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hello all

Started by jp, December 12, 2018, 12:33:11 PM

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jp

Hi,
Rotary was all we had when i was growing up.
Our provider was GTE.. and we could dial 5 digits to place local calls up into the late 1980s.
Touch tone wasn't unheard of in my area, but it was rare that i encountered it... most office phones were rotary.

I am here to learn a little about the telephones used through my childhood and into my young adult years..
I am also interested in the private telephone networks of today, how they work, and how to go about setting one up.

That's about all i have for now.. I will probably be reading more than i write, but i do get talkative at times.

dsk

Welcome! Rotary phones are a great part of the telephone history, and are still working in some areas here in Norway. Now we may use touch tone on all POTS lines.

I'm not sure what you are thinking about "private telephone networks" but if you want your own exchange, the most popular in this forum is the Panasonic KXT 616.

One box + a special phone for programming, and you have a system working with rotaries, and touch-tone telephones.

dsk

Key2871

Welcome JP. Glad you joined us. I didn't experience touch tone until the early 80's myself. Growing up in a small independent system area, with ma bell surrounding the area.
Look forward to hearing more from you.
KEN

Dan/Panther

Welcome JP, If you like phones you came to the right place. A wonderful group of Guys and Gals that love phones, and we all get along pretty good.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

HarrySmith

Welcome! You have found the best forum on the net. Lots of experience & knowledge here with people who love to help.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

jsowers

Welcome, JP, to the Forum!

It looks like we both had the same kind of phone service growing up. Mine was from an independent telco that was not only rotary but a party line. Most people had them here in the 1950s and 60s and then in the 1970s they changed to private lines one by one until we were left with my grandmother, who didn't make many calls, as the only other party on the line. It was five digit dialing to any other person in our exchange and the first digit was 1 and the REgent (73) was absorbed (not needed). The doctor was 1-2121 and I successfully dialed him using the switchhook buttons once. It was five digits for the CHestnut 3, 6 and 9 numbers in the neighboring town too if you had a CHestnut number. Then they replaced the old equipment and did away with party lines and things changed in the 1980s.

By the time I built my house in 1985 you could own your own phone, so I supplied them all and they're still connected. I did add two touch-tone phones in the last couple years and I got caller ID last week, so I have changed some with the times.
Jonathan

.....

Welcome to CRPF JP.


compubit

Welcome!

The 5-digit dialing sounds like calling at my grandparents: 5 or 7 digits for local, and you dialed 120 + area code and number for long distance.  It was also GTE territory in Michigan. They did have touch tone service (one phone was touch tone, the remainder were AE 80s ), but after you dialed on the touch tone phone, you could hear the switch in the background pulsing through the numbers dialed...

Jim

A phone phanatic since I was less than 2 (thanks to Fisher Price); collector since a teenager; now able to afford to play!
Favorite Phone: Western Electric Trimline - it just feels right holding it up to my face!

oldguy

Welcome jp, you'll like it here.
Gary