Cartel CT-1000 - The Bluetooth Car Kit that wants to be a Car Phone

[@evanbarnes9984]

I feel like they needed to think twice about choosing the name "Cartel Solutions." Sounds like a logistics company that specializes in submarine shipping

[@CelGenStudios]

Believe me, that was HEAVILY burdening me research on this.

[@thcoura]

Well thought joke 😂

[@BillAnt]

The cartels will be all over this phone. lol Back in the late 80's early 90's they used the Motorola DPC Micro-Tac flip with modified firmware for free calls. Somehow I got one (I'm not cartel affiliated at all), and it was quite interesting. lol

[@gvoskin]

From Brooklyn, NY. Feels right

[@bitelaserkhalif]

*Funky town started playing*

[@BrianRRenfro]

A man with a dozen old car phones and zero hair brushes deserves my subscription!

[@CelGenStudios]

The hair seems to have a mind of its own! D:

[@ytdrachengame1157]

Mine too 👌

[@BillAnt]

​@@CelGenStudios - I'm giving you props for still having/using that amazing HP LaserJet 4 from the early 90's. ;) I got a Canon laser copier/printer in 1999 and still working perfect after using it every day for all these years. Laser printers rule! :D

[@Youtubeviewbott]

@@CelGenStudiosyou need curly hair products and let your hair air dry!!

[@Nokorola]

Sometimes KZbin does a good job recommending a video that is spot on for the random things I enjoy. I really enjoyed the video and I’m now subscribed.

[@integerofdoom69]

It happened to me.

[@plannedobsolescence6486]

Oh my god. This is an incredible gift from the algorithm. I found your channel randomly like 6 years ago and watched this channel update you did that was super self deprecating about how you were living with your parents, ending with your dad walking in while you were filming. It was kind of charmingly tragic, and all too relatable. I watched a few other videos you’d done and they were really interesting and unique, but I forgot to subscribe and then couldn’t find your channel again for some reason. I was literally thinking about this the other day because I’m starved for stuff to watch lately, and voila, KZbin delivered. Hell yeah. Subbed, finally. Also this video and this product rocks. I want this for my creepy 80s Chevy van so bad.

[@CelGenStudios]

One of these days I will be able to afford to move out of this basement and have a proper place to work on projects and make videos without the anxiety of being interrupted while working unscripted. It's not fun to mention but it's a brutal truth. Thank you for subscribing. I do appreciate it.

[@plannedobsolescence6486]

@@CelGenStudios Dude same here. It’s tough. Props for keeping on though, it seems like you’re really hitting your stride with what you’re doing.

[@lululombard]

I am sure a device broadcasting "CARTEL" as its Bluetooth name would be just fine at the border if you come back from holidays in Mexico! Anyways excellent video, I love your AMC with the MiniDisc head unit!

[@trr5291]

Someone I know had a car phone in the late 90s. She is a real estate agent. She would drive down the road while setting up appointments. You would never get away with that today.

[@xXRedTheDragonXx]

How am I now just finding your channel? It feels like you should have tons more subscribers, your videos are amazing!

[@CelGenStudios]

I've given up trying to figure this one out and just assume that if stat points were a thing, "luck" would be set to 0.

[@TechGorilla1987]

Before I even watch the video, I want to make a comment. Remember "Spencers Gifts"? Back when I was just out of HS, I bought a plastic "car phone" from one of their mall stores. It came complete with a mounting base, handset and fake antenna to stick on your roof. We would pile in the car and drive around the are pretending that we were talking on a real car phone. Those were the days. That was right about the time that pagers were popular.

[@drwheycooler8423]

The CELLUCLONE!!!! I had one in my 1978 Ford Fairmont! It was so obviously fake...yet people thought it was real!

[@K-Riz314]

That was it! The dial pad was phosphorescent so it would look backlit at night. Awesome to run into people who remember this obscure ancient relic. ​@@drwheycooler8423

[@TechGorilla1987]

@@drwheycooler8423 My first car in HS was a 1979 Mercury Zephyr. Those were most certainly the days!

