Posted by John Wilson on June 10, 2002 at 14:04:20 from 202.154.130.153 user hugo.
In Reply to: Re: Roaring Donkey posted by Alan Hakim on June 06, 2002 at 17:40:58:
In PP Captain Flint joggles the switch-hook to call the exchange
and Colonel Jolys, ie he probably flashes a light on the board at
the exchange. And Fellside manual exchange is
common-battery, with the power for speech fed down the line
from the exchange.
But years ago rural phones on small exchanges in New Zealand
(which were often in the local Post Office) had a “hand-crank”
to ring the exchange (and other bells on the same party line),
usually dropping down a relay flap on the board. Each phone
had two large 1½ volt “No 6” dry cells (DC) for speech, instead
of getting power down the line from the 24-volt (or 50-volt)
exchange battery. These “magneto” manual phones were more
tolerant of long open-wire lines with low resistance ie leakage
to earth. But less convenient for the subscriber/customer,
particularly with up to ten parties on some lines, and the need to
listen for your own (morse) code ring eg a short & two longs.
Commonest make both of magneto manual phone in a wooden
case and the exchange board was “Ericsson” from Britain or
Sweden.
PS: my mother’s main phone here in Wellington, New Zealand
was a rotary-dial (pulse) one until she went into a rest home in
1999, though her bedroom phone was tone.