I bought a Linesman telephone...

[twocvbloke]

I've managed to buy myself a linesman phone at last (been after one for a decent price for a few years), it's a TMC Limited Linesman Telephone model 1705, and from what I've seen, it's pretty much identical to a GPO704A or B Linesman phone. Only paid £28.50 in total, which is a lot less than some of the later 286A series phones go for!

Now, reading other people's experiences of them on here, I think I've worked out how to use one, but then, it's 2 wires and a 3-position slider-switch, hardly rocket science! Buuuut, there's always a catch, I'm sure I'll find that out once I get the phone.

I can't wait to get it, I know it's only a phone, but, I've been wanting one for so long, it's kind of exciting for someone like me.

[russell_w_b]

Good for you; a most useful thing to have around. I have several 704s and a Chesilvale 286A (DTMF as well as LD, square-wave ringing waveform, hi-Z monitoring).

Get yourself an old ADSL filter or master LJU to rig up to the terminals, and you can plug in your telephones to test them; check wiring is correct, etc... The TMC has a transmission bridge so that any auto / CB telephone can be used on two-way speech.

You may find the 'monitor' button on the earpiece needs to be operated for normal use - some do; some don't. The 704 type instrument uses three 'D'-cells, as opposed to three PP9's (should be PP6's) on the 286A.

You may find this site useful.

[twocvbloke]

Thanks for that manual, looks pretty easy to use, and only three D cells, never realised it used such a low power supply (only just worked out the R20 is a D cell!).

I've noticed the monitor button thing mentioned a couple of times, some needing it to be pressed to operate the phone, and some needing it to be pressed to monitor the line, kind of a confusing setup, but, I guess they did the press-to-operate thing cos of some engineers cutting into calls accidentally.

I wouldn't mind a 286A, but the one I want is the one like that pictured on telephonesuk's Tools & Vehicles section, but finding one, it's a bit of a task!

Just a quick thought, can these be wired in so that they can be used as a regular 2-wire telephone? Or would that cause line problems?

[russell_w_b]

Originally Posted by twocvbloke

Just a quick thought, can these be wired in so that they can be used as a regular 2-wire telephone?

Yes. Set the switch to 'CB' position. Doesn't look very elegant in the living-room, though...

[twocvbloke]

Sounds good, I presume it's okay to do that with "normal" phones on the same line (supplied by the A & B wires after the Master socket)?

It's just be interesting having something different as a phone, and as for looking pretty, that's not a problem, I'm more a "Function over Form" person, if it works, I'm happy with that.

[Dave Moll]

Originally Posted by twocvbloke

I presume it's okay to do that with "normal" phones on the same line (supplied by the A & B wires after the Master socket)?

I have some 'phones wired this way (those that are not easy to rewire for three-wire operation). The only "problem" I have is having to cope with "bell tinkle" when lifting/replacing other handsets on the line or when loop-disconnect dialling on other 'phones.

I agree that a Linesman is an extremely useful piece of kit - especially with the master socket/ADSL filter as suggested by Russell.

edit: by the way, if using the Linesman as a normal 'phone, make sure you only have it set to "CB". You don't want to be trying to power the telephone network from your batteries!

[twocvbloke]

Ah bell tinkle, I remember that, aswell as ringer chirp on later phones, one of the reasons I miss my old 746, aside from the fact it was a wonderful phone, I liked the random sounds it made on the line when using another phone.

Originally Posted by Dave Moll

edit: by the way, if using the Linesman as a normal 'phone, make sure you only have it set to "CB". You don't want to be trying to power the telephone network from your batteries!

hehe, I'll try to remember that, Virgin Media get enough money out of us, don't want to supply them with free electricity too!

I'm sure I had an NTE5/CTE5 somewhere in the house, but, I guess it's hidden itself in a box, though there is a disused NTE5 upstairs (connected to an inactive BT line) and a CTE5 (connected to a disused Virgin line) here in the living room (that's a total of 3 Master sockets, that's what happens when a former BT engineer wires up his own house!!!), but reading the legalities of tinkering with the lines leading up to the master socket(s), erm, I think I may have to leave those alone.

[twocvbloke]

Got the order in for 6x D size batteries (the order being given to the mother who'll be buying them off the market today, hopefully), I'm hoping the phone arrives soon, I'm itching to try it.

[JCM3000]

An excellent bit of kit. I currently have mine wired up to a field telephone type F, my 3 year old likes to talk to me from downstairs on it.

Thanks for the link to the instruction booklet Russell.

Originally Posted by twocvbloke

but reading the legalities of tinkering with the lines leading up to the master socket(s), erm, I think I may have to leave those alone.

When the BT engineer came around when we first moved in last year to sort out some noise on the line, I asked him if there would be any problems if I were to connect a new NTE5 and run new cable from that to the drop wire outside. He gave me a handful of gel connectors and told me to crack on. Apparently they don't care so much anymore. Either that or I was the only person that day to make him a cup of tea, let him use the loo and show him a 312 in pieces on the dining table . . .

