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WE 305 phone - why did they make it?

Started by AdamAnt316, July 01, 2015, 06:09:21 PM

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NorthernElectric

Quote from: AdamAnt316 on July 02, 2015, 05:45:03 PMI've heard that the electronic group Kraftwerk were so eccentric that the telephone in their studio had its ringer disconnected so that they could avoid distractions while recording; if anyone desired to contact them, they were told to call at a certain time, upon which one of the band members would pick up the phone without having heard it ring.

Or, maybe they disconnected the ringer because they needed it in the studio when they recorded The Telephone Call.   ;D
Cliff

AdamAnt316

Again, thanks for the replies. I finally got around to (carefully!) removing the baseplate from the phone housing. No outright 305 markings, but the switch does indeed seem to be in series with the black wire from the ringer. It has a secondary terminal strip, a'la the 410; at some point, someone strapped the red and yellow wires of the line cord together using a short length of red plastic solid-conductor wire. All the parts I can find dates on are marked on or around 11-53, corresponding with the markings inside the handset.

As far as handset and line cords go, what should I do about those? The handset cord is a cloth-covered coiled type, and has seen far better days near where it enters the handset. The line cord is a white-colored cloth-covered three wire one, and has been cut off where it enters the base. Are they likely original to the phone, and is there a good source for suitable replacement cords? Once again, thanks!
-Adam

poplar1

Although it may not be marked "305" anywhere, the housing is usually stamped "H4" -- rather than H1, for a 302 -- inside. The cords have dates on the metal cord restraints inside the phone. Old Phone Works sells repro cloth cords, although the straight handset cords are a bit short (3'8" rather than 4').
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

AdamAnt316

Yeah, it does indeed say H4 near where the line cord enters, along with a dot • and three horizontal lines, all in orange. Speaking of dots, there is also one on the handset near the F1 designation, and above the fingerwheel on the dial's number plate. I know that the dot on the handset means that it's a light-weight type (which should be a given for a white thermoplastic one, methinks), but I'm not sure what the other dots mean.

Speaking of H4, exactly what is the story with these mounting codes? As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, several models share the corner-mounted switch aspect, but while the 305's shell is designated H4, the 410 and 411 (with what would seem to be the same style shell as the 305) get designated J1 and J2, respectively. I know that the various 500 sets don't seem to have specific mounting codes, so it strikes me as odd that they bothered with so many different mounting codes within the 300 series, even for fairly small variations.

Thanks on the cord info. I don't remember seeing a code on the handset cord, but I probably just didn't look hard enough. Were coiled cloth cords a common thing with later versions of the 302 sets? Most of the "basic black" phones I've seen just had plain straight brown cloth-covered cords. I know that early 500 sets had straight rubber cords, and I've seen pictures of 302-type sets with both straight and coiled rubber-covered cords.
-Adam

unbeldi

#19
Quote from: AdamAnt316 on July 03, 2015, 09:27:14 PM
I know that the dot on the handset means that it's a light-weight type (which should be a given for a white thermoplastic one, methinks), but I'm not sure what the other dots mean.

This should be enlightening:  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11868.0

The dot on the dial faces indicates a No. 6 dial, as made between 1952 and early 54.

poplar1

#20
I believe that the consensus was that the dot on the housing served the same purpose as on the thermoplastic handset: to indicate that a lightweight handset (with dot) could be used; the hookswitch has an added spring. The dot on the dial number plate indicates a 6-type dial; these plates cannot be used on the earlier dials. (Later, a universal 164A plate was developed that would fit both 6-type and earlier 5- , 4- or 2-type dials, and "6" was stamped on the finger stop.)

H4, J1, J2, etc. are the designation for the telephone set mounting, and not just the housing. The telephone set mounting includes the basepan, ringer, induction coil, dial, hookswitch and housing -- but not the handset or cords. Likewise, B1, C1, D1 are designations for handset mountings (for 102, 201, 202, etc.) without handset or cords. Wood phones are marked, for example, 317AH, but a complete phone -- with transmitter, receiver and receiver cord -- is actually a 1317AH.

