Jul 09, 2012 - Western Electric 331B Portable Telephone set - used by radio companies to do their remote broadcasts. Each location that they remoted at would have a private line set up, and when they prepared to remote, the 331A would be plugged into the line. Their sound equipment would plug into the 331A. A beehive warning light attached to the phone would be lit then they were transmitting giving an indication for on-lookers to be quiet.

Jun 28, 2012 - Wilcom T136B circuit test set in NOS condition. Tests loop ma., CKT loss, noise, PWR Infl.., in a simple multi-function unit. Has a battery test position to test its internal batteries. This was a staple in many a troubleshooter's trucks during the 80s and 90s.

May 29, 2012 - This is a telegraph demonstrator built in 1997 by Bill Smail for the Alberta Railway Museum. On May 24th, 1844, Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) sent the message "What hath God Wrought" from the Supreme Court chamber in the Capitol in Washington, D.C., to the B & O Railroad Depot in Baltimore, Maryland. This device sends Morse's message to the vintage sounder on the right so people can hear the old landline morse just as it was heard back on the sounders of the day. To start it, a button is pressed. While old technology is used in its design, nothing nearly as old as the technology of the sounder, and the diode matrix driving the code results in a perfect rendition of Morse's "What hath God Wrought" message. It is like hearing an echo from a century and three-quarters ago. This has since been built into a metal case to make it more robust for display. The entire unit runs off a 6 volt DC source. It will be added to the museum's telegraph display shown further down this page.

May 07, 2012 - Donated by Ken Langilleof Brooks, Alberta, a tool kit put out by Etelco, British Ericsson. Many other manufacturer's tools have been added including some PK Neuses, BT, and some AE. It will take me quite a while to identify some, while some like the gram gauges and switchboard lamp removers on the left, feeler gauges in the center are obvious. So are the Strowger bank cleaners on the right. I am curious about the plastic combs on the left. Thank you so much, Ken, for your wonderful contribution to the museum's tool collection!

May 05, 2012 - Atom ITX PC based linux/asterisk server providing VOIP service on C*NET, a worldwide network of telephone collectors and museums. This system will allow all collectors and museums worldwide on the network to access and operate the museum's various switches using the VOIP protocol. Shown is the answering machine which provides answering/messaging through the Panasonic 616 KSU. One calls the first line in the system, and they get an announcement about the museum, and can leave up to 40 minutes of messages. This system was put into operation May 5th, and in the next two days received calls from over 35 collectors and museums from Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, and Germany in the first 48 hours of operation. Likewise, I can call any collector who is a member of C*NET without charge. This unit was donated by Dean Clark.

Apr 04, Apr 11, 2012 - (Left) A Western Electric 1D2 which arrived last week, and (right) An Automatic Electric GTE 120B (which arrived Wednesday this week) payphones mounted in the new room of the museum. Both are operational with the Panasonic KSU, making both of them demonstrable without depositing coins. These were the period of payphone immediately following the 3 slot payphones elsewhere in the museum. These were classified Fortress phones, as was the Centurion phone, of which I have also have examples in the museum. Both work well. Between phones, six GTE payphone test coins,

Apr 02, 2012 - I had a visit from a couple of retired Island Tel techs who brought the above UK Strowger switches saved when the Summerside switch cut over to DMS-100 in 1988. These were part of the UK Strowger switch ordered in 1948, delivered in 1949, and which went into service in February 1950. I have been looking for switches from that exchange for many years. These include 2 first selectors (linefinders), two second selectors, and one unusual ten party final selector (connector). I have been locating the rest of the support parts needed since so that a demo switch can be built using these original Summerside switches. Most items needed have been found, and/or are on their way!

March 21. 2012 - Automatic Electric Monophone tool. These tools have become quite rare over the years. One end was designed to remove the nut over the hookswitch on a monophone, and the other designed to loosen the nut in the monophone transmitter, to adjust it for differing user requirements. Without this tool, it can be very difficult to loosen these without scratching and.or breaking them.

March 01. 2012 - Panasonic Easa-Phone KX-T61610 KSU and accompanying programming phone. These KSU's are quite useful for displaying and demonstrating phones, as they will operate normal POTS telephones, unlike most KSUs. I can plug 16 normal phones in this and use them as if they were all connected to the normal line, and they can be used to call each other, too.Toll restrictions may be set up so that no long distance may be called. This will be used in the new room of the museum to demonstrate phones.

