BSP Libraries...

[Come in Nighthawk]

I was following/participating in another thread on the 'eBay n' stuff' folder @

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2897.0

...and a thought occurred to me as some of the folks were lamenting a really neat BSP 'collection' may have 'went' out of the hobby -- at least for a while?

Anyway, it occurred to me as a 'newbie' and one who has used at least one of the on-line collections (maybe two) to try to help me understand my instruments in my tiny collection.  Well, anyway, it has been difficult using the collection.  The one that sticks in my mind was VERY extensive, but all the entries were listed by the technical titles of the BSPs copied.  The bad news for a newbie is how the devil do you tell what you have in your hand and how that relates to the technical titles??   

E.G., when I got my first instrument a few weeks ago it was styled by the eBay seller as a "202" and "I" bought it because it sure looked like the phone used in my fav' films from the 1930s and '40s (and 'modern' films and TV series like The Sting and Phil Marlowe: PI), so I bought it.  Since then, I have learned from study (such as its been) and from my new friends here that what I have is a W.E. D-1 with an E-1 handset, as "202" is a wiring system, not an identification?   But then, the on-line library used "202" because as near as I can tell, the BSP was aimed at the wiring and not the 'model' --- and if I have that all hosed up, don't fret and set me straight!   

Anyway, my suggestion is these on-line libraries would help us all, and especially folks new to phone collecting, if they had a third column (or such) that gave the 'popular' or 'simple' title indicating what the BSP was 'really' about?

Just my duo dinarii.   

[Doug Rose]

You are correct. For years I called the oval,  D1 base a 202 and the round B1 base a 102. Until recently the terminology changed as a D1 base can actually be wired as a 202 or a 102, same as a B1 base can be wired as a 202 or a 102. Confusing? You bet. Old habits die hard and I still call a D1 a 202 and a B1 a 102. I'm sure I have just muddied the waters on you. It is confusing to the old guys as well as it is for the newbies.....Doug

[paul-f]

Where would the fun be if finding the information was too easy?

Think of learning the terminology as a rite of passage as you enter the world of phone collecting.

And to put it in perspective, if you think things are bad now, you should have been here five or ten years ago -- before cheap scanners, huge hard drives and broadband connections.  We were exchanging photocopies by snail mail. (Not to mention walking to school in blinding snow storms, uphill both ways...)

As you may have guessed, the on-line libraries are in their infancy and struggling with finding the time to locate and scan the documents to make them generally available.  Ease of use would be nice, but hasn't made the top of the project list yet.

The folks who are doing it are volunteers who are donating their time and resources.  Many who own the paper libraries aren't technology wizards.

Rather than expect the libraries to solve the ease of use issue, perhaps we can brainstorm and document research methods that could help newcomers (and confused oldcomers) learn how to use the numbers and titles created by the Bell System.  I started putting some basic thoughts on BSPs in writing and would be happy to host any contributions that make BSP use simpler.

  http://www.paul-f.com/BSP.html

As you can see from the notes on numbering, the changes made along the way make it quite challenging for anyone to know where to look.  Everything was a moving target.

If you'd like to make a donation to help out, send recommended text to my email address, shown on every site page.  (Of course funds to help support the site are welcome also and may influence priorities.)

As a starter, some of the most useful BSP documents are the index documents.  By reading them from the on-line libraries, you can get a quick idea of what's available and where to look for more.

[paul-f]

For starters, here's a step-by-step process to use the on-line BSPs to answer a question.  Could be easier!

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2922.msg39508#msg39508

[teka-bb]

I've found the following BSP for sale online:

Bell System Practices: 6A Key Telephone System

http://www.biblio.com/details.php?dcx=286933241&aid=aa&t=1

No idea if it is of any interest or worth it.