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Comparing a North Electric with Cutaway Dial with a North Electric Signal Corps

Started by HobieSport, July 14, 2009, 08:53:39 PM

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HobieSport

I have these two North Electrics here to compare. One phone is Signal Corps and one is not. They are somewhat similar looking from the front view, including the handsets, but the backs and innards are very different.

The one that is NOT Signal Corps also has a curious cutaway dial that I know nothing about, and would like to learn what make of dial it is, and what is the logic behind the cutaway dial design.

So please educate an old phone newbie about these two phones, and the cutaway dial. The phone on the left side in the pictures is the Signal Corps model. Sorry for the slightly out of focus pictures. :P
-Matt

HobieSport

-Matt

JorgeAmely

The cutaway dial was supposed to help maintain the number wheel clean. It allows the user to wipe the porcelain clean with a rag.

Usually the cutaway dial is a $25 option these days. The dial itself is an Automatic Electric dial.

It seems that the Signal Corps model used WE supplied components.

My 2 cents.
Jorge

HobieSport

Thanks Jorge, that sounds good to me.

I'm such a newbie that I didn't even notice the North Electric Signal Corps phone is WE302 components. ::)
-Matt

Phonesrfun

As far as I know, AE is the only one who made those cut-away dial finger wheels.  I have one on my jukebox phone, and I did pay a little extra for that finger wheel.

-Bill
-Bill G

JorgeAmely

Hi HobieSport:

Richard Rose, the owner of http://www.ericofon.com/catalog/classic1/ae40.htm has these phones equipped with the AE dial and as an option, you can have a black or chromed cut-away wheel. $10 and $20 additional for either.

I am confident each of your phones will work and ring nicely because they seem to have straight line ringers.

Congratulations !!!
Jorge

HobieSport

Thanks again Jorge. Also, I probably would have NEVER figured out the purpose of the cut away dial (for cleaning the number wheel). Nifty!
-Matt

Phonesrfun

Just think!  You have to spend an extra $20 just for 3/4 of a finger wheel.  What kind of deal is that?

Turns out my cut-away dial is mounted on another phone and not the jukebox.   But, I thought I'd show off the jukebox (a.k.a. AE 50) anyway.  I still need to hang it on a wall.  I have lived in this "new" place for a year now and still haven't hung most of my wall phones.

The photo shows it propped up against a 4A speakerphone speaker on one of those rare occasions when my desk is clean.


-Bill
-Bill G

HobieSport

Bill that looks like a very nice AE 50 "Jukebox" phone. I have an AE 50 but it doesn't have the nice chrome banded handset caps. I managed to get a pair of the chrome caps for it, but they were not cheap. I wish I could afford more of the chrome caps for some of my chrome dial AE 40s. Sigh.

As for the cutaway dials, the first time I glanced at one on Ebay I thought the dial was broken and missing a chunk. :D Now that I've learned why they are designed that way I think they look classy. 8)
-Matt

Phonesrfun

Hobie:

I hear you on the banded caps.  I bought the caps later after getting the phone.  It came with plain black and a real cruddy finger wheel, and a handset cord that was cut and taped.  The bakelite cleaned up real well, and I think I got the caps on e-Bay, and the Extensicord I got from Steve Hilsz.

-Bill
-Bill G

HobieSport

Bill I got my banded caps on Ebay also. I've also seen them at Old Phone Works, but I just now looked there and couldn't find them, and they were costly anyway.
-Matt

foots

Thanks for making this a post Hobie, maybe we can learn something. The back of the Signal Corps phone doesn't have those vents, probably due to them allowing in moisture and dirt. The vent on the base of the phone should have a ribbon covering it, again, to keep out moisture/dirt.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

HobieSport

That's a good point Foots about the lack of vents on the Signal Corps phone; to keep out moisture and dirt. That makes sense and is another difference between the two phones that I had noticed but didn't think of why is was.

Thank you, too, by the way, for asking me about these phones in the first place, and getting me motivated to look closer at comparing them and taking pictures. I had no idea for example that the North Electric Signal Corps phone has many Western Electric 302 components.

BTW, The only date that I've found in the Signal Corps phone is on the microphone, which may not be original, but it is not a Western Electric mic, and the date is August 1953, so just after the armistice of the Korean War. The non-Signal Corps Galion has a base date of 1947, a network from 1946 and a ringer from 1951.

And speaking of pictures, when that very cool Signal Corps wall phone that you just got arrives, I'd love to see pictures of all your signal corps phones posted together sometime, including the insides. Though I know taking photos can be time consuming. Especially for me, because I'm not terribly organized to put it mildly. ;)
-Matt