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Hand Held Radios

In the early 1970s, significant progress was made in developing and perfecting the design and engineering concepts for cell phones and handheld radios.

Facts about Handheld Radios

In February 1973, Motorola produced a working DynaTAC (DYNamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage) portable phone prototype. The first call, placed by Martin Cooper to his rival at AT&T’s Bell Labs from the streets of New York City, caused a fundamental technology and communications market shift toward the person and away from the place, thanks to the earlier capability of handheld radios and then the cell phone.

Additional Information about Handheld Radios

Handheld radios were the inspiration for the development of the cell phone. “People want to talk to other people—not a house, or an office, or a car. Given a choice, people will demand the freedom to communicate wherever they are, unfettered by the infamous copper wire. It is that freedom we sought to vividly demonstrate in 1973,” Cooper said.

More Data about Handheld Radios

Following that call, Cooper started the 10-year process of bringing the portable cell phone to market. Motorola presented the DynaTAC prototype phone and system concept to the FCC. This was a major achievement for the Motorola team. But they still faced another challenge: designing a commercial large-area system that would enable their portable phone to operate. And they also needed to upgrade the capabilities of handheld radios.