Closed circuite telephone system for a 70's themed hotel

[jcampbell]

Hi All

I am a newbie here,  thanks for welcoming me to this great forum.

My name is Jai,  a network engineer in London and I am helping one of our departments with a project over the upcoming weeks.

Via Google and quite a few phone calls I have been brought to  this forum, we are designing a 70s hotel bar/lobby for a heartbreak hotel ( which is a reinvention of our large hall space) We are hoping to have telephones on the tables that you can dial a neighbouring table & "chat" ...

We would "like" to use old analogue off the shelf telephones,  or analogue looking, similar to  HS-6 units but I am now setting on digital telephones...

I need a device to network the phones together,  ie a pbx or similar but possibly a wireless solution,  I am aware of the costs this may involve converting analogue to digital etc,  so a wired solution is workable if a wireless solution is not possible or too expensive.

http://www.clearcom.com/product/accessories/intercom-handsets/hs-6

Any Ideas on what hardware I would need to do this... the network is closed so we only need to have calls internally, not dialing an external line.

Cheers

Jai

[DavePEI]

Look into a Panasonic 616 KSU which will connect 16 lines with an intercom function. Phones used may be POTS, i.e. 302, 500, etc. These may be found for under  $100 and require a minimum of programming - in fact merely require a reset at best. Two digit numbers for each station, i.e. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25....

Simple wiring - each phone plugs into a port on the 616.

They can be connected to external lines too, but don't necessarily have to be,

see:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=62.0

Dave

[jcampbell]

Hey

Thanks for this reply...

I am looking at the post now,,,

[poplar1]

How many unique extension numbers are needed? The Panasonic 616 is designed for up to 16 stations, but there are larger systems available.

Also, the HS6 does not have a dial. I believe a GPO 746 or similar phone would be better. The Panasonic works with both Rotary Dial and Pushbutton (DTMF) phones.

[dsk]

Welcome to the forum.

Wireless solution may be extremely expensive.
Modern equipment don't like rotaries, but a dialgizmo one each line may solve that.

Using ATAS as PAP2T for 2 and 2 lines together with dialgizmo and some kind of free PBX software (3cx, asterisk ....) will make it extremely flexible.

Or I have an old German 30-something PBX in the garage (here in Norway) but it will be extremely expensive to ship it.

dsk

[twocvbloke]

Depending on the amount of phones, I'd say a Panasonic KX-T616 series PABX would do the job, with a little light programming the system can block access to outside lines (dialling 9, though you can leave the CO ports disconnected so no outside lines would be connected anyway), though if you have more tables than 16, then the next one up is the KX-T1232 I believe, though I've yet to see one on ebay at a reasonable price, though I thin the KX-TD versions are more common and I think can work with rotary phones...

And I'd agree that the HS-6 is not a telephone, it's just a handset with no telephone circuitry inside, you'd need proper telephones in order for this to work, given the universal service the Panasonic systems mention provide, the phones can be pretty much anything analogue really...

[poplar1]

Since he is not planning to connect this to outside lines, no dialgizmos are necessary. A Dialgizmo is  needed  onlywhen trying to connect a rotary dial phone directly to a VOIP or similar outside line.

Welcome to the forum.

Wireless solution may be extremely expensive.
Modern equipment don't like rotaries, but a dialgizmo one each line may solve that.

Using ATAS as PAP2T for 2 and 2 lines together with dialgizmo and some kind of free PBX software (3cx, asterisk ....) will make it extremely flexible.

Or I have an old German 30-something PBX in the garage (here in Norway) but it will be extremely expensive to ship it.

dsk

[Matilo Telephones]

DSK advised dialgizmo's for when he wants to hook up rotaries to modern equipment, which does not support pulse dialing.

Some remarks from me: the topic starter is in London, so 500's and 302's will be hard to come by.

British 300 series are quite expensive, sometimes. Maybe 706's are the better option if you want to go rotary. And they are from the 70ies.

