GPO GEC 746 - Manual Service

[patcorr]

Ok, so in the last batch of telephones I acquired, one turned out to be a GEC 746 manual service model. Has anyone had any experience with these? I presume they can be converted back?

[twocvbloke]

I don't have a manual service 746, though I have got the 706 version (electrically the same), but they're pretty simple to return to automatic service with a dial, though it is not normal for a 746 to be used as a manual phone, but is perfectly fine to do so, but still remains unusual...

Assuming the original dial retainer is still in place, and all wiring is standard, all you need is a suitable dial no. 21 series (there's various types, from steel fingerwheels, to coloured to the regular clear) and a colour-appropriate dial surround, if the dial retainer is missing, you would need to source one of those too (ebay, scrap phone, etc.)...

To connect the dial's wires to the PCB, wire it as follows:

Slate (grey) to T1
Blue to T2
Brown to T3
Pink to T10
Orange to T8

If the phone still has it's original dial loom, the Pink and Orange wires may be joined, or there may be a jumper wire between T8 and T10, remove this join before doing the above, this should bring the phone into service as an Automatic 746...

[patcorr]

Brilliant! thanks for that info. I was googling it yesterday and looked on a few British telephone websites, but couldn't find any real definitive answer. In Ireland the telephones supplied by the P&T was a mix between GEC and NT. This is the first GEC I have seen since we had one at home when I was a child in the mid to late 80's. How would the quality compare the the 500 series? I would imagine they are easier to get parts for in this part of the world.

[patcorr]

Just a couple of pics to show the item in question 

[twocvbloke]

Looks like an earlier 746 then, they were introduced in '67 and for some applications still being made in the 80s and very early 90s (military phones usually), can't quite tell if it has the Mk1 or Mk2 case though (the Mk1 has a sloped cradle and the Mk2 a stepped cradle, as supposedly the sloped version occasionally left the handset off-hook), but looks like a nice phone, just unusual that it is a CB (manual) version...

Comparing the 746 and the 500 types though, I'd say the 500s were more robustly built, but the 700 type phones are pretty solid themselves so not exactly of a lesser quality (well, later ones were cheapened with plastic thinning and plastic parts such as the No. 54a dial which is pretty much all-plastic), they're just more susceptible to damp as the PCBs aren't potted like the WE/NE500s were so can have corrosion issues that can cause unwanted noise...

But yes, the parts are pretty easy to get, some can be bought as reproductions (such as case parts, dial fingerwheels & number plates & the dial surrounds), others as spares taken from faulty and/or damaged phones, etc., there's a number of websites that stock such items too so spares are definitely readily available...

[patcorr]

It seems to be the later type 746 without the slope. They seem fairly easy to work on on the interior, but as you say don't seem as robust as the 500. Looking at the PCB there is a small bit of corrosion on it but nothing to have concern over. The sound from it is quite nice and the ring is nice and loud too. What would I expect to pay for a dial?

[twocvbloke]

What would I expect to pay for a dial?

It varies, if you go by ebay, it could be 99p (or 99¢ as you're in Ireland with them funny euro things!!), or as much as £20 (€, er, pass!!), just depends on what you look for and at, just search ebay for "GPO dial" and look for the No. 21 dials...

As for the various spares site, they often charge more as they've cleaned and tested their dials, but at leas then you'd get a guaranteed working dial...