[@slimatmim]

That sound the phone makes when starting up. Brings back memories of the 80’s and 90’s

[@Scotty_in_Ohio]

a STARTAC without the antenna "droop" is a very, very rare thing! The printer, copier and other items in the background both excite me and trigger printer based PTSD - the only thing that would be worse would be the Motorola pager "Triangle" tone...

[@spyderxs7000]

Its the reason I subscribed to his channel lol

[@therealchayd]

"PC LOAD LETTER" comes to mind :D

[@50shadesofbeige88]

I do love the StarTAC.

[@CelGenStudios]

I mean, why would anyone not love the StarTAC?

[@coreybabcock2023]

I sold one in 98 at the age of 14 for 250.00 to s guy named choi in Appleton WI at the Fox River Mall he worked for century tel

[@CryingWolf_225]

As I was watching your video I could not help but notice that you have a, "Butler In A Box", unit on the shelf behind you. I actually was one of 4 people trained to program, install, and maintain these units. However, my boss got cold feet at a television interview when the stored data on our backup box was corrupted and the product was not doing as he wished. I really had fun with learning how to program these devices and lost a Model I and II. I still remember the passwords to the devices and if ever found in this huge storage shed, i'll have to break them out to see if they still work.

[@CelGenStudios]

Yeah I did a video on it many, many years ago and earlier this year it peaked in popularity earlier this year. I do really like it as a "dumb" Alexa.

[@hburke7799]

I love the Mini-Disc Stereo!

[@Pam-h4u]

Can u write ur own mini-discs like those cdrw that are normal sized cds?

[@hburke7799]

@@Pam-h4u Yes, you can use a NET-MD capable Mini-Disc player and a computer to write Mini-Discs.

[@rhyoliteaquacade]

Great video! I picked one of these up a year or so ago and it was also new old stock. Was going to install in my 2001 Expedition but bought a new to me 2013 with BT integration. They work great. It was a very well designed product and an nice addition to an 80's 90's car.

[@ManiacalMichael504]

Nice, I remember reading about these years ago but never saw one. Really nice to see it demonstrated!

[@MrHack4never]

(new car phone in the 2000's) I can imagine that it would be useful for taxi's, busses and miscellaneous bulk transport (and other work 99% done in a vehicle) would still have a use for this sort of thing, whether it's for breakdowns, new orders, or just double-checking information, but there would still be a cost comparison with normal cell phones

[@codycarreras4825]

Wow, this is incredible. I’m going to be after this thing forever now. Very sad to see these old cellular networks get shut down, and all these amazing phones just about obsolete now. Just found your channel, great stuff. I love old cellular stuff, those were my heydays. I have tons of old phones, probably about 150 still, much less than I once did. They were much more exotic and exciting back then. I had an active car phone until AMPS shutdown. The only cellular phones that would be able to carry a call through a deep canyon nearby was the car phone with its 3W. Still no replacement coverage there to this day. This thing really is something else.

[@SaschaStradtmann]

This device is a great accessory for 1980s or 1990s vintage car owners who want to add the finishing touches to their car with a car phone, but also want to use their current phone in the car.

[@br3nd4n]

This man is a National Treasure! 🍁

[@cocusar]

Even for a niche product, that one might have been a little bit overpriced. Even the 400 CAD they asked you for that unit. but thank you for showing this. a nice device, but the fact it's not a "hands free" might be a little bit dangerous for driving

[@CelGenStudios]

Yeah it was a tough pill to swallow. It had not moved on ebay so I saved up and just pulled the trigger....then it's sat in storage for the last five years while I worked on how to make this video. >_>

[@jessicam.4148]

That four screw mount the car phones used became a defacto standard that was referred to as an AMPS mount

[@CelGenStudios]

I was not aware that was actually a standard! o:

[@P-J-W-777]

I had the first Motorola car phone you showed and the second bag phone as well as both flip phones. I also had 2 different car phones that had a 2 way radio built in and several other car phones back in the day.