[AlanBeckett]

That's the way to do it. The pole for several surrounding houses is outside our house. Whenever I see a BT (Openreach) man up there I go out and chat about old times, make him a cup of tea etc, etc. I never have any problems with our circuits
Alan

[twocvbloke]

I'm hoping the linesman phone turns up today, I'm really itching to play with it, and test the Viscount phone once I fix it, which reminds me, I need to buy the diodes for that.

[twocvbloke]

Well, seems the BT NTE5 has disappeared (I haven't actually looked at it since before the windows were replaced, I assumed it was still there!!!), soooo, I gave the C&W CTE5 a new purpose in life, after triple checking the line was dead, I just snipped the line to that one and pulled it off the wall (well, took the screws out), just need the Linesman phone to arrive.

Looking inside the CTE5, there's nothing that's really distinguishing it from the NTE5, the plastic cover on the back of where the line connects is a different colour (Black, as opposed to the Green ones I've seen in BT ones), everything else is identical to the NTE5.

Still, every thing's in there, Capacitor, Suppressor, Resistor, the front plate has only pins 2, 3, 4 and 5, but no matter, it'll work for me.

[AndiiT]

Hi,
The cable companies purchased their NTE5s under licence from BT, originally the "cable" NTE5s were identical to the BT ones apart from the company logo, of course, but with the advent of making everything cheaper, and the fact that the majority of cable customers would be residential, the six-way connectors for the extension wiring were dropped in favour of four-way ones.

Additionally the newest generation of NTEs provided to the cable companies (Well Virgin Media, seeing as they have swallowed up all the smaller ones) do not have the brass inserts fitted for the screws, but simply use self tappers into plastic.

There was a combined NTE/CATV outlet used in the early days of cable, these were about the width and height of a standard two gang mains socket and contained six-way connections for the extention wiring.

Regards
Andrew

[twocvbloke]

Well, it's arrived!!! And it's in superb condition, yes there's some scuffs and scrapes on the outside, but inside, not a problem all quite shiny and nice, the only minor issues are the right-hand hinge is a little damaged, and the handset cable was loose (the grommet popped out of the hole) and the metal strip in the battery cap is slightly corroded, but nothing that really causes any concern for someone like me.

Anyway, hooked it up to the red Viscount, and the ringer works nicely, the linesman phone sounds funny with just a small buzzer as a ringer though!!! I was checking the speech on the Viscount, and *************, cos the microphone on the viscount isn't working, and it's not the pickup cos I swapped the earpiece and mic around and they both work as speakers, but neither make a sound as mics, I think the Viscount still has problems.

But still, the linesman phone is great, looks good, works great, and internally is spotless, even the back of the dial is clean as a whistle.

[twocvbloke]

Been tinkering with the phone and I made a discovery about the Push-to-talk button on the handset, and it's very much like the speakerphone switch on my other Viscount, press it and slide it one way to lock it on, but, inside the earpiece is a screw that stops the switch from sliding, so you can only press it.

So, of course I've pulled out that screw (and handily, there's a 2nd screw hole to put the spare screw!!!) and refitted everything, and the button is now a proper sliding switch, push down and slide it along and the thing stays on, slide it back and it's released.

I love all the wiring and the simplicity of the dial connections, it's just a simple bit of metal that gets nudged as the dial rotates and it does the LD dialling, very cool indeed.

[twocvbloke]

How long are the batteries meant to last in this thing? After using it to ring my viscounts a few times, I'm low on battery juice, and this is the second set of batteries I've used in it.

[Dave Moll]

All I can offer is my own experience (with a 704B Linesman). After replacing the batteries when I bought it about a year ago, it is still going strong. It has not seen heavy use, but certainly much more than you have described above.

It sounds as though either your "viscounts" are drawing way too much current and draining the batteries or the batteries were low to start with.

[twocvbloke]

I've noticed that both the viscounts I've been trying out with it do not transmit audio to the linesman, but the linesman transmits to the viscounts, I'm going to try out another phone (the kitchen phone), just to be sure it's not the viscounts doing something they shouldn't be.

The batteries I've put in it, which are brand new, are Panasonic's Zinc Carbon range (see picture below), I don't know if that makes much of a difference though.

[russell_w_b]

Have you tried measuring the current drawn by the telephone? You'll need either to open the thing up and insert your ammeter in one of the battery leads, or, perhaps easier, unscrew the battery end cover and put your ammeter across the battery and the connection to which the contact normally touches.

[twocvbloke]

With my meter set to 10A, the phone, with or without the Viscount connected, uses 0.02A, and when ringing, it uses 0.35A...

Oddly, with the handset muted, the current draw increases (with the meter set on 200mA, it says about 0.29 Muted, and about 0.19 Unmuted), and of course, with the phone on the hook, no current is drawn.

While tinkering with the Viscount, the loudspeaker on the Viscount is making a squealing noise, as if there's not enough power going to it.