I was browsing ebay and came across this pink 500 reproduction from a seller in China. This is much different than the Crosley reproductions that are seen so often. It also appears to be a REAL rotary! I don't know how this would work with the # and * keys. This is different than the raised buttons on the Crosleys. Notice if you dial "0" you get the "rotarepo"!
It's ebay item number: 180424246238
I think when you dial it the pulses are converted to tone, basically like the rotatone that you put inside phones.
I guess they had their prototype in the mirror when they did the "rotarepo" You gotta love Engrish.
It's tempting to get one of these and see what the deal is with that dial. It certainly looks like it turns, which I suppose makes it a "rotary" phone of a sort.
I thought about getting that one too, but for the same price I could get real ten rotary phones! If this dial does move, then I guess that means rotary phones are technically still in production. It would scary looking inside the phone, guaranteed its not even close to WE quality, not even Cortelco. They say it has real bells, but I think it probably has some tinny speakers playing the recording of real bells ringing.
Then you can call ROTAREPO and ask for the right time:
(http://www.coolthings.com.au/sites/default/files/reverse_time_large.jpg)
dsk
I just cant resist digging in this dirt.
You may get it in several colors, and its send from a UK company:
maldonemporium.co.uk
http://maldonemporium.co.uk/
http://tinyurl.com/ycz4fn3
dsk
Modified 20 nov. dsk
Your link doesn't work. I'd actually buy one of these to see how they are if they didn't have the stupid * and # digits, instead of ten holes there are 12. What they should have done is make it where to dial * you dial 1 for an extra second, and 2 for an extra second for #.
I did an inquiry on the item number. Try this link:
http://tinyurl.com/yjvxxz7
Same "ROTAREPO" problem as the pink one.
On the other hand, maybe it was made by the Rotary Reproduction Company whose logo is ROTAREPO ;D
Now I am going to answer myself:
Naw, that would make too much sense. Probably the reason for it is that on a Western Electric 500, the word operator does read from left to right, but also from the lowest point up to the top. Aren't Asian languages normally read from the top down? They probably thought they were correcting WE's error, or making it more understandable to someone in an Asian culture....Or maybe keeping with the bottom-to top orientation while moving the "0" from roughly the 5:O'clock position to roughly the 4:O'Clock position, that's just the way it came out.... Or maybe just a goof. Who knows. Still comical.
Very smart find, Bill ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Phonesrfun on November 19, 2009, 10:31:12 PM
I did an inquiry on the item number. Try this link:
http://tinyurl.com/yjvxxz7
Same "ROTAREPO" problem as the pink one.
It has a 'Hands Free' feature!?
Next it'll have a built-in yogurt maker and will be able to weld under water. :D
Quote from: contraste on November 20, 2009, 02:54:50 AM
It has a 'Hands Free' feature!?
Yes, you can hear it ring, hands free.
Quote from: JimH on November 07, 2009, 10:24:41 PM
I was browsing ebay and came across this pink 500 reproduction from a seller in China. This is much different than the Crosley reproductions that are seen so often. It also appears to be a REAL rotary! I don't know how this would work with the # and * keys. This is different than the raised buttons on the Crosleys. Notice if you dial "0" you get the "rotarepo"!
It's ebay item number: 180424246238
Cant let this tread die, had a little to much time, so I made this for the AE80E if you want a rotarepo dial, or just want to export a bunch of used AE80E's ;D
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/dsk/Telephone/labels%20and%20signs/ae80e_flames_ROTAREPO.jpg)
dsk
It should really be Rota-repro
So authentic having a British dial centre label
Are there any more of these for sale? I wouldn't mind having one, maybe in "alvacoddo".
Quote from: Willytx on June 08, 2011, 06:02:26 PM
Are there any more of these for sale? I wouldn't mind having one, maybe in "alvacoddo".
To match the bathroom suite?
I'm looking for a casserole dish to co-ordinate with my Old Country Roses phone. :-[
Quote from: Owain on June 08, 2011, 06:25:43 PM
I'm looking for a casserole dish to co-ordinate with my Old Country Roses phone. :-[
Like this?
http://tinyurl.com/3gzwpyv
Here is the current listing. They have 10 available! Unfortunately, pink is the only color offered. :(
http://tinyurl.com/3vwe9kh
Here are some auctions for the infamous ROTAREPO phone:
Ivory: 150614153522 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150614153522)
Pink: 160598083322 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160598083322)
Black: 160598083272 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160598083272)
And some Buy It Now listings with more than 10 available:
Red: 350407735438 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350407735438)
Black & Red: 230597349461 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230597349461) & 230603205266 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230603205266)
Red & Ivory: 350447675246 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350447675246) & 350447673627 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350447673627)
If you buy any of these, of course I'll want a finder's fee. ;) But I'll be happy to settle for full-coverage photos of the outside and inside, plus a recording of its ringer and a short writeup of its build and sound quality. :P
Steepletone is a UK company selling these phones and many more, including replica Trimphones in rotary and push button. The 500 clones are listed as "1960's GPO BT Style Desktop Rotary Dial Cradle Phone".
http://tinyurl.com/5vwrkzp
I like the Black one with the red handset caps and the red dial!
