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Baby blue GPO 746

Started by gpo706, September 28, 2011, 07:03:00 PM

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gpo706

Nice!

"Originally a cream 746 dial phone, this phone was updated with a baby blue colour and new phone socket connector.  Fab loud ring but unfortunately the phone crackles.  As I'm not an expert in this field I have not been able to fix it but I'm sure someone can.  Otherwise in excellent condition."

11.50 all in, didn't expect to win it, the crackle sounds like a TX replacement, easy peasy, (I think)!

Not standard GPO/BT colour, hoping its not a paint job, doesn't seem so looking at the differering shades.

This will get a "Concorde blue" line and handset cord, better than the black one fitted at the moment.

The alpha-numeric dial plate is a bonus.


"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

GG


Nice to see a 746 in light blue, and surprising that GPO didn't issue them in that color originally.  Light green would have been nice as well. 

IMHO that one's almost certainly painted, but apparently whoever does these is doing a darn good job with the paint, much as the Bell System used to do in the US.    (Though, tell us if it's light blue plastic, that would be highly surprising, it would indicate that someone is remanufacturing those housings.)

If the phone is put into use, the paint will tend to wear off on the handset and cradle, so I would regard this as a display model rather than as something to use every day. 

The crackle is most likely the transmitter.  Next candidate would be dial pulse contacts need a cleaning, and next after that, the hookswitch contacts.  Then next after that, the condenser on the network board, which might be replaceable without a huge amount of trouble (assuming you have soldering equipment).  Next candidate would be the handset cord, followed lastly by the line cord. 


gpo706

It is a paint job GG, but I think the dial surround and fingerwheel are repro plastic.

I just plugged it in and there is no crackle at all, maybe it was an ADSL problem?

Its a very professional paint job none the less and its real pretty.

It also has Concorde blue line and handset cords, so a very thorough job whoever made it.

BTW its a 1973 746, MK1 body.
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

GG

Yeah, they did an excellent job; and they are doing a lot of these in different color schemes, from the reasonably plausible to the outright wild.  One of them I saw listed the other night, had pink and orange components.  There are also some 746s that have been done with alphanumeric number rings like old 706s.

gpo706

GG, I take it you have stumbled across the small selection of actual new coloured remoulds of bodies, I used a black to tidy up a scabby 706, and a green for another, another yet to find a home is a 706 in baby blue as above.
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

GG



No, I haven't heard; what's this?  New housings manufactured to old specs?  706 as well as 746?  Where can I find out more about these, and who is selling them? 

BTW, wild find of the month for me:  GEC Statesman in glow in the dark plastic.  Looks like white with a slightly yellowish-green tint to it (though not the same as fading), and after it's been sitting in room lighting for a while, it glows ghostly bluish-white in the dark for a couple of hours.  Even the dial buttons and the handset cord.  Instant bed-table phone, easy to find in the dark!  I wonder how many of those were actually made?

gpo706

Quote from: GG on October 09, 2011, 03:23:55 AM


No, I haven't heard; what's this?  New housings manufactured to old specs?  706 as well as 746?  Where can I find out more about these, and who is selling them? 

They turn up on ebay as GPO spares search, I used 706 black and green for 2 beyond redemption, I've also seen 746 mouldings, not so much colour range. trouble is hanging around waiting for an original handset to match...
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"