What Battery did Marty Cooper use in 1973?

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Cool4Kat
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Hello, lovely people. I was wondering if anyone knows what kind of battery Marty Cooper used for the very first cell (mobile) phone call in 1973? I know that by the 80s they were using Nickel-Cadmium batteries but I don't know about that first one.

Thanks in advance,

Kathy
 
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Cool4Kat said:
Hello, lovely people. I was wondering if anyone knows what kind of battery Marty Cooper used for the very first cell (mobile) phone call in 1973? I know that by the 80s they were using Nickel-Cadmium batteries but I don't know about that first one.

Thanks in advance,

Kathy
I would almost bet good money that it was a lead acid made by Harker batteries :smile: :rolleyes: :biggrin:
 
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I read an article that said that they were produced since 1946 (in a Scientific American from 1948) however, Marty Cooper complained that his battery weighed 1 pound. 10 years later, the whole system weighed 1 pound so his battery must have gotten significantly smaller. Thanks
 
Well I tried to google Harker batteries and it seems the best google can do is give a batteries plus in Harker Hights, Tx. A big surprise for me. :wideeyed:
 
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Martin Cooper is still alive. You should try to contact him to ask your question.
 
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Cool4Kat said:
Hello, lovely people. I was wondering if anyone knows what kind of battery Marty Cooper used for the very first cell (mobile) phone call in 1973? I know that by the 80s they were using Nickel-Cadmium batteries but I don't know about that first one.

Thanks in advance,

Kathy
May not have been rechargeable. They did not become popular until later.
 
Almost 24 hours later I finally find some information, (I would have lost my bet I think :frown:) after at least 15 years in my shop (unmolested) I had to find one of my batteries and I'm still not sure if a history goes back into the 70's ? The following link seems to be the batteries I have.

http://www.enersys-emea.com/reserve/pdf/EN-CYC-AM-007_1208.pdf

To my surprise it looks as if the single cell is still good and will take/hold a charge. :woot:
Not that this post will mean much to most people, but to me it means lead acid batteries have value that most have been taught no longer exist ?:rolleyes: