Dictograph crazy!

[gpo706]

I admit it, I have an addiction...

[bingster]

Normally, they say that admitting you have a problem is the first step to getting help, but you clearly don't want help.

[gpo706]

Hey Bingster,

I might have open my own Dictograph museum soon, got piles of the buggers! 

[Owain]

If you're anywhere near Hertforshire then ebay local pickup only.

Anyway, there's not exactly much point in only having one telephone is there?

[gpo706]

WOW what a unit, look at those  lightening bolts in wood over the speakers.

Unfortunately I'm 400 miles north of it. 

[Dan/Panther]

WOW what a unit, look at those  lightening bolts in wood over the speakers.

Unfortunately I'm 400 miles north of it. 

Sometimes a seller will put, "local pick up only", because they can't figure out the shipping details. I'd ask.
D/P

[bingster]

Who wants to bet GPO is currently on a bus headed for Hertfordshire?

[gpo706]

No, not that desperate!

Never been to Herts, but thats where they had the old MGM studios and Elstree, where a lot of great films and TV series were made.

The only bus I get is to work and back for 1.20 each way....

[AE_Collector]

The only bus I get is to work and back for 1.20 each way....

Ask the driver if he can stop at Herts for a minute on the way to work. Not quite on the way but maybe he had a fight with the wife last night and your suggestion is all he needs to hear!

Terry

[Greg G.]

If you're anywhere near Hertforshire then ebay local pickup only.

Anyway, there's not exactly much point in only having one telephone is there?

Oo, I like that one!  Mine's just a "plain Jane" variety.

[gpo706]

BB thats a nice machine, but look at the difference in the cradle and handset, I think UK ones were made by Fuld (Germany), but the base / labels are practically the same.

Did you get it working as yet?

Now, as you can see the handset cords are shot, so what I'm thinking is get a GPO brown braided cord and replace it for the nicer right hand unit, as it wouldn't look right with a curly coiled black lead, not with a unit this vintage.

This will be oldest one I've tried to convert thus far.

Also curious that BB's and these latest ones don't have the usual "Dictograph" badges applied.

[Owain]

This will be oldest one I've tried to convert thus far.

Convert?

Dwgs are here if you haven't found them already.

[Greg G.]

BB thats a nice machine, but look at the difference in the cradle and handset, I think UK ones were made by Fuld (Germany), but the base / labels are practically the same.

Did you get it working as yet?

Now, as you can see the handset cords are shot, so what I'm thinking is get a GPO brown braided cord and replace it for the nicer right hand unit, as it wouldn't look right with a curly coiled black lead, not with a unit this vintage.

This will be oldest one I've tried to convert thus far.

Also curious that BB's and these latest ones don't have the usual "Dictograph" badges applied.

Mine looks more like an F1 handset with a button in the middle.  I haven't done anything with it yet, it's not a high priority right now.  I might try to mess with it during my vacation in about a month.

[GG]

That's a press-to-talk handset.  I had one once, don't know where it went to.   I vaguely recall that under the pushbutton is a brass plunger passing through a stiff rubber diaphragm to the switch contacts, making them somewhat water resistant.  The way to disassemble that is to unscrew the metal ring surrounding the pushbutton. 

Those are especially useful in intercom circuits (including local battery magneto phones) that have to run off actual batteries rather than on AC adaptors.  I used mine for that purpose at one point. 

[gpo706]

This will be oldest one I've tried to convert thus far.

Convert?

Dwgs are here if you haven't found them already.

Thanks Owain, never seen this diagram before, passed under my radar.