Just found the make and model of MacGyver's answer machine.


It's a Panasonic (KX-T1625) EASA-PHONE and can still be found for sale on Ebay

Nice work Kiwi!

Scary how these things used to run peoples lives back in the day.

Nowadays, voice messages are just a dial away on your smartphone.

Yes, I have one! Gonna use it in the garage loft and rewire at as a trip alarm through
a loudspeaker with RDAs voicemail greeting.

Looks awesome!

Would love to have one!

Me too! I remember the model I had would have a red light on if someone left a message, and a green light if not. I used to look forward to getting messages. It's amazing how much smart phones have changed the face of life. I saw, on one of the SAK forums I follow, a pager. Remember those things?

We used pagers at work. Even had one myself.

I remember there was a time when only doctors or "really important people" had them. They were like a status symbol.

Then as the prices dropped more people started using them as a convenient for of contact, the "importance" status moved over to cell phones... only important and/or rich people had them.

I had one at work too Kiwi. To be honest, I miss the answering machine and pay phone days in some ways. Still, it's great to connect with other people just like this!

I think one of the great things about answerphones was that you weren't tethered continuously. If you went out you could focus 100% on what you were doing or where you were going and enjoy the moment. If someone wanted to contact you they left a message and you listened to it when it suited you.

In that regard we had more freedom to enjoy our lives... now we're constantly interrupted by an almost endless supply of notifications and alerts.

I still use one. It's a phone/digital recorder combo. Have never needed or used a cell phone, as there is nothing
that can't wait 15 minutes or so between the home & the office.

I think I'm going to reinstitute an idea I used to do....Cell Phone Free Sunday! I can let my voicemail take the messages and get a break from the tether lol. Joe I really think you have the right idea! This might be a way I can Mac my life a little more!

Sounds like a great initiative Barry!

I still make extensive use of my landline and have a answerphone combo phone too. The answerphone takes messages 3-4 times per week for my business. I have a mobile - mainly for 'emergency use', however I don't walk around joined at the hip to it as many folks seem to. It stays in my bag mostly - it often runs out of power through lack of use and therefore my realising that it is out of power as I haven't needed it. I don't like to use it in the car and would never do so, before I got my hands on a hands free solution. For the last 4-5 years I have run it blue tooth through my tomtom satnav device - it worked well. My new car was fitted with a hands free blue tooth system integrated into the car electronics. It also had a built in satnav. At the moment I was well used to tomtom so I've fitted a brodit mount to the car and still use tomtom, but the gadget geek in me had to try the in-car phone hook up. If I'm being honest, I'm rather hooked on it - it is well 'flash' to be able dial through the steering wheel, but I only use it to report if I am stuck in a traffic jam, or my eta at the end of a long journey - I won't entertain chat for chat's sake if I am actually driving. Stuck in a traffic jam is a different thing and I have used it to pass the time of day on occasion. I also use the mobile to text the kids as they like texts, but I don't send many - 15-20 per month possibly. So on the whole, I am still not a huge user of a mobile phone - I like the land-line and mostly use that for business. It's great when it working! However, currently I have line issues with the broadband though - very intermittent - I am reporting it tomorrow - the mobile might get more use this week!