What do I have? Western Electric 327?

[Rugby1]

Hi,
New face here and looking for help to resurrect some old phone equipment.   My wife picked up two old Western Electric 327 aa wood phones at a garage sale last weekend.  To my untrained eye, everything appears intact and the seller claimed they were used as intercoms about twenty years ago.   We have a little cabin in northern California and want to attempt to put the phones to use between our place and the neighbors, who are about 200' away.   Is it possible with this equipment? Any tips, diagrams, or photos would be much appreciated!  I will post some pics shortly.   Thank you!

[Rugby1]

Few more pics......

[Rugby1]

Another...

[poplar1]

The 327 AA is listed as 1327-AA  in the Western Electric 1916 Yearbook, page 44:
https://books.google.com/books?id=AvpYAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=WESTERN+ELECTRIC+YEARBOOK+1916&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj449_IlYnNAhWGyyYKHT_aBRcQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

(The first 192 pages of this link are for Railway Apparatus. So you have to scroll down past that to get to the Yearbook, page 44.)

                                         INTER-PHONE SYSTEM NO. 14
                                              Private Line Telephones

                             Two sets only can be connected on a line.  Two conductors are necessary.
                             Batteries are required at each station.


You don't need the large #6 cells. Two "D" batteries at each location (in a suitable battery holder) should last a long time.
Connect the pair of wires to L1 and L2 at each station, and the batteries to B+ and B-.

Perhaps someone can copy and paste the relevant page (44).

[Phonegal]

I came across a 327AA (or 1327AA if you like) such as the unit pictured here and also consulted the link to the 1916 yearbook. This led me to think that something I always though correct is wrong. I previously thought that although these systems were primarily used for INTERNAL communications within, mainly, commercial locations, i.e. schools, hospitals, factories, prisons. etc., they were also adaptable for use (via a central switchboard) to, shall we say, the outside world. It appears that I was wrong about this as these inter-phone systems were made EXCLUSIVLY for in-house communications (does a battery requirement tell us this?). To tie into the Bell System a certain kind of induction coil was needed and these units did not have this at least in 1916.

I'm asking those in the Forum with FAR greater expertise than my own if I'm correct or incorrect about this and also, if they can point me towards any information that would be helpful.

In advance I offer my thanks.

[dsk]

Hi, and welcome.

I would say yes you may use these as an intercom between the 2 buildings.
For batteries new alkaline AA batteries would be the minimum size D-cells would be preferable. Remember, even thees leak proof batteries may leak, so protect against leaks.

Tho test the phones (one by one at start) you should connect batteries between the terminal bat+ and bat - strap (short) L1 and L2 and you should hear yourselves in the receiver when speaking close to the transmitter (microphone).

With the receiver on hook the ringer should ring when applying voltage between L1 and L2 (remove short from first test, and move battery from battery terminals and use that, or just use another battery.

When this is done you have to connect the 2 phones, (with known working ringers     ) Put a strap between ex - and bat-, try to ring the other end. (most likely, the receiver has to be on hook on the called station, and probably on the calling station.) 

Enclosed; a guess on how the wiring diagram may be, based on your pictures. Induction coil is the black cylideric thing in bottom  of the phones, with 3 wires. (this is actually a transformer)

dsk

[Ktownphoneco]

Attached is page 44 from the Western Electric 1916 Year Book that poplar1 was referring to, and which shows the schematic diagram explaining the connections for your 327-AA Inter-Phone system.
Ignore the desk stand / desk set shown in red box, and it's connections.       You'll see your set labeled on the left "Schematic No. 1327-AA".        The second set is on the right shown with dotted lines.

Poplar1 may add some additional information for you if required.

Jeff Lamb

[dsk]

  Great, i did not miss that much ( a little proud by myselves) and the text i wrote fits to the real diagram.

reading their original diagram, the difference makes you hear a pop in your own receiver when pushing the button i when the receiver is off hook. 

Enc. the original diagram with some extra text.

dsk

[dsk]

That catalog was not easy to find.
http://tinyurl.com/jh3w5m9

dsk