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Western Electric D-98548 Early Handset Telephone

Started by Payphone installer, December 24, 2015, 11:39:36 AM

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Phonesrfun

Thanks for the info Stan.  You know your way around pay phones a lot more than I do, that's for sure.  I guess I am using current thinking.  Being a baby-boomer and growing up in the 50's and 60's I sure know about the non-grounded outlets and the hot chassis 5-tube AC DC radios and other appliances for that matter.  They were, indeed, hot when plugged in "wrong".
-Bill G

Payphone installer

Payphone grounding and voltage,the bar is for tension. Outside voltage was address at the station protector placed at the drop entry point. The payphone ground was for the CO to recognize coin presence, voltage was applied tip to ground to collect or return the coin.  Any coin installer had the pleasure on a regular basis of experiencing collect return voltage. It hurt but was no big deal about the same as ring current. You have not lived till you stuck your hand in a 500 pair pic cable in the rain on a telephone pole while resting your arm on the grounded strand. The pic cable has lines ringing, line voltage you name it,its like sticking your  hand in a bees nest and you have to keep it there till you fine what you need. . As for the housing being grounded on the payphone it was not required,the only time that grounding was required was when a payphone was mounted in a booth or enclosure,then the enclosure had to be grounded. The reason for this was if the enclosure had a light and was hanging on a brick or concrete wall there was a danger of the enclosure being hot on the wall.  Enclosure is hot installer removes housing touches inside wire while touching enclosure 120 flows from installer to CO. I saw a guy get knocked on the hood of a car this way. Outside payphone installers had to work to stay alive on a daily basis as all installers and linemen did. It is and was a dangerous job. In my 23 year career at least 20 guys died from different types of accidents.

paul-f

#17
Stan,

Earlier this evening I was cleaning out some stuff left to me in an Uncle's estate.  It included an early 1960s Lafayette catalog. While flipping through it, I saw a brushed chrome microphone like one I bought from them about that time.  I have vivid memories of getting it and plugging it into a tube amp that fed one side of the AC line to chassis ground -- and through the mike cord shield to the case of the microphone. I got a memorable zap and got out the soldering iron.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

Stan S

Paul
Thinking back, it really is a wonder that we survived. Well, maybe not all of us. May have been dangerous but those days sure were fun!
Stan