Field trial phone story

[Jim Stettler]

Back in 1993 I was repairing a security alarm system in a fancy house. The lady had an Interphone setup. It was 3 500's, 1 princess and a door interphone mounted next to a panel phone.

She started telling me about her phones. She was from NJ
She had a close friend that was an engineer for Bell labs. She was a field trial customer. She received free phone service and kept the sets.

I don't know if the interphone was a field trial set but I suspect it was.
I was young and green at the time and only beleived part of her stories.
When I mentioned her panel phone, she said she liked her other one better, the handset set sideways on it  (see Paul F on proto types).
When she moved they talked her into leaving it but gave her the new panel phone.
She also mentioned she had an early trimline, she said it was different than the regular style. She said it was new in the box, she never used it because they couldn't attatch the call buttons for her interphone.

When she got the trimline she had to sign for it at the local phone office. They insisted she open the box to ensure that the set was fine (they wanted to see the new style). I don't know if it was a schmoo, contour or One of the later proto's. I did not have the sense to ask to see it.

I suspect she has passed away by now, With luck I will eventually find the NIB trimline proto-type for sell at a yard sale.

Another thing she mentioned was that she insisted on the BSP's on all here phones when she moved. She also insisted on an experienced installer to install the phones at her home in CO. She explained that the sets were different and she had the documentation. The 3rd installer they sent out was willing to install her phones. The first 2 were new to the bell system.
Jim S.

My understanding is that field trial customers could keep the sets, otherwise they went back to Bell labs and were sometimes recycled into new sets.

Some field trial sets were recycled as scrap. Paul Vaverchack has a lot of top housings for 3A payphones. These payphones can register $1 coins, but the slot doesn't accept a $1 coin. The 3A is from the early 80's they tested 200 light gray phones in CO. and 200 Dark gray (black) sets in N. CA.

The CO sets ended up in CA after the self diagnostics failed in the winter.
The 3A may of had limited production in CA as well.

I did use a 3A when they were field trialing them.

The front of the 3A is hinged to fold forward and down. It made it easy to service but hard to install. These sets are 20-30# heavier than a standard SS payphone.
Jim

[Dan/Panther]

Jim;
Gheez, If only I knew someone in Colorado Springs to hit the swap meets for me.
That I think would be major Bad Kharma...
D/P

[Jim Stettler]

Jim;
Gheez, If only I knew someone in Colorado Springs to hit the swap meets for me.
That I think would be major Bad Kharma...
D/P

It would be good Karma, If you offered them to me for cost tho.
Jim