This Motorola Cell Phone Doesn't Exist // U.S. Wireless Data POS-50

When it comes to old technology there's not much you can't find on Google, but the U.S. Wireless Data POS-50 is a triple threat. There are no results for the POS-50 terminal itself, the Motorola bag phone, and only 2 pictures of the Omron CAT95 card reader it uses with no details. Payment terminal history isn't well documented, but it's likely this was the very first self contained portable credit card terminal.

Thanks to @HolleyPerformance for sending this piece of technology history my way!

#CreditCard #Motorola #TechThrowback

[richardwasserman]

Motorola sold an interface called the Cellular Connection that worked with their 3 Watt transceivers. It allowed a POTS device to control the cell phone. I used to sell systems like this back in the mid 90s. We also sold systems to use the cellular network to backup PSAPs.

[jrr]

Omg. I remember seeing this as a kid at thw BigE (New England "State" Fair). The phone company (SNET) had a booth showing off innovations Worlds Fair style. They even let people run fake transactions using it. This tickled memories in the back of my quickly aging mind. Thabs JR.

[gonzo_the_great]

There were POTS adaptors for the old motorola phones, initially intended for use with fax/modems.
I did play with one, back in the day. Had it in a mobile fit, with an old bakelite phone on the car dash. Used to really confuse other engineers on site.

[sarahh]

I'm impressed it came with all the paperwork and manuals wow

[aaron]

YES those phones WERE wicked loud! My mom's 94 Mercury Sable GS wagon had a factory Motorola phone that looked just like that.

[mspysu]

Very cool, the printer appears to be an Epson printer and would take an ERC-09B ribbon. The same printer was used in Epson's HX series of portable computers.

[itsnotme]

That is very cool JR! I think I may have seen one of those back in the 90's at a swap meet. Couldn't have been cheap to run.

[Dartman]

That is so cool from back when everything related to cell phones was new and mostly rich folks and businesses had them. I was hanging out at Radio Shack and eventually worked there part time when all of that kind of stuff was new so you had bag phones and brick phones were the new cool thing.
We had a contractor that would come in and buy the latest phones and goodies. I think we got the small flip phones as a family in the mid 90s.
Was a fun time to be into tech toys.

[Forenza]

1:59 I wish I could find an old picture, but that is EXACTLY the car phone we had when I was a kid. Exact same Motorola handset, hardwired into our 1995 Camry. I've never been able to find another quite like it.

[catgirl_eva]

That battery looks like it might've been intended for a VHS videocamera originally.

[albertorozco]

My old job had one. We used it everyday. We called it a datatrol. You could do transactions on it with just the credit card number.

[fomocopowersgarage]

Keep up with these videos. They are a ton of fun to watch. I wish you were doing these sooner, I've found tons of really interesting things over the years.

[rpavlik]

I was wondering why Holley would need something like that... Then you mentioned buying at a show. 😁

[PX_DVD]

Just found our channel and your vids are great! The old cellular stuff is always interesting

[MissFoxification]

I never thought this would come in handy again.. you might be able to get into the programming on the handset by dialling FN RCL.

[tschuuuls]

You could probably host a local 1G tower on a HackRF Software defined radio :D
To get around the firmware lock you'll probably only need to dump the rom chip.

[alansmith]

I removed a 'mobile phone' from a friends Honda Accord. It appears to be the same Motorola Receiver, as the one that you have.
Under the front six control buttons (front bottom), it says CellularOne. The back has a silver label that says
Type SCN2498B
Ser No. GUJ (20)
Mfg. in USA by Motorola Inc.
Fun Fact: If you were in San Antonio, and wanted a Mobile Phone (hard-wired in car) in the late 70's, it was expensive, and there was a two year waiting list.

[mycosys]

Wow that thing looks like its 10 years older than it is. Odd that its Fax Machine white in the late 90s.
In Australia we had GSM from '94 so POS data terminals were pretty common by then.
Whatever you put in that room really helped the reflections btw.

[GoPotato]

damn love the higher cam quality compared to the watchjrgo vids

[cohort]

I recall seeing one of these at computer and radio shows in the 80s and 90s. It was very handy for point-of-sale at conventions and shows where phone lines weren't readily available. Otherwise vendors would have to drag out a carbon slip and a credit card imprinter.