inexpensive AE phone, but what exactly is it?

[Butch Harlow]

I picked this up over the weekend on the Ebay. I paid the princely sup of seventeen dollars and change for it. It has obviously been repainted and has a new cord and felt. It has precious few markings on it, in fact just one on the transmitter. It looks to be a date of Jul 31. I have no idea what this is, other than it looks like an Automatic Electric except it has that button on the front of the base. I would guess it's an intercom phone of some type. My questions for the group are:
What is it?
How might I hook it up?
and
Is it complete?

nice black phone

Thanks in advance for your assistance in identifying this phone.

[Butch Harlow]

Screenshots of the auction itself.

[Ktownphoneco]

Hi Butch  ....    The set is an A.E. type 5-A.      I'm attaching a page from an old A.E. telephone catalog which explains it's function.   I converted the picture from "PDF", and that doesn't always produce the best results.    But if you click / double click on it, it makes it a lot easier to read the set's description.   

Jeff

[Butch Harlow]

Thanks Jeff, perfectly readable on my smartphone. I now wonder what is special about the ringer box it requires, in addition to all my other questions. Do you have any literature on the box?

[HarrySmith]

I am not an AE expert but my guess is that it is similar to a WE B or D mount. It is not a complete phone so it requires a subset or ringer box with the needed components.

[Ktownphoneco]

Here's a catalog page showing the A.E. subset that the catalog suggests be used with the 5-A Monophone.      But I'm sure it's compatible with a number of different subsets, including some of the W.E. subsets.

Jeff

[Butch Harlow]

Thanks Jeff, I am thrilled to have a good starting point on this phone. I am mostly a WE type of guy, but some of these AE phones are really interesting. This is the first handset of this type I have had, it weighs more than the base.

[Ktownphoneco]

Butch   ...   The handset is a type 38, and yes I agree, it's a heavy "puppy".   A.E. even had a special tool to open and position the contoured receiver cap.    Not something to drop on one's bare foot.      I'm sending you a personal message (PM).   

Jeff

[Ktownphoneco]

Butch  ....   Stub contacted me a short while ago, and he pointed out the push button switch, which I completely missed.    We've discussed it in a couple of "PM's" and I just let Stub know I'd add a post and keep you in the loop.     We're not sure if the push button changes the type of set it is, or not.    I don't have any other catalogs that give me any more information than I already have. 

I asked Stub to check if he had any other catalogs that indicate that the set is something other than a 5-A with a push button modification, or something completely different.   

Perhaps some of you forum members that are more familiar with A.E. sets of the late 1920's and 1930's, can identify the set a s something other than a 5-A or 15-A.         By the way Butch, if the handset has an induction type receiver, the set is a 15-A, rather than a 5-A, or it could be something entirely different if the push button holds more significance than I can think of at the moment.

Jeff
   

[Butch Harlow]

Well, who doesn't love a mystery? I am intrigued, so I will add another photo of the receiver for identification. Of course, it doesn't have even the slightest marking on it to help.

[Jim Stettler]

The double coil makes me think sound-powered. I was wrong.
Just a guess

[Butch Harlow]

With regard to the pushbutton on the base, there are 3 wires, they are connected to contact numbers 1, 3, and 4. Pushing the button moves the leaf connected to 1 from contact with leaf connected to 4 and makes contact with the thick leaf connected to 3. The switch is attached to the gray metal piece and it has holes to mount a total of 5 pushbutton switches. The handset cord is apparently incorrect as it is only 2 conductors. In both the diagram for the 5A and 15A it calls for a 3 conductor handset cord. I tend to believe this is a 5A because of the lack of a resistance coil between terminals 2 and 8 as in the diagram for the 15A. I have attached screenshots of both diagrams, thanks to Jeff for providing them. The mystery continues unabated. Fun times.

[Ktownphoneco]

I'm pretty sure that's A.E.'s standard polarized receiver used in that handset.   

Jeff

[stub]

Butch,
          Great phone  !! I saw it and started to bid but forgot about it  .  Jeff is correct on the handset .The part I see different in the base is it is missing the 2 to 8 and 1 to 7 jumper wires as shown in diagram ,Jeff's reply#11, circuit H-17843 .    stub

[Jack Ryan]

I'm pretty sure that's A.E.'s standard polarized receiver used in that handset.   

Jeff

Yes, it's a standard handset/receiver and the phone is based on an AE 5-A. A lot of these were used by intercom vendors to create their products. There is no ID on the cradle cover which means (generally) that it is an OEM product. The button is most likely a call button.

The wiring will be CB (the 5C transmitter element was designed for CB operation) but not necessarily the same as a standard AE 5-A - you will need to reverse engineer the circuit.

A 5-A has a rubber ring around the base when supplied by AE or American Electric. The felt base may be a replacement.

It would not be too difficult to use on the PSTN to answer calls - with a suitable subset.

Jack