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Old 21st Sep 2012, 2:54 pm   #41
julie_m
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Phones on shared-service lines ("party lines", though that name was never used officially) also had such a button. You picked up the handset, and listened. If you heard the other person with whom you shared the service talking, you either hung up straight away or, if your call was urgent, shouted at them to hurry up! If it was silent, you pressed the button and got a dial tone, then dialled your number and hoped the other person did not need the phone.
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Old 21st Sep 2012, 3:37 pm   #42
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Good point, I'd forgotten that. Still common in London in the late 1970s from what I remember.
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Old 21st Sep 2012, 4:42 pm   #43
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

I remember the later kind of party line.

When I first flew the nest in 1985 the phone engineer installed a giant junction box with a NiCad battery inside it along with many other things. He was unable to get a dial tone and went back to the exchange and when he got back he took it out again saying I did not need it after all.

I then bought a line cord and fitted it to the green phone in my photo and off hired the original that also had the case top that allowed it to stay off hook intermittently.
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Old 21st Sep 2012, 7:31 pm   #44
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Quote:
Originally Posted by emeritus View Post
It had the old UK letters arranged around the dial surround and a matching green hard-wired cable, but didn't have the transparent button, nor was there a bar across the cradle under the handset that allows you to lift the phone with one hand with the handset remaining on the cradle.
The phone mentioned above would have been a 706, and not a 746, the original 706 had no "carrying handle" but just the case screws near the switch hooks, the additional bar was provided at a later date as a modification. The 746 case was moulded with a built in carrying handle.

As far as I am aware the 746 was never originally supplied with a letter/number ring around the dial as standard issue, the dial surround just matching the colour scheme of the phone.

The button on the 706, where fitted, would match the base colour of the phone and would be embossed with the wording 'PRESS' or 'ON OFF', in the case of a bell silencing switch.
Transparent or engraved transparent buttons were fitted to the 746 series of telephones.

Regards

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Old 21st Sep 2012, 7:37 pm   #45
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

The 706 carried a suffix of F for figures, L for letters or CB (central battery) ie no dial.

So you might go to the stores and ask for a 706L Red.
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Old 21st Sep 2012, 8:52 pm   #46
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Our original green 706 was replaced after it stopped ringing, producing a low buzz instead of a ring. When I took the cover off I found that the bell striker shaft had snapped where it joined the armature of the electromagnet. When I called out the BT engineer, he said I could have a like-for-like replacement, or he could give us a modern phone, for which he would have to install a BT socket. As BT were then charging about £25 to fit sockets, we went for the free upgrade! He didn't want the old broken phone, so our children used it as a toy for years and it is still probably somewhere in the back of the shed.

I disconnected the bell of our 746, which is used in our bedroom. The phone in the hall downstairs rings loudly enough to be heard in the bedroom, and we have 4 other phones, each with REN of 1, and I understand our line only has a REN capacity of 4.

Last edited by emeritus; 21st Sep 2012 at 9:03 pm. Reason: typos
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 2:39 pm   #47
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Hello all,

I got my telephone today and it's in pretty awesome shape. I spent most of the morning cleaning and disinfecting it. The only thing of worry is when I lifted the plastic cover off, there was a tiny nut in the bottom of the phone, I have no idea what component it actually came off.

Also when tapping the receiver it doesn't activate the bells slightly like I've seen other 746's do. The bottom of the phone is also plastic with no branding on, again something I've not seen before and it also seems a lot lighter than I remember, just hoping no components are missing off the phone.

The dialling mechanism although working fine, seems to make a slight clicking sound when the dial returns back to position is this normal as I've never heard it before on other 746's.

