Nifty Teletrainer

[Kenton K]

Just got a hold of a nifty WE teletrainer and 2 AE80Es. You connect two telephones which can talk to each other. The module also amplifies the conversation, sends dial tone, busy signal, and ringer signal to the telephones. Uses old tubes too! I was told it was used for classroom demonstrations, to teach children about telephone etiquette. I will have some fun with this!

-Ken

[paul-f]

Great find!

The BSP can be found in the TCI Library at:

  http://www.telephonecollectors.info/index.php/document-repository/doc_details/2649-473-411-100-i4-ks-16605-teletrainer-tl

[Contempra]

great find Kenton.

[WesternElectricBen]

That is a quite nice find, I saw one at Lancaster last year, but they wanted more money than I had. Though, it used red and green WE phones, not AE.

I am wondering, are those the original sets? I know the color doesn't matter, but I'd think they would have different colors.

Ben

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Wow, it's like the first Panasonic 616, only made by Western Electric itself.

[zaphod01]

Very cool! I think I saw the red/green version on eBay about a year ago. as I recall, it came with a molded carrying case. Went for much more than my high bid.

[WesternElectricBen]

Wow, it's like the first Panasonic 616, only made by Western Electric itself.

Well, it only has 2 extensions, so it is like the setup of the first ever phone.

Ben

[G-Man]

It is nothing like a Panasonic 616 since it is not able to switch between different instruments nor able to automatically ring them.

There is not much of a market for them and three of them were given away at the northern California show a couple of months ago.

The AE80 sets were not originally used with the Bell System models, but Automatic Electric had their own versions that were used by the General Telephone Companies.

[HarrySmith]

I have a set of WE 500 phones in the special Teletrainer carrying case. I always have my eyes out for a Teletrainer with the case to go with them! I do not recall the colors but I think the red & green referred to here may be what I have. If someone is giving them away I will gladly pay shipping for one

[unbeldi]

.

[unbeldi]

Lot of people looking for a way to ring a phone on stage for a theatrical show would be very interested in these if they don't want to build a DSine ring generator. Got to be a lot cheaper than a Teltone III or IV and much smaller to haul and set up than a 308 or 616. What did you pay for all that?

Believe me, a 308 and 616 is much more preferable, more intuitive, and authentic, and you don't have to teach anyone to use them.

[jsowers]

When Teletrainers were used in the 1950s, many families didn't even have a telephone yet. Especially in rural areas. It's a bit ironic that they taught telephone manners back in the "good old days" when people didn't use the phone as much or even have one. Kids and adults today could benefit from a telephone manners lesson. How many times have you answered the phone saying "Hello" and the person on the other end says "Who's this?"    I so want to launch into a lesson right then and there and say, "Do you mean Hello, may I speak to someone?" But I don't. It's usually a wrong number and I have little patience when they do that.

I think the reason the Teletrainer units are poor in their simulation is because they were done on the cheap and given to schools with the phones. The fact that they still work at all means they were made from decent components at the time. I have a green one made in the late 50s or early 60s by S-C that still works, with a neat Bell logo that lights up. It requires the ringers in 500 sets be connected to ground (yellow), BTW, if anyone needs to know. That's the way the phones usually came in the 50s.

[unbeldi]

I think the reason the Teletrainer units are poor in their simulation is because they were done on the cheap and given to schools with the phones.

Definitely on the cheap...  It was not an educational project, but a marketing project, to generate interest and entice people to sign up for service.  Marketing through children was already a well-known concept, it appears.
The engineers understood it, and they produced a toy, nothing more than absolutely necessary to satisfy the marketing managers.

[Kenton K]

The teletrainer is definitely cheap for WE standards. It was actually made by Industrial Electronic HDWE corp, not WE.  When using the phone, there is a lot of side tone and some distortion. But what could you expect for an item made for kids.

-KK

[paul-f]

Relevant BSPs:
C43.291.1  (if you can find it)
C43.291.2  (ditto)
473-410-100
473-411-100
473-411-901

Per 000-020-003, issue 2, 2/64 -- In the early 1960s, C43.291.1 was renumbered to 473-410-100  (KS-16161 Teletrainer)

  and C43.291.2 was renumbered to 473-411-100   (KS-16605-L1 Teletrainer -- the green one in the first message of this topic.)   

Here are photos of the KS-16161, made by Stromberg Carlson, Robco and perhaps others, and the KS-16605 set.