A UK researcher is urging people to dust off their old-fashioned telephones and bring them along to a free interactive telecommunications event at the Museum of Science and Industry on 30 September and 1 October.
Professor Nigel Linge from the University of Salford is on the hunt for anything from 1980s 'brick'-style mobiles to 1960s dial phones, and beyond. He is looking to expand the University's collection of historic telephones, which includes several early mobile phones, old BT exchange parts and a morse code telegraph sounder from the early 1900s.
Aimed at family groups, the exhibition will have on show several original telephones, which visitors will be encouraged to handle, and will feature interactive demonstrations about how the technology works. It will be followed up next year by a new Communications Gallery at the Museum, for which Nigel is hoping to find new exhibits.
He said: "I'm on the look-out for all types of historic telephone equipment, which we're hoping many people have in loft storage. Most teenagers have never seen, or used, early mobile phones or old dial telephones so this exhibition will be an eye-opener for them - and nostalgic for adults too."
The 12 inch 1985 Motorola mobile phone in Nigel's collection weighs approximately 1lb (600g) , has an eight hour battery lifespan and just one ringtone. It retailed for
Posted to the site on 19th September 2006
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