Western Electric Tube commercial Phone Gear

[Snow]

I recently found a stash of older Western Electric Tube commercial Phone Gear and truthfully have little knowledge about it and was hoping that there may be someone that worked in the field that could help identify some of these items on this forum.

I know the one is a 17B osicallator because it says so on the front and it appears that in the first rack is a distribution amp but other then this I am clueless, the last pics look almost like some type of variac but have 2 huge transformers. If this is the wrong board to put this please move it to the correct one was not sure where I should post at.


Regards Snow

[Alex G. Bell]

Look for 5-digit numbers beginning with J or SD inked on components or along one edge of the mounting panels.  Those are the most certain identifications for those of us who can look them up.

"MET RECT" means "metallic rectifier", i.e. a power supply probably using a selenium rectifier bridge.

[Snow]

Look for 5-digit numbers beginning with J or SD inked on components or along one edge of the mounting panels.  Those are the most certain identifications for those of us who can look them up.

"MET RECT" means "metallic rectifier", i.e. a power supply probably using a selenium rectifier bridge.

Thank you I will post a few more pics for you of other numbers on this item.


Regards Snow

[Snow]

Here are some other numbers on the Metallic Rectifier unit.




Regards Snow

[TelePlay]

Just guessing but this may not be telephone related. From what I can make out on the photos, this could be anything from a special power generator/convertor to a radio station transmission oscillator/power device.

Broken tube and dial. Tubes missing. Not in the best shape.

[Alex G. Bell]

Here are some other numbers on the Metallic Rectifier unit.

Regards Snow

I don't see any numbers other than "48V G1" on the lower photo, which means 48 volt DC "generator #1" probably of a pair consisting of a main and standby unit. 

The Bell System used variacs (continuously voltage adjustable transformers) driven by a bi-directional motor to provide voltage regulation to charge storage batteries in large dial PBX systems.  The error voltage between the applied charging voltage and battery voltage was sometimes amplified by a vacuum tube, sometimes a 300B triode, to control the motor to raise or lower the voltage as required to maintain proper charge level with variations in the AC line voltage and DC load on the power plant.  This looks like it's probably one of these.

These BSP citations were found by searching for J86263.  No match for the SD #:

169-603-816 Iss. 3 - J86207P, J86207S, J86263A, and J86263B - Modifications

169-620-301 Iss. 2 - J86263A, 48-Volt and J86263B, 24-Volt Regulated Metallic Type - 30 Amperes Operating Methods

[Snow]

Just guessing but this may not be telephone related. From what I can make out on the photos, this could be anything from a special power generator/convertor to a radio station transmission oscillator/power device.

Broken tube and dial. Tubes missing. Not in the best shape.

Yes you may well be right, I just assumed it was all part of some old telephone system because there are a number of carrier racks like this one with this stuff.


Regards Snow

[Snow]

I don't see any numbers other than "48V G1" on the lower photo, which means 48 volt DC "generator #1" probably of a pair consisting of a main and standby unit. 

The Bell System used variacs (continuously voltage adjustable transformers) driven by a bi-directional motor to provide voltage regulation to charge storage batteries in large dial PBX systems.  The error voltage between the applied charging voltage and battery voltage was sometimes amplified by a vacuum tube, sometimes a 300B triode, to control the motor to raise or lower the voltage as required to maintain proper charge level with variations in the AC line voltage and DC load on the power plant.  This looks like it's probably one of these.

Thank you for your knowledge on this stuff. The 17B oscillator has a 300B tube in it along with a 274A and 5 or so 310A's and a couple of 311B's and I think a 313C not sure what the oscillator is used for though in the scheme of things. There are more items in this room then what is shown in the pics but once again my knowledge is so limited I don't know what is worth saving and leaving if anything.


Regards Snow

[TelePlay]

Well, it could be a transmitter for car phones. Or it could be part of an FM radio station transmitter. Found this attached very interesting document from July 1946 which shows similar cabinets (along with a lot of other interesting stuff not related to this topic) but none the less interesting.

[Snow]

Well, it could be a transmitter for car phones. Or it could be part of an FM radio station transmitter. Found this attached very interesting document from July 1946 which shows similar cabinets (along with a lot of other interesting stuff not related to this topic) but none the less interesting.

Thank you for the document very interesting, I love all the older tube era gear even if I don't know what it all is or does, here are a few more pics of some of the stuff I pulled from the rack in the first pic, that might help identify some of it.


Regards Snow

[Alex G. Bell]

Thank you for your knowledge on this stuff. The 17B oscillator has a 300B tube in it along with a 274A and 5 or so 310A's and a couple of 311B's and I think a 313C not sure what the oscillator is used for though in the scheme of things. There are more items in this room then what is shown in the pics but once again my knowledge is so limited I don't know what is worth saving and leaving if anything.

