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WE 5302 GW with GF handset

Started by deedubya3800, May 25, 2011, 08:00:50 PM

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deedubya3800

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130520255821

When I saw Willytx's thread about the 5302 he recently won on eBay, I had no idea WE had made non-Bell 5302 shells! I went nuts and had to have one. It didn't take long and I found this one. After closely examining the pictures, I knew I had to have it! Not only was it a non-Bell 5302, but it also had "H" and "F" caps on its G1 handset, cluing that was a GF! Also, the independent company that did this conversion didn't bother with modifying the ringer. Coincidentally, this phone came to me from Mobile, Alabama, which is where my 5302 I got in Omaha last year was originally from.

Aside from a little dirt here and there, this set is in really good shape and just needed a little wax to be presentable. The suede on a couple of the feet is almost completely worn out, but I'll deal with that later. The first thing I did to it was to put a dial card and window in it like all my other phones, but I left the picture of a woman standing in a window behind it in case someone else wants to see it someday. Also, it had a coiled handset cord (in excellent condition) in place of the line cord, so I replaced that with a spare line cord I had from a contemporary 302 and put the coiled cord in a box so I'll have it if I need it. The only other thing I had to do before putting it in service was to adjust the governor on the dial because it was running a touch slow.

Dates: Baseplate 9-51, 101A coil III 51, 5H dial 7-51, shell 4 26 60, F1 element 5-56, HA1 element unknown, B1A ringer 10-44.

Note: I couldn't get the receiver cap off, no matter how much hair dryer I used, but I'm not too concerned about it right now. I had to get the transmitter cap off, though, because I just had to see how an F1 could possibly have been mounted in a G handle. In doing so, I noticed that the cap is most certainly not made of Bakelite or ABS and smells like cheese. Cool.

Here are a few of the pictures from the listing:

paul-f

Quote from: deedubya3800 on May 25, 2011, 08:00:50 PM
Also, it had a coiled handset cord (in excellent condition) in place of the line cord, so I replaced that with a spare line cord I had from a contemporary 302 and put the coiled cord in a box so I'll have it if I need it.

Congratulations!

Before you let the removed coiled cord get too far, it's worth double checking it to make sure it's a handset cord and not a coiled line cord.  Is there a part number on the strain relief?  How many conductors and what colors?
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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deedubya3800

Quote from: paul-f on May 25, 2011, 11:08:53 PMCongratulations!

Before you let the removed coiled cord get too far, it's worth double checking it to make sure it's a handset cord and not a coiled line cord.  Is there a part number on the strain relief?  How many conductors and what colors?

Ha ha! It is a D3BD retractile mounting cord, dated 57! Dennis, Jim, and Jonathan all agree they're hard to display, and I'll go as far as to say it's awkward to use anywhere it's not absolutely necessary (like maybe a phone that often gets moved from a countertop to an adjacent tabletop and is hardwired to the wall). It's in really good condition, clean, and shiny. I'm definitely going to hang on to it in case I do have a need for one.

In comparing it to my other 5302, which is a Bell System set from 1946/1960, I've noticed that this one has a 5H dial where that one has a 6C. The 5H lies flatter on the surface and actually makes for a slightly more convincing "500" disguise. It's a lot quieter than the 5H on my 302, however.

Willytx

#3
A second Congratulations!

I don't have a 5302 with the G handset (yet), so I'm a bit jealous. And, I don't have the wonderful dial card with the lady in the window! ;D

Aren't these phones a fascinating piece of subterfuge?

I agree about the coiled line cord being a pain. I had one on a 500. It took about five minutes for that thing to make me nuts and remove from the phone. After reading Paul's answer, I had to take another look at that coiled cord. Nope, it's still a handset cord, so back on the parts shelf.

deedubya3800

Thank you, thank you! Personally, I prefer the G-style handsets on the 5302 because it just completes the 500 disguise. I know it's made to take either, and a G1 creates monstrous sidetone, but the F handset just looks funny, being so long and nestling so deep into the cradle. What's more, the GF is in the true spirit since it maintains the whole "302 parts with a 500 look" theme.

I love the 5302 (and its close relatives). It's long been my favorite model. It is fascinating all the different variations because of them not being regular factory-assembled sets. I have to wonder if there are any two 5302s that are completely alike: Same dial, same ringer, same handset, same cords, &c.

Doug Rose

okay....I'll bite, what is a GF Handset? Looks like a G1 to me, but I cannot read the handle. Enlighten me.....Doug
Kidphone

Phonesrfun

I don't think the handset was ever labeled with GF.  I think it is a variation of the G1.  I have one, and it is a handset that has F1 elements;  The F1 transmitter, and the HA1 receiver.

The caps and the hollow of the handset have been modified for the size/shape of the elements, and a plastic cup for the HA1 element similar to the transmitter cup is employed.

With this handset, your 5302 retains all the electrical characteristics of a standard 302.

-Bill G

deedubya3800

The handset is marked G1 just like any other G1, but the key external difference is the caps. If you click on the picture to see it full size, you can see an "F" in the center of the transmitter cap and an "H" in the center of the receiver cap. Also, the caps seem to be soft plastic, not Bakelite or ABS. At least they feel and smell like soft plastic.

The receiver end appears to require little modification, but the transmitter end is a
completely different story. The F1 element is way too big to ever fit in a G1 handset and get a cap over it, so it looks like the transmitter cap threads are completely cut off and a new plastic ring with new threads (larger diameter and different thread pitch) is fixed into place and a new plastic cap with the F1 element in it is screwed on.

Doug Rose

So its a G! handset with F1 softplastic caps and F1 elements?

In my years of collecting, I have never seen one. Very Different!!!...Doug
Kidphone

Phonesrfun

-Bill G

deedubya3800

Quote from: Doug Rose on May 27, 2011, 11:10:26 AM
So its a G! handset with F1 softplastic caps and F1 elements?

In my years of collecting, I have never seen one. Very Different!!!...Doug

The caps very closely resemble G1 caps, but are just slightly different and have "F" and "H" on them, right in the center. Otherwise, yes, you have the idea. They seem to be rather rare, though I would think they would have been recommended over a true G1 on a 5302 as a G1 gets too much sidetone off the 302's network. My other 5302 has a G1 with the T1/U1 elements, so I can attest to the sidetone!

Doug Rose

Quote from: Phonesrfun on May 27, 2011, 11:24:15 AM
I can confirm.  I have one.
Bill....what about the softplastic caps. Are they F1 caps, do they fit an F1? I have had literally 100s of 5302 pass through me and I never noticed this....thanks...Doug
Kidphone

paul-f

Doug,

Photos of F and GF handset parts here:
  http://www.paul-f.com/we300typ.htm#GF

The GF caps look quite similar to G handset caps.  You have to look closely to tell the difference, so you may have handled dozens of them in the past!   ;)

It's easier to spot the slight line from the adapter, that's visible on the transmitter end.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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Dennis Markham

Somewhere we posted photos of these handsets in the past.  I've been searching but haven't found the topic yet.

Doug, the caps on the G handsets are not the same caps that are on an F1 handset.  But I have handled many soft plastic F-series handset caps as opposed to Bakelite caps.

deedubya3800

Here are a couple of pictures for comparison:

The first one shows the GF transmitter cap on the left next to the F1 transmitter cap. The F1's is definitely larger on the outside.

The second picture shows the GF and F1 transmitter caps swapped. They have the same inside diameter, but the thread pitch is just different enough that it will only screw on part way without damaging the threads.