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12 hole dial phone on ebay

Started by Jim Stettler, June 21, 2010, 12:00:48 AM

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Jim Stettler

Presented without comment (for now) (not mine) This came up on one of the listservers. Shipping cost is discouraging.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160445626637&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en
( dead link 01-31-22 )

Item # 160445626637

Jim
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

Jim Stettler

I decided to comment. Back in the day you could dial numbers to give you * and #. I can't remember what they were. Does this dial pulse them or is it a rotary w/ a built-in conversion to TT?

Interesting enough for some discussion by this group.
JMO,
Jim
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

AE_Collector

Wasn't it possible for some electro-mechanical CO switches to interpret more than 10 pulses? Strowger definitely couldn't but I bet Cross Bar could. In any event, the 12 digit dial never caught on...

Shipping amount IS surprising considering that it ships from Hong Kong. Anything else from HK always amazes me how cheap the shipping is. I assume the HK post office has very inexpensive postage to foreign locations.

Terry

McHeath

These have peaked my interest for a few months now since I first ran across one.  It appears to be an actual moveable fingerwheel, so I guess it's a "rotary" phone as you are rotating the wheel to dial the number.  At least that's how it appears.  The dial card is funny, it's British not American, but I guess that is the Brit influence on Hong Kong showing through.  Also note that they have spelled operator backwards. 

Those shipping costs are insane.  A real deal breaker.  Otherwise I might be tempted to pull the lever on one and see what gives.  I'd do a complete alien autopsy on it here for the world to know the truth! ;)

bellsystemproperty

Actually I think that phone is touch-tone. The dial does spin like a pulse dialing phone, but there probably is a circuit in there that times the dial on how long it takes to return and then sends the corresponding tone. If it takes 1.7 seconds to return it sends out a 7 etc...  It seems like a bad system because if the dial slows down it would send out the wrong tone. Then again, it could be some other way of sending out DTMF. What I think is cool about it is that it is technically a rotary phone since the dial does spin, which means rotary phones are still in production! Despite the low quality, I'd probably buy it if the shipping wasn't so expensive.
C*NET # 794-5953 (KYLE)

Jim Stettler

#5
I am thinking the dial codes for * and # were 011 and 012 ( does someone remember for sure?).
It would be really cool if this dial could pulse them (mechanically). The auction says it is new. I suspect it is TT or electronic pulse. You could do the dial codes w/ electronic pulse.

The question is: does much current equitment recognize pulsed * and #?

I am glad we all agree in regards on the  shipping cost.
Jim
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

Greg G.

The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

McHeath

That link is very helpful, it has the first good pictures I've seen of this phone so you can see the details.  Overall it's not a bad replica, though it's not a great one either.  The handset lines are off, and the case tapers too short in the front.  But it really does seem that the fingerwheel spins when you dial.  And we assume these are in current production in Asia someplace, so yes the rotary phone is still in production in 2010.

But at 70 dollars a pop it won't find many takers I'm guessing. 

Jim Stettler

The link also shows it being pulse/tone so I would guess the pulses are electronic.  It would be an interesting oddity to have around. But not at that price. I guess I will have to wait a few years for one to show up at a yard sale or thrift (and hop it still works).
Jim
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.