[@ianpolpo]

Nice Minidisc head unit! I had the same one in the early 00s and miss it. I loved the little Godzilla you could make show up on screen.

[@formdissolve]

This rules! A MiniDisc player AND an old school style car phone?! In very brown and beige AMC.. Love it!

[@Scotty_in_Ohio]

With a late 80's / early 90's (RAD) car and this you could "win" cars and coffee and move on to the semifinals for sure.

[@beekaye1496]

Man, what a remembrance of the car phone. I had mines back in 1990 and hate that I got rid of it just for nostalgia .

[@markpitts5194]

I roam arround in a couple of 25 year old Citroen Xantias, I could quite fancy this, sorta period correct. Thanks John.

[@bnuttsgee]

Installed a few of these up till 2016 .These were mostly installed in vip cars. Was popular in the NY/NJ area .

[@oldmanairsoft4716]

I almost got one of these at a amazon buy-back store last week for $8, but I put it down. Man, do I wish I had bought it now.

[@lukeclifton4392]

First time stumbling across your channel. The content got me… the LaserJet sold me. *Subscribed* 👍

[@spooley]

Wow, that takes me back. Had a bag phone through a carrier called Cantel - thought this was going to be a review. Can remember the manufacturers warned not to use it around gas pumps, supposedly a spark was possible when you made a call.

[@CelGenStudios]

I got a few phones that are branded by the old CANTEL/CANTEL AT&T before they were absorbed into Rogers.

[@spooley]

The official cellular network of the Blue Jays. At the end of a game they reminded you the postgame show was starting and if you were on Cantel it was free, just dial *123. Man, the stuff the brain can retain. Congrats on the workaround.

[@frydemwingz]

the first cell phone I used was my grandmas car phone. Funny enough, she was the first person in my extended family to own a cell phone. Granddad had a lot of money and she bugged him about it until she got her phone in the car, these things werent cheap. And she used it almost any time she sat in her Lincoln Town car. This was 1996 I think, I would have been 10. The first cell phone call I made was sitting in the passenger seat next to my grandma calling my friend that lived a few houses down from me. "guess where Im calling from??? A MOVING CAR!"

[@Ollila11]

Peitel still makes new carphones

[@doctorwhofan6340]

Oh yeah?

[@therealjasonseidel]

The AMC Eagle interior shot made me watch this. Cool video

[@loganmacgyver2625]

I'm only 20 years old, but my dream since I was like 16 was to own a convertible Eldorado in red with a car phone installed. I have this mental image, a dream that I'm driving down Váci út Budapest at night (with the lit streets and marquees that are sadly not neon anymore), talking on the car phone, Marlboro red 100 in my mouth and Kavinsky's Nightcall playing in the background

[@LordGryllwotth]

What I want is to buy a device that uses Bluetooth SAP (Sim Access Profile) with my phone. So I will get a better signal! Some cars have that as an option when you buy it.

[@raycosman824]

My first cell was a bag phone, had a flip phone that would plug into the car and be used like a normal car phone. Also had the very small flip that was almost too small. All were Motorola.

[@damo2142]

Had each one of the phones he showed. Got my first bag phone and the install kit to install in my car late 80s when a call cost $1.50 to $2 a minute to use. Was cool but very expensive to actually use.

[@elischwartz1919]

Great review! Ive had these in my vehicles till around 2 years ago. In fact my first CT-1000 was probably from the first 10 that were manufactured.. Although im a bit biased, i gotta say their car phone models were amazing. They sold this all over the US, Canada and other countries and was widely sold by verizon . I know some of this because the designer of this product is my brother. His background prior to designing and manufacturing these is from being an upfitter so he knew what the end user and installers like. Thanks again for this review, i was excited to see it update; P.s. the pad dialing is to enter a phone number as a notepad. It was most useful when someone would dial into their voicemail and wanted to save a number. In general, if you pressed any buttons it would either delete your message or do whatever,, so what thebpad did, it disabled the DTMF

[@CelGenStudios]

Tell your brother he made a great product. I've now had it in the car for about a month and have not had any complaints about it. I strongly recommend it.

