July 21, 2008
07:18 pm
Ahoyhoy
There it is, my new old phone and my old new phone. 1937 meets 2007. A meeting of two eras; circa the year my house was built and today.
I picked up the phone on eBay, trepidaciously because I've been burned on that particular free-for-all before. I bid on several but was always outbid at the last moment by literally a hundred dollars each time -- so winning this one for less than half a c note was cause for worry. But surprise, it arrived intact. Once I puzzled over the bizarre wiring and a conversation with my phone installer stepfather, I wired it up to the wall and lo, communications, Plain Old Telephone style!
The ringer is really loud.
Of course, I am old enough to remember rotary dial phones, unlike many of you youngsters reading this; what I didn't remember was how freakishly long it takes to dial a number. Especially long distance.
And it is very telling that one can just hook up a 70-year-old telephone to the 2008 network and it works. This is both evidence of a simple but brilliant invention; and an indictment of how little the telephone company has changed in more than a hundred years (while still charging us more and more and more).
I replicated the center number disc with my own number on it; turns out that my exchange is properly "BIttersweet 8". I love that.
I have an irrational, bizarre urge to lay on the living room floor, paint my nails, and yak on the phone with Ethel.
There it is, my new old phone and my old new phone. 1937 meets 2007. A meeting of two eras; circa the year my house was built and today.
I picked up the phone on eBay, trepidaciously because I've been burned on that particular free-for-all before. I bid on several but was always outbid at the last moment by literally a hundred dollars each time -- so winning this one for less than half a c note was cause for worry. But surprise, it arrived intact. Once I puzzled over the bizarre wiring and a conversation with my phone installer stepfather, I wired it up to the wall and lo, communications, Plain Old Telephone style!
The ringer is really loud.
Of course, I am old enough to remember rotary dial phones, unlike many of you youngsters reading this; what I didn't remember was how freakishly long it takes to dial a number. Especially long distance.
And it is very telling that one can just hook up a 70-year-old telephone to the 2008 network and it works. This is both evidence of a simple but brilliant invention; and an indictment of how little the telephone company has changed in more than a hundred years (while still charging us more and more and more).
I replicated the center number disc with my own number on it; turns out that my exchange is properly "BIttersweet 8". I love that.
I have an irrational, bizarre urge to lay on the living room floor, paint my nails, and yak on the phone with Ethel.
posted by Gene Cowan | category Fun Stuff
comment on this entry (4 comments) | permalink | e-mail this entry
comment on this entry (4 comments) | permalink | e-mail this entry
Love it! Hey, I remember rotary phones! Oh wait, I'm not a youngster anymore... 
By the way, I have a 1950s Daly City business map (another eBay find), and looks like the prevalent exchange around here was PLaza, which does correspond to many of the later telephone numbers I remember growing up that began with 75.
By the way, I have a 1950s Daly City business map (another eBay find), and looks like the prevalent exchange around here was PLaza, which does correspond to many of the later telephone numbers I remember growing up that began with 75.
Posted by Jeff on 07/21 at 09:41 PM
Very retro-cool!
Ah I too remember rotary phones. My mother had a 'Princess' model in her room, and we had two wall-mounted ones. So, does the phone system still recognize the old dial clicks, or did you need some kind of tone-converter?
Ah I too remember rotary phones. My mother had a 'Princess' model in her room, and we had two wall-mounted ones. So, does the phone system still recognize the old dial clicks, or did you need some kind of tone-converter?
Posted by TK on 07/22 at 05:23 AM
The phone system still recognizes pulse dialing, it works just fine. Of course, one quickly realizes what a wonderful thing Touch Tone is when dialing a 10-digit number with a lot of 9s in it on a rotary dial phone.
Posted by Gene on 07/24 at 01:50 PM
"Melva, get me Mount Piolt."
Posted by The Amazing Kirk A Go-Go on 07/25 at 04:06 PM
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