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Old 29th Jan 2009, 11:39 pm   #1
Toothy Chris
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Default Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

Anyone ever come accross the 'Ansafone', by Southern Instruments Ltd of Camberly, Surrey?

I inherited one after my Gandmother died a few years ago. It had belonged to my Grandfather when he had a business.

What was facinating for me was that it was still full of old messages, left by his clients, which I was able to listen to (once I had replaced an HV capacitor and a valve).

A New Scientist article puts its vintage at about 1960....


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Old 30th Jan 2009, 11:04 am   #2
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

These are now quite rare and I don't think they existed in vast quantities in the first place. Nonetheless they do turn up on infrequent occasions but it's easy to miss the fact that they're valved; this may be partly because of the incongruous-looking 1970's style controls. Worth having though, if only as a collectors item.

I believe the valves were the D series types usually found in battery receivers? This is unclear from your image.

It's interesting to compare this with a somewhat later American edition seen towards the bottom of this page which looks conversely antiquated.
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Old 30th Jan 2009, 11:04 am   #3
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

Very interesting. 1960 seems about right to me. Don't wipe that tape!

I had a very similar once, but it was solid state.

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Old 30th Jan 2009, 1:15 pm   #4
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

fascinating stuff! wow what a find! I'd love to know how it works.
Presumabkly the OGM message is on the start of the tape, followed by a pilot tone (or using a circuit with a timing cap), which sets the deck to spool forward and go to into 'record' for the ICM?

It's amazing what you find in answering machines. I always pick them up for the tapes, as part of my project!
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Old 31st Jan 2009, 10:00 pm   #5
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

Hi Toothy - that's a great machine, and as others have said, quite rare.

I had a 'Robophone' answering machine in my shop in the mid 80's that I bought second hand. It looked similar to yours but was solid state. The outgoing message was recorded onto a short loop of tape within the machine and the incoming messages recorded onto the reel to reel. There was always a lot of clonking & clicking when the thing operated as relays,soleniods & motors did their thing! Great!!

I wish I never threw it away now!!

Cheers. SimonT.
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Old 1st Feb 2009, 12:52 am   #6
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

What a facinating find. Never seen inside one of these before. Worth hanging on to that! I vaguely remember seeing one many years ago that was gathering dust in an office. Pity I didn't grab it then!



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Old 14th Feb 2009, 7:05 am   #7
Toothy Chris
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

Thank you everyone for the comments, and sorry for the late reply...

darren-uk - the serial number is 4059, although there is no way to work out if this means that four thousand odd were made - I'm guessing probably not! I can't remember what valve was changed, without opening it up.....

Ben - the OGM is actually stored on a second smaller tape, which is hidden under the aluminium plate seen at the rear of the unit, on the picture without the lid. And a second 'spare' OGM tape was wound round a small bobbin inside the unit, although I have never proved if this is already pre-recorded.

Here are a couple more pictures, which I took last time it was open, so at least there is something recorded on the web for posterity.

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Old 14th Feb 2009, 9:31 am   #8
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

Interesting that the label seems to imply that these were rented out by a specialist company. Just goes to show that it must have beena significant bit of capital equipment in its day.
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 12:07 pm   #9
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

Here is the details of Patent 829123. Searching the IPO (Patent Office) for the other numbers will show further details of the machine. Note the publication date of February 24th 1960.

The number of patents applicable suggests this machine was a time consuming and expensive development.

On the matter of the serial number, determining what it means is difficult. This example could be No.059 of batch 4, or they could simply have started at No.0001 and produced over four thousand of them. Who knows.
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 5:08 pm   #10
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

We too had a 'Robophone' new in the '60s, it used a BSR tape deck.
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 6:21 pm   #11
brenellic2000
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

The Robophone's tape deck was made made by Robuk, better known for their earlier Motek tape decks and their later Robuk tape recorders.

Now then, what size tape did the Ansaphone and Robophone use?

Barry
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Old 15th Feb 2009, 1:09 am   #12
Peter.N.
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5 3/4" I think mine was.
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Old 15th Feb 2009, 7:32 pm   #13
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

So i'm not the only one that collects vintage answering machines!

I have two later Ansafone Mk7 machines, one from 1975, the other from 1981, both have a 70s style cabinet with woodgrain side panels and their mechanism is fully solenoid controlled, they were both manufactured in Italy by "Ansafone elettronica s.p.a" of Pomezia near Rome, but they have lots of British made parts inside.

The 1975 version is a basic reel to reel answering machine based on discrete transistors,

the 1981 "mk7 integrated" version has a voice controlled remote message playback feature and is based on a very complex digital motherboard, you have to scream "GO!" in the phone up to 6 times in a prefixed sequence to activate the remote playback.

I also have a 1972 "Liliphon" answering machine, this was an "unified" standard design, manufactured in Italy by several companies from 1962 to the early 80s, and was rented by SIP, the former national phone company, this one is based on discrete transistors, both the outgoing and incoming messages are stored on a loop of thick stiff 2" wide tape on 30 tracks, the heads move one step up for each new message, each message is limited to a few minutes due to the lenght of the tape loop, and the tape is loosely stored in the "upper floor" of the machine in the form of serpentine folds.

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Old 12th Mar 2009, 7:01 pm   #14
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

Hi Jimmy;
I collection tapes and never heard about the one u mentioned of 30 tracks.
"....stored on a loop of thick stiff 2" wide tape on 30 tracks..."Do u have any photo of it?? I would like to see it.

Thank u

Bill
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Old 13th Mar 2009, 1:11 am   #15
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Default Re: Early Answerphone ('Ansafone')

I picked up part of an office answer system from a military surplus place years ago.I think it was made by 'ansafone' but can't remember
It was built a bit like a PC tower, a metal rectangle with a thin cover which slid off to reveal a metal chassis below. this had transistors, relays and a loop of 1/4" tape running round the chassis, with several capstans and pinch rollers.
since it was incomplete (no control panel or psu) I cannibalised it for parts. Suppose I should have at least taken a photo....any ideas?
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