Signal Corps 500 Question

[rp2813]

Hey all,

On another non-phone related site I visit, somebody posted a picture of this phone they recently picked up.

Check out the picture for the extra piece that's located under the cradle on the back.

Is that a switch or what is it for?

Thanks for any info,

Ralph

[Jim Stettler]

I wonder if it was a note holder attatchment that got broke.
It does look like it could be a switch.
Some ITT key phones have a couple of pots in the "grip"

Just a guess,
Jim

[Btee]

I wonder if it was a note holder attatchment that got broke.
It does look like it could be a switch.
Some ITT key phones have a couple of pots in the "grip"

Just a guess,
Jim

Yep! Im a member now. this is my phone. It is a switch of some sort. I will take some pictures later of it. My grandpa mentioned "turning the ringer on and off"... perhaps thats what he was referencing.


He also spoke of tapping in a number. He talked of when at work with TWA, at night the boss would lock the dials of the phone so the works couldn't phone in to their wives on late night shifts. My grandpa being the genius he was, knew how to tap in numbers on most any phone without using the keypad or dial.

[Greg G.]

I wonder if it was a note holder attatchment that got broke.
It does look like it could be a switch.
Some ITT key phones have a couple of pots in the "grip"

Just a guess,
Jim

Yep! Im a member now. this is my phone. It is a switch of some sort. I will take some pictures later of it. My grandpa mentioned "turning the ringer on and off"... perhaps thats what he was referencing.


He also spoke of tapping in a number. He talked of when at work with TWA, at night the boss would lock the dials of the phone so the works couldn't phone in to their wives on late night shifts. My grandpa being the genius he was, knew how to tap in numbers on most any phone without using the keypad or dial.

Somewhere in here a while back there was mention of trying to "dial" a number using only the switch hook plungers.  That's probably what your grandpa was doing.  I don't think it works on todays phone system though.

[Kenny C]

it works here

[Greg G.]

it works here

How exactly? 

[Dennis Markham]

Greg,

We used to do that with our phones when we were kids too.  Say you want to dial 555-1212.  Just depress the plunger quickly five times, then five times, then five time, then 1 time, then two times....etc.  It will dial the desired number.  Don't to it too fast, but not too slow.

I just tried it here...doesn't work like it once did.  Perhaps it would work with one of those Panasonic PBX's.

[Kenny C]

Its the same as pulse dialing. Say you are dialing 555-1234

Hit the plunger 5 times wait less than a second
Hit the plunger 5 times wait less than a second
Hit the plunger 5 times wait less than a second
Hit the plunger once wait less than a second
hit the plunger twice wait less than a second
Hit the plunger 3 times wait less than a scond
then hit it four times and let it ring.

[Kenny C]

what he said but in less words

[Greg G.]

Greg,

We used to do that with our phones when we were kids too.  Say you want to dial 555-1212.  Just depress the plunger quickly five times, then five times, then five time, then 1 time, then two times....etc.  It will dial the desired number.  Don't to it too fast, but not too slow.

I just tried it here...doesn't work like it once did.  Perhaps it would work with one of those Panasonic PBX's.

I have a Panasonic PBX hooked up to a POTS line.  I dialed 9 in the regular manner first to get an outside line, then tried it, but I just got a busy signal half way through.  Maybe my timing is off.

[Btee]

Thats what it is. He tried it on one of the new phones but it didn't work, but tried it on another in the other room and it dialed. Neat thing.

So next time your wife locks up your dials, and your cell phones dead. Just pulse it in with your morse code skills! 

[deedubya3800]

Tapping still works anywhere pulse dialling does. The thing is your timing has to be right. Some systems aren't as tolerant of timing variations as others. I remember I used to be pretty good at it, but it lost its novelty and I rarely do it anymore, but something reminded me of it a few weeks ago, and I successfully dialled my house from the switchhook of my 5302. Another thing is the switchhook action has to be nimble. If you have a slow-returning hook, it's not going to work too well. Most switchhooks have two sets of contacts in them, and it seems to work best if you keep the first set broken while you flash the second set. That's tricky business without opening the phone, but it can be done with the plunger. Many phones do well just flashing them both.

Now that I think of it, this method actually did come in very handy when I needed to make a call on a phone that wouldn't dial out. I just hate numbers with lots of eights, nines, and zeros.