[GreenKeys] what do you think? -- now telephone (and 2-stroke motocross) stuff

[gil at baudot.net]

Hi Steve:

Yes, I agree with you that a little PBX box is just dandy for connecting
phones, both old and new.  Don't know the Merlin line, but I bet they
are very nice.  I have an old Panasonic analog PBX (604 maybe?) that
connects a princess phone in my 10-yo daughter's room, a slimline in my
8-yo son's room, a hanging-handset phone in their playroom, and a
candlestick and WE 202 in other rooms.  Of course this requires wiring
that allows this -- before we moved into the house, I ran CAT5e cables
from all rooms to a closet location, so it was easy to just mount the
PBX up on the wall, crimp connectors onto the cables, and plug things
in.  You don't need to use fancy twisted-pair cable;  a couple of
lengths of rusty barbed wire, stapled to the ceiling, will work just
fine.

It is very simple to set up, since the PBX provides the proper dial tone
and ringing voltages (and each extension can be set for DTMF or pulse
mode).  The kids just pick up a phone and dial an extension number to
call each other.  I have not connected an outside line, but when they
are older I likely will, and then they can just dial 9 for an outside
line-- gotta show the kids that landlines aren't dead yet (yes, they
both have cell phones now).  The older phones just need a subset circuit
to interface to a modern line (Steve:  any circuits you like, or do you
use NOS old boards like most of us?).

OK, the Panasonic is a Japanese unit, but at least it's not made in
frickin' China.  Unlike everything made in China, I have always had good
quality products from Panasonic, and Japan in general.  And say what you
will, but the Japanese make the most incredible 2-stroke motocross
bikes.  Well, they did, anyway, until the stinkin' tree-huggers got
2-strokes outlawed -- this year's Supercross was awful quiet.  So today,
I would have to say that the Japanese make the most incredible
"4-stroke" motocross bikes, since that is all that are made anymore. 
But my 2-stroke 1987 Yamaha YZ250 still runs as strong as the day it was
built.  Now if only I could get my hands on a 1973 Honda CR250M -- wow,
the holy-grail of legendary 2-strokes (I expect Bill Buzbee will be
smiling by now).  Or maybe a German Maico 501;  the innovators of the
forward-mounted rear shock, and very-cool radial-finned heads.  But, I
digress.  Telephones;  yes, we were talking about old phones, which are
also very cool.  Almost as cool as old tty gear.

gil


gil smith
greenkeys moderator
gil at baudot.net
www.baudot.net
Vaux Electronics:  480-354-5556



> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] what do you think?
> From: Steve Schlink <sschlink at mindspring.com>
> Date: Thu, January 29, 2009 1:42 pm
> To: "amourdutigre" <amourdutigre at kc.rr.com>
> Cc: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
> 
> 
> Joe,
> 
> There are several other lis5t subscribers who are also telephone collectors 
> (addicts) so I'm sure they will chime in also.
> 
> The "phone" that you referenced, isn't really a phone, only one part of a 
> wood wall phone. It's not '96 vintage - that's just the patent date of the 
> ringer.
> 
> You would need the correct backboard, battery box, and transmitter and are 
> to make it complete. Considering how many are around for next to nothing 
> IMHO, it's not worth the effort.
> 
> It is a matter of what you want to do with it/them. I collect mainly 
> candlestick and newer desk phones (common battery) and I connect them all 
> with a AT&T Merlin Legend. The advantages of this system are:
> 
> 1. Made in America
> 
> 2. Made by Western Electric
> 
> 3. Allows me to connect a 100 year old phone to a current caller ID display 
> set.
> 
> 4. Protects the older sets by not having them directly across the line and 
> subjecting them possible spikes (Silk insulation tends to degrade after 75 
> years) yet allows me to answer an outside call.
> 
> 5. Has all of the neat features of a PBX, like
> 
> 6. 7. & 8. They are cheap.
> 
> I'm sure that someone will suggest a Panasonic key system, but I prefer 
> real American made phones rather than Taiwan, China, Korea, etc. immitations.
> 
> If you or anyone else is interested in the details, just let me know.
> 
> 
> At 10:52 AM 1/29/2009 -0600 amourdutigre  wrote:
> >Something that I have wanted to for years is to set up a couple of old 
> >telephones into a private system, maybe eventually with a private switch 
> >or something. This is not nearly as important to me as getting on the air 
> >with a RTTY set up, but nonetheless, something that I have wanted to do 
> >since I have been a kid. I guess "playing telephones" never gets out of 
> >one's blood, no? I remember those cheap toy telephones that were sold that 
> >used no batteries, and that never worked...supposedly used the energy in 
> >the sound of your voice or some such nonsense. But I digress.
> >
> >I found this on e-pay, looks pretty ratty, but I wondered if the missing 
> >parts could be found to make a complete unit.
> >
> >120369265165
> >
> >What do you think...is it worth pursuing or should I let this one go to 
> >e-pay oblivion?
> >
> >I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
> >
> >Best and 73,
> >
> >Joe KB0TXC
> 
> 
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