I can understand someone's reason for not allowing courtesy calls on their home phone line, but this guy took that understanding to another level...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331532738479
It reminds me of the dial locks from the 1930s!
Useful if the person you're calling is at 111-111-1111... ;D
Is that an unkown item, across the pond? Here they were very common. There were even phones with built in locks to prevent dialing.
Here are some pics of my small collection of dial locks.
Quote from: Matilo Telephones on April 18, 2015, 04:08:37 AM
Is that an unkown item, across the pond? Here they were very common. There were even phones with built in locks to prevent dialing.
Here are some pics of my small collection of dial locks.
I've seen a few Professional dial locks on phones built in the 1930s and 1940s, and one or two modern ones in boxes, but I have never seen one in use past the 40s or 50s.
I know that's a Master Lock, extremely, extremely common here, but the fact that it was used to prevent dialing on a phone is what I was reffering to. Actual dial locks aren't common here.
I've seen dial locks before and they are neat curiosity, but what kind of application would these be used for? I can see public area phones that are used infrequently for official purposes, but for a private home or an area where the phone was used frequently, they seem like they would be a huge hassle.
Some uses:
- Kids are grounded from using the phone
- Don't want babysitter making calls all night
- Party at the house - to prevent long distance calls
- Phones in public areas
- Phone meant to be answer only - and a basic dial phone was cheaper than a manual phone (don't think Ma Bell or the local independent company wouldn't figure how to charge you extra for anything special...)
Of course, kids can quickly figure out how to "dial" using the switch hook...
I think I could cut that lock with my safety-scissors. :)
Ben
It won't stop "switch hook pulsing"! ;)
Tap 10 times to call the Operator... ;D
I haven't seen many locks for dials used in Australia but a telephone with a key-lock was available for most of the time the PMG/Telecom/Telstra was a monopoly provider. Early auto versions could be circumvented by hook tapping but there was also a module that could be added to the telephone that would dampen the hook making it impossible to "flash dial".
There was also a small box with a key lock that could be added to a PABX so that outside lines could be switched off after hours and on weekends. The box had a glass front and a spare key inside so that in an emergency, one would break the glass, get the spare key, switch on an outside line and call for help. If the glass was broken and there was no emergency you probably wouldn't get another chance.
Jack
Quote from: mariepr on April 19, 2015, 12:29:06 AM
It won't stop "switch hook pulsing"! ;)
Quote from: twocvbloke on April 19, 2015, 01:17:04 AM
Tap 10 times to call the Operator... ;D
In countries that used these types of locks, some telephones also had specially designed slow hookswitches that prevented such practices.
Gary Goff's cover story on this month's TCI newsletter is about early coin mechanisms for candlestick phones. While not exactly the same thing, they were essentially much more elaborate versions of the simple key-operated dial lock. It is worth a read if you have not seen it already.
I remember those locks from the early '60s, about the same time frame as the pens with the plastic ball on one end to dial the phone to minimize ladies' nail damage to or from the dial.
Quote from: 19and41 on April 19, 2015, 10:01:25 AM
I remember those locks from the early '60s, about the same time frame as the pens with the plastic ball on one end to dial the phone to minimize ladies' nail damage to or from the dial.
God forbid if the lady with th 3 inch nails is inconvenienced having to dial a phone. I still don't know how these secretaries typed on a typewriter with 3" nails... (Of course some had something on someone, so they could get away with nearly anything...)
Jim
Quote from: compubit on April 19, 2015, 10:39:52 AM
God forbid if the lady with th 3 inch nails is inconvenienced having to dial a phone. I still don't know how these secretaries typed on a typewriter with 3" nails... (Of course some had something on someone, so they could get away with nearly anything...)
Ha! I've worked with a few of those over the years. To this day, the sound of those long Freddy Krueger nails clicking away on a keyboard drives me batty.
Quote from: WesternElectricBen on April 18, 2015, 01:08:29 PM
I think I could cut that lock with my safety-scissors. :)
Ben
... Or a paper mâché saw! :D
I have developed a small collection of phone locks. Some came on phones, some came in a lot of phone stuff and I purchased some.
The 2 on the left are cradle locks which keep the plungers depressed, the big one on the bottom stays on the cradle and the key lets you lift the cover to release the plungers. Also I have a few of the upper beige ones for sale! The center 2 are for touch-tone keys, they clamp on the push buttons, very medieval clamps! The ones on the right are the normal locks that go in the #1 finger hole.
I guess those locks go to show that not everything in the good old days were cheap.