http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120704356031&autorefresh=true
(dead link 11-27-21 )
10 sheets, 5.50 postage, nice slate grey colour, spurred on by GG's appreciation of his Jubilee "Balmoral blue"set.
Unconverted, but no fading, chips or cracks, hope the dial works...
Some links:
http://www.britishtelephones.com/t776.htm
http://www.telephonesuk.co.uk/phones_1960-80.htm#Compact
So GG, does this need a Trimpone type part straight, part curly line cord, and would a Trimphone grommet fit, or do I need to convert a Trimphone cord with a 700 series grommet glued on?
These sets need a seperate bellset, not that I need one with all the ringing junk in here!
Just looking at my Blue Compact (with matching wall mounting bell, brag brag)
the line cord is fully curly with a standard square grommet on both ends.
Dude! Score! And thanks for starting the separate topic. How long do I have to be a member here before I can start topics?
A Trimphone cord won't fit a 776, the strain relief on the Trimphone cord is too small.
Per Owain, the original cord is fully curly all the way. However, any standard 706/746 cord will also fit properly and make the set functional, and IMHO will look acceptable.
It might be difficult to find the bellset as a separate item, so if you don't need it to ring, that saves you a search.
I have heard that some later 776s were produced with internal tweeters so they don't need external bellsets. I've seen one such offered for sale somewhere. If it sounds like the Trimphone, excellent. But IMHO if it sounds like the GEC Statesman, o-u-c-h, best to wire it out or modify to lower the volume considerably. Anything anyone can find out about 776s with tweeters would be interesting to know.
Quote from: GG on April 05, 2011, 09:12:12 AM
Dude! Score! And thanks for starting the separate topic. How long do I have to be a member here before I can start topics?
GG, if you're on an individual forum page (Classifieds, General, etc.), you should see the following buttons in the dark tan bar above the thread topics:
MARK AS READ - NOTIFY - NEW TOPIC - NEW POLL
Clicking the "NEW TOPIC" button will get you a... new topic. Or do you not have those buttons?
Quote from: GG on April 05, 2011, 09:12:12 AM
Dude! Score! And thanks for starting the separate topic. How long do I have to be a member here before I can start topics?
A Trimphone cord won't fit a 776, the strain relief on the Trimphone cord is too small.
Per Owain, the original cord is fully curly all the way. However, any standard 706/746 cord will also fit properly and make the set functional, and IMHO will look acceptable.
It might be difficult to find the bellset as a separate item, so if you don't need it to ring, that saves you a search.
I have heard that some later 776s were produced with internal tweeters so they don't need external bellsets. I've seen one such offered for sale somewhere. If it sounds like the Trimphone, excellent. But IMHO if it sounds like the GEC Statesman, o-u-c-h, best to wire it out or modify to lower the volume considerably. Anything anyone can find out about 776s with tweeters would be interesting to know.
I could probably wire up an internal buzzer, but I don't need it, I have about 4 I keep for my Dictograph covertions, and they sound bloody horrible anyway.
So what I shall get is a standard boring grey BT cord for it as it didn't seem to come with a matching coloured cord in the first place, I could modify a trimline repro cord but these are flat wire not rounded.
Bingster, I normally read via the "unread topics" feature so I don't see all those tabs or buttons. But now that you mention it, I'll know where to look.
Re. buzzers: Most small station buzzers (such as the round ones in the US with the black leads) make a kind of annoying "clack-clack-clack-clack" sound rather than a proper buzz, due to the low frequency of ringing current (US 20 Hz) compared to mains current (US 60 Hz) used for intercom buzzers e.g. on 1A2 key systems. This might be fixed by using a bridge rectifier ahead of the buzzer leads, thereby creating the equivalent of doubling the frequency of the current pulses that are above zero volts, and doubling the frequency of the buzzer. I should try this and if it works, post a description of how it was done. Of course one could use a ring detect relay and AC mains transformer, and 6V station buzzer (US: round with blue leads) but that would become an energy hog over time and would require an additional wire pair to the telephone set.
Anyone know anything about 776s with internal tweeters?
Here's what got GPO706 & I discussing the 776 in the first place:
I'm quite convinced that the 776 was originally designed with the deliberate intent of producing a 50th anniversary update to the 232 with separate bellset. If we were to find the person responsible for the design and interview him, he would probably say that, at minimum, the 232 with separate bellset was an influence in his thinking.
---
Evidence:
The 232 was the last "original/unique GPO" design until the 706. As is well known, the 332 originated in Sweden (Swedish Ericsson), and was only adopted into the UK due to the fortunate coincidence of HRH the Prince of Wales discovering it at an international exhibition. However the 232 remained the iconic GPO telephone until the 706, and even retained its iconic status thereafter, whereas the 332 didn't quite reach the level of an icon.