Thanks,

Ryan
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 3:00 pm   #48
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

The first place I would look for where the nut came from would be the dial connections.
The ones with the plastic base were a lot lighter.
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 3:16 pm   #49
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

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...when I lifted the plastic cover off, there was a tiny nut in the bottom of the phone, I have no idea what component it actually came off.
If not from the dial, it could be the special nut that holds the case retaining screw to the case when it's removed from the phone, in conjunction with a small spring. Post a pic.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan_1993 View Post
Also when tapping the receiver...
Do you mean depressing the black buttons?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan_1993 View Post
The bottom of the phone is also plastic with no branding on, again something i've not seen before it also seems a lot lighter than I remember, just hoping no components are missing off the phone.
The early 1980s variants were indeed plastic-based, so nothing suspicious there. Feel free to post a pic of the insides if you're concerned anything might be absent.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan_1993 View Post
The dialling mechanism although working fine, seems to make a slight clicking sound when the dial returns back to position is this normal as i've never heard it before on other 746's.
Clicking in the receiver is usually caused by the dial contacts being dirty. Clicking from the dial itself can be perfectly normal - lots of variations of dials were used, some of which make different noises from the others. Assuming yours is a late-model phone, it might even have an almost entirely plastic dial mechanism. They're surprisingly reliable, and look very pretty as all the bits were made from different coloured plastic!

Nick.
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 5:10 pm   #50
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickthedentist View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan_1993 View Post
.......there was a tiny nut in the bottom of the phone.....
If not from the dial, it could be the special nut that holds the case retaining screw to the case when it's removed from the phone, in conjunction with a small spring.
I agree with the above statement

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan_1993 View Post
The dialing mechanism seems to make a slight clicking sound when the dial returns back to position is this normal as I've never heard it before on other 746's.
If the clicks can be heard in the receiver this could mean that a "click suppressor" has not been fitted across terminals T1 and T2, as Nick has already mentioned pictures of the innards would be good as we can then identify if anything is missing.

Regards

Andrew
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 5:34 pm   #51
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

A word of caution, Ryan. Be careful if you're going to keep plugging the 'phone in and messing about dialling and "tapping the receiver" as you termed it. The exchange will pick this up and may interpret it as someone in trouble attempting to make an emergency call.

It happened to me a couple of years ago; I was trying to fix a problem on a 706 and the next thing I knew the old bill were at my door.
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 6:16 pm   #52
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Hi,
What Darren mentions above is due to the fact that the emergency services can now be contacted by dialing '112' as well as the usual '999', this was done to "standardise" emergency calling for visitors from across the pond; Tapping the switch hooks when testing can very easily pulse out the digit string 112 to the exchange.

If you are going to begin any serious collecting of phones it may be worth investing in an electronic PBX such as a Minimaster or a Revelation, for instance, to allow any testing to be done independently of the public telephone network.

Andrew
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 8:18 pm   #53
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

The phone isn't connected to a telephone line yet as it still needs converting, but yes I will be careful.
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 9:37 pm   #54
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

...which is probably why the bells don't "ding" when you pick up or replace the receiver
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 9:59 am   #55
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Hello all little update.

Converted the phone all is working terrific it rings and pulse dialling seems to be supported perfectly fine on sky talk. It called my mobile phone fine as well as the talking clock. The bell system works well too.

Very pleased with the conversion, will post it into the success story.
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 11:22 am   #56
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Hi,
I have just taken a look at the pictures on your success story for this phone

The presence of the Thermistor 1A and the wiring of the Auxiliary push button indicate that the phone would have originally been connected to a party (shared service) line which were discussed a little farther back in this thread.

Keep hold of the thermistor as they can be useful for helping to reducing bell tinkle, especially if you ever obtain a Trimphone at any point.

Regards

Andrew
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 12:42 pm   #57
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Yes I Just kept the wires coming off the Recall button system in the same position and didn't disconnect them etc. It has no affect on the performance of the phone. I have bought a little plastic blanker though just to fit where the clear button on top is, as its no use to me, I will keep the original button safe though.
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 2:45 pm   #58
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Hi,
You can always re-wire the push button to act as a transmitter mute (silence facility) button if you so wish.

Just for reference the button was know as a 'Recall' button if the phone was used on a PBX and a 'Call Exchange' button on shared service - so yours would have been a Call exchange button

Andrew
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 3:23 pm   #59
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

Ah right, how would I rewire the button into silent mode? Makes sense otherwise the button is just going to waste.

Thanks again,
Ryan
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 4:58 pm   #60
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Default Re: Need help deciding on a vintage landline phone for my bedroom

To convert the switch to a "mute" button, connect the blue and slate grey wires from the switch to the blue and white wires from the handset, and the brown to any unused terminal.
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