February 28 . 2012 - Left, size compared to a Motorola 120c cellphone, a salesman's sample of the AE-80 telephone in the Dawn Gray colour. To give you another perspective as to size, it is about the size of two packages of small cigarettes piled atop each other. No cords, of course are mounted. I will be the kids wish they could get hold of these! These were used to show the telephones without carrying around a full-sized set.

February 04 , 2012 - A courtesy Coin Box Co. Candlestick courtesy box. These were used in locations where many people used the phone to recover the cost of the line. The idea was for each person who used the phone to voluntarily pay for the call. These were not official telephone company accessories. In locations where it was an official phone, pay collectors such as shown below were used.

January 20, 2012 - This is my second Gray Paystation - the first was the Gray Number 11 shown below. It was made for use with a wooden wall phone, this one is a Gray Number 14, made for portable use with a candlestick phone. These were used in restaurants for courtesy phones, and this one dates from about 1909. I bought this one for $75 needing a replacement candlestick support and bottom plate, and needing keys made for the the lock to the cash drawer. These parts have been replaced, and the lock has come back from being re-keyed in Calfornia, and the collector is now in 100% condition.

Internally, this collector and the earlier purchased Model 11 are quite similar. Both consist of a Gray lead coin chute which channeled the coins to the proper gong/bell. The Model 14 has a cage around the coin box, presumably as it is portable and as a result, there had to be a means of keeping the coins inside the box as the phone was moved. The Model 11 doesn't have this cage as it is used normally screwed in one place. The Model 11 doesn't have the drilled and tapped holes for the mounting of the side racket or the candlestick strut, for the top handle, or for the candlestick under-plate that the Model 14 has. On the other hand, the model 11 has its larger back-plate designed to be screwed to the wall behind the wooden wall phone it is paired with.

Both are acoustically coupled to the phone. The operator would listen to the coin drops via sound transferred to the phone's transmitter acoustically though the brackets. The caller would call the operator as normal, and she would determine the rate, and ask them to insert the correct coinage. The Bell and gong inside the collector would allow her to ascertain that correct coinage for the rate had been inserted by the caller before putting them through.

These are definitely cool devices, a big improvement over the so-called courtesy boxes used privately!

January 29, 2012 - AE Linefinder Test Stand H - 85829-1-2 - used for testing Strowger linefinder switches. This isn't the exact unit I have bought, but is representative of the model. I am hoping this will help me get the linefinders in my demo switch 100% operational. It should be here in a couple of weeks!

January 12 , 2012 - Presentation mounts by Northern Telecom from the 1980s. These sections of cable were presented to a retiring employee, inventor and signator of several important wire and cable patents for NE/NT, John Joseph Stefaniszyn of Beaconsfield and Point Claire, Quebec, and will now become part of the wire and cable display in the museum. John Joseph Stefaniszyn (son of Ignacy Stefaniszyn and Mary Unknown) was born June 21, 1924 in Naluze, Poland, married Helen Mary Kulas on November 01, 1957 and died April 01, 1986 in Montreal, three years after the presentation. Left, power cable, right a telecom cable with 12 coaxial cables and a dozen or so smaller cables. These cables were made here in Canada by Northern Electric during the 1980's.

December 23, 2011 - Western Electric 17B line test set. Originally thought to be a 17C, this is the earlier 17B version with the push button on the door. Used by linesmen on open-wire magneto lines prior to WWII. The equivalent of a modern day butt set. The line would be connected to the top terminals, and the watch-case receiver located in a depression on the left hand side would be held to the ear. A magneto on the right would be used to call the exchange, and the linesman would talk into the transmitter on the front of the box. Similar to the later leather West test set. This unusually nice example was purchased from a Quebec vendor on eBay for $10.50

December 23, 2011 - An almost NOS Lucent 2520B Explosion proof set! These were used in mines, refineries, and other industrial locations, where the air might have explosive fumes in them that could result in an explosion if the phone sparked. These are extremely heavy (about 40lbs.) and that is why I hadn't added one to the collection before. This one was purchased for a really good price, allowing me to get it despite the high shipping cost. One wouldn't want to drop this on their toes!