The separate bellset, per the 232, was a deliberate choice for the 776. The 776 could have been designed with a Trimphone tweeter from the beginning, since the Trimphone was already successful and the technology existed to do this *easily* and at lower cost than providing a separate bellset.
The combined wall mounting bracket for the telephone, that included a place for the bellset, was also a feature available for the 232, and was an unusual solution to the issue of providing a wall set. Incorporating the bellset into the wall bracket was also an unusual choice for the 232, as the bellset could easily have been centrally mounted (in the home) per US and French practice at the time, or mounted separately on the wall below the wall bracket.
The 776, like the Trimphone, could easily have been offered as a table phone only, with no wall mounting option, and no one would have objected or even noticed the absence: if they wanted a wall set they could have a 711. Thus the wall bracket was another deliberate design element that was purely gratuitous and raised costs compared with not having one.
The 232 originated in the 1920s, and the 776 in the 1970s: fifty years later, a significant anniversary.
The use of the 776 as the primary GPO offering to commemorate HM the Queen's Silver Jubilee (1952 - 1977, 25 years), as distinct from producing another set in Balmoral Blue or similar appropriate color, is convergent with the idea that the 776 was intended to have historic connotations. Though I have lately seen on one of the UK sites, that there were apparently also commemorative Trimphones featuring appropriate Royal insignia and dates, so it is possible I'm mistaken about this point.
Elements that added cost would not have been included unless they were considered important to the purpose of the design. There is no question that a 776 with tweeter and with no wall mounting option, would have been less costly and equally accepted by the UK public, compared to the 776 as it was actually produced. Thus the aforementioned design elements must necessarily be deliberate and purposeful.
---
I'm wondering if any of the folks who are well-known in UK telephony history circles might try to find the person who created the 776 and interview them while they're still alive. Thirty years from now we may regret not having taken the opportunity in time. The interviews with Genaro (USA: 2500, Princess, Trimline) cover important parts of our history, so this would be analogous. The design process for the 706 has already been documented, and I think for the 772 Trimphone has as well, so it's a logical step to cover the ground for the 776 and then for the, Ambassador, Statesman, Tribune, and Viscount ranges. After that point, it would seem that BT fell into the general pattern of the rest of the world, whereby generic global products were re-branded, and for which historic documentation is probably not possible.
(Note to those who object to my "dissertations" in the forums: should I be submitting this stuff to Singing Wires or some such publication instead? and how easy is it to get published in those places?)
(Note to those who object to my "dissertations" in the forums: should I be submitting this stuff to Singing Wires or some such publication instead? and how easy is it to get published in those places?)
Singingwires is a TCI newsletter. You must be a member of the TCI to submit articles for the editor to decide upon publication. The TCI Listserver is and open to anyone, as the Forum is.
Quote from: Doug Rose on April 06, 2011, 09:30:06 AM
(Note to those who object to my "dissertations" in the forums: should I be submitting this stuff to Singing Wires or some such publication instead? and how easy is it to get published in those places?)
Singingwires is a TCI newsletter. You must be a member of the TCI to submit articles for the editor to decide upon publication. The TCI Listserver is and open to anyone, as the Forum is.
Since one of the goals of TCI (and therefore Singing Wires) is to help preserve the history of telephony, articles are welcome from any and all sources. While most articles come from members, we have also published articles from non-members and reprints of articles from other sources.
Go here for details:
http://www.telephonecollectors.org/singwire/singwire.htm
Here are some article guidelines that were in the March issue...
It is preferred that articles be limited to two pages. That means each should be no more than about 2000 words in length or less if pictures are to be included. Pictures should be of high resolution so they may be cropped as needed.
If you feel you do not have good writing skills, do not let that deter you. A member of the EAB will be glad to work with you on the writing of your article, providing assistance and editing to your satisfaction.
TCI reserves the right to edit all articles for length and clarity.Since I am a member of the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) you can send material directly to me, if you prefer.
We're very flexible on topics. Please share info about your collection, favorite phones, telephone related experiences, insights gained by reading vintage telephone literature etc. Articles that highlight a big recent "score" or a newly discovered nuance of collecting that isn't common knowledge are especially welcome.
(Please reply to this message on this thread:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4646.0)
I'm enjoying the discussion and links in this topic, but feel the need for some photos showing the different bellsets available with the Compact phones...
Paul has covered all the bases with the colours, I never seen one of these in use in anyone's house back in the day, so I'm wondering how (un)popular they were, I reckon the "Jubilee" sets in "Balmoral Blue" and with the dial centres must be pretty rare, especially the ones with Scottish version?
