In article , Abrasha says...

Do you actually use that phone, or is it for decoration only? Could you even
use it, it doesn't have a dial, only a magneto AFAIK.

Sure I use it - if you called today you could talk to me
on it [1]. That particular phone does not of course have
a magneto, it's designed to be common battery and central
office signalling. Basically just an extension that you
cannot dial out of.

They made another version of that with the dial on the front,
those go for much more money. But I have that one because
often I'm running in from outside to catch the phone, and
it's right by the door to the outside.

The honker big knife switch above that phone turns
on the line that goes out to the garage phone.

Jim

[1] the transmitters and receivers on phones of that
vintage are designed to be much more punchy at the
higher frequencies, because lines of that time had
poorer quality and amplification was at a premium.
So talking on it does sound a bit tinny, but that's
the way it was designed to be.

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