Rural Radiotelephone Experiment at Cheyenne Wells, Colo.

The first rural party-line telephone service by radio installations operating on the subscribers´ premises was inaugurated August 20, 1946. This paper describes the equipment used, how it operates, and the results obtained during the preliminary testing and the initial period of regular operation. Radio is one of several new methods which the Bell System is exploring in its program for extension of telephone service in rural areas. It is expected that experience gained in this experiment will aid in developing a standard rural radiotelephone system.