In 1977 every child in the UK were given a specially minted one-off 2 quid Jubilee coin, I still have mine and my brothers...
Quote from: gpo706 on April 06, 2011, 03:40:43 PM
Paul has covered all the bases with the colours, I never seen one of these in use in anyone's house back in the day, so I'm wondering how (un)popular they were, I reckon the "Jubilee" sets in "Balmoral Blue" and with the dial centres must be pretty rare, especially the ones with Scottish version?
I have
never seen a non-English Jubilee dial centre. The Jubilee coloured bell mounts are also pretty rare.
Quote from: gpo706 on April 06, 2011, 03:40:43 PMIn 1977 every child in the UK were given a specially minted one-off 2 quid Jubilee coin, I still have mine and my brothers...
Oh did we. I shall have to ask Mother where mine is.
These are just simply beautiful sets. I'd love to get a matching set. Are they fairly common or is this a big investment set. Really quite cool looking....Doug
Quote from: Doug Rose on April 06, 2011, 05:01:01 PM
These are just simply beautiful sets. I'd love to get a matching set. Are they fairly common or is this a big investment set. Really quite cool looking....Doug
Not
too epensive but you will have to keep an eye out if you want the colour matching bellset.
(Ebay) Brown Compact (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPACT-POST-OFFICE-TELEPHONE-MODEL-776-1980s-/380329396347) without bellset, in Brown - starting at £5 + postage
(Ebay) Two Compacts (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PAIR-VINTAGE-COLLECTABLE-COMPACT-776-PHONES-/180648606095) in grey with base units (they have sun yellowed) - starting at £30 + postage.
(Ebay) Blue Compact (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RETRO-776-COMPACT-TELPHONE-VERY-RARE-SHINY-BLUE-/300539749548) without bellset - Buy It Now £27 + postage
Doug, Paul, thanks for the info.
Paul, your next-to-last photo I think is the BT publicity photo so it's probably safe to use if I wrote a TCI article. (Is it just me, or do the brown examples in BT publicity photos look darker than the real-world photos, the latter appearing substantially lighter?)
Anyone know where I can find a copyright-safe or permission-available photo of the 232 on its wall bracket (the curvey bakelite wall mounting bracket with bellset in the bracket)?
Doug, from what I've seen the slate gray (off-white) and brown are the most common and affordable; the standard bellset in slate gray matches the telephone so that's a matched pair by definition. Bright blue is more scarce, and the Silver Jubilee version in balmoral blue (Navy blue) is most scarce. Also expect to pay about $45 in shipping costs to get these to the US. (International shipping has gone through the roof in the recent years; methinks an early sign of peak oil; good luck getting foreign payphones into the US now for less than $150 in shipping costs!)
For Americans to bid on items listed in Ebay UK or Australia, write to the seller as soon as you see the item and ask them to change the item settings to make it available in North America as well. Unfortunately this means it gets seen by that many more possible buyers, so asking for a change to allow Buy It Now may also be useful.
Re. them not being widely seen in UK houses: I'm going to guess it was because they weren't available for long enough to catch on widely, and the Trimphone would also work in window ledges and other limited spaces. Though, I have never managed to find a way to balance a Trimphone handset on my shoulder, but the handset used on the Compact does so easily.
Quote from: GG on April 07, 2011, 05:14:14 AM
Anyone know where I can find a copyright-safe or permission-available photo of the 232 on its wall bracket (the curvey bakelite wall mounting bracket with bellset in the bracket)?
There is a photo in Herbert & Proctor or Atkinson; not sure of that's copyright status. I only have a very low resolution scan to hand
Got my flat grey straight cord for it, just waiting for the thing to arrive to rewire it.
These Compact cords sound quite unique, not a half straight / half curly like a Trimphone, but a square ended to square ended curly cord.
Must be like hen's teeth, so I will do with the flat grey at the moment.
Owain - Thanks! The ringer is in the curved part of the wall base. OK, so does anyone else here see the similarity in the overall design, or am I barking loony?
Quote from: GG on April 11, 2011, 07:50:13 AM
Owain - Thanks! The ringer is in the curved part of the wall base. OK, so does anyone else here see the similarity in the overall design, or am I barking loony?
There is a similarity in design. Note the difference between a bell and a bellset though; the bellset also has the induction coil and other components.
There's a higher resolution image of a 232 on a 200 wall bracket
here (http://www.btinternet.com/~ians.telephones/200.htm). " This phone did not come with bells and requires a bellset N0 1 or N0 26. Phone can be taken off the base and is not fixed. Four cups fit the four rubber feet on the base of the phone." It sounds like the bellset wasn't concealed in the plastic curved wall bracket but I could be wrong - there doesn't look like there's enough space.
GG, did you get my PM about the Compact images for the magazine?
Hi Owain- Yep; just replied to message; still catching up.
Looks like you're right about the absence of bells in that wall mount for the 232. Seen from an angle it appears to have more than enough space, but from the front it's obvious it doesn't. Further complicating things, one version of the bracket appears to be designed to lock down the 232 so it can't be moved, and another was more of a casual mounting that allowed it to be taken off and moved.
I think what may have thrown me off the trail here was the difference between the plain steel mounting bracket, and the one with the bakelite cover. The latter would seem wholly unnecessary unless it accomplished some further purpose beyond the former, the logical purpose being to house a bell.
So that weakens my hypothesis but not fatally: both 232 and 766 still have separate bells and optional wall mounting brackets, a combination of characteristics that is in any case rare, and not found at all in any GPO designs in the years between them.
Quote from: GG on April 12, 2011, 01:16:37 AM
So that weakens my hypothesis but not fatally: both 232 and 766 still have separate bells and optional wall mounting brackets, a combination of characteristics that is in any case rare, and not found at all in any GPO designs in the years between them.
Well maybe a bit O/T but there was always these, even the dial is seperate!
http://www.britishtelephones.com/t713.htm
Quote from: gpo706 on April 12, 2011, 07:04:08 PM
Well maybe a bit O/T but there was always these, even the dial is seperate!
http://www.britishtelephones.com/t713.htm
Based on the Tele 246.
Tele 246 (http://www.britishtelephones.com/t246.htm)
GG - I'm gonna kill you! :)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250801234425&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
Quote from: gpo706 on April 17, 2011, 04:15:26 PM
GG - I'm gonna kill you! :)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250801234425&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
I thought about it briefly but I've decided I only want ones with matching wall bellsets. Unless it's a Jubilee and not for silly money.
Yo GPO- Sorry to be promoting contagious memes here : - ) Did you score that one, or did you miss it? I wasn't bidding for that one, I have a white one on its way from other sources.
The one in your pictures looks like it'll need the clean & buff treatment, and possibly retrobright at least for the bell unit. Also note that the hookswitch plunger on the left (seen at the right, in the photo take from the rear) appears to be partially stuck. Probably that will resolve when it's cleaned up and reassembled.
Taking these apart is a real bear (American slang for "difficult" and implied "wrestling match"), getting the housing up over the dial and hookswitch. Probably taking the fingerwheel off first will help. I have to believe there are or were BT instructions for disassembly, vaguely recall seeing them posted on britishtelephones.com.
Yeah GG just took the brown apart, hellofajob,(or what we call a "scunner" in Scotland) - I thnk thats why it has the two deep recesses under the front for your fingers to flex the body clear of the fingerstop, and tis very compact indeed!
Dial seems fine, the set just needs a light cleaning, not rewired it yet - but it be a straight light grey repro cord, matches the handset so should look fine - later folks...
Yes scored this one, wasn't a lot less than 20 quid all in, hope it cleans up nice.
I usually take the finger wheel off anyway to prevent snagging.
Had to explain to my mother (who quite liked the look of it) it has no ringer... :(
LATER -
Rewired per Bob's Telephone Files - it works, dials out, but bad crackle on it, I reckon the RX needs replaced, but it has a single screw on the handset at the RX end, but won't come apart, and don't want to force it obviously.
Any suggestions GG?
That lovely man Bob Freshwater sent me this:
"Scot
Short out the white and blue wires of the handset cord - inside the phone. If the noise goes then it's the transmitter.
To replace the transmitter - remove the end screw - grab both halves of the handset and literally pull apart. Start at the screw end and the handset will split. It has locators at the transmitter end, so that's the last place it splits.
I have some electronic transmitters in stock at present.
Cheers
Bob"
What a great guy!
Bob was right, you just rip it in two, there is just two plastic latches in the middle of the handset clipping it together...
And I did short the TX and it did stop the crackle so its a TX replacement needed.
I have a jiffy bag full of carbon granule TX's so tried one, - still a duff one, then I found an electronic one from somewhere, (these have red caps on them) - works perfectly now, so looks like I'll be in touch with Bob for some electronic TX's soon.
Bingo! Excellent.
Most cases of crackling & frying sounds in a receiver are caused by a transmitter that has gotten electrically "burned" one way or or another over its lifespan, or was slightly out of spec and then just went noisy as it aged. However, DON'T throw those away, you may never know when you need one, and a noisy one is better than nothing. Just put a bit of masking tape on them marked "noisy" and keep 'em in the spares box. "Bell System eco-industrial design philosophy: never waste anything!"
Interesting about disassembling the handsets. I wouldn't try that too many times for any one handset, eventually it could cause the handset to develop stress marks where the plastic takes on a lighter color in the stressed areas and looks nasty. And further, with enough flexing it might crack. Yes we have that problem in the US, with our "K-type" handsets, some of which are designed to not be disassembled *at all,* on the basis that if some internal part fails, it's a goner. IMHO that was part of our "decline & fall syndrome" after deregulation. (Judge Green (the author of the deregulation policies) has since died and is probably sitting in a corner of H--- with nonworking telephones!)
Yes, buy another electronic transmitter to replace the one you used.
NOTE: On Australian phones that have electronic transmitters (mostly the pressbutton/MF-signaling types, but may be found on rotary phones if the transmitters were replaced in service): Those Australian electronic transmitters tend to pick up "hum" from the AC mains power sources nearby, such as your computer. The cure for that is to swap out the electronic transmitter & replace it with a carbon transmitter.
"Fight climate change: capture the carbon and bring back the carbon transmitter!"
Quote from: GG on April 20, 2011, 10:29:49 AM
DON'T throw those away, you may never know when you need one, and a noisy one is better than nothing.
Good advice! Over the last few years, I have had the anti-click varistor on two Western Electric U1 receiver elements go bad. Since receivers for G-tyoe handsets are a dime a dozen, I've replaced the receiver element rather than replace the varistor.
However, I have kept the two bad ones in my parts box in a zip-lock baggie marked "clicky". A clicky G-type receiver element is better than none at all...
Funny you should say keep the TX's and mark with tape, I did just that with the two ones, I just stuck a strip of blue electrical tape over them, same with some jammed up dials I have!
Picked up the grey one today,
So after I had transformed the "ugly duckling" 706 into a black swan (more in due course), I started on this.
Now this has the original bellset and connecting curly cord, so was a bit more complicated than I first envisaged, you have two seperate circuit boards to contend with.
However, following Bob Freshwater's clear instructions on his site I rewired it as he described and bingo, another working set!
So clean-up time tommorow, it is pretty manky, and the grommet ends of the bell and handset are covered in dark brown / black goo, its either just dirt or maybe as someone here mentioned on another thread, a chemical reaction between the plastic in the bases and the grommets, these are moist and sticky, not just filth and dry like other sets I have cleaned - any ideas?
This is going in the "dunk tank" over the weekend, mixture of Oxy-clean and warm water and sunlight, wish me well folks!
Yo GPO- The way to tell if the goo on the grommets is melted plastic, is to see if the plastic itself has become softened around that area. The reaction I'm talking about won't cause the entirety of the grommet to be covered with crud, in fact the grommet itself will look fine: but the plastic it goes into will look melted as if from heat, and will be soft and pliable. I'd like to find a cure for that, as it affects a lot of 706s with plastic baseplates.
Meanwhile I've got a light gray one that's in darn good shape overall but just needs to go through the usual refurb process to come out like new (no fading though, so it just needs a scrub & buff), and have a ringer capacitor added in the bell unit, and the obligatory RJ-11 mod cord/plug for USA usage.
The grommet and securing wall seem fine, so - no "sweaty" cords, it's getting dunked for the second time Sat night/ Sun morning.
Might even dunk the grommets.
Right took the base unit out and left the bell-set unit in the dunking tank in the daylight, the bugger keeps keeps going upside down.
So wedged a shelving "L" bracket into it to hold it in place, came back, and it still managed to go upside down.
So next I attach a "G" clamp to the underside to get the darn thing to sit up and that seems to have solved the problem.
This is by far the most annoying Peroxide dunking I have ever had.
The bellset cover has cooked nicely, it a uniform light grey now, the phone body I did dawn yesterday and left it in from 5am till sunset, its a bit lighter but not to match the bellset cover, must be a different plastic.
I was held back in my bleaching by the fact the original clear tub managed to crack down the front all over me when I was emptying the contents for the bellset, cue very wet phone bleacher.
Taken me weeks to find a replacement, but Sainsbury's had a "boot box" to the right dimensions.
The plastic at the back like the recesses for the carrying handle hasn't errr, "seen the light" as such, so will get another dose facing the UV.
Quote from: GG on April 11, 2011, 07:50:13 AM
Owain - Thanks! The ringer is in the curved part of the wall base. OK, so does anyone else here see the similarity in the overall design, or am I barking loony?
GG, I have the wall mounting brackets for both the Compact Telephone and the 232. It is possible, and least the original GPO literature says so, I've never actually tried it, to remove the ringer for the compact from its case, and fit it inside the wall bracket.
It is not possible to fit a ringer inside the wall bracket for the 232; there is nothing like enough space for one; You might just about get a modern miniature electronic one to fit, but not a full size bell one. I've never used my 232 bracket, but I've just looked at it. The deep part of the 'well' at the back is covered by a metal plate which was painted black, but is rusty on mine. I've just removed that, and inside there is a six-way terminal block which fills most of the space. At the back of the plate there is a notch which is presumable to take a short line cord down to this terminal block. At the bottom of the bakelite there is a small hole to take cable, not cord, to the bellset which would be mounted on the wall as normal. Close to the right-hand rear foot location there are two small screw holes which are countersunk at the top, so they are designed to fix something under the bracket, but I don't know what. The GPO also supplied a separate Bakelite push button which could be connected to the 232 to provide earth recall on PABX systems, but I've never seen one of these.
There are some pictures of my 232 in the 'My Collection' thread which I started about 18 months ago. I also have a dial blank and hand-cranked magneto, so I could set it up as a local battery model as well, at least cosmetically, I'm still looking for a battery box and a few other components to get it to actually work in this mode. If you want some pictures of the bracket, and the 232 mounted on it I can take some for you.
Quote from: Owain on April 06, 2011, 06:02:52 PM
Quote from: Doug Rose on April 06, 2011, 05:01:01 PM
These are just simply beautiful sets. I'd love to get a matching set. Are they fairly common or is this a big investment set. Really quite cool looking....Doug
Not too epensive but you will have to keep an eye out if you want the colour matching bellset.
(Ebay) Brown Compact (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPACT-POST-OFFICE-TELEPHONE-MODEL-776-1980s-/380329396347) without bellset, in Brown - starting at £5 + postage
(Ebay) Two Compacts (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PAIR-VINTAGE-COLLECTABLE-COMPACT-776-PHONES-/180648606095) in grey with base units (they have sun yellowed) - starting at £30 + postage.
(Ebay) Blue Compact (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RETRO-776-COMPACT-TELPHONE-VERY-RARE-SHINY-BLUE-/300539749548) without bellset - Buy It Now £27 + postage
Owain,
That blue Compact is the colour that I have. I had the choice of that with wall bracket, or the Jubilee one without, and in slightly less good condition. Both were the same price, but I can't remember how much now.
There is nothing technologically innovative about the 776, unlike the Trimphone for example. It's basically just the standard 746 split into two parts, and mounted in separate boxes. I have the GPO documentation for their engineers somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment. This was before the standard BT plug-in system, and there ware several installation options.
The bellset in its light grey case could be wall mounted via a metal plate, with cable connected to the line and a special coiled line cord fitted with square 706/746 style grommets at each end then connected from there to the 776. This was the most common method.
Where the bellset needed to be mounted at a greater distance from the telephone the line could be connected to the bellset by cable, as before, and another cable run to a standard GPO Block Terminal (small junction box) wall mounted close to the required telephone location, from where the 776 would be connected by the special line cord, as above.
Where the telephone was to be mounted on the wall bracket it could use either of the above methods, or the ringer could be removed from its case and installed in the lower section of the wall bracket, under a colour matched plastic cover. Cable was run to the ringer, and the special line cord from there to the telephone, so that it could be picked up from the bracket and carried around within the reach of the cord if required.
When I bought my 776 it had been irreversibly modified for use on the now-standard BT plug system. The special line cord had been replaced by a Trimphone one with a standard BT plug. A few links had been moved around and the bellset had been fitted with a short, about 30cm long, modern grey linecord, also fitted with a BT plug. A 2-way adapter was supplied with it to enable both to be plugged into a single socket.
The 776 could be fitted with a switch, and button, for earth recall with a PABX, but I doubt if many ever were; this wasn't really a business 'phone. The button took the form of a flat tab at the bottom of the 'phone, towards one side, and a dummy tab would be mounted on the other side. I don't think there was an option for two switches.
There were three versions, an early one, then the Silver Jubilee, and then the standard ones. I think each had a different model number, and there were slight internal differences. All were dial instruments; there was no button version, either LD or DTMF. It used standard transmitter and receiver elements, as on the 746, but I think it the red electronic transmitter rather than the black carbon one. The red transmitter was made as a direct replacement for the black one in 706 and 746 sets, and was fitted from new in some of the later ones. Inside its case the ringer was also a standard one. If I remember correctly the dial was a slightly modified one, being fitted with a weaker spring so that it could be dialled with one hand without sliding about on the table, due to its much reduced weight compared to a standard telephone.
It's a nice telephone, but they were only made for a fairly short time, and were not very popular. They were significantly more expensive than a standard 746 telephone, and at the time the 'works' were becoming quite dated, being basically the 746 design, from 1967.
Quote from: Stephen Furley on July 30, 2011, 03:28:15 PM
The 776 could be fitted with a switch, and button, for earth recall with a PABX, but I doubt if many ever were; this wasn't really a business 'phone. The button took the form of a flat tab at the bottom of the 'phone, towards one side, and a dummy tab would be mounted on the other side. I don't think there was an option for two switches.
At that time, however, party lines were still quite common, which required a recall switch to obtain the exchange line and set up the metering for that subscriber .
I think, but I'm not certain, that the GPO documentation specifically excluded shared service lines (party lines) from the possible installations for the Compact Telephone. The 706 was available for shared service, but I'm not sure if the 746 was. I know that several options, local battery magneto signalling mode for example, which were available on the 706 were dropped when the 746 was introduced. I've got a Mk.1 706 which I converted to magneto mode and I chose that model because it was more difficult on the Mk. 2, and not an option on the 746. If shared service was still offered on the 746 then I can't see why it shouldn't have been on the Compact, since they're almost the same 'phone.
I've seen the document fairly recently, but I can't remember where. I's probably in a box either in the cellar, or in my storage unit down in Purley. When I get time I'll try to find it.
Paul's top picture of the silver Jubilee seems to show the switch and dummy tab fitted; I've never actually seen one which has them.
The Trimphone could also take a switch, though again I'd never seen one which had this fitted. A couple of years ago one of the switch assemblies turned up on Ebay, so I bought it and fitted to one of my Trimphones. I used it on my desk at work until we moved into an office with no analogue telephone service; we're gradually moving to IP.
Quote from: Stephen Furley on July 30, 2011, 04:52:00 PM
I think, but I'm not certain, that the GPO documentation specifically excluded shared service lines (party lines) from the possible installations for the Compact Telephone. ...
The Trimphone could also take a switch, though again I'd never seen one which had this fitted.
Compact Phone:
Dgm N 876 - Connections for Exclusive Service, Shared Service, PBX Extension and details of add-on units.
Dgm N 2801 - Connections for Plan 1A, Exclusive Service.
Dgm N 2821 - Connections for Plan 1A, Shared Service.
Dgm N 2804 - Connections for Plan 4 Exclusive Service.
Dgm N 2824 - Connections for Plan 4 Shared Service.
There was a restriction on mixing Compacts and 706/746 on a Plan 4.
http://www.britishtelephones.com/t776.htm
I had a Trimphone with a switch in 1979, because we had a party line.
Thank you Owain, I stand corrected.
We were on shared service with a 300 series until about 1966-67 when it was replaced by a grey 706 on an exclusive line. I hadn't realised that it was still being used for so long after we came off it. Which was the plan which had extension 'phones on the old style plug-in system? Was the Compact available on that?
Quote from: Stephen Furley on July 30, 2011, 05:57:35 PM
Thank you Owain, I stand corrected.
We were on shared service with a 300 series until about 1966-67 when it was replaced by a grey 706 on an exclusive line. I hadn't realised that it was still being used for so long after we came off it. Which was the plan which had extension 'phones on the old style plug-in system? Was the Compact available on that?
Plan 4 was the old style plugs. It could be combined with Plan 1a for hardwired phones.
http://www.britishtelephones.com/extnplan.htm#plan1a
Quote from: Stephen Furley on July 30, 2011, 04:52:00 PM
I know that several options, local battery magneto signalling mode for example, which were available on the 706 were dropped when the 746 was introduced. I've got a Mk.1 706 which I converted to magneto mode and I chose that model because it was more difficult on the Mk. 2, and not an option on the 746.
Adapters, Local-battery, No. 5 and No. 6, could be fitted to Tele 706.
Adaptors local battery cannot be fitted to Telephones 746.
Adaptor, Local-battery, No. 4 can be fitted to Tele 710.
Quote from: Owain on April 11, 2011, 08:59:01 AM
There is a similarity in design. Note the difference between a bell and a bellset though; the bellset also has the induction coil and other components.
There's a higher resolution image of a 232 on a 200 wall bracket here (http://www.btinternet.com/~ians.telephones/200.htm). " This phone did not come with bells and requires a bellset N0 1 or N0 26. Phone can be taken off the base and is not fixed. Four cups fit the four rubber feet on the base of the phone." It sounds like the bellset wasn't concealed in the plastic curved wall bracket but I could be wrong - there doesn't look like there's enough space.
