Take a letter Miss Jones... (weird dictation unit)

[gpo706]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Unusual-Retro-Philips-Dictation-System-Phone-/280539622572?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Collectables_RadioTelevision_Telephony_SM&hash=item415176ecac ( dead link 03-23-21 )

Must have been plugged into a tape recorder?

[LarryInMichigan]

What is the purpose of the metal shield on the cradle?  Is it possible to remove the handset from the cradle?

Larry

[paul-f]

It took a bit more than a tape recorder.  Telephone-based dictation systems were quite the thing in businesses at one time. 

Edison alone used housings from many different phone manufacturers for their terminsls.

Here are a few photos from other past auctions...

[AE_Collector]

What is the purpose of the metal shield on the cradle?  Is it possible to remove the handset from the cradle?

Larry

The phone might be a "convertible". IE it can be desk or wall mounted so the metal thing in this case keeps the handset in place when wall mounted. The dial would need to be rotated 180 degrees as well if wall mounted. Just a guess as I am not familiar with this particular make and model.

Terry

[LarryInMichigan]

Terry,

I think that you are probably correct.  This phone is a GPO 706 type.  The dial can be rotated to any orientation as it is simply held in place by a clamp. 

Larry

[gpo706]

Both right guys. it has a chrome bracket so you can wall mount it but its not usual to have one of these fitted on a desktop set - just got a bent one of the brackets for another 706 conversion job.

I see these units are nothing new then, weird outfit, did each extention have a different person dictatiing letters?

[paul-f]

I see these units are nothing new then, weird outfit, did each extention have a different person dictatiing letters?

I believe so.  The Edison ad above suggests at least 20 stations were supported on that system.  (It would be nice to have better scans or the originals, so we could read the print easier!)

In addition, they could probably be used as phones attached to the company's PBX.

Here's some info from Gray...