# Does anyone carry a pager anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2002, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611 "2002-07-06T08:29:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/1 "2002-07-06T08:29:56Z")
Does anyone really carry a pager anymore? I don’t mean one of the newer alphatext pagers, but one of those cheezy LCD ones? You know, the one that vibrates and shows you a number to call back when someone wants to talk to you? The ones you used to make fun of in the late 80s/early 90s as someone would put it near their crotch and ask you to call them when they set it to vibrate? Hell, do they even exist at this point? Does anybody carry these things anymore, with all the cellular technology going around? Tripler Another mundane ‘Who carries what technology?’ question. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/2 "2002-07-06T12:10:34Z")
I do; got it in 1994 and never got around to upgrading it. Verizon-formerly-Bell-Atlantic is supposed to be changing its frequencies, soon however, and will be sending me a new one whenever they get around to it. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/3 "2002-07-06T12:14:04Z")
My cousiin’s a doctor, and she still carries one. I think the beauty of a pager is that you can keep in touch without having to give away personal phone numbers. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/4 "2002-07-06T12:15:13Z")
well, my _cousin_’s a doctor too, just in case anyone was curious. :o sheesh bella ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/5 "2002-07-06T13:24:47Z")
My gf has one as she works in a hospital and cant keep the cell on. The added benefit of not having to incur high cell phone bills is nice as well. I may reactivate my old pager for just such a purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/6 "2002-07-06T13:32:06Z")
No. Because I need a cell for work, I don’t want to carry 2 items. But now I think my cell is smaller than my old pager. It can be set on vibrate & has text capability. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/7 "2002-07-06T14:05:48Z")
Yes, people in my department who don’t rate a company cell phone get a pager assigned to them. It’s cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/8 "2002-07-06T14:47:19Z")
**TroubleAgain** has it right. I carry a pager for that reason. It’s usefull. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/9 "2002-07-06T14:49:27Z")
My fiance has one. It’s cheaper than a cell, and he’s used to it. (shrug) He’s thought about getting a cell phone, but we’re saving up for other things right now, like weddings… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/10 "2002-07-06T18:14:56Z")
Since I’m on the road all day, I have one. All the techs do. Company-issued. I also have a cell phone, which I pay for. This is for my own convenience, since I don’t wish to have to search for a pay phone whenever the office pages me. ---
**Author:** ![de\_trop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@de\_trop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/de_trop)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/11 "2002-07-06T18:57:19Z")
What I don’t understand is how they are advertising phones that you can message friends by laboriously typing letters on the number pad. Just pitched to idle kids, but I would think even they would simply want to talk. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/12 "2002-07-06T23:48:42Z")
Another hospital worker here. Half the staff seem to have them. It’s cheaper, and since the person paged is normally in the building, thay can get to a ground line to return the page. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/13 "2002-07-06T23:56:25Z")
Sweet merciful God, do I ever carry a pager. ---
**Author:** ![benson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@benson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-carry-a-pager-anymore/117611/14 "2002-07-07T02:55:43Z")
Moms of the kids I home nurse carry pagers in case of emergency when we can’t get through on the cell phone.