Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: Matilo Telephones on November 26, 2013, 06:13:59 AM

Title: Mystery telephone device, what is it?
Post by: Matilo Telephones on November 26, 2013, 06:13:59 AM
Found this in an ad. Just curious what it is and what it is used for. Does anybody have any idea?
Title: Re: Mystery telephone device, what is it?
Post by: DavePEI on November 26, 2013, 06:26:37 AM
Quote from: Matilo Telephones on November 26, 2013, 06:13:59 AM
Found this in an ad. Just curious what it is and what it is used for. Does anybody have any idea?
Chances are it is a controller for a commercial radio system...

Dave
Title: Re: Mystery telephone device, what is it?
Post by: G-Man on November 26, 2013, 06:42:16 AM
Quote from: DavePEI on November 26, 2013, 06:26:37 AM
Quote from: Matilo Telephones on November 26, 2013, 06:13:59 AM
Found this in an ad. Just curious what it is and what it is used for. Does anybody have any idea?
Chances are it is a controller for a commercial radio system...

Dave

Possible but it is equally possible that it is a specialized central office testset. The headset appears to be a standard European operators type.

It has a resettable peg-count meter and keys for some unknown function but most tantalizing is the 11-digit dial.

I know that ITT made special 11-digit and 12-digit dials for testing trunks on  Pentaconta crossbar central office switches. A.E. also made special dials for testing some of their larger Strowger switches.

Electro-mechanical central office switches were capable of exceeding 10,000 line numbers and these dials help the testman to access them.

Some of them were used for one-way, outgoing pbx trunks and other such uses.   

It would help if you could provide some basic information such as where it was used or the area it was acquired from.

Where was the ad posted from and how was it described?

A complete photo of the connectors could also help tell what type of office it was used with.
I.e., if it was used in the Netherlands I would suspect from its appearance, it would have been used with a ROTARY switch.

Perhaps posting it on the STROWGER list may elicit what type of switch was used with along with an explanation for the functions of its keys.

Title: Re: Mystery telephone device, what is it?
Post by: Matilo Telephones on November 26, 2013, 07:01:02 AM
Thanks, Dave and G-Man,

It's not mine. Just saw the ad. There is no clearer picture of the connector.

Yes, the extra hole marked F on the dial is very intriguing.

The device is located in Holland, in the town of Heerde, Gelderland province. :-)

It was discribed as an antique rotary phone with headset. Nothing else.

I do not recognise the design of the dial, although it is somewhat like the german dials as found on the w48.

I think I've seen a headset in a tank. Perhaps it is part of an intercom system?
Title: Re: Mystery telephone device, what is it?
Post by: G-Man on November 26, 2013, 07:34:35 AM
The reason I doubt that was used for the remote control of a radio or part of an intercom is because of the telephone peg-count meter.
Title: Re: Mystery telephone device, what is it?
Post by: HarrySmith on November 26, 2013, 12:52:49 PM
Well, you could always buy it and let us know........
Title: Re: Mystery telephone device, what is it?
Post by: Matilo Telephones on November 27, 2013, 07:01:28 AM
Sure, but how about a bit of crowd funding?

Anyway, the point is moot. It is sold. Price unknown.
Title: Re: Mystery telephone device, what is it?
Post by: Dan/Panther on November 27, 2013, 02:38:38 PM
Could it be some kind of a decode mechanism. You need to dial the matching numbers to receive the message.
Just a thought.
D/P