WE 323BW Swivel Transmitter

[extremecinema]

Can anybody shed some light on this WE 323BW transmitter?  Have never seen one with a ball swivel.  Is the mouthpiece bakelite or brass?

[Sargeguy]

That is a 323 BW transmitter, which was introduced for use on the 50-AL if I'm not mistaken.  It replaced previous solid back transmitters.  The "BW" is found on non-Bell System versions.  The phone itself does not appear to be Western Electric.

[extremecinema]

This is clearly a homemade wood phone.

I was planning on lifting the 323BW transmitter and utilizing it on a 553A wall telephone renovation that I'm working on, replacing a 653A transmitter.

I trust this is an appropriate swap.

[extremecinema]

Since I noticed this 323BW transmitter,  I have been trying to find information on this swivel mount,  without any luck.

Can anyone she'd any light on this variant?  Is the swivel base not WE, but "aftermarket"?

[rdelius]

The telephone might have been a Sterling

[Sargeguy]

The swivel isn't Western Electric.  Actually I think 323s were for sidetone circuits and 337s were for anti-sidetone circuits, so a 323 should work just fine on a 553 wall phone, and a 337 would be appropriate for a 653. 

[poplar1]

#337 transmitters were already listed in the 1923 WE Catalog #5. That was about 8 years before WE was making anti-sidetone telephones or subsets.

Here is an excerpt from the 1925 Catalog #6:

         323BW   General standard transmitter for telephones and desk stands. Black finish. Mounts by means
                               of bolt and screw. Same as 323W except finish.

            337BW   For use on long subscribers loops. Similar to the No. 323BW.. Black finish. Mounts by means
                                of bolt and screw.


Here is an excerpt from a 1933 BSP showing that the type transmitter depending on zoning, whether for sidetone or anti-sidetone:

Source: C52.101 Issue 1, Nov. 1933, Coin Collectors, 50 and 150 Type, Description and Use. In TCI library, contributed by Chuck Hensley.