Anyone find anything out about these? I want to see what the insides are like! I wonder if they still have a metal baseplate.
Quote from: Holtzer-Cabot on October 25, 2016, 09:12:05 AM
Anyone find anything out about these? I want to see what the insides are like! I wonder if they still have a metal baseplate.
I got a goji berry red one and took it to bits a few years back:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=6074.0
Still have it somewhere, I think... ;D
They are still out there. Most of the links above are dead but I quickly found this one by a US seller on eBay, for $83 with free shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Glodeals-1960s-Style-Pink-Retro-Old-Fashioned-Rotary-Dial-Telephone-/331986889843
I'm sure there are other but just wanted to get at least one eBay listing on the forum for posterity, or if anyone wants for whatever reason.
Here's another US seller that has 4 at $90 each with free shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Glodeals-1960s-Style-Pink-Retro-Old-Fashioned-Rotary-Dial-Telephone/252587854899
Two different sellers, exactly the same listing images.
Quote from: Phonesrfun on November 10, 2009, 12:27:57 AM
I guess they had their prototype in the mirror when they did the "rotarepo" You gotta love Engrish.
Bill the other characters are correct ?
D/P
Quote from: twocvbloke on October 25, 2016, 10:30:44 AM
I got a goji berry red one and took it to bits a few years back:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=6074.0
Still have it somewhere, I think... ;D
Wow cool! :) Thanks for the link! ;D
Quote from: TelePlay on October 25, 2016, 12:20:11 PM
They are still out there. Most of the links above are dead but I quickly found this one by a US seller on eBay, for $83 with free shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Glodeals-1960s-Style-Pink-Retro-Old-Fashioned-Rotary-Dial-Telephone-/331986889843
I'm sure there are other but just wanted to get at least one eBay listing on the forum for posterity, or if anyone wants for whatever reason.
Here's another US seller that has 4 at $90 each with free shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Glodeals-1960s-Style-Pink-Retro-Old-Fashioned-Rotary-Dial-Telephone/252587854899
Two different sellers, exactly the same listing images.
Wow thank you! :D
I ran into this same phone elsewhere recently . The odd part is i was looking for fixed GSM phones and they make one just like this with a SIM slot!
Interesting, I looked it up and found this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Opis-60s-mobile-the-unique-portable-retro-rotary-dial-telephone-phone-in-red-/322300703695
?hash=item4b0a9e73cf:g:9f4AAOSwHsRYCPrV
or http://tinyurl.com/ztofbo2
Looking at the pictures I believe I recognize a brittle kind of plastic, and some cords not as soft flexible and long lasting as the real ones had.
On the other hand it may be one of the closest to POTS you may get just now.
dsk
Quote from: dsk on November 16, 2016, 03:32:35 AM
Interesting, I looked it up and found this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Opis-60s-mobile-the-unique-portable-retro-rotary-dial-telephone-phone-in-red-/322300703695
?hash=item4b0a9e73cf:g:9f4AAOSwHsRYCPrV
or http://tinyurl.com/ztofbo2
Looking at the pictures I believe I recognize a brittle kind of plastic, and some cords not as soft flexible and long lasting as the real ones had.
On the other hand it may be one of the closest to POTS you may get just now.
dsk
Wow! Very interesting find! I wonder what the quality of one of these is like! Definitely not up to Western Electric standards!
I just found this on the website for a Cortelco distributor. Unfortunately Cortelco's website seems to be outdated and therefore is somewhat unreliable for knowing what products are current or not.
"Bring Back the Rotarepo"!
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 18, 2018, 01:54:10 PM
"Bring Back the Rotarepo"!
It's around here somewhere... ;D
These phones are supposed to be reproductions of a WE 500, but yet they have a non-WE dial configuration. Has anyone else noticed this?
Quote from: andre_janew on February 21, 2018, 05:54:33 PM
These phones are supposed to be reproductions of a WE 500, but yet they have a non-WE dial configuration. Has anyone else noticed this?
That and several other "oops" aspects are what make these little knock-offs so fun.