Compact telephone 776.

[Stephen Furley]

This one cost me a lot of money, but I just had to have it.  It's in just about mint condition, but with a few modifications.  I must post some better photographs of it when I can.  This one is from 1979, The compact telephone was introduced in 1974, and there was a special version made in 1977 for the Queen's silver jubilee.

I've got the Post Office 'Installation and Maintenance Guide Notes for Field Staff', and they say that the 776 is different to the original and silver jubilee models, and the parts are not interchangeable, but I don't know what the differences are; they look very similar.

The line cord is not original, it has been replaced with one to fit a new-style BT socket, this telephone was from the very end of the hard-wired era, it looks like a Trimphone one, but the original hard-wired one would have been quite similar, not like the earlier GPO cords.  The finger wheel is not metal, but chromed plastic; I think it may originally have had a clear one, but the chromed one looks good on this model;I don't like them on some of the older models.

The bell can be removed from its box and installed inside the optional wall bracket/shelf if required.  Electronically, it's almost identical to a standard 746 telephone, but split into two parts, which is a bit odd, as about 40 years previously telephones had moved to having internal bells fitted.  There were not many of these made, they were expensive, but the idea of a smaller, space-saving 'phone did catch on, with the Tribune model which did have an internal bell

[bingster]

Very nice, Stephen.  I've lusted after one of these ever since I saw an example of the Jubilee version.  I've read that they're depth is so short that they can fit on a windowsill.  How deep is this model?

[Stephen Furley]

120 mm would get the whole of the front feet on, so you could fit it on something a few mm less.  The front of the 'phone comes forward about 12mm beyond the front of the feet, and you need to add about another 12mm at the back if you mount it on the wall bracket.

The shop had a Jubilee one as well at the same price, 89 Pounds, but this one was without wall bracket, I don't think many were ever fitted with these, and there were a few slight marks on it.  Also, I'm more interested in 'standard' 'phones than in special models, so I decided to go for this one.

There was provision for fitting up to two switches at the bottom edge, but I don't know if this was ever done.  The bell has a three-position mechanical adjustment, unusual for a British 'phone at that time, though an adjustable bell was available for the 746, though they were rare;  Why this hadn't been a standard feature for years as it had been on the American 'phones, I don't know.

I also bought another telephone, they have crates full of very tatty 706 and 746 which have had the dials removed; they list these on Ebay in batches of ten for a few Pounds.  I found a filthy Mk.1 706, supposed to be grey, but totally brown, partly from yellowing, I want to try the H₂O₂ treatment on it, and partly from tobacco smoke.  There were also splashes of what looks like tar, and lots of general dirt.  The modern line cord which had been fitted at some time had been cut off short, but was almost black, and the transmitter was missing, though they put one in it for me; I don't know where this thing had come from, but it only cost me 75 Pence.

The worst of the dirt has been removed, and a small crack in one corner glued.  I've removed the dial ring and it's retaining clip ring, and fitted a dummy dial which I found on Ebay recently. The reason I wanted a Mk.1 version is that it has an extra small terminal fitted to link the pulse contact wires which would normally go to the dial, and holes to store the other three wires; the Mk.2 version needs to have an extra part installed, which I don't have.

[Dan]

I recommend the peroxide treatment, you may want to try straight 30% if it is yellowed badly enough.

[McHeath]

Sweet little phone.  Like that bold blue, very eye catching. 

[Stephen Furley]

I rather like the combination of the very modern styling with the old technology of the dial.

There was a Silver Jubilee one in the darker blue on Ebay a few days ago for slightly less than I paid for this one; it didn't sell.

[GG]

Very nice, and interesting variation with the chromed dial fingerwheel and alphanumeric number plate.  I have the 1977 Queen's Silver Jubilee version but minus the special badge they made up for the dial center.  It's a dark blue that's almost black. 

I think the Post Office Engineers were deliberately going for something that was reminiscent of a 232 with separate ringer box.  They could have put a Trimphone tweeter in the main housing but didn't.  So there's a historic resonance between this and its predecessor 50 years ago, along the lines of "this would be the standard telephone that evolved out of the 232 lineage, had we not gone for combined sets."  And had the Prince of Wales not seen the Ericsson predecessor to the 332 while traveling abroad, one never knows.... 

(The 332 and 706 were both Ericsson designs, the 746 evolved out of the 706 so that's still got Ericsson lineage.  The actual all-GPO designs were the 164/232, the Trimphone, and the Jubilee/Compact.  So in a very real way, the Jubilee/Compact has a native all-British lineage back to the 164/232.)

BTW, taking the housing off, and putting it back on, is a difficult operation that has to be done with care or something might break.  The hookswitch plungers are odd-shaped and one has to fiddle with them and wiggle them and the dial and housing around quite a bit to get the housing off or on.  This is best done when you have some time and patience.