Improvised subset for 50AL desk stand using 101A coil

[cfpyne]

I have a 50AL desk stand which has been in my attic for years. I wanted to try it buy don't have a subset so I improvised one using some 302 phone parts: a 101A coil and a capacitor.

Here's how I hooked it up-

From the desk stand: red wire to R, green wire to GN and yellow wire to Y (L2) on the coil. From the capacitor: red wire to C, black wire to Y (L2). Then I hooked a line cord with modular connector to L1 and L2.

Everything seems to work fine. I can dial, talk and hear okay. Just wondering if this wiring and combination of parts makes is a reasonable and proper way to hook up the desk stand? Thanks.

[poplar1]

According to the Bell System Practices, this wiring arrangement (sidetone phone connected  to an anti-sidetone subset) should be used only if there is only one phone total on the line. Even when the phone is on-hook there is a path from L1 to C (primary of the induction coil), thru the capacitor and back to L2.

[Doug Rose]

Welcome to the Forum....you have a party line dial plate on your WE 50AL. This is not an easy dial plate to find on a nice #2 dial. Hang on to it, it is a beauty....Doug

[sebbel]

Is that the original paint on that phone? Beautiful.

[cfpyne]

Thanks for the helpful comments. I had been thinking of listing this phone on eBay and throwing in my test "subset". Maybe I shouldn't do that if my wiring is really non-standard. At least the phone seems to work okay.

I'm not sure if it has been painted. I rather doubt it since it has been sitting in my attic for over 50 years. Is there any way to tell? Here's another photo.

I wonder why this kind of dial was used? I guess they didn't have exchange names in Schenectady back when this phone was in use, but they must have had party lines. Would one dial the number and then the party line letter suffix? The dial appears to be dated 1932. Does that make sense for this phone?

Thanks again.
Charlie

[Dennis Markham]

Charlie, that is a great looking phone.  The party line dial plate looks great as Doug said.  Also, I couldn't help notice the Schenectady 4 dial card.  I few years ago I bought a two-tone 500 from the Schenectady area.  It also has the Schenectady 4 card.  It may have been a phone of one of your neighbors.  Is that the area in which you live?  (Sorry to go a little off-topic here).

[cfpyne]

Doug,
Those dial cards sure look similar! No, I didn't live in Schenetady; I'm from Massachusetts. When I dug out this phone last year, I was also curious about the Schenectady number. I can't quite remember who gave me the phone years ago. My best friend growing up had grandparents who lived in Schenectady and I thought it may have come from their house, but neither of us could remember.  I even tried to track down the number with the
help of the state reference librarian in Albany, but she couldn't find any Schenectady phone directories from the 1930s or 40s when this phone was likely in use. Also, I don't think reverse number listings would have been available.

It certainly would be interesting if there were a way to find out who actually used some of these great old phones.
Charlie

[Dennis Markham]

Charlie, there is a web site where one can look up Exchange names.  It loads slowly but is very useful.  One can also add their exchange if it was not listed.

Here is the link:

http://rcrowe.brinkster.net/tensearch.aspx

I see that Schenectady is not listed.

On one occasion I traced an old D1 (202) back at least to 1960 by looking in a phone directory, one number at a time until I found a match.  I knew the phone had come from a certain area of Michigan and had a phone book from that area from 1960.  It was fun to learn who had that phone at that time.  Perhaps some more research on your phone will reveal the person that had then phone then.  I doubt many people had unlisted numbers during that time period.  

I'll bet your phone has the Schenectady connection---from your best friend's grandparents who lived there.

~Dennis

[poplar1]

According to the above link: FRanklin 2-, 4- and 7- replaced 2-, 4- and 7- and ELgin 5- replaced 5-.  This could have happened when they ran out of numbers or when phone numbers nationwide went to area code + 7 digits.

When the name is all caps, that means that it is not dialed. Only the 5 digits were dialed.

If Shenectady followed the Bell format, then the letters on *your*  dial were for calling nearby non-dial exchanges with party lines.

[cfpyne]

Dennis,

Congratulations on you meticulous phone number research and thanks for the info about the TEN Project database. I couldn't find the Schenectady 4 exchange in there, but I think figured out the history from the Schenectady Daily Gazette's phone number which was Schenectady 4-4141 back in the 1940s, then FR4-4141 in the 1960s and now (518) 374-4141. I'm not sure of the name of the FR4 exchange. Perhaps I should contribute this to the TEN database.

Charlie

[poplar1]

You can do a search by location then click on the read more tab.

[cfpyne]

David,

Thanks for identifying the Franklin exchange. I had been searching under state "N.Y." when it is actually filed under "NY". I see now that there is no need to specify the state.

Charlie

[Dennis Markham]

According to the above link: FRanklin 2-, 4- and 7- replaced 2-, 4- and 7- and ELgin 5- replaced 5-.  This could have happened when they ran out of numbers or when phone numbers nationwide went to area code + 7 digits.

When the name is all caps, that means that it is not dialed. Only the 5 digits were dialed.

If Shenectady followed the Bell format, then the letters on *your*  dial were for calling nearby non-dial exchanges with party lines.

David, I'm a little confused (easy to do)...So in this instance SCHENECTADY is all caps so I understand that the SC (72) would not have been dialed, only the 5 following digits.  So is SCHENECTADY still referred to as the "exchange"?  I'm not following the connection between Schenectady and the FRanklin/ELgin exchanges.

[Dennis Markham]

Disregard part two of my previous post.  I see now that by searching the TenProject for Schenectady, NY among other exchanges ELgin and FRanklin appear.  After looking back on my photos from the phone with the SCHENECTADY dial card, I remembered that the newer card had been placed atop of the SCHENECTADY card.  I had completely forgotten that the SCHENECTADY card had been a "bonus" card hidden below the newer one.  Photo attached of the later card...same number.  FRanklin exchange.

[AE_Collector]

If ever a site needed drop down choices when making an entry, this is it! I fount the country USA spelled no less than 25 different ways which tends to make it almost impossible to see all of the entry's that you are looking for. Then there are people misreading country as county and entering even more mis information.

A great resource that could be so much better with some house cleaning. Or am I doing something wrong?

Terry