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Old 6th Nov 2011, 11:56 pm   #1
SeanStevens
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Default Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

I found a handset today, black, with a little nylon button at the earpeice end and a jackplug (4 section) on the end of the material covered lead.

Would that have been used in an manual exchange?



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Old 7th Nov 2011, 9:22 am   #2
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Default Re: Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

It sounds like the sort of handset used on a linesman's test instrument, whereby the button is wired to cut the mic for monitoring purposes. Given the flexibility of such a device, it may well have had several uses.
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Old 7th Nov 2011, 9:59 am   #3
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Default Re: Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

Most likely a supervisor's handset used at a public manual or auto-manual exchange. If an operator had trouble in dealing with a call she would call for the supervisor. The supervisor would plug the handset into the second headset jack on the position.

I cannot remember whether the button cut out the mic or enabled it. The handset was the same as those used on 700 type phones.
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Old 7th Nov 2011, 10:55 am   #4
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Default Re: Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Station X View Post
I cannot remember whether the button cut out the mic or enabled it. The handset was the same as those used on 700 type phones.
The flexibility of the wiring means that both options are easily configured. We have two TMC linesmans' instruments (type 704): one press-to-close, the other press-to-open!
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Old 7th Nov 2011, 11:00 am   #5
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Default Re: Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

Yes, this all sounds correct - it is identical to a 746 type handset - but with the extra button.

This button can be used (I guess) to speak while depressed (the button, not yourself!) and then let go. If you push it in and pull it down slightly, it locks into place. Photo tonight.

I used to work at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich MANY years back. They had a manual exchange there when I first arrived - a huge wall of sockets with a thin desk base with switches and patch cables that could be pulled out of the desk and enable connections between the sockets (lines within the RNC).

I don't remember what Edwin (telephone supervisor) spoke into, but it could have been one of these.

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Old 7th Nov 2011, 4:45 pm   #6
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Default Re: Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

By your description it is most likely to be part of exchange equipment and yes the button would be used to mute the carbon mike

I doubt if would have been used a a linesman's kit as when I was a linesman in the 1970s (the era of the 746 tele) we had green handsets built into a box with a battery operated ringer built in and also a battery feed to call and speak to a subscriber (sorry have to be PC correct here "customer" now) whose line we were working on.

I do remember the "DALEK" so called because it resembled the Doctor who ones (It was a large electromechanical automatic call sender used for fault finding in a telephone exchange) had such a handset

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Old 7th Nov 2011, 6:56 pm   #7
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Default Re: Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

Could also be a handset intended for use on a radio telephone base station, I have one somewhere in the depths of my workshop, although not with a jack plug (from memory)
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Old 8th Nov 2011, 8:16 pm   #8
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Default Re: Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

Here it is


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Old 25th Dec 2011, 12:51 pm   #9
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Default Re: Possibly a Telephone Exchange Handset?

http://www.britishtelephones.com/hands6.htm

I have one but didn't realise you can make it locking.
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