[@elischwartz1919]

Will do ! ​@@CelGenStudios

[@robertbronstein1247]

@@elischwartz1919 any chance you have one for sale? this is exactly what I’ve been looking for but can’t seem to find one anywhere!

[@robsmith700]

I WANT ONE. I love 80's car phones.

[@PW.Skyline.V37]

I had a StarTac too! The very first clamshell flip phone iirc. I also had the first cellphone with a camera that had a flash (was a Sanyo).

[@lezzbmm]

16:00 interesting i was thinking that the “hands free” laws were prolly a big part of this type of product’s decline,, but the 2.5mm jack for headsets is interesting guess price was a big detractor like u said lmaoo thanks for researching and sharing !

[@lezzbmm]

wow ok the output coming out over the car speakers and pausing the music is fkn sick

[@marioga90]

I remember when my mom got a car phone installed in our family SUV I use to think it was the coolest thing!! I remember getting third degree burns during summer on the mount.

[@ReaperRestorations]

what a cool accessory in the 'ole Eagle.

[@Subgunman]

Have a Sony Ericsson T610 GSM CELL PHONE. Have the car kit that allows the use of an external antenna, a hands free microphone and remote speaker. I even have the micro QWERTY keyboard to send SMS messages with ease. Cut my teeth on the AMPS systems. Was a certified tech to repair Motorola AMPS phones down to component level repair of surface mount components. Even certified for OKI, MITSUBISHI, NEC, AUDIOVOX, E.F. JOHNSON, OF THE MOST POPULAR BRANDS IN THE DAY. The Motorola phones shown in this video were third and fourth generation AMPS phones. The handsets are pretty useless however the second generation transceiver chassis is useable for other uses, it has a locking mounting base. Great for using for housing GPS AND MONITORING equipment. Interesting, that is the exact same shifter used in my 1972 Ford Mustang.

[@coreybabcock2023]

I miss those days especially at cell com out of Green Bay WI and cellular one out of Appleton WI and US cellular and centurytel

[@coreybabcock2023]

I was the uncertified go to 3rd party parts and repair guy at the age of 17 18 19 20 21

[@raphaelschneider7852]

Oh no what did u do xD Now I want one for my station wagon :D Very informative and interesting video! Thank you ^^

[@CelGenStudios]

There is exactly one on ebay right but but it's $700USD. Do not pay $700 for one of these. It is not worth that kind of money. D:

[@no_handle_required]

that is the coolest thing on KZbin right now. I want.

[@ScottGrammer]

My first cell phone was a bag phone - about three times the size of the one you showed at 1:56. That was in 1989.

[@JonathansImprovements]

Makes me wonder how many Cartel members bought a Cartel 🤔 Does owning a Cartel make you a Cartel member?

[@FeloniousSavage]

"it was no longer luxurious to say I have a phone in my car you could whip this out and say I have a phone in my pocket and if you were really rich you could whip out this gram of cocaine and this is 1980s cocaine so we're really getting the party started" 😂😂😂

[@OldCBnGuns]

I didn’t expect the AMC that’s a nice surprise! Neat!

[@TechGorilla1987]

@1:32 - I watch old TV shows from PB and if you watch a lot of the Columbo or McMillan and Wife episodes, you see them using these car phones a bunch. For the very early 70's, some of the technology available was pretty amazing. One episode of Columbo had a phone system that would read a card and then make a phone call to a patient and leave a prerecorded message as an appointment reminder. All automated. in 1969.

[@saadahmad438]

cartel is a weird brand name

[@robertmoorej]

My 99 Lexus gs400 had an OEM startac dock in the armrest.

