Is this a WE D-Type?

[Steve K]

You really would not have to gut the 315 box just rewire it a bid and add a capacitor.  But it might be easier to get a more modern subset.  As Bingster said, either a 5XX or a 6XX subset will work but depending on which one you get it will determine what cord you need.  If the phone now has a four conductor/wire cord you're set for either box.  If you have a three conductor cord that will only work on a 5XX sidetone box and you will need to get a four conductor cord to use on the better anti-sidetone box (6XX).

Steve

[benhutcherson]

There's no issue with using a 3-conductor cord on a 6-series subset. I've done it this way plenty of times, and see no difference in performance vs. using a proper 5-series box.

[Greg G.]

You really would not have to gut the 315 box just rewire it a bid and add a capacitor.  But it might be easier to get a more modern subset.  As Bingster said, either a 5XX or a 6XX subset will work but depending on which one you get it will determine what cord you need.  If the phone now has a four conductor/wire cord you're set for either box.  If you have a three conductor cord that will only work on a 5XX sidetone box and you will need to get a four conductor cord to use on the better anti-sidetone box (6XX).

Steve

Ok, just so I can be better informed, how do I go about modifying the current subset?  What tools and parts would I need, what steps to take?  I'll most likely get the other subsets suggested, just curious as to what's involved with the modification process just to see if it's something I could honestly attempt, given my limited knowledge, experience, and space to work in.  Also, what are some other sources for the dial and subsets other than ebay?

[bingster]

Ok, just so I can be better informed, how do I go about modifying the current subset?  What tools and parts would I need, what steps to take? 

I'll let somebody else explain this, as my knowledge of wooden subsets is practically nil.

Also, what are some other sources for the dial and subsets other than ebay?

A few of the online antique telephone stores can provide these things, but they usually charge three or four times the price you'd pay on ebay.  The parts can be purchased through the members of telephone clubs, and until recently, for generally less than ebay.  With the economy the way it is, though, the prices are probably nearly the same.

[Steve K]

I am confident that someone will have a better way to modify your 315 subset but try this in the mean time.  Disconnect one lead from the ringer and one from the magneto and put some tape over the lugs.  Next, connect a jumper wire between L2 and the battery terminal closest to L2.  Connect the phone line to L1 and L2 and it should work.  If the transmitter does not work, connect the jumper from L2 to the other battery terminal.  The phone will not ring.  To get it to ring you will need to install a capacitor between the wire you took off the ringer and the ringer terminal.  I think the a .5mF cap should work.

Steve

[Bill]

Steve K, I took your post as a challenge! I have a 315-H subset that came with my 40-AL candlestick desk stand. This thread revived my long-dormant interest in rewiring the subset to make it work on a modern system, so I spent a couple hours on it last night. I'm also using Ralph Meyer's book.  Here are my conclusions.

First, as has been noted, the 315 is a local battery subset. The central office did not supply the DC required to operate the phone's transmitter/microphone. Instead, you were expected to hook up two or three #6 dry cells. They won't fit in the subset - you were expected to put them on the floor, on a windowsill, or in the basement.

Second, as has also been noted, the 315 subset did not include a condenser (capacitor) because "it would not fit". In addition, it was not needed with the local battery arrangement. With the receiver on the hook, the battery was disconnected from everything. The ringer was across the line, but the line was not supplying any DC, so no condenser was needed to keep DC out of the ringer.

As I think about reconfiguring mine and getting the desk stand running, my first thought is that I don't care if it rings, so my first step will be to disconnect the ringer and the magneto and just leave them in place. (Or I may connect the magneto to the ringer, so my friends can amuse themselves by turning the crank and making it ring). As Steve noted above, if you want the ringer to really ring, you'll need to add a non-polarized condenser in series with one of the ringer wires. A new condenser will easily fit.

The place where I'm having trouble is figuring out how to change the local-battery hookup into a common-battery hookup, while still keeping DC out of the earpiece/receiver. The basic problem is that the hookswitch is very simple compared to a common-battery hookswitch, and I can't figure out a proper arrangement of connections. Steve, I haven't redrawn the diagram to see what happens when your changes are made, and I will do that. Look for a follow-up post here, where I will show the old and new diagrams. But it looked a good deal more complex to me.

I actually considered adding a local battery to power the mic. I bet that a pair of today's alkaline D-cells aren't too different from a pair of #6 dry cells of 1930's vintage.  But that leaves the problem of how to pull down the line so the CO will recognize the presence of an off-hook phone.

