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My first payphone!! British Telecom CT6000C "Moneybox"...

Started by twocvbloke, January 17, 2013, 03:53:44 PM

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twocvbloke

Two phones in one day, I ain't going to have any money left at this rate!!! Still, it's only a total of £18 for an uncommon NIB payphone... :D
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290844181098

Anyway, this one is my first ever payphone, it was seemingly a rented payphone originally, but obviously "got lost" post-privatisation I guess, it's a simple tabletop affair, uses old style large 10p coins (possibly large 5p coins too as I think the slot can be turned round to use one or the other), I'd guess it's pulse-dial only given the lack of * and # on the keypad, and that's all I know... ???

One thing I do know is there's two versions, the CT6000 and the CT6000C, I just hope that's a revision thing and not something that could mess with the workings of it!!! :D

Anyway, picture of the phone I'm getting, and a link to someone's photo album thing of the CT6000 I managed to find while hunting for extra pictures:

http://tinyurl.com/b2xhuxn

Owain

Hywel Clatworthy (whose photos you linked to) has a webpage on payphones
https://sites.google.com/site/payphone500/rathdown-ct6000-payphone

Includes a PDF of a user manual

twocvbloke

That's pretty cool, that has to be the first proper lump of information I've seen on these payphones, others have just been brief descriptions or just pictures and a model number, and at leas there's some words to go with the pictures now too... :D

Owain

You might need to invest in obtaining some two-shilling size 10p to play with, for testing purposes.

twocvbloke

Quote from: Owain on January 18, 2013, 07:31:39 AM
You might need to invest in obtaining some two-shilling size 10p to play with, for testing purposes.

I've pulled out my box of old coins, I'm sure I had some 2 Shilling pieces in there, need to scrape through them, or else buy a handful from somewhere for testing purposes... :D

twocvbloke

#5
Nope, it was just One shilling coins I had, and a jersey 5p, though I did find an éire 10p coin of the right size, I'll keep that out of the box o' coins for now, just incase it actually works... :D

twocvbloke

Well, if it wasn't for the snow here, it'd have been here today, but then ParcelFarce aren't usually known for delivering ontime in good weather... :D

twocvbloke

It's here!!! ;D

Only I'm not cos I'm off over to Newcastle to see if a coin collector shop has any 2 Shilling size 10p coins to throw into it... :D

Did find a couple of things interesting out about it, but, I'll save that for later, cos I'm a tease... ;D

Owain

does it block DTMF?

can you dial international using 00 instead of 010?

twocvbloke

Quote from: Owain on January 25, 2013, 08:06:54 AM
does it block DTMF?

can you dial international using 00 instead of 010?

Haven't tried anything yet, though I have got my "Remote Interrogator" to hand when I do get it powered up so I can see if it does... :D

Though being essentially an A-B phone, I thing it keeps the transmitter cut off until the recipient answers and you push button A, so may not accept DTMF until after that... ???

As for 00, well, the instructions say it can be programmed for that, as default 00x is barred, so I'd have to reprogramme it to accept that, once I decipher the programming... :D

And as for saving money on calls, well, it takes old coinage, so, nobody but me would be able to make calls on it, though the coinage side does have something interesting about it, but I don't think I could make it work....

twocvbloke

Not got around to taking any pics yet, got my new mobile phone today too so been tinkering with that... :D

Anyway, the two interesting things about this phone, well, the first one is the metal coin slot, it's reversible, and on the other end of it is a smaller slot, designated for accepting 20p coins (which haven't changed size over the years), but the coin controller thing is not set up for 20p coins so that put a stop to the idea of using it with modern money... :D

And the other, a G-type handset fits almost perfectly on the cradle, as if it was designed to take G-types, hmmmmm.... :D

Anyway, been fidding with it, got it's programming & rates set, just set it so a 10p/2s coin gives 120 seconds of talk time, works fine over the 616 (just no Hold option), and it's great, worked as soon as I popped the last AA battery into it... :D

And yes, it blocks DTMF, cos of the transmitter cutoff feature, after pressing A on answer it will let DTMF through as normal so people could check their answering machine messages remotely... :)

twocvbloke

Seems there's an undocumented feature, at the end of the instructions it says to press 5 and check to make sure it says "PA -", but, PA is PABX, and the - represents what to dial for an outside line rather than the user having to dial 9 before their intended number... :D

So, with it set to "PA 9", it'll dial a 9 before any other number, meaning it can be used easily behind a PABX as if it were connected to a regular line... ;D

Clever stuff... :D

twocvbloke

Well, seems I got it wrong with the DTMF part, drop a coin in, dial the number on the DTMF pad, and it WILL dial through the transmitter, call is made, have a natter, and hang up and you get your 10p back... ;D

Though the payphone will continually make a"BeepBoop" noise insisting you dial in it's keypad, which then cuts off the transmitter.... :D

Not quite cleverly thought out as I had thought... :D

AE_Collector

Quote from: twocvbloke on January 25, 2013, 06:53:39 AM
I'm off over to Newcastle to see if a coin collector shop has any 2 Shilling size 10p coins to throw into it... :D

Sounds like an expensive source of coins. Here in Antique / flea market / junk stores they frequently have boxes of misc coins for a low price.

Terry

twocvbloke

#14
Quote from: AE_Collector on January 26, 2013, 12:58:28 AMSounds like an expensive source of coins. Here in Antique / flea market / junk stores they frequently have boxes of misc coins for a low price.

Terry

It was, the price was 20p per coin, so I got 25 of them (£5), but looking at the prices some people pay on ebay for worse condition coins, honestly, I swear that nobody has a concept of true value!!! :o

I did bid on these apparently uncirculated coins yesterday, but being on a mobile phone while walking about, I couldn't bid properly in time (snow falling & melting on a capacitive touchscreen results in messed up behaviour!!), and the bid I put in of £6.66 was a typo, cos of the screen acting up... :D
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271140750564

And at about 30p per coin (final price plus P&P), yeah, not really worth it, I try and see coins as worth upto face value unless they're something special (like are plated with something pricey), I do want some proper 10p coins though, but the 2s coins will do for now, cos they're the same size and weight, they work fine... :)