[@siliconinsect]

Nice LJ4+! Still using one and with JetDirect prints from modern Android and Win11. Always fun when it says the Paper Cassette needs to be LOADed with LETTER ;-)

[@Al-sq5ti]

I had a phone like this at the time it was the coolest thing

[@coreybabcock2023]

I worked at a independent shop in Oshkosh wi called kline cellular and yes amps was sunset in 2008 I remember the exact day that happened my analog digital phone went from analog to digital 1xrtt that moment Verizon shut down the amps sites

[@JacobTechShit]

The light switch on your wall legitimately bothers me 😂

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Now i want to buy one and install this in my 1989 sentra , but there is none to be found for sale on the internet. One ebay listing was asking for one that already aold for an eye watering 999$ 😭.

[@coreybabcock2023]

I used to program those and know the secret codes and had the Motorola bible ! Memorized !

[@coreybabcock2023]

I Miss installing those things and the analog network and carrying around my diamondtel bag phone

[@zeldadahedgehog]

i would love to have something like this in my 94 Corvette, have a car phone like in the 90's that's period correct to the car but i can actually use it unlike the real car phones where the service was discontinued decades ago

[@CelGenStudios]

The BMW and Mercedes people are the same way. It's a damn shame these were discontinued.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

What you were describing before pulling out the cartel was apple carplay. I think the cartel is cool from a retro aspect but in many states would be local to use sadly and for good reason.

[@rhyoliteaquacade]

It has hands free so 100% legal.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

@@rhyoliteaquacade right but the whole entire point of the thing is that it invokes nostalgia when you pick up the handset and are able to make a phone call using the handset if I’m just gonna use Bluetooth speakerphone I might as well just use the one built into my car because the cartel phone is literally just for looks at that point.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

@@rhyoliteaquacade the entire point is being able to use the cartel to make your smart phone into a 1980s car phone and unless you’re legally able to pick up the handset and use it it’s pointless 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@rhyoliteaquacade]

@@TiltedTripodMedia The current market is for folks with cars from 80's and 90's who want to keep that retro look. They can use the speaker phone, or the handset, or the headset jack. And as well the passenger can use the phone. I doubt folks driving a 1985 BMW are too worried about hands free rules, or any rules. Plus you can always pull over which is the best option of all.

[@krimke881]

Physical buttons and proper feedback! 👉☝️👌🙏🙋‍♂️💝

[@danisgay100]

The only thing I would want to add is that amps car / bag phone was 3 watts vs. .4~ watts for handheld so better range

[@mcidor]

I might still have one from my Nokia phone that was installed in my 1997 Honda Civic in 2001. I took it out of the car after getting a phone that didn’t work with it in 2005 ish.

[@fatcattowing8990]

i have the SAME "Love" phone case!!!

[@juxxtapoz]

Black Mesa soundtrack? Good choice!

[@juansotelo3996]

Mis amigos deep in the Colombian jungles will love this brand, what a neat marketing move to name it after their target audience🫡

[@EscritorioSP-u4p]

Well, i used a lot the motorolas from 92 up to 96. The battery from the Motorola startac didn't last days. It lasts approximately 8 hours with the original battery, or around 12 hours with the big battery, sold as optional. If you speak for 10 or 20 minutes, the battery would last way less.. everybody use the car charge always connected when in the car. The long life battery started in 96 when networks started to install digital towers. In this period they have launched the famous Nokias that were full digital and could last days with no charge.

[@yolo_burrito]

The old Sim Cards in the StarTac was the same size as a credit card.

[@camptube7621]

I had a similar kit in the 90s. I was the coolest person ever. Of course now these aren’t legal if you pick it up.

[@PW.Skyline.V37]

I want one for a VIP build of my Q50 now.

[@thebeauhampton]

I've been trying to find one of these for years...

[@CelGenStudios]

Yeah they are surprisingly uncommon

[@Wineman3383]

Cool phone

[@brandonlarose1052]

26:46 BRO REALLY BUSTED OUT THE BLACK MESA: XEN SOUNDTRACK.

[@CelGenStudios]

Joel Nielsen said a while back that he wouldn't pursue non-commercial use of his music which is awesome and that lets me use it without getting ContentID matches.

