Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!ria!uwovax.uwo.ca!telecom-request From: kitty!larry@uunet.uu.net (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Anyone Remember the "Tele-Trainer"? Message-ID: Date: 18 Mar 91 04:43:23 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 40 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 213, Message 7 of 7 In article <74347@bu.edu.bu.edu> hansen@pegasus.att.com (Tony L Hansen) writes: > A group I'm associated with is putting on a play and a phone will be > used on the set. How would I hook up the phone so that I can cause it > to ring on demand? Preferably, I'd like to have some sort of switch or > push button which I can push and have the phone ring. With all of the responses on this topic, and with there being a not insignificant number of old-timers reading Telecom Digest, I am surprised that no one mentioned the "traditional" solution to this problem: borrow a "Teletrainer". The Teletrainer was a Bell System device which would connect two telephones so that they could ring and talk to each other. One feature of the Teletrainer was interrupted ringing which exactly simulated that of a real telephone call. There was also a provision for an audience to listen to the conversation on a loudspeaker. The Teletrainer, which came in a few different models (the WECO KS-16605 was probably the most common) was about the size of a small bread box. The Teletrainer had four-pin jacks for use with two 500-type telephones. The Teletrainer and associated telephones came in a custom carrying case. It was primarily intended for training presentations on telephone etiquette and sales techniques put on by [former] Bell System operating companies. There was once a time when any school or little theater group could simply call their local Bell System business office and ask to borrow a Teletrainer for the duration of a theater production. There was, of course, no charge, and this was obviously a public relations gesture on the part of local telephone company. I suspect those days are long gone, but it won't hurt to call the telephone company and ask. They might say "yes", they might say "no", or they might say "go ask Judge Green". :-) Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry