Using a Linemans' "Butt Set" as a Regular Phone.

[HobieSport]

I always thought that would be cool.
But how would one wire it into a modular jack? 
The "butt sets" seem to have only two wires, often red and black.

Also, the older lineman's sets (I've only seen them in pictures) seem to have tiny little dials.
Did they use a little pointer tool or something to run the dial?  -Matt

[Mark Stevens]

I always thought that would be cool.
But how would one wire it into a modular jack? 
The "butt sets" seem to have only two wires, often red and black.

Also, the older lineman's sets (I've only seen them in pictures) seem to have tiny little dials.
Did they use a little pointer tool or something to run the dial?  -Matt

You've confirmed my suspicions... you're nuts!    Aren't the dials sufficiently large to turn with your fingers?  I believe they all are. (but I could be wrong!) As far as wiring them to modular, I don't know. Converting a vintage butt set to modular...you know you're on the verge of blasphemy, don't you? 

[bingster]

Most butt sets had regular dials, but one model did have a tiny dial that could be dialed in two ways:  1, it had little dimples by each number which allowed the user to dial with a ball point pen or something similar, and 2, they also had little nubs that stuck up and they were sufficient to grip with the fingertip or fingernail.

[gpo706]

All my linesmans sets work off two leads, its just tip and ring, or loop disconnect.

Most of mine work off croc clips attached to an de-covered block terminal.

Some othesr have various weird connectors two or three prongs, just get a set of  croc clip ended leads and spark away till you get a tone, I've converted one 280 rubber set to BT 431 PSTN (PSTN= plug and socket technology, not the US public service telephone network!)  but its easily reconverted back to its original spade terminal cord which is stored, naturally, so no great harm done for a rewire.

I might try a US or Australian buttinski soon, some of them look really cool.

[rp2813]

I have two butt sets of the older type with the nubs for dialing.  I've always wondered if there was a special tool to dial with, or if techs all needed to let their fingernails grow.  I have trouble dialing them, and the dials operate very slowly too.  I'd not mind a butt set with a real fingerwheel if I ever find one.

Other than the temporary nature of it, I see no reason why you couldn't remove the cover from the jack and clip the butt set leads onto the proper terminals.

[Russ Kirk]

The buttset with the small dial (WE 1011b ?) was used by the frame techs in the central office. No,  they did not use their fingernails.  Most often I saw them using either a wood spudger or a telecom pick.  Not too often sometimes a rollerball pen was used, but this left a buildup of ink on the buttset dial.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spudger

I remember an opinion that the outside techs and splicers would never be caught dead using a frame tech style buttset in the field.  

But I wanted one for my collection.  

When the newer rotary (yellow and blue) butsets came out they were the one everyone wanted.

Here is a photo of the buttset - second from the left.

Russ...

[cihensley@aol.com]

No, at least at Pacific Telephone, the small butt-in was used by the field forces. The butt-ins hanging at the end of the frame and at other points in a central office were ones with regular dials. Most I&R people dialed the small one with the tip of a mechanical pencil (with the lead retracted).

[gpo706]

Russ - that one you're talking about - looks very like this:

http://www.britishtelephones.com/t280.htm

Although I take it its not rubber?

Got 5 of these, and only one is dead, practically indestructible!

[rp2813]

2nd from left is what my two look like.  I'd like to find one like the 3rd from left.

I've been in the frames (aka Central Office) before but never noticed any butt sets, otherwise I'd have tried to make friends with somebody who had a spare.

[paul-f]

<snip> I'd like to find one like the 3rd from left.

How many would you like?  I have a bunch in storage and will be glad to fill a flat rate box of as-found sets at a reasonable price (depending on models and condition).  Please contact me via email.

[Tonyrotary]

I have a butt set that I have been meaning to hook up myself. Gotta get around to actually doing it.

[AE_Collector]

Our PBX repair guys were the ones who really liked the pin dial sets (2nd from left). They were the most compact and the repairmen didn't like to carry very many tools so the smaller the butt set the better it fit into their tool bag. I finally got one from a repairman around 1980 as they were almost impossible to find even back then.

Terry