Sonny's phone on the boat


Stinger390X

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Here's the Muraphone 600/601 I bought...Eingefügtes BildPretty cool. 750 foot range. Learned that the MP-600 is the handset, and the MP-601 is the 'base.' The base clicks as it dials, and the red led on the handset does too. In fact if I dial 1-2-3 for example, the red led will follow up with one flash, then two flashes, then three flashes. This phone seems to work like a rotary phone, not like a touch tone. The base has a relay that clicks away when you dial. It also picks up a lot of interference from motors, fluorescent lights, dimmer switches etc. The handset has a bit of weight to it; it doesn't feel like a kids toy anyway. The battery still works and everything. Feels like a high end piece from its day. Date code is 8318. The paperwork in the box is dated Dec 1980.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I don't think it was a Muraphone model in the car at all' date='....[/quote']NOTE: Thread Title: Sonny's phone on the boat....Which was indeed a Muraphone ... which only made terra-based phones back in the day... No Mobile Phones for Muraphone....
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Here's the Muraphone 600/601 I bought...Eingefügtes BildPretty cool. 750 foot range. Learned that the MP-600 is the handset' date=' and the MP-601 is the 'base.' The base clicks as it dials, and the red led on the handset does too. In fact if I dial 1-2-3 for example, the red led will follow up with one flash, then two flashes, then three flashes. This phone seems to work like a rotary phone, not like a touch tone. The base has a relay that clicks away when you dial. It also picks up a lot of interference from motors, fluorescent lights, dimmer switches etc. The handset has a bit of weight to it; it doesn't feel like a kids toy anyway. The battery still works and everything. Feels like a high end piece from its day. Date code is 8318. The paperwork in the box is dated Dec 1980.[/quote']Very cool and I am so jealous!I can explain the fact regarding the flashing light as back in the 80's phone systems were still "ANALOGUE" They did not change to the new format of "DIGITAL" until the change of the century around the 1999-2002 era. In the old analogue system they still used "Rotary" switching technology in many areas, so the phones, even though they had "DTMF PADS" (digital tone multifunction) they still used the analogue base system.A funny side story regarding this... A good friend of mine named Bill actually holds four patents for DTMF technology. He worked for Bell here in Canada and had many arguments with Bell executives in the change back in the late 70's and early 80's when home phones changed from Pulse" to "Tone". He actually invented a pad which originally had 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0, star and pound as well as "A","B"."C".and "D" key on the pad. He faught with Bell wanting all the keys put on all Northern Telcom handsets and Bell wanted nothing to do with it. Bell Canada only wanted to use the numbers and that's all!Well... Bill made fists and jumped up and down screaming at the meetings until Bell exec's finally allowed him to put the "STAR & POUND" keys on all publically manufactured home phones, but not the letters. Bell executives at the time stated "We will never find a use for the star and pound key anyway!Boy...how wrong were they in that assumption???????By the way I am an Amateur Radio Operator (as was Bill) and all out equipment even from the 70's to modern day keypads have always had the "a,b,c,and d" keys on our DTMF pads as long as I can remember, and I have been a Ham for over a quarter century!That is the reason why all phones in North America have a Star and Pound key.........true story!Notice the Muraphone even has the star and pound keys on either side of the zero!
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  • 6 months later...

eh he's not doing any harm really, and sorry about the car and the phone thing, I would have thought both would have been one and the same, or very similar.

Edited by Kavinsky
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Hard to say but I did notice that it is linked into the cigarette lighter in the ash tray and here are a few shots from the daytona folder I have and it looks like its got more than 12 on it, more like 18. Hmm I always figured it was just a prop, never a working phone but I guess that means someone really did call him in sons and lovers.

I don't think the phone is hooked to the cigarette lighter, that is the cord that goes to the cradle--which went to the unit in the trunk that was the size of a hardback novel.

 

But your screen cap did point out something that I hadn't noticed.  The mirrors were remote control power mirrors.  The two control switches are just under the e-brake handle!  Only screen cap I've seen that caught that.

Edited by jurassic narc
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I always thought that was the plug for the Phone, hmm I guess that pretty much confirms that the mirrors were the full sized electric tornado mirrors and they WERE linked into the car then.

 

although then why were they always in odd positions then? did they just put them in those positions so they wouldnt block the camera, and they just didnt droop like the baby tornado ones did?

 

although that might explain why the center console wood was removed latter, as when he switched out to the non electric ones, he removed the switches and probably couldnt undo some of the damage done to the burlwood.

 

plus you would need to get at the wires in the door, which might explain why the door panels were redone.

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  • 3 years later...
On 7/24/2013 at 7:04 PM, Sonny-Burnett said:

VINTAGE 1984 MURAPHONE MP-800/801 TELEPHONE ~ SAME MODEL USED IN MIAMI-VICEUnfortunately, I had been watching for this phone on Ebay and neglected to bid on it. Was the first time I had ever seen one on Ebay before. http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-1984-MURAPHONE-MP-800-801-TELEPHONE-SAME-MODEL-USED-IN-MIAMI-VICE-/271237882295?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=W5aEuVJJSC%252B%252B%252BCvuBHrNsvEbhZE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc[ATTACH=CONFIG]8170[/ATTACH]

post-36-138929657087_thumb.jpg

Dadrian reminded me that I need to find one of these to really complete the Devo scene.  So will keep an eye out. 

 

Edited by Sonny-Burnett
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  • 5 years later...

Hi all,

This just came up in another thread and after my own initial confusion I now summarized the 80s Muraphone models with a definitive conclusion of which one was in MV, which is of course the one @Beach_Vice got in 2013 above. I just purchased one from eBay also. And if anybody still wants one there is another one on eBay looking to be in great condition, though at a somewhat pricier than average $140:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/354327756854 (at least available as of today 27th Mar 2023, might not last!)

In summary, we want the package with happy ladies (600/601), though the most commonly available seems to be the one with space (800/801). 

Phonemodelsummary.thumb.png.d32981cfdf4185f798db068df09d2889.png

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450 handset doesn't look too close, but I threw it in for general completeness. There were also models 50/51, 100/101, and 300/301, but I couldn't find any pictures of them, and those earlier models probably looked much different anyway.

@Dadrian @Kalci @daytona365 @Sonny-Burnett for awareness.

Edited by Paul Veres
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Got my phone today. I'm not sure this model can be found in any newer condition. The metal 'Made in Hong Kong' plaque had protective film on it! I did take it off because I do not plan to resell it. So that was intentional value reduction... but I also unintentionally screwed up with cutting through the outer box too strongly and giving the phone box a light cut (can be seen in the first two pictures). Very disappointed with myself, but this is my first time buying anything vintage of value, and I opened it just the same way I open any regular stuff from Amazon, habit... will be more careful in the future.

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Later edit. I'm convinced now this phone was never used. The wires were fused with the styrofoam in some places (see traces on the wires in the photo), which admittedly could be the case even if they were there for some 20 and not 40 years. But this plastic bag on the power adapter is fitted to it in such a way that the only way to take the stuff out of it without tearing the bag would be to carefully thread through the thinner black wire - any consumer would just tear the bag itself. But it was intact, with the scotch tape keeping it tight turn yellowish from time and disintegrating in my fingers. 

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Imprints in the styrofoam from the wires:

PXL_20230401_015120398.thumb.jpg.7153e7b6a0e93979af3bc8a43daa7025.jpg

So it appears I bought a brand new 1982-made phone. 

The warranty card is not filled out:

Scan_20230331.thumb.jpg.cfcc330c943539d232e97a41927577bf.jpg

Edited by Paul Veres
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