I haven't seen one of these in a while

[k0ua]

we used to dial the phone by clicking the receiver lever instead of using the dial. Worked great for low number calls, like 233-1212. But you get a number with a bunch of 7's, 8's, 9's it was hard to keep the timing correct.

As a bored child, I made a number of telephone calls with nothing more than a small 8 ohm speaker ripped out of a small transistor radio. Place speaker wires across the telephone line, and dial by interrupted pulses as you described being sure to end each pulse train with the wires still connected. You can hear the other party quite well, but you do have to shout at the little speaker (dynamically acting as a microphone) to be heard. But it does work, and could be useful in an emergency.

 

[tjkubota93]

A waitress with nose or lip piercings really turn my stomach to the point that I leave or change table.

Yeah, I guess it's asking too much for the people that handle your food to look halfway decent or clean cut.

 

[Streetcar]

Drug dealers still use pay phones. In certain neighborhoods there are pay phones at numerous corners

 

[smstonypoint]

What's wrong with your bus?

View attachment 555407



Bruce

I like it. A "gustibus" bus.

Steve

 

[2LaneCruzer]

we used to dial the phone by clicking the receiver lever instead of using the dial. Worked great for low number calls, like 233-1212. But you get a number with a bunch of 7's, 8's, 9's it was hard to keep the timing correct.

Dial? What's a dial? Our first phone had a crank on it. As I recall, you turned the crank once to get the operator; or if you knew your party's ring, you could ring it yourself. For instance, our telephone number was 55F23. Deciphered, 55 meant two longs, which was our ring, and F23 meant line F23...not sure, but think the F was for "Farm". Hence, two long rings was for us. It was a party line, so on a slow evening you could listen in and find out what all you neighbors were up to!

 

[smstonypoint]

Phone booths........ back in the early 90's, somebody designed a sound-proof booth for bars.

For a fee, you could go inside it, close the door, and program the background sound you wanted (Factory floor, roadside traffic, grocery store, sporting event......) and make a call......

Interesting.

File under Markets in Everything.

Steve

 

[smstonypoint]

Dial? What's a dial? Our first phone had a crank on it. As I recall, you turned the crank once to get the operator;

Was Sarah your operator?*

Steve

* An arcane (to some) reference to the operator in Mayberry.**

** An arcane (to some) reference to the setting of The Andy Griffith Show.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

]Was Sarah your operator?*
[/B]
Steve

* An arcane (to some) reference to the operator in Mayberry.**

** An arcane (to some) reference to the setting of The Andy Griffith Show.

Actually, I think her name was Biddie O'Dell; but it's been over 60 years, so I can't be for sure. And then there's Jenny...

 

[smstonypoint]

And then there's Jenny...

Wow! "Jenny "-- talk about arcane.:shocked: "Sarah" pales in comparison. There is "Ernestine," but everyone should get that.

Steve

Correigendum

I looked up the name of the operator on Green Acres -- it's "Sarah." So, my reference could have applied to the operator in either Mayberry or Hooterville.

 

[bunyip]

I remember a cerftain type of payphone that had a metal hook on the side for the handpiece doubled as a switch, when it was raining and you were barefoot (common practice here) if you depressed the switch by hand rather than hanging up the phone you were rewarded with a kick, a linesman told me it was the line voltage and I think it was a about 90vdc.
We were in the outback in the early 80's and found a few old payphones that still had the winder on the side to get the operator as there was no dial.