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Vintage Telephony and Telecomms Vintage Telephones, Telephony and Telecomms Equipment |
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26th Oct 2021, 2:38 pm | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
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Interesting video
Last A/B box in the UK Network - 25th August 1994
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JTEcC7XJY0 |
26th Oct 2021, 3:29 pm | #2 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
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Re: Interesting video
I bought this a week or so ago.
It was as I suspected the Tele 238 from the Papa Stour Kiosk A/B box and it has cleaned up nicely and luckily it was only the dial celluloid which had discoloured - now replaced and phone looks just as it is in August 1994. Interesting that it was fitted with a rare Dial No 20 which allowed the digits 1 9 and 0 to be dialled without putting money in - allowed 100 for the operator. The box did not go to the BT Museum as mentioned in the news bulletin. They didn't want it and offered it to me. However when BT's Scottish Payphone manager in Aberdeen tried to find where it had gone, it had vanished! He did get the notices from the kiosk for me (except the blue stick on vinyl one ) So the phone has finally reached where it was supposed to go to after27 years! Now the A/B box ! At least I've got the penultimate A/B box that was in use which finished in use the week before on the island of Foula where I found it in the exchange in July 1995 when I recovered the exchange . |
31st Oct 2021, 4:09 pm | #3 |
Heptode
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: High Wycombe, Bucks. UK.
Posts: 811
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Re: Interesting video
Thanks for posting the video.
I wonder what was written on the blue notice inside the kiosk. Do you know? The video is only clear enough for me to make out the words "British Telecom North of Scotland". I liked the islander's trick of pressing the B button to get his money back instead of talking when his girlfriend's father answered the phone! |
2nd Nov 2021, 9:20 pm | #4 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
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Re: Interesting video
Quote:
On Papa Stour, callers had to dial a '9' to reach the 'mainland network - hence the reason that to reach Sumburgh exchange from Papa Stour, you dialled 999 followed by the four digit Sumburgh number !! The first 9 took you to the mainland, the second 9 to Lerwick Group Switching Centre then the third 9 took you to the Sumburgh Linked Numbering Scheme based on Sumburgh TXE2 exchange. |
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3rd Nov 2021, 6:14 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 18,723
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Re: Interesting video
That reminds me of a Pitney Bowes telephone that had various one touch buttons for accessing franked mail related services. Granted, these were intended to be pressed after the phone number was dialled, but I still thought it was unfortunate that one dialled 999#
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6th Nov 2021, 12:11 am | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 16,535
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Re: Interesting video
I remember local codes like 99893. Could be embarrassing if misdialled!
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11th Nov 2021, 5:27 pm | #7 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK.
Posts: 63
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Re: Interesting video
As a child, a gang of us would walk to the park and spend several hours there unaware of the time as none of us owned a watch. We sometimes used a nearby A/B box to call the operator and ask the time which sometimes worked depending on whether the operator's supervisor was in earshot!
However on one occasion, a mate persuaded me to dial WXY to get the speaking clock and like a fool, I did. That was the last time I bothered a telephone operator for no good reason! |
19th Nov 2021, 8:52 pm | #8 | |
Diode
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Newport, Isle of Wight, UK
Posts: 3
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Re: Interesting video
Quote:
Maybe one day the AB box will turn up too... maybe. |
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