SC stick & E1 handset

[NorthernElectric]

I paid a visit to one of my favorite shops today.  I must have come across a couple of boxes in the barn that I hadn't looked in because I found a couple of items that I hadn't seen there before.  1st I found a Northern Electric E1 handset.  I was in need of a spare, because one of my D1s with an E1 is a Northern Electric base with a WE handset.  A bit later, I opened up a Rubbermaid tote and inside was a Stromberg-Carlson candlestick and a Northern Electric Uniphone #5 still wired to it's wooden magneto subset.  That one might have followed me home too except there was a chunk out of the bakelite.  I also grabbed a few handset and line cords.

On a previous visit I had asked about a Telechron clock that I had seen there which turned out to be sold.  He had another clock I was thinking about and we discussed the possibilty of trading for the Coca-Cola clock I bought earlier this year at a yard sale.  I took the Coca-Cola clock with me today and ended up trading the clock plus $40 CDN for the SC stick, the E1 handset, and the spare cords.

I'm guessing the receiver is not original; certainly the cap isn't which looks like WE.  The wiring diagram was folded up inside the base.  It references a '992  Desk Phone'.  Is that the model # of this phone?

[NorthernElectric]

I got the 992 up and running today.  I had picked up an 1156 subset and a proper receiver in separate ebay auctions over the last several months.  Turns out the 992 is a local battery magneto service set, so I removed the induction coil that was in the phone base and reconfigured the connections in the base to match the 986 CB desk set.

[unbeldi]

Very nice!

992 was indeed the code number for the desk stand itself.  When combined with the desk set box No. 327, which was a wooden subset mounted on the wall, it was called the No. 1000 Desk Telephone.

Removing the induction coil is a mistake though, the desk set box is only for signaling and does not have a network.  The set should be used with a local battery.

I am including the SC brochure for it.
Bulletin No. 1024 5ed January 1921 Magneto Telephones

[Jack Ryan]

Removing the induction coil is a mistake though, the desk set box is only for signaling and does not have a network.  The set should be used with a local battery.

Whilst I personally would not have removed the IC either, it is now connected to an 1156 CB subset which does have a network.

I don't think the original LB subset was part of the deal.

Jack

[NorthernElectric]

I have it connected to an 1156 common battery subset, which has an induction coil, so basically by removing the coil and reconfiguring the connections per the 986 wiring diagram, I have transformed the 992 desk stand into a 986.

(diagram from TCI library)

[unbeldi]

Removing the induction coil is a mistake though, the desk set box is only for signaling and does not have a network.  The set should be used with a local battery.

Whilst I personally would not have removed the IC either, it is now connected to an 1156 CB subset which does have a network.

I don't think the original LB subset was part of the deal.

Jack

I understand that, but already having the proper induction coil is 95% of the solution to a properly working telephone. The rest is a battery, a capacitor, and some wires.
The 986 used a slightly different transmitter than the 992.

[NorthernElectric]

Whilst I personally would not have removed the IC either, it is now connected to an 1156 CB subset which does have a network.

I will save the coil and have the 992 diagram should I ever wish to put it back the way it was.  The wires from the induction coil were in the way and I decided there would be less likelihood of damaging them if I removed the coil so I could rewire the transmitter, receiver, and hookswitch as a 986.

[NorthernElectric]

I understand that, but already having the proper induction coil is 95% of the solution to a properly working telephone. The rest is a battery, a capacitor, and some wires.

Making a local battery set work on my POTS line is a bit beyond me.  Since I did not have a 327 subset, that didn't seem to be an option anyway.

The 986 used a slightly different transmitter than the 992.

Is the transmitter likely to be a problem?

[Jack Ryan]

Removing the induction coil is a mistake though, the desk set box is only for signaling and does not have a network.  The set should be used with a local battery.

Whilst I personally would not have removed the IC either, it is now connected to an 1156 CB subset which does have a network.

I don't think the original LB subset was part of the deal.

