My mother said I sounded distant during our phone conversation.

[metdial]

 

I've heard this from her before (referring to my emotional &/or psychological state), but this time she meant it literally.

I'm sure this is a very basic, newbie question, but I'll ask anyway.  I've spoken to her on this phone a couple of times ('61 model 500),  and she's said that I came through loudly and clearly each time.  This afternoon however, I noticed that she wasn't responding to everything I was saying (not unusual either).  Being on an old phone however, I always make a point to ask the other party if my voice is coming across ok.  She told me that I sounded distant this time, and that she had trouble hearing every word, unless I spoke very slowly.  Her voice on the other hand, was loud and clear with no static. 

Was this caused by a poor connection of some kind?  I should have picked up another phone (a modern throw away) to see if there was a problem with the line or specifically with the old phone.  On other occasions,  I've also been told that my voice comes across with an echo.  Usually the echo goes away however.  This has happened with more than one of my old phones.

We do have DSL.  Could this be the culprit?   Is the fact that the phone is plugged into a splitter part of the problem?  Is the computer monitor, which is in close proximity to the phone on my desk, causing some sort of interference (I know, I'm grasping at straws at this point)?  Or perhaps all of the above, or none of the above?

Thanks for the help.

[benhutcherson]

Any time the called party complains of not being able to hear you clearly or at all, your first step should be to bang the receiver end of the handset on the table a couple of times.

Besides relieving your frustration, this also serves to loosen the carbon granules in the microphone that can clump together over time and reduce efficiency.

If this doesn't work, the next step I would suggest is polishing the transmitter contacts, both on the back of the microphone and in the receiver cup, with some fine grit sandpaper.

You could also have some issues in the receiver cord, or dirty contacts in the dial and/or the hook switch.

Any of these are a possibility, but since it's worked fine in the past, I'd try loosening the carbon grains first.

[HobieSport]

What Ben said.

[Sargeguy]

Maybe she needs a G6 handset.  I just happen to know of one for sale:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260344916530&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=016

[Dan/Panther]

OR do what I do...
I tell the other party, that if they had a decent well built phone like mine, they would be able to hear me. Say; "my phone has been a proven well working dedsign for over 60 years, how long has your Chinese garbage been working."
You might lose friends that way, but it sure makes me feel better.
D/P

[metdial]

I just got off the phone with a relative that lives about thirty miles away.  I came through loud and clear.  I guess it was some sort of bad connection that I had with my mother (we still have some unresolved issues that we're working through ).

I did pull out the microphone and gave it a few taps on the desk (not very hard, I didn't want to damage it).  Maybe that did the trick.

Ben, maybe at some point you or Dennis (or someone else) (or a combination of folks), can put together a step by step tutorial on how to detail strip a phone for cleaning and or repair (maybe the model 500 to start with).  I'm dying to learn how to do this (taking these diamonds in the rough that I'm acquiring, and turning them into polished jewels).  I realize that this would be a massive undertaking, so I would be willing to donate one of my phones for this cause.

Are there any books or manuals out there ( Ma Bell issued repair manual etc.) that would show the steps and techniques for doing this.  I've thought about purchasing that book by Ralph O. Meyer entitled, "Old-Time Telephones! Design, History, and Restoration".   Does anyone know how much information it has about cleaning, repairing, and restoring old telephones?

Thanks,
Tom


P.S.       D/P   I dig your attitude!   

[HobieSport]

Hi Tom,  Step by step tutorials would be great.

I know that the first phone is intimidating.  I started with a partial disassembly and partial cleaning of a 302 with a crack and non matching dates and not of great value.  Then I put it back together.  That gave confidence to go further.  The dials are the trickiest part.  Just go slow and don't do it all at once and if ever in doubt, just ask questions before going further.

Even without experience, if you start to work on a phone, and go slow and post pictures and questions on your own project thread here, you'll be walked through it, and then when it's finally all done, your own thread could be edited into a tutorial.

The only time I hear of folks getting into trouble is by getting impatient and going too far too fast.  Or by not starting at all...   I'm afraid I'll do something stupid and look like an idiot.  I ought to be used to that by now.

Just my .02 of course.  I'm new to this too.

-Matt

[metdial]

Matt,

Thanks for the encouragement and words of wisdom.  Like you said, the intimidation will diminish and the confidence will grow as your knowledge and skills develop.  I'm gearing up to take the plunge and really dive into that first project phone.  Lots of pictures and diagrams will be the order of the day before I start disconnecting wires and pulling parts out. 

Maybe one day I'll be the "second coming" of Dennis Markham! 

[McHeath]

You might lose friends that way, but it sure makes me feel better.

Ahh, this is why I don't have any friends calling.   

I agree on the wack the transmitter trick.  It's worked for me a time or maybe two.

[HobieSport]

Funny.  When my step-son calls from his new cell phone the reception is terrible on my end and he can hear me perfectly from my 50+ year old WE or similar...

Wack the transmitter (is that like wack the mole?) on a cell phone and you might as well just toss the leftover pieces out the window...

[mienaichizu]

wack the transmitter, I should try it when talking to annoying bank credit card offerings, ahehehe

[HobieSport]

Yes, just try slamming down a receiver with satisfaction on a cell phone.  (Which I would never do, of course, with a nice old phone.)

If AE40s are like lovable "boat-anchors", then cell phones are like candy coated fishing lures.  I'm glad my GF carries a cell when traveling, though, just for safety.  They have their place.  And I hope they stay there.

