Is this Normal ???

[Dan/Panther]

There is an auction up, that shows a 500, with a modular handset cord configfuration, yet the line cord is still hard wired. Is this a normal configuration ?
D/P

[bingster]

I've wondered about that, too.  I've seen them on ebay with the opposite configuration, too (modular line/hardwired handset).

[Dan/Panther]

I think Maybe Independents did that, Not refurbed WE.
D/P

[McHeath]

I've seen them as well, but don't know who did it.  D/P's idea of the independents doing these conversions could very well be what happened. 

[phoneguy06]

That would be what is known as a half-modular phone; ITT manufactured full, half, and quarter-modular telephones, as did NE for the US market, whereas here in Canada they produced only quarter and non-modular telephones. A quarter modular telephone is one where the line cord terminates in a modular plug, but all cords, including the line cord, are hard wired to the phone itself. As I believe I've mentioned here several times before, by 1989, ITT only had two designations, full and non-modular, which appears to be what they re-named the quarter modular designation. My black example from that year has all cords hardwired to the phone, and a modular plug on the end of the line cord, but the handset is actually modular, as ITT had ceased manufature of G3 handsets in the early 80s.

[Bill Cahill]

Hmmmm. Not sure, but, sounds like a home job to me.....
Especiallly if it's a WE.
When WE, or the phone company did changes, they did it all the way. Complete re furb.
Bill Cahill

[benhutcherson]

Don't forget that many 500s were field converted to modular.

I would guess that this may be an incomplete field conversion. It offers the biggest corporate advantage of modular-that of allowing the customer to change a worn handset cord(rather than sending out a tech) without the advantage of the consumer being able to easily change out, move, or replace the telephone.

[Dennis Markham]

Just today on a visit to the local flea market I came upon a Pink W.E. model 500.  The bottom date was 10/59.  It appeared to be hard plastic but had the later version of the 6 hole cap.  The handset cord was hard-wired but had a modular jack on the back.  The finger wheel was a soft center finger wheel with a vintage dial card.  The phone was covered with stickers.  It wasn't yellowed but more faded.  I'm sure under the stickers the plastic would have been darker.  The notch on the back for the modular plug seemed nice and square but I would guess that it was a field modification.  I believe there was a tool that a repair person could use to notch the housings.  The seller wanted $19.  I countered with $10 even though I knew it would be a project.  A replacement pink handset cord is hard to find.  We got down to $15 and I walked away (without the phone).

But the point is that during this transition time I believe housings were notched in the field and modifications made to a subscriber's phone that did not require the phone to be taken out of service and sent to the refurb shop.

Anything is possible on eBay.  I've seen hard-wired cords shoved into the square opening of a modular handset---but that's nothing the phone company would have done.

[benhutcherson]

 I've seen hard-wired cords shoved into the square opening of a modular handset---but that's nothing the phone company would have done.

I agree that Bell probably wouldn't have done it. I've seen enough late-model ITT/Cortelco phones this way, though, to believe these were factory jobs.

[Dennis Markham]

You're right Ben, I should have said I didn't think Ma Bell would have done that.  But even that statement is just my opinion, as I don't know for sure that the Bell System didn't use hard-wired cords with a modular handset.  I have also seen the little plugs they call "mouse holes" that would slide into a notched housing to return the housing to hard-wired status.  Also I there are some handsets with what look like plugs where the handset cup was drilled to a larger opening and then a modular plug was installed for a modular handset cord.  I don't have any photos or phones with these to illustrate but I do come across them from time to time.

[Dan/Panther]

I have a SC brown 500 with the round peg in a square hole. Didn't notice it until it arrived.
D/P

[McHeath]

I've seen several handset with a large, 1 inch or so, plug inserted into the hole where the handset cord enters that convert the formerly hardwired handset to modular status.  Guessing that this was done at some factory refurb time, it seems pretty odd that a field tech would have the needed drill press equipment to do this conversion.

[JimH]

Around 1974 or so, my parents ordered new touch-tone phones for the house, and the red 2500 my mom had in the kitchen had a hard-wired cord shoved into the "modular" hole in the handset.  I think they did this until they used up the hard-wired cords, and until they went completely modular, which  I don't think  happened in the Detroit area until about 1977.

[jsowers]

Also I there are some handsets with what look like plugs where the handset cup was drilled to a larger opening and then a modular plug was installed for a modular handset cord.  I don't have any photos or phones with these to illustrate but I do come across them from time to time.

I too have seen those modular handsets. My grandmother had one on a yellow modular WE 500 installed about 1976. It was very early modular and the first modular phone I ever saw. I have a few of them, but none on display so I can't take a picture. I think they were possibly drilled out hard-wired handsets that were factory converted to modular. You can't drill a square hole (or they couldn't in the 1970s), so they drilled it out into a bigger circle and put in something to adapt it to modular.

That phone is still in use in my aunt's basement. Never been serviced and still working fine, if a little grungy. I may have a picture of it somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment.

[Dennis Markham]

Here is an eBay listing with a white 500.   The handset has one of those plugs that I talked about in the posting above.  The hardwired handset was apparently drilled out and then an insert put in the hole with an opening for the modular plug.  The listing is here:  http://tinyurl.com/nn3emm