So I'm still working on it. But unless someone figures out a better arrangment, I'm skeptical of getting there with any reasonable degree of simplicity.

Bill

[Greg G.]

Ok, so from the sounds of things, forget trying to modify this antique subset to use with this phone on a modern system so that an incoming call will ring the bells?  The advice received in previous posts was to go the easy route and get a subset designed for use on modern phone systems.  I like easy routes, being the lazy a$$hole that I am.

I contacted a semi-local vintage phone repair place, they said putting a dial in it would diminish the value.  Ok, I can deal with it being a non-dial extension, but I would like to get the exterior refurbished also.  The repair facility I contacted ignored that part of my question for some reason.  No matter, they said they had a 12 week turn around time anyway.  May as well have said they're not in business.   

(Or I may connect the magneto to the ringer, so my friends can amuse themselves by turning the crank and making it ring).

What do you think I've been doing every time I walk past it?  At first the bells only rang intermittently when I turned the crank, but I must have loosened up some gunk, they now ring every time I turn the crank.

[bingster]

I contacted a semi-local vintage phone repair place, they said putting a dial in it would diminish the value. 

I don't think that's a bit true.  In fact, 202s with dials are worth much more money than those without.  It's a completely reversible alteration, so if at any point, you wish to return it to it's "original" state, you can, and nobody would ever know. You may as well make the phone useful.  You'll get much more enjoyment out of it if you can actually use it as God and Mr Bell intended.

[Dennis Markham]

I agree with Bingster 100% on that issue (adding a dial).  Just watch prices on eBay to see that D1's with a dial sell higher than those without.  Especially a #4 dial.

[BDM]

I challenge them with the following. Which will bring more money? An A1 without a dial. Or an A1 with the proper era dial installed?

[Greg G.]

I contacted a semi-local vintage phone repair place, they said putting a dial in it would diminish the value. 

I don't think that's a bit true.  In fact, 202s with dials are worth much more money than those without.  It's a completely reversible alteration, so if at any point, you wish to return it to it's "original" state, you can, and nobody would ever know. You may as well make the phone useful.  You'll get much more enjoyment out of it if you can actually use it as God and Mr Bell intended.

Those are my sentiments too.  Apparently I contacted the wrong people.  Not real sure what kind of business they're running, but with a rediculous 12-week turn around time and mis-information like that, forget it.  That second picture is what I want it to look like.  I buy antiques for personal use and decor in my place of abode w/o the intention of reselling them for profit.  But I also want to respect the originality and preserve it as a collector's item, i.e. I want to stay within acceptable parameters of modification and refurbishing.

Ok, y'all said I can install the dial myself even with my limited knowledge and facilities, but while I'm hunting/waiting for a dial and subset, no reason I can't get the exterior refurbished.  Any recommendations on places that could do that, preferably in the NW, or west coast? 

[Bill]

Back to the issue of rewiring a 315-H subset to change it from local battery to common battery operation. I've spent several hours redrawing the diagrams and fiddling with things, and as I feared, it is not as simple as add a jumper and disconnect a wire.

I found two ways to do it, neither particularly easy. The first involves adding three jumpers, but it also requires breaking the soldered connection between the primary and secondary of the induction coil. The second involves only two jumpers, but you have to get inside the candlestick and insulate one of the contacts of the hookswitch. It also leaves the earpiece/receiver on the line all the time, so you will be able to hear all the squeaks and squawks that happen when the phone is hung up.

Both require addition of a capacitor to keep DC out of the earpiece/receiver.

As was concluded earlier, it will be better to substitute a common-battery subset.

If anyone is interested, I can forward the engineer-y diagrams to your email address.

Bill

[BDM]

Bill, I was going to comment on this yesterday and forgot. Basically, you're not going to get around the cap issue. So, this idea revolves right back into a CB network anyhow.

I know some folks in the past like the later W.E. LB network coil, as it transmitts a strong voice voltage. But still you're building a basic CB network when all is said & done.

I have a few LB subsets laying around with external bells. I'm considering just converting them over to CB using one of my 302 parts sets, while leaving the original bell setup.

[benhutcherson]

I have a few LB subsets laying around with external bells. I'm considering just converting them over to CB using one of my 302 parts sets, while leaving the original bell setup.

That's a set-up that Bell themselves were known to use when raw materials became a problem

[BDM]

Bill, just for you
http://oldphoneguy.net/local_bat_1.htm