Owain, The GPO seem to have been slightly inconsistant with their use of terminolgy. Something which contained both the capacitor and induction coil in addition to the bell, e.g. the No. 1 and 25 as used with the 150 and the 162, always seems to have been referred to as a bellset, or bell set; I've seen it both ways, but one word seems to have been more common.
Something which contained the capacitor, but not the induction coil, e.g. the No. 26 as used with the 232, was still referred to as a bellset.
Something which contained neither the capacitor nor the induction coil was referred to as a bell.
The small grey box for use with the 776 Compact Telephone as designed and built contains the capacitor in addition to the ringer and gongs, though the one in mine was disconnected as part of the conversion before I got it. It's basically a smaller, modernised version of the bellset No. 26, and so following the above convention should have been called a bellset, but it wasn't, though most people still seem to call it one. In both N876, and the introductory document for engineers it's referred to as a Bell Unit, and the device itself is stamped 'BU 776'. Was this term ever used for any of the older versions?
To save space the capacitor is mounted under the 'B' gong. Sorry, the picture is terrible, I don't have a digital camera, and the one in my 'phone is useless for close-ups. It's a nice little unit; pity they weren't available separately for use with older 'phones.
Re. the wall mount for the 232, while there is not room to mount a conventional ringer inside it, I did wonder if a 232 with bellset No. 26 mounted under it would fit on the bracket. It Won't, there's not enough room at the back for it to fit.
Quote from: Owain on July 30, 2011, 06:46:45 PM
Quote from: Stephen Furley on July 30, 2011, 04:52:00 PM
I know that several options, local battery magneto signalling mode for example, which were available on the 706 were dropped when the 746 was introduced. I've got a Mk.1 706 which I converted to magneto mode and I chose that model because it was more difficult on the Mk. 2, and not an option on the 746.
Adapters, Local-battery, No. 5 and No. 6, could be fitted to Tele 706.
Adaptors local battery cannot be fitted to Telephones 746.
Adaptor, Local-battery, No. 4 can be fitted to Tele 710.
Yes, it was the No. 5 which I needed. I think the No. 6 had extra switch contacts, but I'm not sure what they were for. I've never managed to find another one for the second 'phone. I have got one of the sets of additional switch contacts somewhere; I wonder if I could use that, and wind a small coil to make my own Adapter, local battery? The one Which I finished converting works fine with an old local battery 'phone on the other end of the line. It can be used for neighbour's children to amuse themselves with, until the almost constant ringing drives you round the bend.
I thought I'd resurrect this thread because I've just got another one of these in the light brown colour. It dates from 1982 and is just the phone, not the bell set. There is a straight line cord on it that looks in period and terminates in a modern BT plug. So I plugged it in, called it and to my surprise it rang. Although when I say rang I mean warbled, similar but not the same as a trimphone. So I took it apart and found a little rund black box wired in and stuck down to the circuit board with tape.
The question is... was the 'ringer' fitted later by someone or is it an original? I thought all 776s had to have an external bell set or no bell at all as standard.
Also it has an official 'PROHIBITED' sticker with the red triangle underneath it. This is the thing the GPO/Telecom stuck onto phones they didn't want connecting to their network. But why prohibit one of their own design of phones?
Andwers on the proverbial postcard please.
I believe the "Prohibited" sticker means that it has been modified in a manner that is not compatible with BT regulations, so that warbler may not provide the right load on the line (too little or too much, who knows), so is only suitable for connection to a private exchange and not directly to a BT phoneline, not that it matters today considering the quality of cheap phones people buy from Poundstretcher and the like, aswell as those WE500 "Rotarepo" lookalikes from china and the lack of botheredness from BT about what is connected... :)
After all, internal wiring on the customer side of the master socket is the customer's responsibility, though if causing a fault can be charged for the work to rectify it, even if it's just unplugging a dodgy phone...
As soon as a phone was modified in any way it stopped being approved under the grandfathered scheme and had to have a Prohibited sticker on it if offered for sale.
Modification would include changing the cord to New Plan plug and socket and/or restrapping.
So.... Do you think this warbler thing is not original then? It certainly doesn't look like it was an official fitting, bekng held down to the circuit board with sticky tape. It must have been done a long time ago though and through some sort of official channel to get the proper sticker on the bottom.
The Prohibited sticker isn't "official" in any way. Shops had to apply them to any unapproved phone. They probably bought them on a roll from the 1980s equivalent of ebay (Exchange and Mart?)
Only the green Approved sticker is official and designates the phone went through BABT testing.
Yes indeed some of the very last of the model 776 did in fact have a shrill electronic ringer, I have one of these in blue
they are very rare, I have never seen another one,
That's interesting. So this might be official then? The question now is where did I put the phone? :-\