My New Dutch PTT Standard Telefoon

[LarryInMichigan]

Here are pictures of my new PTT Standard phone.  The shell and handset are bakelite.  The dial face and finger wheel are plastic.  The numbers are actually molded into into the dial face.  The bottom is stamped 12-62, so it was apparently built in 1962.  As you can see in the pictures below, it somewhat resembles a WE302, but without all of the grace and elegance (it's much clumsier looking).  The base is almost exactly the same length and width as the 302, but it is noticeably taller.

I cleaned all of the external parts with foaming tile cleaner, which does a great job of quickly removing nicotine and other dirt, and I then polished them with Brasso and some plastic polish called "Something Better" (I found a can at a local dollar store).  The surfaces came out mostly smooth and shiny, but the bakelite does not have a solid black appearance. 

The transmitter element is apparently bad because I hear alot of static on the line when it is in place.  I put an old T1 transmitter in its place (which reluctantly fits into the handset), but I still hear some static.  If anyone knows where I can find a replacement transmitter for cheap, please let me know.

The number card is simply a small rectangular plain card which fits into the frame on the front of the base.  Mine is yellowed and shows traces of a number having been hand written on it.

I looked through the thread from April about these phones, so I now have a clue about the push button on the front top.  I also realize now that, for some reason, the ringers did not include any retaining springs, so the bells chime whenever there is even a slight voltage change on the line, such as when another phone is picked up or dialed.  I came up with a makeshift solution involving a spring which I bought in a hardware store.  It seems to hold the clapper still except when the phone actually should ring.  You can see it in one of the pictures below.

Larry

[dsk]

Nice
Looks like one of my dust old mystery telephones.

Take a look at
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1466.15

Do you have a wiring diagram?

dsk

[McHeath]

Sure is a clean phone, even the insides are spotless.  Does it work?

[LarryInMichigan]

It was not so clean when I received it.  It mostly works, but something is causing occasional static, possibly the handset cord.  Also, as I described in my post, the ringer would ring on the slightest voltage change on the line, so I added the spring to hold the clapper in place.  I cannot imagine why no spring was included in the design.  The spring that I added, despite looking terrible, seems to be doing exactly what I wanted.  The ringer only rings now when someone calls my number (and not while I dial another phone).

Larry

[McHeath]

Good for you on making the fix to the ringer tapping when voltage on the line changes.  Odd that they did not have some method of stopping that. 

[dsk]

Many older European phones did not have any spring on the ringer. It seems like people accepted the tinkle. In Norway most telephones had the spring, but some imported models for use on PBX did not have. It was not needed when it was only one telephone on the line, and the bell was not affected on the dial on the same telephone.

The latest rotary dial telephone made in Norway (Elektrisk Bureau model 1967) had an transistorized ringer, this was well known for the bip-bip -bips when dialing.

Actually very funny, when I was about 12, I made my own "linesman telephone" of parts, and hooked up on one neighbor, and called another. Both answered, and claimed the other part to call, then they recognized who they were speaking to, ...very funny for a 12 year old boy.



dsk
   

[Greg G.]

The number card is simply a small rectangular plain card which fits into the frame on the front of the base.  Mine is yellowed and shows traces of a number having been hand written on it.
Larry

Oh, that thing.  I was thinking something went in the middle of the dial, because it's rather homely, all naked with that big "outy" button like that.

[LarryInMichigan]

Brinybay,

I have seen some a picture or two online of European phones which have some sort of insert in the dial center, but it appears that the center was usually empty, and the phone number was generally on a rectangular card above or below the dial.  Take a look at: http://www.actw.nl/English/Old%20telephones.htm for a few examples.

Larry

[dsk]

Right

Some dial had a field in the middle to fill out, but most dials used this for dial face numbering, or information about emergency numbers.

The emergency numbers were not standardized, and could be an ordinary local number, or even 1 for police, one for medical and one fore fire....

Most European countries use only 112 now, but here in Norway we have 112 for police, 110 for fire, and 113 for ambulance.  911 is the 3 first digits in a series of mobile phones.

Stupid, but so it is.

dsk

[LarryInMichigan]

It makes sense to use 112 for an emergency number because it can be dialed quickly on a rotary dial (except in Norway).  I never understood why the UK chose 999 which takes much longer to dial.

Larry

[dsk]

The 112 came her after rotary dial "was out"
Its only Oslo who has reverse dial, the rest of Norway is "normal".

dsk

[mienaichizu]

I think I've seen a Dutch PTT phone here in the Philippines months ago. Similar as yours Larry but I didn't get it, sold at a very ridiculous price. How much did you bought it??

[LarryInMichigan]

mienaichizu ,

I paid $10 for mine, and I was the only bidder.  Also, the seller had already tried to sell it at least once before.  It seems that there is not much interest in these here.

Larry

[mienaichizu]

hmmm., now I know, the one I saw was being sold for about $70

[dsk]

I have been digging a little more about these telephones, and look what i got.
(Some translations, and comments on the pictures.)
dsk