"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

poplar1

Color 302s as assembled always had fabric covered cords, even the last new ones in 1954. Black 302s switched to black neoprene jacketed cords by early 1952.

If you look closely at the restraints on the cords, you may see the part number (H3P, D3AL) and a date (possibly a Roman numeral for the quarter, and a 2-digit code for the year). That would help determine whether they are the original (1953) cords on the set. In any case, both cords would have been ivory.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

AdamAnt316

Again, thanks for the replies! I opened the phone yet again, and indeed, the ringer inside has the red stripes that the horizontal lines seem to indicate. The set mounting stuff is interesting; about when did WE abandon it, if they indeed did? Did the 500 series have any sort of set mounting code(s)? I know the 300/400 series used H, J, L, and M, at the least (plus S1 for the 328, for whatever reason).

I checked the handset cord restraint inside the base of the 305, and saw the following, possibly among other stuff:

9-0
H3P
IV-54

So it was apparently installed at some point after the phone was made/installed, since it's exactly one year newer than any of the dates I've yet found inside the phone. I'm guessing that the subscriber decided they wanted a coiled cord instead of a straight one, and the installer complied. Would a straight ivory cord be more correct for this phone? Did they make the coiled cloth cords in any color besides brown? Rather curious, really...
-Adam

paul-f

Quote from: AdamAnt316 on July 03, 2015, 10:47:27 PM
The set mounting stuff is interesting; about when did WE abandon it, if they indeed did? Did the 500 series have any sort of set mounting code(s)? I know the 300/400 series used H, J, L, and M, at the least (plus S1 for the 328, for whatever reason).

Some of your questions are answered here:
  http://www.paul-f.com/weHandsetMountings.html
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

poplar1

9-ft. cords had to be ordered (the 9-0 on the restraint indicates 9 ft.) separately.
H3P (spring) cords were made in the same colors as the straight cords.

========================================================

1941 BSP (Section C30.011, Issue 4, 1-2-41, Colored Station Sets) [NOT in TCI library]

Thermoplastic Telephone Sets:

Apparatus    Dash
Color           No.        Set Cords            Station Number Card Masks
Ivory .......    --4     Ivory ....    --4           --4
Old Rose ... --16    Old Rose  .--16           --16           
Dark Blue .. --18    Dark Blue. --18           --18
Gray Green .--19    Gray Green--19          --19       
Pekin Red ...--20    Pekin Red .. --20         --20

Apparatus other than Thermoplastic Telephone Sets:

Apparatus                      Set Cords            Station Number Card Masks:
   Color
Black (--3)                 Brown. (--9)                   -- 
Ivory (--4)                    Ivory   (--4)                     --4
Old Brass(--6)            Brown (-9)                    --6
Statuary Bronze(--7)  Brown (--9)                  --7
Oxidized Silver (--8)   Silver (--8)                    --5   (Gray)
Dark Gold (--12)        Gold  (--12)                  --11 (Medium Gold)
Old Rose (--16)            Old Rose (--16)              --16
Dark Blue (--18)           Dark Blue (--18)             --18
Gray Green (--19)        Gray Green (--19)           --19
Pekin Red (--20)           Pekin Red (--20)             --20

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11902.msg126564#msg126564
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

G-Man

#25
C30.011 in the TCI Library pretty much reflects the same but perhaps just as interesting, the addendum provides detailed information regarding transparent finger-wheels and clamps.General information from N.Y. Tel. Co. regarding record keeping for colored sets-

AdamAnt316

Yet again, thanks for the replies. As always, Paul has a page for everything...  ;D

Interesting resources. Maybe I didn't look through them thoroughly enough, but I can't recall seeing anything in them referring specifically to coiled cloth-covered handset cords. Exactly what is the story with those, anyway? I know that the rubber-covered version was a big innovation, but I haven't heard much of anything about the cloth variant.

Secondly, how might this phone have ended up with a plain brown version of the coiled cord, if matching ones were available? Is it likely to have originally been equipped with a straight white handset cord? I ask because Oldphoneworks seems to be out-of-stock on their coiled cloth cords (which they only offer in brown, for some reason), and they cost roughly twice as much as a straight ivory cloth cord sells for from them... :-\
-Adam