Regards Snow

You're welcome. 

Most all WECo tubes, especially 300s and 274s, are worth lots of money if good.  Regardless of what else you salvage you should not leave any tubes behind.  313C is a cold cathode neon gas filled tube.  Might be used as a voltage reference in a regulated power supply.

BSP refs. for the oscillator, a general purpose instrument for setting up and maintaining a wide variety of transmission equipment:

103-305 17A and 17B Oscillators (Range: 500 Cycles to 150 Kilocycles)

103-305-100 Iss. 2 - Description

103-305-700 Iss. 1 - Requirements and Adjusting Procedures

You might find these BSPs on the net.

And BTW, the "audiofools" also pay huge amounts for the magic filled WE capacitors.  Don't leave those behind just because they are "lowly" passive components!

[Snow]

You're welcome. 

Most all WECo tubes, especially 300s and 274s, are worth lots of money if good.  Regardless of what else you salvage you should not leave any tubes behind.  313C is a cold cathode neon gas filled tube.  Might be used as a voltage reference in a regulated power supply.

BSP refs. for the oscillator, a general purpose instrument for setting up and maintaining a wide variety of transmission equipment:

103-305 17A and 17B Oscillators (Range: 500 Cycles to 150 Kilocycles)

103-305-100 Iss. 2 - Description

103-305-700 Iss. 1 - Requirements and Adjusting Procedures

You might find these BSPs on the net.

Thank you again, and yes the WE tubes seem to go up every year in value, I did remove all tubes before I removed any of the gear in the racks, I wanted to move the racks intact but for now it was impossible to do, way too much stuff in the way to do so, so I grabbed what I could get out easily and the fellow that owns the building said he was going to hire someone to muck it out enough that I could remove the racks at some point but was unsure as to when that would be.

If nothing else perhaps some of the transformers may be good for audio amp projects or the like.


Regards Snow

[TelePlay]

And BTW, the "audiofools" also pay huge amounts for the magic filled WE capacitors.  Don't leave those behind just because they are "lowly" passive components!

It's better than that. They buy anything including tube sockets, variable tuning caps, pots, switches, speakers, transformers, meters, rubber grommets, lamps, etc.

Bought a radio at an antique mall with a badly busted up Bakelite cabinet for $7. Sold off the parts in 7 separate listings on eBay for just over $100. If you are going to get that whole rack, if you take the time to remove and de-solder (remove wires from tube sockets) the parts, you might get quite a bit for them on eBay and then sell the metal rack for scrap metal for a few more bucks. Anything you can take off and group together as similar items will sell. Someone always wants something but rarely do they want everything.

Takes time to dismantle something like that but the parts are worth money. And as Alex said, if the tubes say WE, they are worth their weight in gold.

[Alex G. Bell]

Thank you again, and yes the WE tubes seem to go up every year in value, I did remove all tubes before I removed any of the gear in the racks, I wanted to move the racks intact but for now it was impossible to do, way too much stuff in the way to do so, so I grabbed what I could get out easily and the fellow that owns the building said he was going to hire someone to muck it out enough that I could remove the racks at some point but was unsure as to when that would be.

If nothing else perhaps some of the transformers may be good for audio amp projects or the like.


Regards Snow

Yes, there is a fair chance that there are some program grade (20-20KHz) audio transformers among the stuff.  Even transformers which are absolutely certainly purely voice grade often fetch big bucks when the audiofools are bidding.   Magic iron cores wound with magic copper...

[Snow]

It's better than that. They buy anything including tube sockets, variable tuning caps, pots, switches, speakers, transformers, meters, rubber grommets, lamps, etc.

Bought a radio at an antique mall with a badly busted up Bakelite cabinet for $7. Sold off the parts in 7 separate listings on eBay for just over $100. If you are going to get that whole rack, if you take the time to remove and de-solder (remove wires from tube sockets) the parts, you might get quite a bit for them on eBay and then sell the metal rack for scrap metal for a few more bucks. Anything you can take off and group together as similar items will sell. Someone always wants something but rarely do they want everything.

Takes time to dismantle something like that but the parts are worth money. And as Alex said, if the tubes say WE, they are worth their weight in gold.

There are I think 8-10 racks in this room most are WE racks with various items one is a North Electric one and a couple more unknown ones and yes the prices are nuts for some of this stuff. I do have a rack with various Westrex items I think it was for ham radio but was unable to find out much about it, it also had a Hammarlund power supply and a Collins receiver in it. Someday I may start parting it out but hate to do it as it is in mostly working order.

Regards Snow