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Vintage Telephony and Telecomms Vintage Telephones, Telephony and Telecomms Equipment |
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30th Jan 2017, 3:07 pm | #1 |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 152
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Looking for a vintage intercom set
I'm about to move house into a tall townhouse. It's not that it's a palace, just that it's narrow but tall. So the basement is a LooooOooong way from the attic. I'd like to install an intercom that would fit the Victorian house. Anybody know of one on the market or is selling one they already have in their possession/collection? Ideally I'm looking for something like a pair of 746 STYLE wall phones talking to each other which maybe ring when you lift either handset.
I'm NOT looking for the white plastic modern intercoms you see at Maplin or eBay. I'm also NOT looking for a vintage military intercom set, but vintage industrial COULD work. Thanks!! |
30th Jan 2017, 4:02 pm | #2 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
'Ordinary' phones and a small PABX? This way you can answer and make external calls too. Also cheap 'phones could be used until you find period ones.
Don't forget to run some CAT5 ethernet cable while you are at it. Last edited by Guest; 30th Jan 2017 at 4:03 pm. Reason: Added a suggestion. |
30th Jan 2017, 4:11 pm | #3 |
Hexode
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 340
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Not exactly a purpose-built intercom set, but the GPO demonstration set no. 6 will do the job and should look the part: http://www.britishtelephones.com/demo6.htm
I bought one last year and it's a fun little system (haven't got round to installing it yet though). Basically its just two bakelite telephones collected by four wires with miniature lightbulbs taking the place of bells. When you lift either handset, the bulb at the other end will light. All it requries is a cable between them and a 5V battery or power supply at one end. It might be possible to modify with a bell if required instead of the bulbs. I should also point out that the dials are only cosmetic. Although they are fully functional in themselves, they don't connect to anything and aren't used when making calls. Not sure how common these are, but I think they turn up on eBay from time to time. I got mine at auction. |
30th Jan 2017, 4:32 pm | #4 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 152
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Quote:
Thanks for the tip, though, if not!! merlinmaxwell: thank you. But it would need to be a PABX capable of ringing the old phones and (potentially, depending on setup) accepting pulse dialing, right? |
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30th Jan 2017, 7:07 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,191
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
A House Telephone System? Perhaps a House Telephone System No 2, which uses telephones that look like 700 series (never seen them wall-mount though) Diagrams Q361 and Q362 cover it, available from Sam Hallas's site.
These telephones were made for 5,10 and 15 extensions. The simple scheme lets you have that many telephones. A slight modification lets you have one more. Or a Planphone and an internal extension. You can link the former to an exchange line as well, but you don't need to just to get communication between the Planphone and the extension. Diagram N625 covers the Planphone, N4509 covers Plan 107 (which is using it with one extension). Again available from Sam's site. Where you find these I don't know, but it's something else to look for. |
30th Jan 2017, 8:06 pm | #6 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
A Victorian house would probably use a speaking tube, with electric bells to call the designated person to the tube. The original would have had a communal tube with rubber hoses which hung down at each position, closing the tube off when not in use, or stoppers in the mouthpieces - in some systems the stoppers had whistles in so you removed your stopper, blew into your mouthpiece and the other mouthpieces all whistled to call the person.
Do you need room-to-room calling with privacy, handsets on a common party line with electric bell pushes to call, or an all-call speaker system? One answer would be to mount a modern loudspeaker (then you don't have to arrange handsets or hookswitches) intercom into old wooden boxes. http://virginian.mdodd.com/intercom.html |
30th Jan 2017, 9:15 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,953
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
What about a WW1-vintage field telephone?
Not quite "Victorian" but certainly 'period'. |
31st Jan 2017, 12:23 am | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,316
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Speaking of which (excuse the pun!), here's the section on Speaking Tubes from the 1892 GEC catalogue, featuring the patented "Pontifex" attachment allowing you to speak and hear simultaneously. I am afraid that that page of the catalogue is slightly damaged, but only some prices are missing. Speaking tubes are also listed in the index to the 1911 GEC catalogue (4 volumes), but are in a volume I do not have.
Last edited by emeritus; 31st Jan 2017 at 12:35 am. |
31st Jan 2017, 1:09 am | #9 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: High Wycombe, Bucks. UK.
Posts: 811
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Quote:
See details here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Hack...hone-Intercom/ It works, but is limited to just 2 phones. For a more flexible solution, it's worth considering a PBX that can support pulse dialling (rotary dial) phones. This would enable you to have several vintage phones, each with its own extension number. You can then dial the number of the specific phone you want to ring. |
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31st Jan 2017, 10:33 am | #10 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Quote:
Replace handset and reset switch at end of call. |
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31st Jan 2017, 11:01 am | #11 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Quote:
http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/C.../voicepipe.htm and another catalogue here http://www.lookandlearn.com/history-...gue-April-1902 |
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31st Jan 2017, 11:28 am | #12 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,316
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Thanks for that: it explains why the telephone was sometimes referred to as "the blower".
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31st Jan 2017, 1:08 pm | #13 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 152
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Quote:
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31st Jan 2017, 1:20 pm | #14 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Not if you were using vintage phones, they're just (or can be wired as) a 2-wire connection.
Or you can get RJ11 to BT adapters, you'd need one which includes a ringing capacitor / master socket https://www.amazon.co.uk/RJ11-Irish-.../dp/B00GJ85PZ2 (out of stock, but somewhere would have them) |
31st Jan 2017, 3:29 pm | #15 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Try eBay - this firm has had them in stock and I and others on CNet (The replica of the old GPO phone network using VoIP) have used them for years http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RJ11-US-to...0AAOSwfcVUIekD - they are a lot cheaper if bought in larger quantities. I'm forever ordering them ten at a time. They work OK with all ATAs I've come across. But another option would be to use a master socket where the phones are and just connect the wiring to the ATA using a lead with an RJ11 at the ATA end.
Ian CNet 0352 2345 |
31st Jan 2017, 3:32 pm | #16 |
Pentode
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK.
Posts: 139
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
If you go for a PABX you will need a structured cabling solution to make it work. I have a Orchid PABX which wouldn't now be my first choice but old ones can be bought for next to nothing. It doesn't support pulse dialing but I you can buy pulse to tone conversion kits for retro phones quite cheaply but you need to be handy with a soldering iron to fit them. The ring current is also quite low but bells can be adjusted and I'm quite happy to have them nt "turned up to 10" as it where. Don't forget you will need to extend the BT line to where your PABX will be located.
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31st Jan 2017, 4:30 pm | #17 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 805
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Quote:
One advantage of a newish PBX like a Panasonic is that they can have door stations added, so you can answer the door from the attic or basement. |
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31st Jan 2017, 4:45 pm | #18 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Walsall, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 327
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
Quote:
Bellset 20 would be ideal I just happen to have one that I could let go at forum buddies rate |
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31st Jan 2017, 4:50 pm | #19 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,637
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
If you don't mind both phones ringing on an incoming call, wiring them in parallel and unmodified for plug and socket working should get bell tinkle when loop dialling. Dial 9 and you will be able to speak phone to phone until the howler cuts in. Should suffice for a stop gap.
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31st Jan 2017, 5:16 pm | #20 |
Pentode
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK.
Posts: 139
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Re: Looking for a vintage intercom set
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