Need new handset cord for 1962 AE LPB-82-55

[DavePEI]

Hi John:

They began armouring them where I lived in the early 60s (Brockville, Ont., Canadian home of AE) . When I was very young we used to be able to make a call with a pin through the cord - the armoured cable put an end to that by my first or second year of high school! It seemed to be a gradual thing phased in over several years.

Dave

Hi Terry,

Very interesting information!

Yep, cord is original to phone. Also definately a four conductor.

These late Fifties and early sixties payphones had rubber coil cords. I wonder if someone knows when they started armoring them?

I will look into the cords that you suggest. Thanks.

John

[TelePlay]

This ad is from 1971, so, that's about when, and why, in the states . . . ?

[DavePEI]

This ad is from 1971, so, that's about when, and why, in the states . . . ?

That actually isn't what the ad is saying. It is asking customers to report vandalized payphones in an effort to introduce the redesigned single slot phones. Steel armoured cords were used much earlier in Canada and the US on 3 slot phones. But, as I say, they were phased in, and often cords weren't changed over until they were destroyed except in peak usage or high vandalism areas.... It was a typical "brag" ad, more introducing the single slot phones than 3 slot retrofitted ones. Sometime in this era, handsets were also changed to welded ones so people couldn't steal parts....

Dave

[TelePlay]

This ad is from 1971, so, that's about when, and why, in the states . . . ?

That actually isn't what the ad is saying. It is asking customers to report vandalized payphones. Steel armoured cords were used much earlier in Canada and the US. But, as I say, they were phased in, and often cords weren't changed over until they were destroyed except in peak usage or high vandalism areas.... It was a typical "brag" ad, more introducing the single slot phones than 3 slot retrofitted ones. Sometime in this era, handsets were also changed to welded ones so people couldn't steal parts....

Dave

Worded that wrong. Should have said "at least" instead of "about" and yes, it is both a promo for what they were doing and a request to report. Hard to report a payphone missing a handset from a payphone missing a handset, though. I remember getting off the highway to make a call at a gas station (sales job before cell phones) to check messages or call in an order only to find the time used to get to the phone resulted in finding a payphone with no handset. So, on to the next gas station down the road. Being "old" has so many "the way it was " memories, doesn't it? I still remember the sound of dragging one of those armored cables over the edge of a partially rolled up window when making a call in the middle of a snow storm, or downpour.  

[DavePEI]

Up till they started sealing handsets, payphones used to be a great source of replacement transmitters and receivers for 500 sets   But it did make it hard to use the payphone afterwards!

[G-Man]

This ad is from 1971, so, that's about when, and why, in the states . . . ?

The ad from 1971 is touting the single-slot payphone which had already been in service for a few years, and not the armored handset cord which was first used on 3-slot payphones in the 1960's.

The first armored cords had an outer Neoprene covering.

[DavePEI]

You know, though it dates me pretty well, I am proud to be able to say we had all 3 slots when I was a kid. Then it seems I blinked, and they were all gone. Now the only 3 slots I see on a regular basis are those in my collection. Where did the time go?

Blink again, and all payphones may be gone!

Dave

[G-Man]

Armored cords were being installed on payphones prior to this date shown on this BSP but this is when AT&T instructed Western Electric to issue all new payphones with armored handset cords.

As stated previously, the first armored cords had a Neoprene outside jacket.

There is a n.o.s. 234G manufactured in 1962 with an armored cord and I have read that some of them were installed as early as 1959 but I am unable to confirm it.

Issue 1, July 1967
AT&T Co. Standard

G. Armored Cords and Handsets

3.37 All new coin collectors/telephones and all
reissued 200-type coin collectors are furnished
with handsets equipped with PVC jacketed cords
having an outer covering of stainless steel flexible
hose. The transmitter and receiver caps are
cemented to the handset handle (Fig. 27).

[AE_Collector]

My High School still had a chrome AE 3 slot when I graduated in 1975. The big changeout in vancouver seemed to be happening in and around 1980. By then I was working for the Telco and had my eye on a nice black one in a building where I was working on a PBX install. I kept hoping the guy would show up to change it out so I could make my move but it didn't happen while I was there. I did get a chrome one in a similar manner though in about in 1981 or 1982. By then the 3 slots were virtually all gone.

Is the first armoured cords with a "Neoprene Jacket" mentioned previously a neoprene covered cord inside the armoured cover over the neoprene covering on the outside of the armoured cord?

Terry

[poplar1]

You know, though it dates me pretty well, I am proud to be able to say we had all 3 slots when I was a kid. Then it seems I blinked, and they were all gone. Now the only 3 slots I see on a regular basis are those in my collection. Where did the time go?

Blink again, and all payphones may be gone!

Dave

Did the multi-slots begin to disappear at the same time that CRTC allowed increase in cost of a call *in certain locations?* ISTR that around 1974, they allowed price to increase to 20c in restaurants, for example, but it remained 10c on sidewalks?

Or was that just a coincidence that the single slot Centurion phones (pre-mercury switch hook to prevent switch hook dialing) began to be installed in Bell Canada areas?

In 1972, in Montréal there were still lots of older pay phones with F-type handsets. I don't know if these were 191Hs or 174s. There were also at least two pay phones left with separate transmitters and receivers: one at a dépanneur on Ontario Street (near the C.O.) and one in a cordonnier on Christophe.

[DavePEI]

You know, though it dates me pretty well, I am proud to be able to say we had all 3 slots when I was a kid. Then it seems I blinked, and they were all gone. Now the only 3 slots I see on a regular basis are those in my collection. Where did the time go?

Blink again, and all payphones may be gone!

Dave

Did the multi-slots begin to disappear at the same time that CRTC allowed increase in cost of a call *in certain locations?* ISTR that around 1974, they allowed price to increase to 20c in restaurants, for example, but it remained 10c on sidewalks?

Or was that just a coincidence that the single slot Centurion phones (pre-mercury switch hook to prevent switch hook dialing) began to be installed in Bell Canada areas?

In 1972, in Montréal there were still lots of older pay phones with F-type handsets. I don't know if these were 191Hs or 174s. There were also at least two pay phones left with separate transmitters and receivers: one at a dépanneur on Ontario Street (near the C.O.) and one in a cordonnier on Christophe.

Do you know, honestly I can't tell you. In the 70s I was in my womanizing stage, and not paying any attention to phones. By the early 80s, all of a sudden, after marriage, I opened my eyes, and noticed all the three slots here were gone, and in their places were Centurions. So, like I mentioned above, I blinked, and they were gone!

I was sorry to see them gone. Mind you, I like Centurions, too - I do have 2 of them, but still prefer my 3 slots!

Dave

[AE_Collector]

Here I never saw any different rates on local calls. When I worked "coin" in the 1998-2002 time frame there was talk about doing that very thing but it never happened here.

Approval was received to increase the payphone local call rate from 5 to 10 cents effective December 11, 1952 in British Columbia.

Calls remained at 10 cents in British Columbia until the early 80's, maybe 1982 or 1983 when they increased to 25 cents.

Calls were still 25 cents until maybe 3 years ago when they were increased to 50 cents.

Typical tha tI have the exact date for the increase from 5 to 10 cents but am going by my hit and miss memory for the more recent increases.

Terry