arizona. It was great!

Long distance services

Phone cards, charge cards In the 1980's it became easier to call from away from home by using a card which would put the billing on our home phone bill. That was a good service and helped when away from home.

In the middle to late 1990's, Phone cards became more popular. You can now buy a card with any number of minutes on it and call from anywhere by using an 800 number and your card number. Very convenient when traveling.
We now, since 2001, have taken long distance service off our phone bill and strictly use the phone card when making long distance calls. Works great and is paid in advance. No more large Long Distance Phone bills added to our monthly billing. It is less costly this way too. As little as 2-3¢ a minute.

2003 We purchased a phone and were a member of our daughter Cindy's phone family. We paid $20 a month and had 100 Peak minutes we seldom used.

We saved our calls for weekends which were unlimited to the family of phones. There were three on hers. Her son Paul, Cindy and ours. That was very good for us when we traveled as we were able to keep in touch from anywhere and it was security for us on the road in our Motor Home. It also gave us security when on the road for weddings and rehearsals for which we traveled many miles across the valley.

2004 We have our own Cell Phone which costs over $40 a month with all taxes includes. It gives us 300 PEAK minutes (that is during the week). Weekends minutes are unlimited to any where in the United States. $5 more allows us to talk with any other Verizon Consumer who had the same plan. Verizon to Verizon. No Charges or minutes counted.

What a change in technology we have seen!

Mail Service

Some of my most precious memories are of the letters I received from my grandmother who had only a 4th grade education. She was self taught. Her mother died and left her with the responsibility of caring for the family. Her father had to work the farm so Grandma did all the cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, sewing and gardening and became very good at that. She wrote her letters from the knowledge that she received while in school and did a great job.

I remember my mother and aunt reading her letters without taking a breath because Grandma never used punctuation. Few periods and no commas.
She spelled as it sounded so we could always understand what she was writing but it had some different spellings.

Example: Sandwitch Spread in my recipe file.

She was a remarkable lady and I loved getting letters from her. She would tell me of her daily activities and the parties she attended in the neighborhood or for birthdays and everything they had to eat.

I felt so important to think she would write to me.

An Amazing Fact: 166,875,000,000 pieces of mail are delivered each year in the U.S.  (Amazing that so few get lost.)

If we had an important piece of mail that we wanted someone to get quickly, we would send it either Air mail or Special delivery.

In the 40's the letters came for 2½¢. Postcards were a penny. So the term Penny postcard.
Del and I both had a postcard collection. We have many albums holding our collection of cards and postage stamps from years ago.

An airmail stamp cost double that of regular mail. Regular mail was 3¢ during the 50's and air was 6¢.

Postcards became 2¢.

Special Delivery was 10¢. This was delivered the time it came directly to your home.

Western Union Telegrams

1955 my Minister, Ray Tiemeyer from St. Luke's Church in Sioux City, Iowa sent me a telegram congratulating me on the work I did while in Pennsylvania and my election to the  National Youth Board.
I was serving as a Youth Caravaner for The Luther League of America and Traveled the East Coast States.

After returning I was given a Telegram from that Minister in Pennsylvania expressing his appreciation and praising me for my ability and maturity working with their congregation. I saved that for years. A Telegram!
I really felt important!

Editors Note: The End Of The Telegraph

After 145 years, Western Union discontinued its telegraph service on Jan. 27, 2006. The Western Union telegraph service started in 1861, but it slowly became obsolete after long-distance telephone service, fax, and email offered more convenient forms of rapid communication.

Internet Email

Email has become a new way of life.

In 1993 I was introduced to the Internet. I didn't think I would ever use it. I didn't need to search for anything.

Then I was set up with a free provider which was Arizona University and it was called Aztec. Volunteers kept it online.

When we communicated with Pieter in South Africa we were ecstatic!

Then my brothers, and then friends.

An entirely new way of communication.

Today in 2004 Email has become a part of life. It is so convenient for communicating with clubs and for business purposes.

Now we can even purchase things online with a click of the mouse and a credit card. Makes shopping fun and easy.

Now we have websites and it is not only fun but profitable with our small businesses.

I can see the next generation not knowing how to operate a business without a computer.

Personal Website

http://www.lwazcc.org/web/jcarstens

Business Websites

Wedding Business

http://www.lwazcc.org/web/jcarstens/minister.htm

Innerlight™Business

http://www.innerlightinc.com/jcarstens.cfm

Computers

A new way of life for our generation. I have found it to be a challenge but also a great help with every day living.

The computers have made my life easier by organizing our business, taking care of finances, genealogy, photos, cards, and cameras.

Print shop helps make all our greeting cards and many other print shop items.

Adobe Photoshop Elements has been a program bring a challenge and art to photography for me.

My digital camera pictures can be read and printed from my computer after adjusting them.

Microsoft Money helps keep our check book in balance.

Our Wedding Business

Computer Helps
and Freeware Programs for your Safety.

Click here

http://www.lwazcc.org/web/jcarstens/computer.htm

History
of Our Computers

• 1992 Tandy Deskmate my first computer on sale for $1800

• 1997 HP Windows 98 replaced the Tandy for everyday use. Sale $899 included printer as well.

• 2000 Compaq Presario Laptop came into our home and Motor Home
  $ 2800 includes portable canon printer

• 2002 Del Desktop Replaced Windows 98 with XP operating System.

• 2003 Hard drive failed and was replaced

• 2004 HP Compaq replaced Del XP which failed Sale $529

• 2004 Laptop fails Replaced with

Compaq Presario 2100 Laptop $799

Prices keep coming down and printers are so reasonable BUT the INK is a different story.

The dot matrix printer I used with the Tandy from 1992 used ribbons which were $12.

I cannot find them today.

Today the lowest price INK is around $19, however, the regular price runs $32-49 depending on new or refill.

Teaching Computers Has been Judy's volunteer job since 1996. Starting in Glendale and continuing in Leisure World. Teaching Senior Adults is a challenge and a Joy!

Our New Classroom in Leisure World 2004

Under Construction

Please come back.