larry@uunet.uu.net (Larry Lippman) (03/18/91)
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
jkg@prism.gatech.edu (Jim Greenlee) (03/24/91)
In article <telecom11.213.7@eecs.nwu.edu> kitty!larry@uunet.uu.net (Larry Lippman) writes: > 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. Indeed - I remember someone bringing a Teletrainer to my first-grade class one day (this was in the mid-60's - I don't remember it being referred to as a Teletrainer, but the setup was just as Larry described). There was a small box that was controlled by the "operator", and two telephones that were used by the "caller" and "callee" (I don't think either of the phones had dials). As I recall, the control box would signal when either of telephone handsets went off-hook, and the "operator" could either ring the call through, or return a "busy" signal to the "caller" (this could be done whether or not the handset of the other phone was off-hook - more on that later :-). If the call went through, then the conversation could be heard by the rest of the group. Several of us in the class took turns at being the "operator" or one of the "callers". I got a chance to be "operator", but got sent back to my seat because I kept giving busy signals (they never let me have *any* fun :-). That particular demonstration stands out as one my few memories from that first grade year. Jim Greenlee (jkg@cc.gatech.edu) Instructor, College of Computing Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332
kent@sunfs3.bos.camex.com (Kent Borg) (03/28/91)
In article <telecom11.235.7@eecs.nwu.edu> jkg@prism.gatech.edu (Jim Greenlee) writes: > In article <telecom11.213.7@eecs.nwu.edu> kitty!larry@uunet.uu.net > (Larry Lippman) writes: >> 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. > Indeed - I remember someone bringing a Teletrainer to my first-grade > class one day (this was in the mid-60's - I don't remember it being > referred to as a Teletrainer, but the setup was just as Larry > described). There was a small box that was controlled by the > "operator", and two telephones that were used by the "caller" and > "callee" (I don't think either of the phones had dials). Yes, I remember it too. I remember which end of the school we were in that day, but am not sure the grade. First grade sounds plausable. Our's had dials, this would have been around 1966. I was under the impression at the time that you needed to dial seven digits, even the correct ones. Thinking back on it now, knowing what I do about demos, I tend to think that that was not true. I can't recount any experiances using it with because other kids got called on -- I was never the teacher's pet. I do remember at the time understanding that operators do not decide who gets busy signals. I think I thought the idea strange and asked about it, was told that operators don't really do that. I then criticized the accuracy of the lesson, saying that it was inaccurate. In retrospect, I understand better and better why I was never the pet. Kent Borg internet: kent@camex.com AOL: kent borg H:(617) 776-6899 W:(617) 426-3577