December 22, 2011 - Left - AE Number 8; Right - Gray #11 Paystation for use with magneto phones. Made in 1909, it would mount to the right side of a wooden magneto phone, making it a payphone.As coins were dropped into the collector, the operator could count the coins dropped by the sound of the gongs and bells in the collector. A nickle would make a single "ding" sound, a dime would make a double "ding" and the quarter would make a "bong" sound when dropped in the collector. When enough had been deposited, she then put them through to the desired number, This is the ancestor of modern payphones.

Jan 02, 2011 - A second Gray Paystation is on the way, a Model 14. Designed to be used in a restaraunt to take a phone to the customer's table, the model 14 looks similar to the photo above, but has a handle on the top the waiter can use to take it to the table, and instead of the extended backplate on the one above, has struts to hold a candlestick phone to the left of the collector.

October 20, 2011 - A rare Number 1 dial-less Uniphone dated May 1952.Most of these phones were converted to dial in the 1950's. It is now hard to find one which hasn't been converted to dial. Unlike the Uniphone number 5s which consisted of only a hookswitch inside, and were designed for use with external subsets, these were complete phones with induction coil and capacitor and ringer. According to an inventory tag still attached, this phone was owned by the RCAF, and likely saw service in the 50s at CFB Summerside. This phone has since been cleaned up, and as it adds interest to the phone, the tag attached has been laminated in plastic and left attached..

September 29, 2011 - A rare Northern Electric 10 button touch-tone Princess phone was received from Jeff Lamb. This phone is in the the aqua blue colour. Shown next to it is a rotary Princess in the turquoise colour. The difference in colour is even more noticeable in person, the turquoise phone on the right having a decidedly green cast. When the 10 button set was received, it was indistinguishable from the turquoise phone to the right due to discoloration caused by sunlight and the environment. This is quite common in light blue sets.See buffing.html for another example of this. It was brought back to its original colour by sanding off the discoloured layer, and subsequent buffing. Still dome work to do and further buffing to return it to original condition. Both phones work like a charm.

September 25, 2011 - A great day for phones. Today at a yard sale, I found a Northern Electric N1717GP for $40, only needing a new switchhook, and otherwise in very good condition. As I already have a photo of one already in the collection posted, I am not going to post a photo of it...

But the best thing today was an original Strowger 11 digit wall phone from AE's Chicago works, bought on eBay. It is in great shape and will make a wonderful display in the museum of the earliest dial phone in widespread use in North America. Previously, I had only a photo of one of these displayed. . The 11th (first) digit was used for Long Distance, later found unnecessary and incorporated along with the Operator digit. The digits ran top to bottom, first the Long Distance digit, then O-1. These phones are becoming very rare. This phone will soon be winging its way here from Saskatoon. Some of these phones were sold to farmers to use as an intercom betweek their house and barn after they were removed from active service. This has preserved many of them in Western Canada. Despite this, they are considered quite rare. Isn't she a beauty? I have been looking for one of these for a long time, but as they were never used here, they simply don't show up. These preceded the rotary dial.

September 15, 2011 - Thursday, I took a trip into Charlottetown, to look at a number of items I had been told I could have. Included were two Northern Electric 211 phones, another Number 1 NE Uniphone, an interesting transmitter control unit made from a 43A turret and a type NU Handset, a Fairchild/Dumont frequency meter from the days of FM business radio, two early 50 mhz. Motorola Handi-Talkies (used in the days before cellular), and two Wilcom T194 Transmission and Line Noise test sets in great shape. Along with these (and not pictured) were a number of 66 and other new unused blocks.

All have been cleaned up, the Wilcoms have been checked out, as have the 211s, the Uniphone has been wired for private line and outfitted with a spade-modular cord. Love to hear from anyone with a manual for either the Wilcom or the Dumont test sets. Wilcom and Fairchild can no longer supply these manuals.

May 23, 2011 - Just back from the museum, after a large number of 500's, 2500's, Harmony, etc. were received this morning dropped off by Dave Swan.It was short but enjoyable visit. Along with them came a 354, another Model 33 Calculagraph, Princess, Contemporas, and a box full of NOS cords, dial centers, plastics, handsets, etc.

March 28, 2011 - This is a NE 1500. These are getting increasingly rare these days, and were only manufactured from 1964 until 1968, at which point, the 12 digit dials began appearing in a newly designed case.

