UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Telephony and Telecomms

Notices

Vintage Telephony and Telecomms Vintage Telephones, Telephony and Telecomms Equipment

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 5th Jun 2022, 2:49 am   #1
Hermitcrab
Triode
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 42
Default Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

One of the idiosyncracies of the GPO telephone system, and which maybe some people don't know, was that the development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system was done in a piecemeal fashion from its inception in 1958 until 1979 when it became complete and you could dial any telephone from any other.

As an example, in the early 1970's you could dial Potters Bar (0707) from Leeds where I lived, but pop down the road to Pontefract and you had to make this call through the 100 operator.

Even from London 01 numbers you had to get some places such as Lerwick in Shetland (0595) through the operator in 1976 as I remember, but you could already dial Lerwick from some other areas of the country.

In some areas recorded messages were used if you attempted to dial an exchange not yet reachable, one memorable one was "Although the code you have dialled is shown in your dialling code booklet, I am sorry that it is not yet available, for the present please dial 100", does anyone else remember that?
Hermitcrab is offline  
Old 5th Jun 2022, 12:12 pm   #2
dazzlevision
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Near Swindon, North Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 3,595
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

I don’t remember the recorded message, but I do recall that the Abingdon exchange was the last one to go STD.
dazzlevision is online now  
Old 5th Jun 2022, 1:49 pm   #3
lesmw0sec
Octode
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Carmel, Llannerchymedd, Anglesey, UK.
Posts: 1,498
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

In Dorset, the two seemed to run together for a while and if you knew the tie-line numbers you could make the equivalent of a 'local' call, by dialling through various exchanges. I seem to remember that a Southampton number could be dialled (unofficially) from Swanage, by dialling 998.
lesmw0sec is offline  
Old 6th Jun 2022, 1:09 pm   #4
Tim
Dekatron
 
Tim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 3,301
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

I remember that if we wanted to call a Bristol number from Pilning, we could dial “9” then the Bristol number. When STD went” proper” we then had to dial the full code-0272 in those days. Our number also had an extra digit added( making it four figures!)
__________________
"Nothing is as dangerous as being too modern;one is apt to grow old fashioned quite suddenly."
Tim is offline  
Old 7th Jun 2022, 12:58 am   #5
John KC0G
Hexode
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Posts: 275
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

Vol 51, Part 4 of the Post Office Electrical Engineers' Journal, Jan. 1959 was devoted to STD. See http://www.samhallas.co.uk/repositor...20Dialling.pdf

73 John KC0G/M0KCY
John KC0G is offline  
Old 7th Jun 2022, 11:16 am   #6
Peter.N.
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Charmouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 3,601
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

I remember the Orpington STD exchange being built around 1960. When we got married we moved to the Borough Green exchange area and it was still manual as it was when we moved to Dorset in 1970. Our Charmouth number only had three digits but was on an automatic exchange.

Peter
Peter.N. is offline  
Old 7th Jun 2022, 3:46 pm   #7
Hermitcrab
Triode
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 42
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

Quote:
Originally Posted by John KC0G View Post
Vol 51, Part 4 of the Post Office Electrical Engineers' Journal, Jan. 1959 was devoted to STD. See http://www.samhallas.co.uk/repositor...20Dialling.pdf

73 John KC0G/M0KCY
That is some detailed reading, dating from 1959 it's also quite quaint at times! I found therein some information about the first exchange to get STD in 1958 which was Bristol. STD was provided initially from Bristol to the 6 "director" areas of London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester, and to a scattering of about 30 codes in the "non director" areas such as Bridgwater, Brighton, Cardiff, Chester etc. A very thin Dialling Code Booklet would probably have been issued to the subscribers!
Hermitcrab is offline  
Old 8th Jun 2022, 4:57 pm   #8
Pellseinydd
Heptode
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

Quote:
Originally Posted by dazzlevision View Post
I don’t remember the recorded message, but I do recall that the Abingdon exchange was the last one to go STD.
Just to make a correction. Abingdon may have been the last to get STD in the Oxford Telephone Area - it had STD when it went automatic between end of March 1975 and end of March 1976.

