Found in a dump - AE 88T Speakerphone

[tell302man]

I got a call from my Uncle. He tells me he found this phone that had been in a dumpm on his property. He said the dump had been there as long as he had lived there which was 40 years. It was under a old washing machine. It is sad and to me a unusual phone because it looks like it had bulbs on the front of it and there is a small speaker in the front at the bottom.

[AE_Collector]

It's an an AE 88T Speakerphone. That's a microphone in the front center though the actual microphone is missing. Of course the outboard speaker is missing as well.

Open it up if possible as it has a transistorized PCB amplifier stradling the ringer inside. They packed a lot of stuff into these phones.

Looks to be Jade green and it should be soft platic as thes only were made for a couple of years maximum before being redesigned as the much more common AE 880 speakerphone. Too bad about all the damage.

Terry

[tell302man]

It really is sad. It has been there for many many years.

[kleinkaliber]

I'm curious if you were to open it up, clean all the crud out, and put a line cord on it, would it get a dial tone?

[Greg G.]

It really is sad. It has been there for many many years.

CLR, Oxiclean, and elbow grease.

[tell302man]

I am going to at least try! I bought a 202 a few months ago in a antique shop that looked like it had been in a wet basement for 60 years. It was beyond rough. I got it for 10 bucks. The E1 was broke and half of it was gone. I put a new receiver and sanded it and painted it and put new felt on the bottom. I hooked it up and it worked perfect lol.

[tell302man]

there is also a huge chip out of the plastic under the reciever.

[tell302man]

This is the 202 I restored.

[AE_Collector]

An option to restore this 88T would be to grab a cheap AE 80 and move parts back and forth. If so be sure to get an 80 with the odd shaped feet (like this one had before two of them rotted off!) rather than one with the newer round rubber feet. In black these can easily be snagged for $10 or so.

Terry

[tell302man]

I am going to do that. I wish the chip was not in the plastic under the receiver.

[AE_Collector]

I would probably use everything possible from the new 80 and just move the speakerphone controls and amplifier from the 88T. Lower left is a rotary on/off switch like an AE 85 set uses for line 1/2. Upper left is an indicator lamp. Upper right is a rotary volume control but the actual knob is missing....of course.

The metal base from the 80 needs to have the rectangular slot cut in the front between the two case mounting screws for the rubber mounted microphone though you could scip that since the microphone itself is missing.

Terry