Now, I confess - this is a Frankenphone of sorts, though genuine in style and parts. All parts match in year, and were in the genuine 1500's. The body is a 500 c/d dated 1965, the dial surround and 1965 dial replace the original dial. I intend to overstamp the date on the base to reflect the fact it is now a 1500 (just add a 1 with my Neuses stamp set.)

The scratches and paint specks showing in the photo were buffed out a few hours after this photo was taken, and it looks truly great! There should be a law against painting in the same room as a classic telephone. From the look of these, they were paint specks from the use of a paint roller nearby.

I got the dial surround/mount from OPW and using Krylon, repainted it from its oridinal white, and the TT dial from Vern. Smudge on dial surround is only a little bit of Novus polish I missed wiping off.

So, although a frankenphone of sorts, this phone it made from genuine parts, and was really manufactured. Western Electric made these phones, too, but used a case like the later NE 12 digit ones from the start. In the US, only the first prototypes were produced using these dial plates - but in Canada production of these lasted some 4 years before the 12 digit phones and new cases were introduced...

A number card window has been ordered for this phone. This one will be on display in the museum until I can find a genuine 1500 at an affordable price, then will be converted back to a 500 c/d

Jan 08, 2010 - This chair was given to the museum by Leo MacDonald. He called me a couple of day before, asking if it would be useful in the museum. Of course, I told him it would be perfect to display with the 1240 switchboard. These are often seen with a turquoise finish. It is shown with the seat in its lowest extension.

This came many years ago from a test position in Charlottetown.

The chair has been cleaned and lubricated, taking years of grime and paint off it and its upholstery, and after ArmorAll 'ing of the upholstery, ready for Jeffery to take over to the museum.

Thank you, Leo!

Jan 06 2011 - This is one of two Millennium Desk phones I have been expecting. One has been received, the other received Jan 09 2011. One is brand new in the box, the other is used but NOS. The two phones have different cords on them. One has traditional colour coding, red, green, black and yellow with a security cable running through the cord - the other had a modern 3 pair cable ending in a modular connector.

Experimentation on the first type shows the black and yellow are the power input pair. Power was applied using a Motorola POE supply (minus its POE connector) giving 24 VDC at .5 amp. When the polarity is correct, it clicks, then boots up to the default message, "Out of Service" as it should. On the second type, the power input will go to the second pair on the connector. I am looking for a programming or key interlock card for these phones. As these phones are credit only, and don't have a key, the key card is used in the programming process where is asks you to unlock the phone. Even with it, I won't be able to give demonstrations with it, as Millenniums need a connection to the Millennium Manager at Quortech.

Programming won't be discussed - It is important to keep advanced information off the net to preserve the security of these phones. Jaqnuary 9th, I got into the craft level interface, but will require the card to get further into its programming.

July 30, 2010 - The above is an ASR-33 brought by Catherine Fillmore. Her late husband, Ivan had gotten it at the University of Ohio radio station in the late 60's. Ivan, like myself, was a Ham radio operator. Ivan, like me with my KSR version of the same machine, used it back in the 60's and 70's as an i/o device on his computer, prior to the days of affordable printers, and it has spent the intervening years under excellent storage conditions..

The teletype is in very good condition, though a couple of problems have been found in it since, it is a very clean museum quality piece and is operational now. The top cover was missing its plexiglass, and though the missing pane was there, I decided to mount a brand new Teletype cover I had here on it. In addition to the machine, Catherine also brought some much needed teletype paper. Catherine planned her vacation around the teletype this year. She has always wanted to visit Cavendish, and decided this was the year to kill two birds with one stone.

Catherine also suprised me with a box of 9 rolls of much needed paper rolls for it.

Aug 02, 2010 - This machine has been set up using a Telebyte M65A converter to allow communication and feeds to and from the museum computer. I still require DB-25 Female to DB-9 Female serial port adapter on order to connect it to the computer, but external loop is now being provided by it. I picked up this converter last fall when I saw it on eBay for a good price. It is small and inobtrusive, and provides for the 20 ma. loop current needed by the ASR-33 without using a bulky external loop supply. It is perfect for interfacing an ASR-33.

