Well at least interesting to me. The model is microtel model 954 HAC. Funny that is has a dial but a switch to switch between pulse or tone. That fact and the cool F1 looking handset is appealing to me. Oh and the fact that it is a rotary The only downside is that it might have an electronic ringer instead of a bell. I tried googling this phone but can't find really anything. Anyone have any ideas?
it seems to me that phone has an electronic ringer rather than gongs
Yeah I gather it is an electronic ringer too. I asked the seller and waiting for a response. It obviously is a newer rotary phone but never saw one with a tone capability built in. I know you can buy the rotatone(sp?) for older dial phones. I plan to try for it. The majority of the phones I have are rotary now with the exception of one cordless with answering machine. With this phone I could have another phone able to communicate with today's menu's.
Looks kinda cool too :) Oh if it is an electronic ringer it sure draws some power as I noticed the REN is 1.2. Kinda high but probably normal for the era this phone came out in.
I ran across some WE 500 replicas the other day on a British site, they were new made in China and had, surprisingly, working rotary dials. They also had the switch to change from pulse to tone, so it's out there and being made currently. The phone themselves were mostly like a 500, with a few glaring problems, but not too bad. Don't recall the ringer type.
Thanks McHeath. The seller responded and said he also believes it is an electronic ringer. Said he doesn't really know anything about the phone and got it from a guy who use to work for bell systems. While not a vintage rotary phone by any means I like it.
Be very wary if you decide to get this. It's a very commonplace push-button repro. Somebody has replaced the push-button pad, which was one of the circular retro types, intended to mimic a real dial. You can see the notch for the false fingerstop of the TT's pad doesn't match up with the fingerstop on the real dial. If you'd like one of these, there are several unaltered ones on ebay. But they were never equipped with an actual dial.
Here's a similar Microtel, showing the TT pad that would have originally come on this phone. It's the dial that appears on all of Microtel's retro phones.
You're right Bingster. I don't know anything about those phones, but when I first looked at the first photo I thought something was up with that dial. First of all it has the Bell logo. It looks like a Princess dial. I didn't pay close enough attention to notice the notch for the finger stop. But my first impression was that it was broken as the dial looked loose inside the frame.
Just my .02 of course, but I'd save my money for a real vintage phone. About the only thing these Chinese repros have going for them is that yes, they can look cool. But for function and durability, "forgetaboudit". They are like the Crosley repros; all show and no tel. Why spend anything on something like that when one can get a real WE302 or AE40 or similar for $30? Grumble grumble. :) ;)
I do understand the interest in something that looks like a classic phone but has push button and star and pound key capability. I've been pondering buying one of the pulse to tone convertors that Oldphoneworks sells, the Rotatone thingie and putting it in the 354 in the kitchen. That way I get all the needed functionality and can ditch the cordless at home.
Quote from: McHeath
I do understand the interest in something that looks like a classic phone but has push button and star and pound key capability.
I'd like one also, just that I haven't found a manufacturer yet who builds them reliably. I read up on the Crosleys and they just don't last reliably after much use. It's weird, because my day to day push button phone is a $12 Sony model IT-B3, made in Malaysia, that I've had for nearly 20 years and has survived countless drops with never a problem. So how hard can it be to make something cheap and reliable like that in a classic shell? I just don't get it. ::)
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Corded-Phone-Speed-Black/dp/B00005T38W
I've been through countless phones since 1984 and the Bell System was cut up, cordless, corded, etc. None of them lasted for more than about 5 years, heck one died after less than a year, so we tossed them all without a second thought. Now I use phones made during the Truman admin and they work fine, it's weird.
Tony, if you want one of these, another has just been listed with the correct original TT pad:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290313834540
Cheap, too.
Thanks guys, I didn't even notice the fingerwheel stop in the wrong place. Glad I posted it here first.
I agree Hobie, I rather put my money on a real vintage phone. Or at least a vintage reproduction phone like the candlestick I got. And it is so true how the old phones work and last much longer than the cheapos made today.