Just Signed up with ATCA and TCI

[savageje]

Well, it's official...I'm officially past the point of no return with this addiction.  My dining room, which my wife unappreciatively calls my "winter garage," is now filled up with phones and cables in various states of repair.  And I decided to go ahead and join up with ATCA and TCI.  If nothing else, it might help convince my wife that there are other people out there like me.  I even think I have her talked into letting me drive up to Mason, MI for the April 3 show.   

Jim

[Phonesrfun]

Excellent!

We phone collectors always love it when a newly addicted individual comes along.   

-Bill Geurts

[Jim Stettler]

Well, it's official...I'm officially past the point of no return with this addiction.  My dining room, which my wife unappreciatively calls my "winter garage," is now filled up with phones and cables in various states of repair.  And I decided to go ahead and join up with ATCA and TCI.  If nothing else, it might help convince my wife that there are other people out there like me.  I even think I have her talked into letting me drive up to Mason, MI for the April 3 show.   

Jim

Congrats Jim,

I noticed you joined the forum, 2 telephone clubs and are planning on attending your 1st phone show, all in 2010. No wonder you use "Golden Boy" for you Avatar.


Jim

[Wallphone]

Excellent!

We phone collectors always love it when a newly addicted individual comes along.   

-Bill Geurts

That's because it makes us feel more normal (even though we know that we're not).
Dougpav

[Phonesrfun]

That's because it makes us feel more normal (even though we know that we're not).
Dougpav

Shhhhh! We all know that, but don't want to admit it

-Bill

[Jim Stettler]

Well,
I am normal. Just ask Vern P. He can vouch for my sanity.
Jim

[Craig T]

Sounds like a case of the phone flu to me    I'm with you there.

[savageje]

Yeah, I've always been an antique collector.  Books, prints, maps, military items, you name it.  My parents used to drag me all over the countryside to go to estate sales when I was a kid, and I just followed suit.  They taught me that it was important to preserve our history -- and that collecting was one way to do that and learn at the same time.  I was a history major in college, then went into information technology.  (Life takes funny turns, sometimes.) 

When I took my current job 10 years ago, they put me in charge of the company's telephone systems among other things, and I knew very little about telephony at the time.  I soon learned how to wield a punch tool and dig into the PBX programming.  As I started to see old telephones around at auctions and antique malls, I really appreciated the build quality compared to the flimsy junk that we dealt with at work.  I remembered the rotary WE 500s and 554s I used as a kid, and thought I'd buy a few to fix up.  I found it very enjoyable and relaxing to spend hours cleaning and working on the internal components.  I am still learning through trial and error, but I am amazed that these phones can be 60 and 70 years old, function perfectly, and beat the heck out of the sound quality on phones that are currently being made. 

I enjoy reading the forum posts every day.  I was a "lurker" for a long time before I signed up.  Seems like a great bunch of folks here.  I learn something new every day.

Jim

[Craig T]

Glad to hear that Jim! I run a USAF patch exchange program over here