But at the end of Match 1976 there were still plenty of exchanges without STD - there were 26 in the Aberdeen Telephone Area, with another 14 in the rest of Scotland. And there were many more in England, Scotland and Wales at the end of March 1977!

They were either UAX14's awaiting conversion to TXE2 when they got STD. Many of the others were UAX12's which got replaced with SAX's except in Scotland where they were so few subs it was cheaper to add E, F & G racks to give STD facilities.

At the end of March 1978, there were still five exchanges without STD facilities -
Bryn Meurig Non-Director moblie - Cardiff Telephone Area.
Cross Maglen UAX13 mobile - Belfast Telephone Area -Northern Ireland
Furnace End UAX13 in Birmingham Telephone Area
Kirkby Fleetham UAX13 Middlesborough Telephone Aea
Tonypandy UAX14 Cardiff Telephone Area

By the end of March, the Post Office no longer listed which exchanges hadn't got STD so I assume that all exchanges had it by then. I'm lucky enough to have the set (virtually every year) of the annual 'List of Exchanges' which list all exchanges with various features for each one running from mid 1920's until the last printed version in the mid 1980's. After that the info was put on BT's 'internal 'Intranet' and hence has been 'lost' as I'm not aware of the info being kept for posterity except for the 1988 info which I have.

I have some STD code books where there are only two pages of STD codes! The info dates from late 1959. How times have changed!

For those with a line on CNet (our replica of the GPO public network in the 1970/80's) a recording of HMQ making the 'first' STD call from Bristol to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh in December 1958 by dialling Spon Green (0244 52) 2233. I was told shortly afterwards that the call was actually made over a direct private wire rather than dialed through the network. Just in case of a problem it was said but don't know if it is fact. Wouldn't surprise me with the GPO wanting nothing to go wrong!

I had joined the GPO Telephones shortly after (and still 'playing' telephones).
Pellseinydd is offline  
Old 9th Jun 2022, 6:34 pm   #9
Tim
Dekatron
 
Tim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 3,301
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

In the late 80’s and early nineties ,I frequently worked in the room where that call took place
, and rescued a workbench with a GR stamp on the underside that used to live in there, when it was surplus to requirements. . I have heard the same story regarding the private wire circuit.
__________________
"Nothing is as dangerous as being too modern;one is apt to grow old fashioned quite suddenly."
Tim is offline  
Old 10th Jun 2022, 11:23 am   #10
Pellseinydd
Heptode
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
Default Re: Development of the STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) system

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim View Post
In the late 80’s and early nineties ,I frequently worked in the room where that call took place
, and rescued a workbench with a GR stamp on the underside that used to live in there, when it was surplus to requirements. . I have heard the same story regarding the private wire circuit.
Looks as though the PW story was true then? Very likely knowing the GPO at the time.

Incidentally March 1990 was the year that the UK network had Subscriber Trunk Dialling available to all telephone ! It was also the year when the BT network was finally all automatic! - see attached.

I remember being told by a BT manager who was in the audience when I gave a talk to the IBTE at BT's Whittington House, the control centre for the BT telephone Network , that he had been given the task of getting rid of 'Rheinigidale 1' as it became an embarassing to BT . Other competitor companies were claiming they "were all digital whilst BT was even all automatic" !

There is an excerpt from a BBC Radio 4 programme 'The Secret Life of Telephone Numbers' which can be heard on Harris (01859) 598001 - a free call with most 'packages' as it is a normal landline number. For those with a CNet line it can be reached on 0859 1 .
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Rheinigidale  1.jpg
Views:	62
Size:	39.8 KB
ID:	258784   Click image for larger version

Name:	Rhenigidale1.jpg
Views:	84
Size:	165.3 KB
ID:	258785  

Last edited by Pellseinydd; 10th Jun 2022 at 11:28 am.
Pellseinydd is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:08 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.