Imperial issues

[Phonesrfun]

Yes.  A 302 base makes a good equivalent of a 684A subset  (Same exact components).  Just add one Ray Kotke cover and you are in business.   There is no magic to making one work; it's just a matter of hooking up 4 wires.  Actually, if you keep it out of sight, you don't even need the cover, except to keep the dust bunnies out.

I recently set ntophones up with a base I had.  Nto then went out and got a cover from Ray.

I am fresh out of 302 bases right now, but like Hobie says, you can readily find these.  Sometimes you will see a 302 base on e-Bay, and some collectors have boxes of them.  Other times there are 302's on e-bay that have covers so bad they cannot possibly be restored, and can only be a source of parts.

-Bill Geurts

[HobieSport]

Tom, I have a 1949 302 that has had an "ear" broken off and re-glued, and it's partly disassembled but has all it's parts in a bag in a box somewhere here. You can have it for the cost of shipping from North Calif, but I don't knew how soon I can find and ship it, so it could take a while. But let me know if you might like it for use as a subset.

[benhutcherson]

How to make a subset from a 500 set

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=130.0

This thread details using it for a candlestick, but a D1 mount should be the same.

Black would be connected to terminal "F" on the network

[AET]

Okay, thanks.  I had no clue.  The problem for me was I guess some false information I got from somebody.  I had heard that these could be used as a regular phone, without a subset, would dial and receive calls, and you could talk on it, etc, etc.  And they were often offered as such because there was no charge since the phone had no subset.  Guess you can't beleive everything you hear!  I now must find a subset.

Tom.  That's your problem.  You need a subset.  The Imperial, just like any 102,202, or candlestick is only a half a phone.  It is the transmitter, receiver, hookswitch, and dial.  The subset contains the induction coil and condenser needed for the thing to work all the way.  Otherwise, if you hook the red and green wire that comes out of the line cord directly to the phone line, all you are doing is hooking the receiver only up to the line.

I am telling you this so you know, and not to make you feel bad in any way.  Nobody is born knowing these things.  There are several alternatives to going out and buying a subset that will make it work, but obviously the most authentic way is to get a subset.

-Cheers,

Bill Geurts

[Phonesrfun]

Tom:  I mentioned that I was out of 302 bases, but I might still be able to help....

I may have a 302 base with no ringer and torn feet.  I am out of town until tomorrow, but when I get back home I will check.  At least with that, you will have an operating Imperial, absent the ringing, and ringers are readily available.



-Bill Geurts

[AET]

Okay, that sounds like a good plan!  I'm sure i can find a ringer and make it all work.  I'm in no hurry, so don't feel like you have to rush on my account.  It isn't being put into service for awhile anyways.  Feel free to PM me when you find it.

Thanks!

Tom:  I mentioned that I was out of 302 bases, but I might still be able to help....

I may have a 302 base with no ringer and torn feet.  I am out of town until tomorrow, but when I get back home I will check.  At least with that, you will have an operating Imperial, absent the ringing, and ringers are readily available.



-Bill Geurts

[bingster]

And they were often offered as such because there was no charge since the phone had no subset.  Guess you can't beleive everything you hear!  I now must find a subset.

The phone company would never have installed D-mount of any description without installing it's subset.  The subset (specifically, the induction coil inside the subset) is a critical part of the phone.  The ringer is of secondary importance.  And trust me, the phone company never installed an extra piece of equipment without making some charge for it.  Extensions weren't very expensive, but they were never free.

[benhutcherson]

Tom,

Since you already have plenty of 500 sets, you can get your imperial working now.

Please see my above post made last night, and it will get you going right away.

[Phonesrfun]

The phone company would never have installed D-mount of any description without installing it's subset.  The subset (specifically, the induction coil inside the subset) is a critical part of the phone.  The ringer is of secondary importance.  And trust me, the phone company never installed an extra piece of equipment without making some charge for it.  Extensions weren't very expensive, but they were never free.

Very true.  Perhaps the urban ledgend Tom is referring to is that in the "olden days" the phone company could tell how many extension phones were hooked up by looking at the impedance caused by the number of ringers on a line.  People used to disconnect the ringers on the "illegal" phones so as to not get billed for them.

HOWEVER, like Bingster says, a D-mount HAD to have a subset, even if the ringer within was unhooked to avoid detection.

At minimum, you would need to make a simple resistor/capacitor "cheater" network to limit the transmitter current and keep DC out of the receiver. 

If you were to hook a D-mount or any phone that requires a subset directly to the phone line with no subset, mini network, or no cheater network, you could damage both the transmitter elements and receiver elements over time.

[AET]

My grandpa got caught doing this. He of course didn't want to pay for the extra phone after he was caught. So the phone company charged him to remove it.

Very true.  Perhaps the urban ledgend Tom is referring to is that in the "olden days" the phone company could tell how many extension phones were hooked up by looking at the impedance caused by the number of ringers on a line.  People used to disconnect the ringers on the "illegal" phones so as to not get billed for them.

HOWEVER, like Bingster says, a D-mount HAD to have a subset, even if the ringer within was unhooked to avoid detection.

At minimum, you would need to make a simple resistor/capacitor "cheater" network to limit the transmitter current and keep DC out of the receiver. 

If you were to hook a D-mount or any phone that requires a subset directly to the phone line with no subset, mini network, or no cheater network, you could damage both the transmitter elements and receiver elements over time.