An engineer restores pay phones for free public use via NPR
[Shared]Patrick Schlott often finds himself in a cellular dead zone during his drive to work.
"You go down the road, you turn the corner and you're behind a mountain and you'll lose cell coverage pretty fast," he says.
The 31-year-old electrical engineer says poor reception is a common frustration for residents of Vermont's Orange County. To address this issue, he's providing his community with a new way to stay connected.
Schlott has taken old pay phones, modified them to make free calls, and set them up in three different towns across the county. He buys the phones secondhand from sites like eBay and Craigslist and restores them in his home workshop.
welchwrite.com/blog/2025/10/22…
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in reply to Douglas E. Welch • • •Here's an alt-text description for the image:
The image shows a person standing inside what appears to be a wooden tourist information kiosk or booth. The person is wearing a dark-colored hooded jacket and is holding a mobile phone up to their ear, seemingly engaged in a conversation. Behind the person is a counter displaying various brochures and pamphlets in a rack, likely promoting local attractions and businesses. Above the counter, there are posters and signs, some of which contain text that reads, "TOWN OF BRIDGEWATER", "WHITE RIVER VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE", "HANOVER", "ROCHESTER", "BETHEL", "SOUTH ROYALTON", and "RANDOLH." The overall scene suggests a person working or providing information at a local tourist stop.
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