Question about AE 80

[LoveOldPhones]

I have been looking for an early model AE80 and have seen some on eBay for sale.  I noticed that a fair number of them from the early 60's are missing the loudness finger wheel on the bottom of the phone.... yet some sellers claim that the phones work.

why would so many of them have the finger wheel missing ?   did they do away with it in the 60's and not change the bottom of the phone.
because.... there is nothing in that space where the wheel should be.

I don't know anything about these phones.... but I do know that one time I bought a  WE 500 phone and when I got it.... not only was the finger wheel missing but when i looked inside.... the ringer was gone as well.

so I am wondering whats up with this.....  can anyone shed some light on it ?

thanks

[Jim Stettler]

A missing ringer is a good sign of a bootleg extension phone.
My "guess" is The adjustable ringer was probably a later development.
JMO<
Jim S.

[Jack Ryan]

Do you have a link to an example on ebay?

Many AE 80s had frequency ringers in them and they didn't have volume controls.

Regards
Jack

[LoveOldPhones]

OK... here is an example. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mid-60s-Vintage-PINK-Monophone-Automatic-Electric-Rotary-Phone-AE-Retro-WORKS-/132074096693

?hash=item1ec03ac835:g:ERQAAOSw-0xYhpRn

also.... seller says its from the 60's but the bottom I think says 58.

but you can see..... no finger wheel.
I dont know anything about a frequency ringer....  but why would there be a space for a loudness control finger wheel if it was not needed ?

thanks

[Jack Ryan]

Yes, 1958, manual line length compensation and a code ending in XX.

The XX code means it was shipped without a ringer and a frequency ringer was probably installed by the operating company.

As I said before, frequency ringers don't have volume adjustments.

The seller says it operates - presumably including ringing. It might if:

- the frequency ringer is for 20 Hz
- someone has modified the ringer to get it to work
- someone has replaced the ringer with a straight line ringer (could be anything)

It looks like Butch Cassidy has not played with the phone because the screw slots are in good condition - you might be lucky.

I'd buy it.

Regards
Jack

[LoveOldPhones]

Yes, 1958, manual line length compensation and a code ending in XX.

The XX code means it was shipped without a ringer and a frequency ringer was probably installed by the operating company.

As I said before, frequency ringers don't have volume adjustments.

The seller says it operates - presumably including ringing. It might if:

- the frequency ringer is for 20 Hz
- someone has modified the ringer to get it to work
- someone has replaced the ringer with a straight line ringer (could be anything)

It looks like Butch Cassidy has not played with the phone because the screw slots are in good condition - you might be lucky.

I'd buy it.

Regards
Jack

Thanks Jack....  that explains it then about the ringer.    thanks for the explanation..... but not really sure I want that particular phone.... I'll keep looking.

[andre_janew]

I have a couple of AE80 phones and the ringer is adjustable, but not from the outside.  Inside the phone has offset bells on its ringer and is adjusted in the same manner as a WE 302.  Some AE80 phones, as I understand it, had optional ringers that could be adjusted from the outside.

[AE_Collector]

The newer style STRAIGHT LINE AE ringers had an adjustment wheel that protruded through the base of the phone. I think this was from the introduction of the 80 as the early ones had a brass adjustment wheel. But there were many AE80's that had frequency ringers in them and those ringers never had a volume adjustment. But as Andre mentions, all AE ringers of this era had the offset ringer gongs that could be adjusted from the inside.

So the lack of a visible adjustment wheel protruding through the base of an AE80 can indicate that there is No Ringer present OR that a Frequency Ringer is present.

The only variable is that I am not 100% positive that all SL ringers from the very introduction of the AE80 had the adjustment wheel. But my guess is that they did.

Terry

[andre_janew]

My AE80 phones will ring, so the frequency must be at or close to what is used today.

[Jack Ryan]

My AE80 phones will ring, so the frequency must be at or close to what is used today.

Not all AE 80s had frequency ringers. Those with volume adjustments were straight line ringers.

There are internal adjustments that can be made to frequency ringers but those adjustments are not for volume; they are to tune the ringer to the operating frequency and (generally) that is the loudest point.

Jack

[JorgeAmely]

I have an AE80 with a 20 Hz frequency ringer with no adjustable volume control. Dated from 1959, I am guessing that the central office could make this one ring along with other frequencies in the same line. If interested, I can take some pictures.

[andre_janew]

I would imagine it has the offset bells I was talking about.

[LoveOldPhones]

Hey Thanks for all the information.   SO my search continues for one that will ring.
thanks for the help.

[Lee David Day]

I have 3 AE 80's and none of them ring. One has no ringer,
one has a ringer but no wheel, and one has everything (see
attachment). Still a mystery.
DDay

[AE_Collector]

The most common reason for not ringing is frequency ringers but the one you show is a Straight Line ringer. Next most common is that the phones were wired to make it easy to connect them at the block for party 1, party 2 or Private Line without having to open the phone up to move wires. For Private Line (bridged) ringing the green and yellow set cord leads need to be connected to the same terminal and red to the other terminal. You can account for this inside the phone by moving any ringer/capacitor wires off of terminal 9 (yellow line cord lead - leave yellow on 9)  to terminal 8 (with the green line cord lead).

Terry