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Hospital phone

Started by Whitcrane76, June 03, 2019, 09:08:52 PM

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Whitcrane76

Anybody else see this one the other night?  I wanted it, but it got a little out of my price range.

jsowers

#1
Yes, I saw it and bid on it and like you, it went way past what I was willing to pay. So Paul Fassbender, did you get it? The identities are hidden, and why I don't know since they're hidden already, or most of them are. Link to auction: https://www.ebay.com/itm/163707354765
( dead link 06-03-21 )

The bottom of the phone has these switches that puzzle me and seem to be too easy for someone who picked up the phone to accidentally switch into the wrong position, and then they aren't labeled well enough to know what they do.

Also this phone came without its handset cord, and judging from the holes in the side, it takes an unusual cord and not the standard large modular, for some reason. So that would be just about unobtainum.

No wonder it was a flop. What most hospitals and nursing homes in my area use is an analog phone like a Trimline hooked to a phone system where each phone has its own DID number and the patient can make and receive outside calls, often with free long distance.

Paul's site has a little info on it: http://www.paul-f.com/weprotot.html#Trimline

More auction pics below...
Jonathan

Babybearjs

Boy! that was a little expensive!
John

paul-f

#3
Quote from: jsowers on June 03, 2019, 09:31:22 PM
So Paul Fassbender, did you get it?

No, Jonathan.  I took a pass as well. Since I have the field trial set for display, it seemed less important to try and collect every variation.

   Direct link: http://www.paul-f.com/weprotot.html#F55903

Your analysis is right on. My set has the remains of a F-55603 handset cord (III 63) that was cut at the exit hole. It has four wires hardwired inside the set. Since standard Trimline sets were used, it must have had a plug on the other end. I looked for similar production cords years ago, but didn't find any. Should check again, now that a copy of the WE Card Catalog is available. I don't have any plans to make it work, so simply display it with a standard cord with the plug tucked inside the base.

I suspect the production AE1 base (like the auction set) continued that method, (see later post) but a later AE2 does seem to have the standard Trimline jack. Check the BSPs in the TCI Library.

   https://www.telephonecollectors.info/index.php/search?q=hospital

It would be nice to get more info from the buyer, if we can make contact.

As far as price goes, it seems relatively cheap to me, for such an uncommon set. I'm surprised the usual deep-pocket bidders weren't more active.

Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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jsowers

Paul, thanks for all the information and especially for the links to the BSP info. I learned a lot about what this set did and what those switches on the bottom were for. They were for activating a nurse call button that could be plugged into either side of the phone, or both. I clipped a few illustrations from the BSPs to show what other parts this system had. It was quite complex and even employed a speakerphone in every unit and later ones employed a message waiting light.

The Nurse Console is interesting to see and it could be had in both rotary and Touch-Tone. How rare is that 10-button variety, I wonder? I also noticed that the JKL Museum contributed the BSPs to the site, so I hope they were the one who got this auction phone.

It even came (why am I not surprised) in a host of decorator colors including light gray, turquoise and aqua blue. But I bet Hospital white was the most common color.

Below are some clips from the BSPs. For more info, use the link in Paul's post to see the five BSPs on the Hospital Interphone. Quite an unusual device. It's something that makes me wish I had talked to my Uncle Don more about his career. He worked in the Southern Bell business office and was in charge of designing the phone system that went into NC Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, among other customers. Alas, he died in 1994, before I was a phone collector.
Jonathan

paul-f

#5
Quote from: jsowers on June 04, 2019, 02:27:49 PM
I also noticed that the JKL Museum contributed the BSPs to the site, so I hope they were the one who got this auction phone.

The JKL Museum already has a similar set from the Tucson Pioneer auction. I believe it has an AE2 base with the standard Trimline plug.

Here's an auction photo showing the cord connection. The plastic cutout looks like the the one on the AE1 way above, so it looks like the AE1 base used a standard Trimline plug after all! It makes sense that they would have done that for the production set.

(edit) Added a promotional photo showing the call button option.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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Whitcrane76

The bad part is, now I have another empty spot in my collection for a phone I didn't know existed before this auction.  Gotta get'em all! (Phonitis)