Hello to All!

[Phonatic]

Hi there!  My name is Ed, aka "Phonatic," and I am happy to be a part of this forum.  I have a dial tone in my blood . . . I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, right near the center of the state.

I just wanted to say hello to all, to thank the mod for admitting me as a member, and I look very much forward to learning and participating. 

Cheers to all,
Ed 

[HarrySmith]

Hi Ed. Welcome to the forum. You have found the best forum on the net. Lots of knowledgeable people here who love to help. How did you get into phones? What phones do you have? Got any pictures? Please introduce yourself further. Inquiring minds want to know

[Phonatic]

Hi Ed. Welcome to the forum. You have found the best forum on the net. Lots of knowledgeable people here who love to help. How did you get into phones? What phones do you have? Got any pictures? Please introduce yourself further. Inquiring minds want to know

Hello Harry!

My interest in telephones goes back over 50 years.  While I never had what one might call an extensive collection, I was, and continue to be, fascinated by telephones and vintage telecommunication technology.  My interest really revved up when I used to correspond (and speak on the phone) with Ron and Mary Knappen of Phoneco in the mid-70s.  Does anyone remember their haphazard catalog from the 70s that looked like a random cut-and-paste and assembled on a Xerox?  That was my "phone bible" for a long time.  They were great people and ran a fun business up there in Wisconsin.

In my college years, I worked part time as one of the first male switchboard operators for a Southwestern Bell Telephone exchange in rural Arkansas.  That job was a lot of fun.  I ran the old cordboard, and the job went away when Bell switched to ESS in the mid-1970s.  I can recall the initial hesitation of a subscriber when they would hear my voice say "operator."  It was a great way to make a buck and to indulge my passion for the old tech side of telephony.  I continue to be grateful for that experience.  I was sad when TouchTone technology replaced the dial.  It just never seemed as much fun, even though I do have a 70s vintage W.E. TouchTone phone on the shelf in my office.

My meager collection presently includes the above-mentioned set, a W.E. 101 telephone and subset (which I use daily with a Dialgizmo), two W.E. 202s with subsets, a W.E. 5302, two W.E. 302s, a W.E. dial candlestick/desk set with subset, and an A.E. 34 Monophone.  I also use my phones with a Bluetooth link through my smartphone.  I use these phones on a rotating basis and love talking on them. 

I'm an old man now, and the passion for vintage telephones has never left me.  I learn something new almost every day.  I am happy to have found this forum, and I look forward to exploring all it has to offer.  I will contribute when I can, but most of you probably have forgotten more about phones than I'll ever know.

Thank you for the welcome!

Ed Adams

[SUnset2]

Welcome to the forum Ed.  Just beware, when I joined the forum in 2015, I had been collecting since I was a kid, picking up old phones when I stumbled onto bargains, and had put together a small eclectic collection.  After seeing all the great phones on this forum, I realized all the gaps in my collection.  Now I have at least 5 times as many phones as when I joined.
Paul

[AL_as_needed]

Welcome to the forum Ed! And as already mentioned; phone collecting is a hard habit to kick.

[Phonatic]

Welcome to the forum Ed.  Just beware, when I joined the forum in 2015, I had been collecting since I was a kid, picking up old phones when I stumbled onto bargains, and had put together a small eclectic collection.  After seeing all the great phones on this forum, I realized all the gaps in my collection.  Now I have at least 5 times as many phones as when I joined.
Paul

Thank you for the welcome, Paul!

[Phonatic]

Welcome to the forum Ed! And as already mentioned; phone collecting is a hard habit to kick.

Thanks, Al!  It's a good addiction, though. 

[Phonatic]

Harry said you like pictures.  I just snapped this one of one of my 202s next to my Atwater-Kent radio speaker, with the AE 34 in the background, sitting next to a vintage typewriter. 

[Phonatic]

. . . and a 102 with matching cat . . .