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'M' on dial card

Started by old_stuff_hound, August 27, 2011, 08:53:44 AM

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old_stuff_hound

In pa_bell's 2554 thread he has this photo:


Notice the little 'M' on the dial card? I've seen that on other dial cards I've run across. Does anyone know the significance? Were there any other letters(and if so, what was their significance)?

Thanks!

Wallphone

I think that I read some where that M meant modular.
Doug Pav

Adam

Yes, it was my understanding that it aided the repair service to determine how to handle your service call by enabling them to ask you what kind of phone you had without the customer having to understand what "modular" was, simply by asking whether there was an "M" on the dial card.

This was only a concern during the conversion to modular when some phones were modular and some weren't.  Eventually everything generally was modular and the repair service didn't need to ask anymore.  But installers still had tons of number cards with the "M" on them.  Hence, they used them for both modular and non-modular installations, that's why, even though "M" stands for modular, you will see them now on non-modular sets.
Adam Forrest
Los Angeles Telephone - A proud part of the global C*Net System
C*Net 1-383-4820

Adam

Here's a 500 with an M.
Adam Forrest
Los Angeles Telephone - A proud part of the global C*Net System
C*Net 1-383-4820

old_stuff_hound

Quote from: Adam on August 27, 2011, 09:47:03 AM
Yes, it was my understanding that it aided the repair service to determine how to handle your service call by enabling them to ask you what kind of phone you had without the customer having to understand what "modular" was, simply by asking whether there was an "M" on the dial card.

This was only a concern during the conversion to modular when some phones were modular and some weren't.  Eventually everything generally was modular and the repair service didn't need to ask anymore.  But installers still had tons of number cards with the "M" on them.  Hence, they used them for both modular and non-modular installations, that's why, even though "M" stands for modular, you will see them now on non-modular sets.

Ah -- that makes sense. I hand't thought about it, but I think I've only seen it on modular sets. And I'm sure that was much easier than trying to explain to a customer what "modular" meant..... ;-)

Thanks, everyone!

GusHerb

Time to check all of my phones for this "M"... will see how many of them do have one.
Jonathan

troydog

Did not know what that m was for. Darn I thought it was for.
DIAL M FOR MURDER :D

MDK

Typically, if the M on your dialcard is for "Murder", it is standard practice for it to be printed in blood.

jsowers

If you haven't seen it, Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder is a pretty good movie. It was set in England, so it used a British dial. Below are two more pictures and the M and N are together on the dial, which I suppose is standard for the British system, but definitely not the norm stateside since we include the letter "O." Also I found a great picture of Hitch using a very beat-up metal body 302. The movie was originally shot in 3-D and the scene with Grace Kelly and the pair of scissors is really great.
Jonathan

GusHerb

I just checked. All of my Modular phones with an original dial card have an M.
Jonathan

JorgeAmely

Quote from: MDK on August 28, 2011, 08:07:22 AM
Typically, if the M on your dialcard is for "Murder", it is standard practice for it to be printed in blood.


I wonder if a remake of this movie would be titled "Text M for Murder".
Jorge

LarryInMichigan

QuoteBelow are two more pictures and the M and N are together on the dial, which I suppose is standard for the British system, but definitely not the norm stateside since we include the letter "O."

That looks like a British GPO dial.  I have one like it and a few without letters.

Larry

troydog

Trailer for the best movie in years Dial M fir Murder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdgXkDisDho

Off topic but what was the other movie about a woman in bed she is unable to walk
Was it this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDLfDfr4GIU

MDK

My wife has no sense of humor. She really hit the roof when I put this new dial card on my DK500.