[@christodd3361]

I demand to know how you traveled here from 1978.

[@CelGenStudios]

Sorry, NDA.

[@50shadesofbeige88]

Oh its 'Car-Tel' not Cartel lol.

[@KaliRoseWolf]

Now I wana know, can it hijack the stereo to play music? If it does can the "car phone" be used to control the misic and show titles & stuff

[@CelGenStudios]

Supposedly the Cartel CT-2000 added support for audio playback and control.

[@garybrown4671]

Sweet. Expensive.

[@mark12.31]

I see a used one listed on eBay for...$699! Does have best offer option, though.

[@rhyoliteaquacade]

There is now one that sold for $999. Crazy..

[@210works]

It looks a lot like the Motorola car phone that came in my 1997 Mercedes E320.

[@Super_Charged4life]

Im now upset the car phone solution is possible but impossible to find

[@AMPProf]

OMG A TIME TRAVELER???

[@Santor-]

My first carphone cost a whopping 3500 used!

[@DrLeroyGreen]

Does that cooked wall plate on the lights switch make anyone else nervous?

[@CelGenStudios]

It irritates me that it keeps doing that. >_>

[@DrLeroyGreen]

@@CelGenStudios I think it does it on purpose. That, or it's been drinking....AGAIN!!!

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Ok so if your only going to use it hands free you might as well just stick with your cars Bluetooth or CarPlay and if you want the cool look of a car phone just slap an old one in for looks. Most states won’t let you talk on the handset which is the entire point of the coolness behind the cartel.

[@CelGenStudios]

I think that is why they left the hands-free feature in it. Even by the late 2000's it was a stretch to have a handheld phone in your car but the hands-free provided a loophole.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

@@CelGenStudios ahh yeah that makes sense but still isn’t the cool factor that you pick up the handset and use it like an old school car phone? And most states have made that illegal 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@BVN-TEXAS]

I remember people selling fake car phone antennas.

[@kopspijker3515]

Is it for calling only or can you also play music over it?

[@CelGenStudios]

Calling only. No music.

[@heavyhauldude9914]

I want one!!!!

[@bthompson1767]

I had that phone back then it cost a dollar a minute and if you went over one second of 60 seconds, it costed you a dollar

[@charlesurrea1451]

Protocol between the handset and the radio box? I'm going to have to call BS on this. As I recall those were all analog. There was no digital Communications between anything other than, well, nothing really. They were simply full duplex radios.

[@MrWillo82]

I’ve been looking for something like that for years. Would you be willing to sell yours to me?

[@CelGenStudios]

Sorry. As you saw, I *just* got it installed. :P

[@MrWillo82]

@@CelGenStudios if you change your mind please let me know.

[@wildace4535]

i feel like you could get a cell2jack get a usb power supply for a cigarette charger and hook one up also that way

[@CelGenStudios]

I considered that initially, but because it lacks hands-free functionality it's 100% illegal to just plunk a phone between the seats like that.

[@cavaniscool]

Just had a look the only one on Ebay is used and at $999

[@CelGenStudios]

And I can assure you even before this video the prices for them (when they did show up) were unreasonably expensive.

[@edwardgreenjr167]

My first thought seeing this was who is going to be THAT cop pulling you over for talking on a legit car phone? Poor guy was probably a fetus when this style was common and would have no clue.

[@CelGenStudios]

We didn't even get that extreme before it turned heads. I had the car in for a muffler replacement and when I picked it up I had two guys in the shop asking "where the HELL did you find that?"

[@TexasScout]

What car is that a Ford Fairmont?

[@CelGenStudios]

AMC Eagle

[@channelI748]

Its worth about £100 thats it.

[@Skunkhunt_42]

This in my 1995 volvo 850

[@CelGenStudios]

Might I ask for an opinion now that you've had it installed for....well I don't know how long but I'm curious to hear.

[@jerryduhon1075]

THAT WOULD BE CALLED. NEW/OLD STOCK.