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Design line ‘Coquette’

Started by poplar1, March 17, 2023, 10:19:55 AM

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TelePlay

Thanks Paul, very good information on the sets and the timeline. Your last reply got rid of the confusion.

paul-f

You're welcome, John.

A good group exercise would be to look for dates on more sets with the notification on the bottom to document the earliest and latest sets found from each of the housing makers.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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poplar1

Quote from: TelePlay on March 18, 2023, 04:37:38 PMThat makes sense. As for the dial, it must have shipped on the metal flange that would simply mount on to the dial attachment posts. Or did the dial come stand alone and had to be mounted on the metal flange that would hold it in place?

And the 6U dial ordered from WE was a real #6 dial as shown in the attached image, not an all plastic dial Contempra said he has on his phone (hopefully he will post images of).

Given the network and ringer assembly on a "sled" and the ordered dial, that would say the "empty housing" included the dial attachment posts and the hook switch assembly attached to the metal base plate (with the rubber feet attached), right?

The hookswitch was part of the 581A assembly -- not included in the empty housing.
The bracket for mounting the dial was included with the empty housing. Originally, there would have been a "dummy" dial, which was removed when the 6U dial was installed.

Even when the complete phone with WE parts was purchased from the Phone Center Store, the inside components remained Bell System property, and were maintained at no charge as part of the monthly rental of said parts.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

poplar1

#18
Quote from: paul-f on March 19, 2023, 12:39:38 AMAccording to AT&T's Events in Telecommunication History, the Design Line was announced in March 1974, featuring the Exeter, Accent, Celebrity, Elite, and Stowaway sets.

It also mentioned that the Phone Center Store trial started in July 1970. I suspect the 88x models that were later considered part of the Design Line were available before 1974 and used in the trials. (Looking for confirmation.)

As noted in the BSP quote above, one goal of the Design Line was to have complete phones available for sale. 

This eliminated the need for a customer to purchase a housing and schedule a service call to manually install the internal components (as was the norm before the Design Line).


I question the 1970 date for Phone Center Stores, since the earliest mini-modular sets (such as 500DM) were in Chicago in 1972. The main purpose of the stores was for customers to pick up leased sets, rather than dispatching an installer-repairman to connect them. (The "Big Ten" sets (500, 554, 702, TML wall and desk; 2500, 2554, 2702, TTL wall and desk) were not offered for *sale* until many years later. SIP (Sold in Place) of existing installed lease sets ("Embedded Base"} was offered by the Bell operating companies circa 1983. After 1-1-84, the leased sets became AT&T property.

There was a Phone Center Store in NE Atlanta around late 1973 - early 1974. This store was in an area with many apartments; thus, there was frequent turnover. The technicians were told that it was one of several trials. Customers served by this area picked up their modular lease sets at the Phone Center store. A technician was dispatched to install the modular jacks, if not already installed. Techs were told to provide as many jacks as the customer wanted, and that for many locations, this would be the last time an installer visit was needed. Customers who wanted portable phones still required 4-prong jacks with the 4-prong to modular adapter plugs. (The sets with modular cords were not considered portable at that time.) For a Princess, installers installed two baseboard jacks, one for the phone and another for the transformer. Modular Princess phones at that time had a T-splitter in the back of the phone, and two mounting cords were required. The square button LED Trimlines (which did not require a transformer) were leased to Phone Center store customers. Techs still carried the sets with incandescent dial lamps on the truck for non-modular installs.

Other areas of Atlanta still had hardwired phones  on new installations until late 1976. At some point, the insaller-repairmen had to turn in any new hardwired "reciever" (handset) cords and mounting cords left on their trucks.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

FABphones

Quote...Originally, there would have been a "dummy" dial, which was removed...

Does anyone have any photos of the dummy dial (both sides)?
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************


paul-f

Quote from: FABphones on March 19, 2023, 02:42:07 PMDoes anyone have any photos of the dummy dial (both sides)?
Here's the front side...
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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poplar1

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

paul-f

I vaguely recall seeing some announcement articles for several of the stores in Bell System employee publications, but apparently didn't scan or archive copies. Hopefully someone has them.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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FABphones

Thanks for the dummy dial photo.  :)

This is a great thread with lots of service and phone store information too.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to post and detail.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

paul-f

Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

Contempra

Quote from: TelePlay on March 18, 2023, 10:37:00 AMYou have "(which) one," a true WE Coquette or the reproduction with a Tamara dial?

Can you post pictures of the insides, the dial back and the inside base including the network and ringer?


Most probably a reproduction because, all the gear system of the dial is in plastic except for the "governor", but this part does not have the same kind of spring as a WE dial... And there I don't have much time because of my wife's illness who needs constant evening... I am sorry not to satisfy your curiosity (opening the phone) anyway it is only used as a decoration.

MMikeJBenN27


poplar1

Here is a later Coquette, with housing made in Japan, and with all W.E. inside parts. This has a later W.E. dial with plastic gears:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165996807589
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

HarrySmith

Why are they always French phones?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"