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Post by melissa on Jan 5, 2013 0:35:02 GMT -5
I recently bought an old rotary phone at a yard sale. I'm sick of my wireless phone always having a dead battery.
I plugged it into my wall outlet and it works - ie it dials, and I can hear people talking. However, people tell me I sound like I'm in a tunnel talking to them. Any idea what's wrong or how to fix it.
Also, the ringer is SOOOOOOO loud. There's a volume control knob on the back of the phone, but it does nothing to control the ringer (or anything else that I can tell).
Repairmen and repairwomen? Please diagnose my phone.
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Post by vaporvac on Jan 5, 2013 1:40:24 GMT -5
I have a few like that including an old classic black one, but people always tell me they can hear me really well. I'll check out the volume control, although I think mine might be too old for that. Post a pic so we can help diagnose it.
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Post by sporko on Jan 5, 2013 13:15:57 GMT -5
my recollection of the old phones and volume control is that the volume was just a knob that made the bell/striker closer/further apart. You might open it and make sure that mechanism is still intact.
I believe there is also a microphone cartridge that can be swapped out REALLY easily. I'm not sure if that will fix your "tunnel" but it's as easy as unscrewing the "mouth end" and replacing it with another from that era.
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Post by 58limited on Jan 5, 2013 13:24:33 GMT -5
I know nothing about working on these, but there are a lot of webpages about repairing and restoring these old phones. Some of the internal parts get worn out but there are replacements available. There is a pretty good market for them amongst those into the retro decor. I have a restored 1936 candlestick with bell box in my living room. My house was built in 1936. I recently bought a pink R500 series at an estate sale. I use these old phones in the event of a power outage - my new wireless system needs a 110V outlet for power but the old ones run off the phone line only.
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