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Hello from New UK Member

Started by Hotline, September 12, 2017, 05:31:41 PM

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HarrySmith

Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

.....

That is a very nice phone. Thanks for sharing.

david@london

#32
hullo richard, from another londoner (epping forest area) ..though i've recently moved out to north-east suffolk.

great photos........that is really a lovely early 706 in amazing condition.
yes, the diakon really keeps its as-new appearance if well cared for. it's interesting to see the 12 dial on that 1959 model.
you have 2? lucky you.
i have a 1962 1961 two-tone green diakon 706L - i must post some more pictures of it.........one of my most favourite phones.

david.

Hotline

Thanks for all your kind comments  :)

Quote from: david@london on September 18, 2017, 01:13:42 PM
hullo richard, from another londoner (epping forest area) ..though i've recently moved out to north-east suffolk.

great photos........that is really a lovely early 706 in amazing condition.
yes, the diakon really keeps its as-new appearance if well cared for. it's interesting to see the 12 dial on that 1959 model.
you have 2? lucky you.
i have a 1962 two-tone green diakon 706L - i must post some more pictures of it.........one of my most favourite phones.

david.
David, your two-tone green diakon 706L sounds great!

Richard

andy1702

That is a very nice early example. The very very early ones also had a grebe handset cord, but those soon got changed when the curly ones became available. The numbered dial is interesting because, as I said before, there have always been questions about these.

What is most striking about this example though is the condition. To find a Diakon phone with no cracks is increasingly difficult these days.
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.

Hotline

Quote from: andy1702 on September 21, 2017, 05:05:51 AM
That is a very nice early example. The very very early ones also had a grebe handset cord, but those soon got changed when the curly ones became available. The numbered dial is interesting because, as I said before, there have always been questions about these.

What is most striking about this example though is the condition. To find a Diakon phone with no cracks is increasingly difficult these days.
Thanks Andy.

The numbered dial is what the very early GPO phones had fitted, I attach some photos of the GPO 706 brochure from 1959 which shows the numbered dials.


andy1702

It's good to finally confirm this. If you have a look at this page from TheTelephone File you'll see a different version with a fully alpha-numeric dial.
http://britishtelephones.com/t706.htm
I've also seen similar black and white illustrations with the 3d chevrons in a dial 12. My suspicion is the ones with the 3d Chevrons are actually photos of Ericsson N1900s taken out of context and the one on the page above was probably a pre-production example. It's centainly early because of the grebe cord, so just a bit earlier than yours. However I think yours is a good example of an early production phone and a good reference for anyone wanting to restore a '59 to original condition.

The photo's below are of my 1959 phone that was originally being built as a 706 but never made it out of the factory before being switched to be part of a private order for use on a PAX somewhere. Everything suggests 706, including the GPO stamp on the top of the capacitor. However the number only dial bezel is the clue it was not finished to GPO standards. At least that's what we collectively decided on here a while back. The black one alongside is another non-GPO phone, but that one is totally unmarked.

Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.

Hotline

#37
Quote from: andy1702 on September 22, 2017, 02:37:51 PM
It's good to finally confirm this. If you have a look at this page from TheTelephone File you'll see a different version with a fully alpha-numeric dial.
http://britishtelephones.com/t706.htm
I've also seen similar black and white illustrations with the 3d chevrons in a dial 12. My suspicion is the ones with the 3d Chevrons are actually photos of Ericsson N1900s taken out of context and the one on the page above was probably a pre-production example. It's centainly early because of the grebe cord, so just a bit earlier than yours. However I think yours is a good example of an early production phone and a good reference for anyone wanting to restore a '59 to original condition.

The photo's below are of my 1959 phone that was originally being built as a 706 but never made it out of the factory before being switched to be part of a private order for use on a PAX somewhere. Everything suggests 706, including the GPO stamp on the top of the capacitor. However the number only dial bezel is the clue it was not finished to GPO standards. At least that's what we collectively decided on here a while back. The black one alongside is another non-GPO phone, but that one is totally unmarked.
I like your '59 phones Andy, I have another '59 in black, but it came with a 1968 dial with a 746 backing plate and finger wheel so I am looking for a type 12 dial of the appropriate age to fit to it, but for now I have fitted a black backing plate and black finger wheel.

I agree about the ones with chevrons being photos of Ericsson N1900s taken out of context, I think I have seen the photos that contain this phone, I reckon they just used a stock photo and that the 3D chevrons were never actually fitted to GPO issue 706 phones.

The link you post to the photo of the phone with the Grebe cord is interesting, but I don't think it is a GPO phone as the dial card is not a GPO dial card.

I have just taken delivery of a 746L - quite a rare phone I believe, I will post photos of it in a separate thread.

andy1702

Quote from: Hotline on September 23, 2017, 12:10:34 PM
I have just taken delivery of a 746L - quite a rare phone I believe, I will post photos of it in a separate thread.

SNAP! :D

You'll see what I mean when you check that other thread.  :)
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.