Comments on: Things I Never Knew about Telephones

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:54:15 +0000

In the 70′s a second phone was purchased from the phone company and cost you an extra charge every month. My parents got a hold of a ‘black market’ telephone and my Dad installed for himself by his work bench in the basement. Well that was all fine until someone from the phone company showed up inquiring if we had ‘extra phones’. He then figured out that supposedly they could detect you had a second phone by the extra charge on the line that it took to operate the ringer so he disconnect the ringer and never got another visit from the phone company. Not sure on all the details there but that’s how I remember it.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:54:15 +0000

By: NoFreeLunch

NoFreeLunch — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:02:11 +0000

They didn’t have email back then either, Tim LOL

By: NoFreeLunch

NoFreeLunch — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:02:11 +0000

They didn’t have email back then either, Tim LOL

By: Gary McGath

Gary McGath — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:56:18 +0000

When AT&T went to direct dialing with area codes, many people complained. They WANTED the human contact with an operator, even if it was less convenient.

By: Gary McGath

Gary McGath — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:56:18 +0000

When AT&T; went to direct dialing with area codes, many people complained. They WANTED the human contact with an operator, even if it was less convenient.

By: Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:59:08 +0000

That round thing is one of them modern conveniences. When I made my first phone call, we didn't have 'em. You picked up the phone and a lady said "number ple-yuzz" and you articulated.

Calling the Washington prefix was challenging for those of us with Yankee and British accents in the South, because she interpreted "double you eh" as "UU yee haa" instead of "WA". The phrase she was looking for was "dubya eh"

By: Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:59:08 +0000

That round thing is one of them modern conveniences. When I made my first phone call, we didn’t have ‘em. You picked up the phone and a lady said “number ple-yuzz” and you articulated.

Calling the Washington prefix was challenging for those of us with Yankee and British accents in the South, because she interpreted “double you eh” as “UU yee haa” instead of “WA”. The phrase she was looking for was “dubya eh”

By: Larry Sheldon

Larry Sheldon — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:36:29 +0000

Cheap phone bills? It depends.

When my parents has saved up enough money to afford Dad calling his parents in Madera, from Glendale he dialed 110 and tole the operator he was calling "Madera 417J". The "J" told the Madera operator how to do the ring thing (one long two short? I don't remember) because there were four parties on the line. Out of town in the rural areas there might be a lot more than 4.

Even after dialing came in there were lots of places that had way more than two parties on the line.

And yes, the letters were put on the dial for the Prefix or Exchange code.

And some dials had a "Z" on the zero hole because the precursor of "800" service was ZEnith service which you had to dial the operator for. I wonder if ZEnith 9000 will still get you the nearest California Highway Patrol office.

By: Larry Sheldon

Larry Sheldon — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:36:29 +0000

Cheap phone bills? It depends.

When my parents has saved up enough money to afford Dad calling his parents in Madera, from Glendale he dialed 110 and tole the operator he was calling "Madera 417J". The "J" told the Madera operator how to do the ring thing (one long two short? I don't remember) because there were four parties on the line. Out of town in the rural areas there might be a lot more than 4.

Even after dialing came in there were lots of places that had way more than two parties on the line.

And yes, the letters were put on the dial for the Prefix or Exchange code.

And some dials had a "Z" on the zero hole because the precursor of "800" service was ZEnith service which you had to dial the operator for. I wonder if ZEnith 9000 will still get you the nearest California Highway Patrol office.

By: Tim Lee

Tim Lee — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:16:19 +0000

Mike, if it makes you feel better, my fiance is even younger than me and she knew those things as well, so maybe I was just oblivious when I was a kid.

By: Tim Lee

Tim Lee — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:16:19 +0000

Mike, if it makes you feel better, my fiance is even younger than me and she knew those things as well, so maybe I was just oblivious when I was a kid.

By: Mike Masnick

Mike Masnick — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:11:25 +0000

Tim, you just made me feel really old for knowing all of those things… I still remember, as a kid, my dad still referring to our home phone number starting as AR1 rather than 271…

By: Mike Masnick

Mike Masnick — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:11:25 +0000

Tim, you just made me feel really old for knowing all of those things… I still remember, as a kid, my dad still referring to our home phone number starting as AR1 rather than 271…

By: vanderleun

vanderleun — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:38:24 +0000

You might be interested to know that they also had round things that you spun and went click, click, click.

Plus when you dialed out 411 a person answered. Amazing. And the average monthly bills were less than $20.

By: vanderleun

vanderleun — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:38:24 +0000

You might be interested to know that they also had round things that you spun and went click, click, click.

Plus when you dialed out 411 a person answered. Amazing. And the average monthly bills were less than $20.

By: vanderleun

vanderleun — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:35:59 +0000

That’s what ya get for being younger than springtime, kid.

By: vanderleun

vanderleun — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:35:59 +0000

That’s what ya get for being younger than springtime, kid.