Western Electric Com Key 718 Working :)

[Hill Haven Telephone Company]

Got the phones today from Jim Engle. 

Had to strap the common audible down to get the phones to ring,  But shes mostly working.    The 2832A set has the hold light lit up and it sends tones but the KSU doesn't pick them up.    The 832A Rotary dial set is working perfectly.  Made a couple calls out with it.  Sounds great. 

Here is a short youtube video of it ringing

I got the Com Key 718 mostly operational. Ringing is working and you can dial out on the 832A Rotary Dial set. The 2382 is sending tones but the KSU isnt recognizing it.

Here is a youtube video of it ringing

https://youtu.be/I_20OQrwPfc

[Key2871]

What KSU are you using? As for the tones not getting picked up, it's possible the oscillators are out a bit so they aren't getting recognized.

[Hill Haven Telephone Company]

Its a Com Key 718 KSU  7A Communications System.    I got lucky and got the phones brand new  

[Key2871]

In deed you did. Those are hard to find, even used.
Very cool.

[Hill Haven Telephone Company]

I found the KSU on a local online auction,  got it for 17 bucks.     And then Jim Engle had the phones for a good price. 

So i put together a nice system.   My plan is to take it to Lancaster and show it off,  hopefully I can locate a MOH card for it and the paging card. 

[Key2871]

Oh a MOH card would be cool, but hard to find...

[Hill Haven Telephone Company]

It's a pretty unique system to mess around with.   I plan to demo it at the next phone show,  and maybe bring it to Lancaster. 

[Babybearjs]

congratulations on you system.... now all you have to do is find a good spot to mount the darned thing and get your system wired. My 6A system was a pain to remodel... the KTS alone weights a good 50 pounds! and my additional 208A KTU assembly weights just as much! Bugger to mount!

[Key2871]

It's very unique, and it would be neat to see at a telephone show for sure. Good luck finding a paging or MOH card though.

[Hill Haven Telephone Company]

We run a shoebox KSU here at home,  it works great for our needs.  The com key Key System without phones cost me 10 bucks at a local auction.   The NOS phones around 200 for the pair. 

Im gonna build it into a demo

[Key2871]

Wow, that was great all round you did well.
I knew an old guy who used to be an installer had all sorts of things, he had those sets he wanted darn near what you paid and they were well used.. Needless to say I passed.
But cool idea using for demo use very cool.

[Babybearjs]

yeh, I have a WE 551C in storage as a backup to me 1A1 system if it were to ever die...

[Key2871]

Well I think 1A2 is great, because you can do so much with the sets. I have made a couple use a button to turn on a radio, with a relay operated by the hook switch to mute "turn off" the speaker. Others had door switches operate a light such as hold to tell me a door that should be closed was opened. Stuff like that. But I miss my MOH card to have music on hold. It had a tuner built in.

[Babybearjs]

still haven't been able to master that MOH problem here... it looks like I'm going to need a 400 series card adapter for the 1A1 system... I know they made them, I just have to find one... then wire it in and add the 451 card... (or is that a 415?) anyway, its all on the back burner for now. but on my system I ran 10 and 18 VAC lies to all the extensions and have a 24 volt relay circuit tied into the living room phone... it controls the fireplace relay for the space heater... I'm going to be setting up the same idea in the bedroom for a window AC unit... have a remote thermostat on the opposite wall to control the AC this next summer if I need it... (if I get the central AC repaired in time) but having extra features available in these systems really is nice...

[Hill Haven Telephone Company]

I want to get a 1A1 system,  we've got room on the backboard for one  

We put the ComKey 718 up on our backboard.  So it would't have to sit in storage,  Removing it is as easy as loosening 2 screws and unplugging 4 modular plugs and the power.