DSRxN8TE

HA! Just picked up my 95 ls a few weeks ago, and this is what it came with. Funny I came across this thread. Had to share it with you.

nthach

IIRC, the OEM phone is made by Motorola - and it stashes neatly into the center console. The phone's actual electronics and radio module is trunk-mounted and there's a coaxial cable in in the trunk that runs up to the backlight(which is what a rear glass is called).

Crybicki

Sorry guys, did not know that this was aftermarket. I had never seen an OEM car phone before. Anyhow I went back to the junkyard today and got all of the electrical components, wiring, antennae, anoise control box, the works. Ill be installing it tonight so will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the info though! I'm still excited, OEM or not!

LScowboyLS

most of that crap is unnecessary and worthless - this analog phone will not work on modern cellphone networks, not even the antenna, the only way to make it function on a current network is to replace the guts as I described earlier, and what is pictured is really all you need.

you will need the connector that goes into the phone for antenna and power

Kansas

Apparently few of the portable Lexus flip-phones like you have were sold due their costing much more than the Lexus fixed phone. I've seen lots of LS400's with fixed phones but I don't remember ever seeing one in person with a portable phone. The portable phones were first available beginning with the 1993 model year and I think both portable and fixed dealer installed phones were available in all model years through 2000.

Attached is a photo of the dealer installed Lexus fixed phone handset from the 2000 model year.

I didn't pay much attention to which phone system was available for the 2001 LS430 but I know that the Sprint portable CDMA Qualcomm Touchpoint (rebranded Lexus) was available in the 2002 model year. The Sprint/Lexus union didn't last long and the breakup was nasty.

2003 was the last model year that a dealer installed phone system was available in the LS. It used a portable "candy bar" type GSM-only Nokia 6310i. GSM was rare in in 2003 so coverage was poor. I was told by AT&T that I bought the first tri-band Nokia 6340i sold in the Kansas City metro in January(?) 2004 and I quickly found that it rarely operated in its preferred GSM mode and was usually in TDMA mode in cities and in analog mode in rural areas. The Nokia 6310i was unusual back then for having Bluetooth and was at first the only phone guaranteed to work with the 2004 LS430 Bluetooth system.

By the way, we found that phone antennas made for analog and TDMA worked fine for GSM phones. I'm pretty sure that the imprinted antenna on the rear window of my 2000 LS400 was meant only for analog but I used it with a Nokia 6340i (GSM only since analog and TDMA were discontinued years ago) until last summer. The antenna made a big difference. My old Nokia could be showing barely one signal strength bar when I held it in my hand but maximum strength with I put the phone in its charging cradle which automatically connected the rear window antenna.

LScowboyLS

Kansas is the expert when it comes to these kinds of strange accessories and options for Lexus - I would listen to him!

YoshiMan

Car phones are hilarious for some reason. My dad had one installed in my 4Runner back in the early 90s, and most of the conversations were like: "Guess what?!?! I'm using a CAR PHONE!!! YAY!! Okay, bye"... All that is left of it now is the little curly antenna sticking out of the back corner glass.

I still have the OEM one in my 95 with the steering wheel buttons. I don't have the heart to remove it, plus it makes a great conversation piece!

Sc0pe

iTrader: (1)

Here's a thought - perhaps just convert it into a glorified Bluetooth accessory since I'd imagine you would probably need to pay for service for said car phone.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

except you can't use it since most states have hands-free requirements

Kansas

It might help if more states required hands-free but California is one of only 10 states that currently require hands-free for adult drivers: http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/l...hone_laws.html

Hands-free doesn't make talking on the phone while driving any safer but at least both hands are available for driving and most hands-free systems allow voice dialing.

All dealer installed Lexus phone systems - both fixed and portable - defaulted to hands-free mode unless the handset was removed from the console mounted cradle to answer a call or while a call was in progress.

The arrow in the attached photo points to the hands-free microphone on the steering wheel mounted phone controller in my 2000 LS400.

We've had hands-free phone systems in most of the cars we've owned since 1990 but the inexpensive Garmin solution I'm now using in my 00 LS works better than any of those old systems: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...lan-nokia.html

deanshark

Here in Ct. they're trying to pass a law to make even hands free illegal. Talking on the phone while driving is so dangerous. Total different concentration then having a conversation with the guy sitting next to you.

LScowboyLS

I am gonna have to strongly disagree here, texting and or dialing the phone or anything that takes your attention away from the road is very dangerous, but talking hands-free on the cell is no different to your brain or from a safety perspective than talking to someone in the back seat as long as your eyes stay on the road in both cases, which they should!

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

I know the '95+ cars had actual handsfree with audio being routed through a speaker but I thought the 1st gens were old school flip phones. TIL i guess.

Kansas

I'll do the google for you: http://www.google.com/#fp=d376bad89d...l+phones+safer

Cell phone makers have known since the 1980's that talking on a hands-free phone system is as dangerous as holding a phone to your ear.

If hands-free has any benefit at all it is that many hands-free systems allow voice dialing instead of holding a cell phone in one's hand while looking at it while dialing or scrolling through a contact list.

I got my first cell phone in 1990 when I bought my first LS400. I learned in the first few days that it made no difference whether I was holding the phone to my ear or using the hands-free feature - my mind was much more focused on the call than on driving. The last three people who crashed into me were all using their phones. Most of the close calls I've had were also by people on their phones - the main reason I doubled the horns on my LS400: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...000-ls400.html

With all that said, I still use the hands-free feature in our cars but only while stopped or on the open road (outside metropolitan areas) with no cars around me. I never call while driving and limit incoming calls to no more than 10 seconds ... e.g. "I'm driving but will call you back."

LScowboyLS

If they ban hands free cell phone use, then to be logical, they will need to ban talking to the other passengers in the car even while looking at the road and never even looking at the listener.

This is just common sense!

Besides the fact of being unenforceable (who says I am not just talking to myself or singing, as the officer sees me going down the road?)

Even though we have other civil-rights-robbing crazy laws in this country (i.e. the "Patriot" Act) we will never have this one!