Unknown housing, please help identify

[Matilo Telephones]

Bought a load of telephone parts the other day. In it was this housing. At first I thought it was from a WE302, but comparing it to my 302 it was quite different (see pic 3), and somewhat larger.

It is similar to my BTMC 2749, which has the same housing as the PTT Standard 1954. But it the back is quite different, as is the cradle area (see pic 4).

There are no markings on it, no printing, nothing.

Any ideas?

[LM Ericsson]

Maybe it is a trial set housing?

[LarryInMichigan]

It looks like an FTR (Federal Telephone and Radio) corp 803.  It would likely be similar to BTMC because FTR was closely related to BTMC.

Larry

[G-Man]

It looks like an FTR (Federal Telephone and Radio) corp 803.  It would likely be similar to BTMC because FTR was closely related to BTMC.

Larry

Here is a photo of an FTR 803

[rdelius]

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3713.0;attach=19456;image
Robby

[G-Man]

I'm wondering if it isn't an 802A housing. As an aside, here is interesting article that is contained within this document regarding ITT combined desk and wall sets:

   
• http://archivodigital.coit.es/uploads/documentos/ec/1939-1947/vol21-1942-01.pdf

[Dan/Panther]

Isn't there a British 302 style phone, that actually PRE-Dates the WE 302 ?
D/P

[Matilo Telephones]

Dan, you mean the GPO 300 series? See pic

Thanks guy's. It seems it really is a FTR Corp 803.

I read up on that model, as I was unfamiliar with it. There may be a connection to BTMC with this phone. An article I read suggested that engineers from BTMC, who fled the war in Europe, were involved in the development of this phone, building on the work they did for BTMC before the war.

It resembles the WE 302 a lot. I always thought the BTMC 2749 was a development of the WE 302. Is the FTR 803 an intermediate?

The casing I have is in very good condition, but getting the rest of the phone is almost impossible here I think.

Then again, I may have overseen these in ads, as it looks a lot like the BTMC-telephone. Now I know what to look for to spot the difference.

[Matilo Telephones]

Oh, the insides of an FTR 803 look very similar to a Kellogg red bar. Any relation?

[rdelius]

The Federal set came later than the 302, Poss early -mid 40s?. The Kellogg 1000 sets are post war. Kellogg might have thought the modular design was a good thing but both the Kellogg and Federal sets were not rugged and the bakelite parts would break inside the sets along with the shell

[Dan/Panther]

Arwin,
Yes that's the one.
Dan

[G-Man]

Dan, you mean the GPO 300 series? See pic

Thanks guy's. It seems it really is a FTR Corp 803.

I read up on that model, as I was unfamiliar with it. There may be a connection to BTMC with this phone. An article I read suggested that engineers from BTMC, who fled the war in Europe, were involved in the development of this phone, building on the work they did for BTMC before the war.

It resembles the WE 302 a lot. I always thought the BTMC 2749 was a development of the WE 302. Is the FTR 803 an intermediate?

The casing I have is in very good condition, but getting the rest of the phone is almost impossible here I think.

Then again, I may have overseen these in ads, as it looks a lot like the BTMC-telephone. Now I know what to look for to spot the difference.

Earlier in this thread I provided a photo from an FTR catalog showing the 803 which shows your housing is not the same.

[Matilo Telephones]

Yes, thanks G-Man. But the article you provided did show the same housing. And other sources on the internet too.

Strange that this would wind up here in Holland. And where is the rest of the phone? :-)

I have been wondering and trying to look into what the relation between the WE 302 and the BTMC phone is, as they are very similar. This one seems to have something to do with this too.

[Jack Ryan]

Arwin,

ITT purchased FTR in 1940 and used its manufacturing plant to supply its South American and other markets that could not be supplied from Europe because of WW2. The FTR803 is an ITT telephone - depending on its intended market, the dial with be a BTMC 7000 type or a 7000 type that has been redesigned with a US mount.

There was indeed a close relationship - ITT owned BTMC and FTR and it also had access to WE patents and designs.

I tried to paste a table into the post but no go. I attached an image of the table instead.

Jack

[Matilo Telephones]

Thanks Jack,

I read the following:

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939 in Europe, ITT found it necessary to establish a manufacturing unit in the United States to supply telephone equipment to its telephone operating subsidiaries in Latin America and other customers outside the European war zone. Belgium and French developments were brought to the U.S. just ahead of, or smuggled out after Axis occupation.

And I found that here: http://telephonecollecting.org/federal.html

It suggest that is starts as a prewar development in Belgium.

After the war BTMC came up with their 2749, wich is very similar to the FTR 803.

So what came first? Was the 2749 a prewar development, only to be produced after WW2? Or was the 2749 developed from the FTR 803?

See pic for the 2749