[Dennis Markham]

Wow, Metaldial, you're putting pressure on me!  I'm no different from you in that a few short years ago I cracked open my first model 500 and decided I'd like to improve the condition.  As I continued to learn, my passion continued to increase.  I learned better techniques, looking for easier ways to do a better job.  I was lucky to talk to some other phone collectors that helped me avoid trying to reinvent the wheel.  So I am glad to share what I have learned and I continue to learn from other members of this forum.  My ways aren't the "right" ways or better ways but things that work for me.

With regard to your low transmit volume there could be several reasons for this.  I always like to trouble-shoot the easiest remedy first.  My first thought is a bad T1 transmitter.  However when those go bad the person on the other end of the line usually complains about the sound being muffled or "fuzzy".  That can be a result of the carbon particles inside the transmitter having moisture.  A quick remedy can be the tapping of that module as you probably know.

Take some time to look through this section from the Bell Memorial page, if you haven't.

http://www.porticus.org/bell/telephones-technical-handsets.html

Scroll down to the section titled Transmitter Element  There are some great photos showing the dissection of the element and how it works.

So my first suspect is the transmitter element.

Secondly a bad handset cord could be a problem.  Also two cord leads touching that should not be could also be a problem.  Look at where the handset cords attach at the network.  Just double-check to make sure that the contact leads from one terminal are not shorting out against the leads from another.  There could be a small break internally in a wire that could effect the the quality of transmit and receive.

Thirdly I would clean the dial contacts which often can effect the quality of receive audio.  Whether or not it will effect the transmit audio I don't know.  But it only takes a few minutes to clean them.  I would just take an alcohol dampened Q-tip and clean off the contact points.  Be careful not to bend them too far apart but enough to clean the ends.  Blow away cotton particles from the Q-tip with compressed air or whatever you have to remove them.  I have a small compressor in my work shop and use it often.  The hook switch contacts can also get dirty but my philosophy has always been to leave that set of contacts alone.  (I took a switch hook apart once in my early days---that was a mistake.  Some of the parts still turn up once in a while on my bench).  Since then I did successfully take apart the contact switch from a 302 that was badly corroded and put it back together but that's another topic). 

If those three things don't improve check the line cord.  Those are the simplest things to check.  Again, assuming you are using a phone line that works with your other phones.  And simply check your transmit audio against other phones....Don't base your theory that your phone isn't working on talking to one person on one phone. 

The premise is that your phone isn't working properly. Check your premise.

[metdial]

Wow Dennis! 

That's an amazing amount of valuable information that you just shared with all of us.
I still find it hard to believe that you've only been doing this for a few short years. 
You clearly posess a potent combination of intellect, enthusiasm, and dedication to this hobby.  I would have guessed that with all of your expertise, your accomplishments and your contributions to the hobby (as an enthusiast & teacher), that you had been doing this for 30 or 40 yrs.! 

I've been saving and organizing all of these fantastically informative posts that you've written on various topics.  In essence, I've already got that tutorial on cleaning and repair that I've been bugging you about.  Perhaps at some point though, you could still touch upon the basic system & techniques you've developed to break down a phone for detailed refurbishing. 

I know from some of your other posts, that you've learned from experience that certain parts and assemblies should be left alone (the ringer magnet for example, and the hook switch assembly that you just mentioned above).  I'm also a bit daunted by the task of disconnecting & reconnecting all of the wires to and from the network.  I'm planning on taking lots of pictures & drawing diagrams, so I don't think I'll have a problem with connecting the right wire to the right contact.  What I am concerned about, is making sure that I route the wires the way Ma Bell would have, in the right order and in the correct configuration.  I'm also wondering how careful you have to be to not let wires make contact with one another when you're in the process of disconnecting them or hooking them back up. 

Thank you again Dennis, and thanks to everyone, for all of your help and encouragement.   

[Dennis Markham]

Tom,

Thanks for the compliments.  No, not 30-40 years.  I just developed an interest in the Model 500's about six years ago now.  (I just looked at my logbook---yes, I keep a log of the phones I buy) and the first was in the first part of 2003.  But like a lot of things I involve myself with I become obsessed with my passion.   I think what I liked first of all was that it was a telephone from the time when I was a kid.  I grew up using the the model 500's and 554's in the late 50's forward.  Actually the first phone I remember was a crank type (probably a Leich) phone in our rural community in southeast Michigan.  One had to crank the phone to get the operator to make a call.  It was a party line.   But another thing that is interesting is the fact that someone with little or no knowledge can work on these phones and make them work again.  The engineers at Bell Systems did all the work.

You aren't going to electrocute yourself working on the phones--like the things radio guys have to worry about.  Although one can get a poke when the line rings and the right things are being touched at the right time.  I remember holding the end of the modular phone line (from the wall) in my mouth while I was working on a Princess.  Somehow the stars lined up and I got a poke when the phone rang.  It wasn't much but it startled me.  Sort of like putting one's tongue on a 9 volt battery.

In the beginning I drew a lot of pictures and even took pictures so that I could refer to them if need be.  With the 500 series phones now I have worked on enough that I don't need to do that anymore.  I also believe in routing the wires properly so that it isn't a jumbled mess inside the phone.  If one is sloppy with the wiring it could touch ringer gongs and get in the way of things when the covers are placed over the phone.

My interest began to back-track a couple of years ago.  I have developed an interest in the older phones and spent some time working on the 102 and 202's as well.  I've said it before but Ill say it again.  I was lucky to live near some long-time collectors that have helped me skip a decade or two and learn a lot quickly.  For that reason I am glad to share my enthusiasm for working on the phones.  But there's still a lot to learn.  There is a lot of experience from people other than me on this forum.  Like with many things if you take a little from everyone you'll develop your own way of doing things.