Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!ria!uwovax.uwo.ca!telecom-request From: motcid!void!dunne@uunet.uu.net (Jim E. Dunne) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Telephone Makers of Old Message-ID: Date: 15 Mar 91 19:12:52 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 22 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 211, Message 8 of 9 I've got an old telephone, acquired from a GTE service area in far Northern IL. Embossed on the bottom is "THE NORTH ELECTRIC MFG. CO, GALION, OHIO", and stamped on the bottom is "50 CYCLE RINGER". Its housing is Bakelite, and it has the brown cloth-covered cord that PAT described on his Western Electric "Model Z". I had it hooked up in the early 80's, and it worked fine except for a low volume characteristic (might be due to the cheesy speaker wire connection I made for it!). It didn't ring when it was hooked up; I'm guessing because of the 50 Hz ringer vs. the 20 Hz ringer of today that I have read about in the Digest. My question is, who were the phone manufacturers of old? I'm sure that Western Electric made the phones for the Bell system, but who made the phones for the "other" companies? And how/when did these other service providers, and their hardware makers, come on the scene? Finally, let me state that I very much enjoy reading the TELECOM Digest and derive a special pleasure from the Chicago-based bent that Mr. Townson offers. As well as the sarcastic wit of John Higdon et al.! Jim Dunne Motorola Cellular ...uunet!motcid!dunne