Lookie what I found.

[DanG]

Oops! Sorry Charlie. I didn't mean to be typin' while you was interruptin. :D :D ;D

Almost all rural lines were party lines in them days. Remember all those poles with the crossarms and glass insulators?  It took 2 of them big ol' wires to service one line. The only way they could provide service to everyone who could afford it, was to stack them on party lines. Even the ones that could afford a private line usually couldn't get one because of the limitations of the "open wire" circuitry.  The advent of encased "fine guage" cables, and dial service changed all that, but now that technology is archaic. I'm sitting out here, 10 miles from nowhere, connected to the internet at 48k, with a fiber optic terminal 1/2 mile away. I saw all the progress through these phases in my career as a phone man, and it still boggles my mind. ???

Of course, my mind ain't all that hard to boggle. :

[Tom]

And here I sit a half mile off of the hard-road and 12 miles from civilization in Thomas Swamp, typing on a Cable connection at God-only-knows-what baud across fiber when folks in town can't even get it.

......ain't having a strong willed, forceful, get-it-done wife nice once in a while? ;D :D

[etat]

 :

Good thing I haven't had time to hook er up yet cause it's a  fine how ya do just now finding out that I got stuck big time by buyin a telephone that won't work.   AND since I ain't hooked it up yet I just bet ye the warranty's done run out. And I was SO lookin forward to ringin up the operator just like String Bean  used ta do. ???

I can't for the life of me remember who it was who used to talk on one of them there telelphones on the grand ole opry.   :P

[SwampDonkey]

Heck, then I'll never get that ther fancy fandangled wiring in this here haus. I do well to get dialup at 27kbit/sec on a 56kbit modem. :

[breederman]

Since that phone is no good and ya gotta throw it out,what day is garbage day? I might be inclined to do some trash picking. :D
  we only got our privete line about ten years ago,so probably have to put up with dial-up for a long time yet.

[Haytrader]

ck,

Could it have been Minnie?

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Good this THIS thread hasn't strayed much from the original topic  : : ???  :D :D :D :D

  Who was it that wuz gonna straighten out and organize this place ???  Oh yeah, That there Va. Sawyer guy. : : GOOD LUCK  ;D :D :D :D :D :D

[etat]

Nope, i think VA is doing a FINE job!

I remember when I first got a computer, it ain't been that long ago.  Somehow I fount out that there wuz faster connections than a 56k modem.  I thought it had to do with what's in the computer didn't really know yet what a modem was, or ya had to have a different kind of phone line.  SO, I went right on down to Wallyworld, and then Circut City and made a real imbarressment of myself tryin to buy a quicker modem so the computer would work faster.  Worst part, or maybe the best part is they was real nice in helpin continue my education. :

Haytrader, I'm still pictring an old guy what used to talk on that telephone.  Pretty sure the guy I'm thinkin of weren't Minnie but now i got to thinkin.  I think her and Fla.  went to the same place to get their hats.

[OneWithWood]

You all with the dial-ups must have the patience of Job to be on here as much as you are.  Even with my faster-than-a-scalded-cat cable modem at home or the broadband here at work I spend a bunch of time browsing the forum and soaking up all the knowledge and fellowship.  DanG patient bunch of folks

[junkyard]

We got a 2party line about 25 years ago 10 years ago they let us have a private line. When it was a 10 party line it was common to pick up the phone nobody talking but an open line. Ask if anybody was there and the old lady next door would say she was talking with the woman across the road but she was either checking the cake in the oven or some other chore. They would talk a minute then the other would do something. but never hang up. Hard to order  parts when you can't get the phone. if you did get the phone one of them would want to know how long you intended to use it as they needed it now. Rant enough.
                         Junkyard

[junkyard]

Forgot to say we are with a small local phone  Company that only has about 2000 phones. All calls over ten miles are toll calls.16,000 baud max if it isn't raining or the wind blowing. Keeps the old commputer just as good as the modern ones.
                              Junkyard

[Murf]

Where our summer place is they have a small holdout private family run telephone company.

They use the alpha numeric number system too, but it is because it's easier to rember a word than a number, years ago all phione numbers were that way here.

My number is "Turner 5", they use the letters on the dial to make up the word. You just use the letters on the dial to spell it out.

Sure makes it easy to remember a number, now if I could just figger' out where I left the keys for the truck......

[DanG]

I don't really notice all that much difference in the dial-up I'm using now, and the T-1 connection I had at work. The real jam-ups are in the network. If you can look at your through-put, you'll see that you usually download at less than 15kbps.  It's like a chain with a weak link...it is only as fast as it's slowest, or busiest point.

[J_T]

Ck I got one them phones too . 8) Took it off the wall in the house I was raised in think our ring was two shorts and a long.That was Speck calling Sadie rember his plaid suits ???

[etat]

J_T, thank you, thank you, thank you.  I could picture him in my head, but just could not call up his name. I been tryin to remember all day long and that's a fact!  

[etat]

Got it down plain as day now!

Speck walks up to Porter,
Porter Says Well Speck Have you seen Sadie lately?
Speck says yep! I saw her last night,
Porter says hows she doing?
speck She`s doing good!
and you know What? I grabbed her around the waist, and started to kiss her!
And she she said, now speck!!!! you just stop right there,
If you kiss me on the mouth, I`m a gonna call the law!!!
Porter says well did ya kiss her?
Speck says yep!
Porter says well did she call the law???
Speck says Yep!, after I kissed her
She said Law, Law!!!!!!! ki ki ki ki ki ki

Speck Rodes, the Porter Wagner Show

[SwampDonkey]

A polaski is like an axe on one edge and grub-hoe on the other edge and sharpened like one. Where a mattock, was heavier for busting up the ground. My uncle called a mattock a grub-hoe. No tell'n him no different. Head-strong like a bull ya know. He learned it from his uncle that was 10 times head-strong along with the rip-swearin to go with it.  ;) :D :D :D

[SwampDonkey]

Is this a sandvick? For brushing I know that. I've used it to knock down salmon berry caines.

[iain]

I thought sandvick was the company name.
We're on 2.5 meg down now and .75 up, mostly runs at 2.56 not that i keep an eye on it ;)



  iain

[etat]

Looks to me like it is a cross between a bushblade and a ax.  

[SwampDonkey]

Ian:

I think your right, but we used to have tools for brushing in the deep salal vines that they called a sandvick and it was a thin,short, narrow blade attached at both ends by and arched mount. Wasn't very useful for heavy brushing as the blade would get knocked out and go flying. Hmm I'll check DEAKIN EQUIPMENT.

[edit] Deakin calls what I described here a brush axe

Click - 5th axe in list  [/edit]

[Tom]

That's what we call a Bush Ax.  The tool that is similar but has a wide, machete looking blade on the end of it we call a Brush Ax or Ditch Bank Ax.   Both are great tools for clearing. The leverage of the long handle makes them very efficient and it will surprise you how effortlessly you can take out a 3 inch sapling.

I prefer the Brush Ax because the thin blade cleaves better but sometimes you need the heft of a real ax and the Bush Ax comes closer to that.

[SwampDonkey]

Thanks guys