How 'Bout Those Uniphones?

[Jester]

The subject of the auction in my previous posting finally arrived from Canada on Tuesday.  I was both pleasantly surprised & mildly disappointed after examining it in person.  The good news is this is the oldest uniphone I've ever seen in person.  The bad news is many of the original parts were replaced during its service life, including the cover.  What I find interesting is NE did not date stamp their parts the way Western did.  Parts like the dial, induction coil, ringer, condenser & transmitter-- all comparable in every way to Western Electric examples-- are stamped.  All the unique features that make this a Uniphone & not a 302-- handset & caps, receiver element, cover & base-- are not stamped.  Since this is an early phone, I ran into some things I haven't seen or, in some cases, heard of before.  For example, the handset is the very early NF design.  Besides its unique shape & different receiver element, the transmitter cap is an open ring with a E-1 style transmitter cover inserted in the hole in the cap.  Details of the different handsets & other features of the uniphone can be found here.

http://tinyurl.com/kksyer

Moving inside the phone, I found the base to be the same general age as the handset, with a unique N3A condenser (not the usual 195A) and the oldest B type ringer I've ever seen.  It is marked NB1A and is dated early 1936 & has a differently made clapper from the other B ringers I'm familiar with.  It also has nickel plated gongs, which seems unusual for a hidden ringer.  The gongs have no markings, but they seem to be tuned the same as the 41a/b brass gongs on American B types.
Anyway, below are a few pictures showing outside details and a comparison to the No.1 deskset.  Notice this wallphone has feet! As you can see from the auction shot, these were really nasty feet.  It literally took HOURS to clean all that dried oil-base paint off the leather, but I managed! Also notice in the sideshot how the cradle is positioned directly above the dial, creating an angular line that is missed when viewed head on.  Next posting will be pics under the hood.

[Jester]

Here are the rest of the shots, showing details inside the phone.  Notice the hinge on the cover.

[HobieSport]

Thanks for the pictures and good description and comparisons between the newer and older model, Jester. I do like the hinged cover, and in general they seem well laid out and well built. There was a desk model Uniphone on Ebay last week, but I've had to reign in my phone buying for now.

[McHeath]

A very interesting phone, who'd a thunk that a wall phone would have feet?  That early B type ringer is unusual, I did not know they were being made then.  Love the color.  How does it work?

[bingster]

A very interesting phone, who'd a thunk that a wall phone would have feet? 

North (and probably others) did that, too.  Using the same base plate for both desk and wall versions saved on manufacturing costs.

[Jester]

I need to make a mounting board, and have not rigged it to test yet, but the desk phones sound as good as the 300 series.

[foots]

Those are some nice Uniphones, I like the style of them especially with the earlier handsets.
Hobie, what's the scoop on that Signal Corps Galion dial/fingerwheel? I've never seen one quite like that one before. What make is it?

[HobieSport]

Hobie, what's the scoop on that Signal Corps Galion dial/fingerwheel? I've never seen one quite like that one before. What make is it?

Foots I started a thread about comparing North Electric Galions and North Electric signal phones, including the cutaway dial:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1268.0