Jack

I understand that, but already having the proper induction coil is 95% of the solution to a properly working telephone. The rest is a battery, a capacitor, and some wires.

and a box and a magneto but yes, you're right. The trouble is, I suppose, that people want to use CB phones on the public network.

The 986 used a slightly different transmitter than the 992.

That is something to be careful of. If it still has a 7L transmitter that will be easier to fry on a CB line and it is probably harder to replace.

Jack

[unbeldi]

Removing the induction coil is a mistake though, the desk set box is only for signaling and does not have a network.  The set should be used with a local battery.

Whilst I personally would not have removed the IC either, it is now connected to an 1156 CB subset which does have a network.

I don't think the original LB subset was part of the deal.

Jack

I understand that, but already having the proper induction coil is 95% of the solution to a properly working telephone. The rest is a battery, a capacitor, and some wires.

and a box and a magneto but yes, you're right. The trouble is, I suppose, that people want to use CB phones on the public network.

Can't use a magneto on a CB line anyways, so why pretend?  Of course we are pretending already at this point.

I don't know anymore how many magneto phones I have, enough, but I have never had the urge to make any work on a CB line.  I really don't know what the purpose of that would be, at least I have never understood that.  It is a lot more fun and authentic to string a line between all magneto phone in the house and make an intercom with the magnetos actually working.  This demonstrates them in an authentic manner, is a heck of a lot more fun than talking to someone on the PSTN with a crappy-sounding transmitter and receiver, which is invariably the state of affairs with these old instruments, especially non-WECo instruments.

The 986 used a slightly different transmitter than the 992.

That is something to be careful of. If it still has a 7L transmitter that will be easier to fry on a CB line and it is probably harder to replace.

I think that is what should be on this phone.  The 986 had a 7-C transmitter.

Jack

[unbeldi]

That is something to be careful of. If it still has a 7L transmitter that will be easier to fry on a CB line and it is probably harder to replace.

I don't know what the specs are of either of these. Do you think that the transmitter current for the 7L was lower than one can get from a modern CB line?

I would think the resistance of the LB transmitter would be lower than the CB transmitter.

[NorthernElectric]

After perusing as many catalogs as I could find, the 992 would be equipped with either a 7A or 7L and the 986 a 7C.  I have not had the cup apart.  If I open it up to have a look, will there be markings on it or some other way to ID the transmitter?

I called work and left myself a voicemail but I'll have to wait until Monday to hear how it sounds.  The system told me to speak louder.  I should have realized by the low volume of sidetone that I didn't have my mouth close enough so I moved the mouthpiece closer and repeated my message.  Then I hung up and unplugged it for now.

[Jack Ryan]

Can't use a magneto on a CB line anyways, so why pretend?  Of course we are pretending already at this point.

I don't know anymore how many magneto phones I have, enough, but I have never had the urge to make any work on a CB line.  I really don't know what the purpose of that would be, at least I have never understood that.  It is a lot more fun and authentic to string a line between all magneto phone in the house and make an intercom with the magnetos actually working.  This demonstrates them in an authentic manner, is a heck of a lot more fun than talking to someone on the PSTN

I agree but in addition, I would like to be able to use unmodified magneto telephones as they should be on CNET.

... with a crappy-sounding transmitter and receiver, which is invariably the state of affairs with these old instruments, especially non-WECo instruments.

Ford owners may have a different perspective...

Regards
Jack

[Jack Ryan]

That is something to be careful of. If it still has a 7L transmitter that will be easier to fry on a CB line and it is probably harder to replace.

I don't know what the specs are of either of these. Do you think that the transmitter current for the 7L was lower than one can get from a modern CB line?

I would think the resistance of the LB transmitter would be lower than the CB transmitter.

That was the case on all those I have checked. Local battery voltage could be quite low...

Later on most of the LB specific transmitters disappeared so I assume that the performance of newer transmitters was improved to the point where specific LB and CB transmitters were no longer required.

Jack