recordings of the last days of plain old telephone service
From 2003 through 2007, I made recordings of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) using a
MiniDisc recorder. I knew that one day, the PSTN would be gone, replaced by mobile phones, Voice over IP
(VoIP), and other new technologies. These recordings were my way of preserving a record of what was, in
many ways, already a relic of the 20th century. Now, many years later, I'm dusting off the old MiniDiscs,
editing and narrating them, and am posting the recordings here for you to enjoy. So sit down, grab your
headphones, and have a listen — you may just learn things you never knew about how phones worked!
Cognitronics Expanded Announcement System
Recordings 1-1000
Recorded May 2003
2:08:00
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Posted 10 January 2026
Phone1 COCOT Payphone Signaling
(in stereo)
Recorded 2006
0:10:30
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