News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Dial or push-button or ...?

Started by Stephen Furley, April 21, 2009, 02:34:29 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Stephen Furley

If you can't decide whether you want a dial or a push-button 'phone, how about this one:

http://tinyurl.com/chaajp ( dead link 02-28-22 )

Or just search for item number  300309456316

I think I may bid for this.

Dan/Panther

I wasn't aware they made them like that. It's a 12 button un it also. I thought maybe early push button transition setup ?
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

Stephen Furley

I've sent the seller a message asking how much for shipping; it should be less than a full size 'phone.  I've found a few references to it elsewhere, including a couple for sale.  It seems to date from 1970; was DTMF in use over there at that time?  It wasn't on public exchanges here, but I'm not sure about private ones, some were certainly using it later in the '70s.  The shipping weight is listed on another site somewhere as 3kg or 7 pounds; what do they pack it in, a lead box?

$25 seems to be the going rate for one, and there are no bids at the moment.  If the seller comes back with a reasonable figure for shipping then I think I may put in a bid.  It doesn't finish until after next pay day.

HobieSport

Good luck Stephen;  I wouldn't think it would weigh very much, certainly not seven pounds! I have a 1970s Western Electric dial lineman's phone that is about 1.5 pounds.

Stephen Furley

Thank you.  I've had a reply re shipping, and it's not too bad, so I'm going to bid.  I've never seen anything like this before.

I've got a G.P.O. Telephone 280 which is rubber, and heavy, but even that doesn't weigh *that* much.

http://www.britishtelephones.com/t280.htm

I've also got a modern Tempo DSTS2 which I use at work, and this is very light.  It's shown here as the 284 from Chesilvale:

http://www.samhallas.co.uk/collection/test.htm

There's also another picture of the 280 on the same page.

I'm re-starting the PABX at work remotely from home at the moment; I've only ever done it a few times, I was really worried the first time, because I thought it wasn't going to come back; I hadn't realised how long it would take to start up.  The ping is back, as are the IP interfaces, but I'm still waiting for the two E1 interfaces for the ISDN30 trunks, and then there are are all of the analogue lines to come up.  It takes about twenty minutes altogether.  ISDNs are up, shouldn't be long now.  If it didn't come back I'd have to get up at some unearthly hour to go in to work at 06:30 to sort it out.



bingster

I don't think I've ever seen one of these before.  TT, yes... Dial, yes... Both? Never.

Good luck with the auction, Stephen.
= DARRIN =



Stephen Furley

It's an ugly thing, but unusual, and interesting, so I've put a bid in; no other bids so far.  I'm back up in Yorkshire for a long weekend; going home on Monday.

Stephen Furley

I won it, $16.51, which seems to be a good price; the postage is another $21, which makes it a bit expensive in total, and I shouldn't really be spending money at the moment, but it's very unusual.

Tonyrotary

#8
Oh man Stephen you would've gotten it cheaper as I was bidding on this very item as well. I did not know you were bidding on it. I stopped at the price you payed. I was trying to get the high bid. I thought it was cool thing too with both dial and touch tone. Let us know it well it works when you get it.

Stephen Furley

It arrived yesterday, or rather on Friday, but I collected it from the sorting office yesterday, I'm never at home when the post comes.

It's not in bad condition as these things go, the surface is a bit rubbed an dull, it could do with a polish.  I've polished a small area and t's come up quite well, and taken off a bit of surface dirt as well.

It's made by Communication Manufacturing Co, of Long Beach CA.  I've never heard of them, and they don't seem to have a website; anybody know anything about hem?  Do they still exist?

The dome-shaped thing on top is a knob with two positions marked 'M' and 'D'.  When you switch it to D it seizes the line.  I assume M is for monitor, and D possibly for dial.

On the side there is a rocker switch which springs to the unmarked central position.  The two ends are marked 'TLK' and 'RLS'  The 'phone will seize the line for as long as the switch is held in the 'TLK' position, but drop it when the switch is released.   If the line is picked up by moving the switch to D, then pressing the switch to RLS seems to perform a timed break recall function; I think you call it a flash over there.

The dial is a moving finger stop type, very similar to the one fitted to the Contempra, but not identical, the finger stop moves slightly further on the Contempra one.

The blue lump on the cord is a four pole socket, retained in the body of the 'phone by a metal clip.  There are two cracks leading from the sharp corners of the cut-out for the socket, and the notch for the clip.  I'll need to fix these before they spread any further.

The line cord is a three-conductor cloth type, and there is something odd about it.  The outside looks like new, no dirt, wear, fibres pulled out, it's in absolutely mint condition, but the inner insulation on the wires, also cloth, is rather faded and dirty, so it's obviously not had  new cord fitted.

The three wires are coloured red, white and blue, though the red one has been strapped back out o the way with a couple of small cable ties, so it obviously wasn't being used. The white and blue wires have a short length of sleeving on them, marked 'T' and 'R' (presumably Tip and Ring), though it's difficult to read.  There is a letter on the red wire, but it's more worn than the others, and I can't make out what it is; it doesn't look like 'S' for sleeve, looks more like 'P', but I can't be sure.  It seems to work equally well, including the DTMF dialer, whatever the line polarity is.  All three wires are fitted with standard clips, not 'Bed o' nails' type ones.

There's a small indicator which lights when there's ringing current on the line.  That's about it, quite an interesting piece, and my fourth American 'phone.

I'll try to send some pictures of it next week.