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2nd Largest dial ever made is in a Youtube video.

Started by NorthernMan, December 22, 2010, 08:58:11 PM

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NorthernMan

Does anyone have this dial in their collection its connected to a Weco spacesaver.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4v-crPSrj0

paul-f

Did you say "largest?"   :o :o ???
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paul-f

You're welcome.  In response to your original question, in addition to a few photos of demonstration dial, my collection includes a modest example.  Available space has limited me to one with a dial plate that's only 9" in diameter.  It includes a #6 dial, so could be wired to work.   ;D

I've also included a few more photos...
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paul-f

It's quite interesting to watch the videos and read the accounts of the many training sessions that were held over a time span of many decades to educate users on how to use the telephone.

The phone company had to get users past the notion that they were losing some of the personal service they felt they were paying for with their monthly bill.  They were, after all, being asked to run the machines that made the connection.

During the learning curve, slow dialing or improperly dialed numbers increased the time the switching equipment was in use for a revenue producing call -- so the cost of training was viewed as an investment resulting in lower operating costs achieved by having better trained dialers.

Since it took decades for all exchanges to be converted from manual to dial service, the demonstrations continued for many years.  They were typically accompanied by write-ups in the telephone directories, bill inserts and press releases to local newspapers.  In later years, there were even promotional mini 500s and Princess sets with the date of the dial conversion hot stamped into the handset.  The conversion event was a big deal.

In addition, the videos came from 16mm films that were provided to community groups, so the demonstrations could happen without the investment of shipping the large demo setups and providing live trained demonstrators.

Another technique was sending demonstrators with teletrainers to schools to educate children on how to properly use the telephone -- including telephone etiquette.

Some of us are old enough to remember sitting through these demos in grade school.
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