Trimphones are difficult to operate with one hand. They slide when you dial.

Dialgizmo's take a bit of getting used to for someone not familiar with them. You have to wait a split second for the pulse-tone translation. A misdial is easily made. Perhaps not the best option.

[twocvbloke]

Maybe 706's are the better option if you want to go rotary. And they are from the 70ies.

Trimphones are difficult to operate with one hand. They slide when you dial.

The 706 was introduced in 1959 and replaced in the early 70's with the more common 746...

And the Trimphone has the added bonus of being radioactive, at least the earlier models, having a tritium tube behind the dial plate to make them glow in the dark, not that they glow much these days anyway... 

[Matilo Telephones]

Right, of course. 746 it is.

The radio active dial, were only on the early ones, weren't they?

[DavePEI]

The reason I recommended the Panasonic is it will allow use with the largest variety of phones, Panasonic proprietory phones, and just about any POTS phone, be it dial or touch tone, North American or European. As long as he doesn't need more than 16 lines, it will work very well for his application, and will be simplest way to set this up.No worries about using Dialgizmos or anything else.

While eternal lines may be connected, they don't need to be and each phone will be able to call any of the others.

Dave

[twocvbloke]

The radio active dial, were only on the early ones, weren't they?

Yep, some had them replaced later on with non-glowing dials when they were refurbishing them, but the radioactivity that game from them was so low that it was much less than a wristwatch with radium paint, so it's not much of a concern, plus Tritium is a beta radiation that can't even penetrate human skin so it's not harmful to us...

[Matilo Telephones]

Well, I actually want one of those radio active ones. I now have a trimphone, but it has a regular dial. But I'm veering off topic now.

[TelePlay]

As an FYI, Clear-Com is a leading supplier of several different systems including their line of clear channel (no noise) communication equipment used to run TV, Stage and Concert live performances.

The HS6 is their send and receive version of the send only PT7, both usually used in the control booth to access a backstage speaker system to give pre-show stand by and places cues. That type of use is typically plugged directly into the speaker amp system for direct use. I suspect the HS6 could also be plugged into a body pack so the handset could be accessed by a call signal from another user to receive feedback from a call, such as "the cast is in places" or used by a stationary director for emergency contact with all others on the clear com system.

The RS701 body back plugs into the clear com system by way of an XLR cable connecting the headset or handset to the system allowing everyone with a pack to hear all communication through a CC330 headset/mic unit with their mike in mute mode and push a button on the body pack to reply to a query. All on the system will hear the response.

Typical, for a live stage play, usage would be for the person running the show in the tech booth to call places using a HS6 or PT7 and get a reply back that cast is in place by way of the HS6 or the person running the show would get the confirmation from backstage from the stage manager backstage.

The person running, or calling, the show would then be the only one on the clear com system calling out the light and sound cues, stage directions and anything else (mechanical devices or special props for example) to make the show run smoothly. The person running the show would put out a short, whispered standby command to be confirmed by a very short "ok" from the person having to do the required task so it is known the task is ready. The person running the show then wispers a "go" and the event happens. Many, many cues are given during a 2 hour show in virtual silence by using a clear com system.

For concerts, the noise level is such that no one whispers. The clear com is to let the tech people hear the commands over the noise. TV is more like a play but with a lot of audience laughter, the need for extremely quiet passing and confirmation of tasks is not the same a stage plays where the audience is totally silent.

That is the clear com system which requires the personal headsets, handsets and/or mics, a body pack for each person, an XLR cable long enough to reach a wall XLR jack, a lot of XLR wall jacks placed, backstage, on stage and in the tech booth, and a lot of in wall wiring to connect the XLR jacks to the clear com system amp,.

Simple, right? And, now, if you ever go to any of these events, you will now understand what those headsets and body packs you see the tech people wearing are being used for during the show/concert/performance.

PS: I reserve the right to edit the above after I let it sit for a while before proof reading it again for typos, errors, omissions or anything else that may need work.