302 question: 1941 302 aluminum 40D & 40E gongs

[Tim Mc]

I have a 302 dated 8/41 that has 40D and 40E aluminum bells.  I assume these were stock based on the matching numbers, except for the 4H dial dated from II-31 (or '34, can't be certain).  I've had a few with steel gongs but this is the first one with aluminum.  Does anyone have info on these?  

[poplar1]

I have a 302 dated 8/41 that has 40D and 40E aluminum bells.  I assume these were stock based on the matching numbers, except for the 4H dial dated from II-31 (or '34, can't be certain).  I've had a few with steel gongs but this is the first one with aluminum.  Does anyone have info on these?  

One use was to make it possible to distinguish one phone ringing from others in the same area.

Another trick was to use a hacksaw and cut slots in the brass gongs.

Sometimes lower pitched gongs (like "cow bells" on the 495BP subset) were installed for people with impaired hearing. Apparently, the higher frequencies are often the first to be lost.

Is there any other date (like 41) restamped on the dial?

[Tim Mc]

No sir, I don't see "41" anywhere on the dial.  Here's a pic of it.  It does have "650T" stamped on it in yellow.  You can also see where "II-31" is stamped.  Although the "1" is scratched it looks too close to the "3" to be "34".

[TelePlay]

Sometimes lower pitched gongs (like "cow bells" on the 495BP subset) were installed for people with impaired hearing. Apparently, the higher frequencies are often the first to be lost.

Yes, the high end goes first. Good ears can hear up to around 18-20 Khz. Unabused older ears can usually hear up to 16 KHz. So, thudding low frequency bells, no matter how that is achieved, would be easier to hear for older people with high end hearing loss.