June 16, 2010 - A recent donation of cut off poles, brackets, insulators from the Tyne Valley - Conroy line (the same line our 1240 switchboard came from) has resulted in the above addition to the museum displays. The poles were too short, so I went on the lookout for a pair of vintage poles to display the hardware on. These were found in a place also connected to a museum display. Another piece in the collection is a 1927 quote from Northern Electric in Halifax for the material to do a one mile extension in Wheatley River. The line was extended in 1928, and the residents listed in the 1929 phone book. These vintage poles came from that section of line.

All in all, a great addition to the museum display. One note of interest, the Tyne Valley - Conroy line was one of those damaged by the 1956 PEI Ice Storm. The wire installed on the poles still shows splices made necessary by that storm.

Prince Edward Island Telephone Directory, April 1945.

January 13, 2008 - Here is a gem received this week. I received a call this afternoon from the widow of a neighbour who passed away last week. She had a 1945 Island Telephone Company book that they had been meaning to give me for some time....

Her departed husband, Clifford McLeod was the son of D. D. McLeod, who ran a store here in the Cove for the early part of the century, and which contained the only phone in the Cove up till the early 60's. The mailing label and stamp (all 2 cents worth) are still on its cover (the mailing label was a wrap around affair which held the book closed during mailing...)

Toshiba Strata DK280

This is a Toshiba DK280 Digital KSU, phones, and an Octel 200 Message server picked up for the museum this week.

The KSU (top) is equipped 8 loop lines, 16 digital phones, 16 analog phones and 8 dtmf receivers. The CPU is a large system processor, release 3 or 4 and it has a PIOU card for admin, smdr and paging.

The Octel 200 is a very capable scaleable voicemail and fax server which was used with this machine in its original installation in a downtown Charlottetown office.

Along with the system came 14 phones designed for use with the system for display.

Our thanks goes out to Kevin Doyle and Sun Life for donating this system. The system would be about ten years old. It had been removed from service when a new system was installed, and was taking up space in their offices. They were pleased to know it would be of some use, and I was glad to see it kept out of the dump!

This system has been set up in the museum entrance-way for demonstrations. The voicemail has not yet been installed, but the system is currently operational with 3 digital sets..

SC-1212 "Fatboy" Phone Before Restoration showing some of the cracks in the original case and tape holding the case together!

SC-1212 in progress with new case installed,and transmitter retainer, spitcup, and final buffing - as you can see, major improvement!

Nevada Bell Nortel Millenium

Shown to the left is a Nortel Millenium Payphone received mid-June. This phone was surplus from Nevada Bell. Because of the Millenium's need to "call home" to a Millenium manager, I won't be able to get too much on this phone working, and it won't be able to be connected to a phone line, but it will make a great display piece. It is an early Millenium, made around 1993 or perhaps a little later. It contains the first revision of boards and eerom.

The Millenium is a common site today on the Island, and indeed in much of Canada and the U.S.

This is a so-called BOCOT/COCOT- like "Smart Phone", featuring a digital instruction display, adjustable volume, options accepting credit and calling cards, coins of 5, 10, 25¢, and dollar. Originally developed by Northern Telecom (Nortel), and typical phones of the series carry the designation, NT5U411BA2011 R11(Just an example of the numbering from a Millenium shipping box I have). Loved by operating companies, and despised by phone phreaks (telephone hackers), the Millenium series are the most advanced payphones in the world.

The Millenium is the most secure payphone on the market and to keep it that way, information on the phone is very hard to find. Only details which are publicly available on the phone will be noted here. Millenium phones call daily to their "hive" and contain internal alarms to monitor activity on the phone. Dial tone heard when the handset is raised is computer generated, and the rate tables are contained within the phone and programmed and updated by the Millenium manager. A scrolling advertising line on the phones may also be programmed via the Millenium Manager to show up to 20 advertisements on the display's second line. The Manager can provide constant checks of the phone right down to the number and denominations of coins in the box, credit card verification, self-diagnostics, logging of operational notes such as cleaning and delivery directory dates, and detailed call activity statistics which may be used for planning.

The Millenium is available with or without a smart card reader or a multicard reader option allowing users to use magnetic stripe commercial credit cards, calling cards and smart cards / chip cards, and with an optional jack which allow users with portable computers to connect through the phone. The options are seemingly endless

A Island Tel bezel and instruction card has been obtained for it - a remnant of the Island Tel - Aliant rebranding a few years ago, and it will be upgraded to a yellow multi-card reader when I have the time. Along with the bezel, new Medeco locks were installed. All appears to be working as it should.