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Magneto telephones

Started by long jumper, December 11, 2021, 09:18:44 PM

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long jumper

Can someone please advise me on some information on local battery phones. I picked up 2 different  magneto ringer boxes through  Facebook  market place for a few dollars. Cleaned up magneto's, both put out up to 70 volts. Both ringers work. I put 101A induction coils in each box. Batteries  also.I connected  a 202 we no dial phone to one box and a  we 302 shell with  handset and switch hook. I can transmit & receive. I have a 2 conductor wire between sets.My question is when I crank either  box  the ringers  work but if handset is lifted of  the phone and try to crank it's to hard to crank is that the proper way for these phones  to operate? Or should  you be able to lift handset and signal other set ? Any info appreciated

poplar1

#1
Quote from: long jumper on December 11, 2021, 09:18:44 PMquestion is when I crank either  box  the ringers  work but if handset is lifted of  the phone and try to crank it's to hard to crank is that the proper way for these phones  to operate? Or should  you be able to lift handset and signal other set ?

The usual method is to turn the crank with the phone hung up. A receiver has a much lower resistance than a ringer,  so the current is trying to go through the receiver.

This was a problem on  local battery party lines where a receiver was left off-hook. An optional capacitor could be wired in series with the receiver at each location. However, I'm sure that the subscribers were accustomed to cranking first, then lifting the receiver. They also had to "ring off" after hanging up at the end of the call, if the call had gone through an operator, so that she could tear down the connection.

"Local battery" means that the battery for the talking circuit, as well as a hand generator for signaling, were located on the premises. If you plan to talk between the phones, you will also need a filtered DC power source, such as two "D" batteries, at each phone.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

long jumper

Thanks poplar1 what distance can you ring and talk with crank phone. I used Ft worked good

poplar1

Quote from: long jumper on December 11, 2021, 11:34:01 PM
Thanks poplar1 what distance can you ring and talk with crank phone. I used Ft worked good

With 5-bar generator, you can ring up to 40 phones on the same line at a distance of up to 40 miles (as advertised by Western Electric).
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

dsk

As mentioned over this was the common way to have the phone wired, cranking with the handset on, some phones (german?) had the switching on the generator in such configuration that the generator and phone was in series, and in rest position the generator was shorted, but when kranking the shorting was over the phone (with ringer).  That is typical for field telephones too.
I tried to make a readable diagram for my Siemens magneto from 1931: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=25670.msg251757#msg251757


dsk

long jumper

thanks to all for your input and knowledge about all types of telephones

shadow67

I have several magneto phones connected together. These are among my favorites. They can all ring to and talk between each other. I have D cells to power most of them. One actually has 2 large #6 eveready batteries that are over 10 years old and still work well. It is amazing to be able to use technology that is well over 100 years old. Kind of like time machines.

dsk

I did talk to a man responsible for the telephone line along a veteran railroad here in Norway, not sure but 15-20 phones on the same line, and he found a set with those #6 batteries, and they work still, I did put them there in 1996...     :)