On Aug 10, 2:25*pm, Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article ,
*"Special Ed" martin@kallikak wrote:

wrote in message
....
I just got an old rotary phone from an antique store - the original
cord is attached - I want to hook it up and use it in my home - what
do I do??

To test if it works, remove cover from wall jack, touch red and green wires
from phone to same colors on jack. Listen for dial tone. If you get one, so
far so good.

Next screw the red and green wires from the phone to the jack and test for
outgoing and incoming phone calls. If it works, you can just leave it that
way-- or attach an RJ11 plug to the phone so you can use it an any jack..

* Would you be able to use it for outgoing calls or just incoming?

David makes good point ............. while you may able to dial local
and long distance numbers, many/most voice-mail and automated
answering and directory systems cannot respond to dial pulses once you
have connected through the phone system to them. Many still say "Press
X for such and such .... . Or stay on the line to be answered
(Hopefully by a real live human being!!!!!).

BTW: Have seen one or two phone oddities from time to time. There was
one European phone that had 12 rotary dial numbers on it. Also the
standard speed of the dial pulses in North America and the UK used to
be/is ten pulses per second. So it takes one second to dial zero! Old
style rotary dial payphones outside sometimes used get pretty slow in
cold weather and below about eight pulse per second the telephone
equipment in the nice warm telephone building would misdial and one
could get wrong numbers. And lose the money inserted! So sometimes one
needed to push the dial back round to get enough speed.

Also the ratio of make/break of the dial pulses was slightly different
in different countries. Recalling in the UK each pulse around 66%
break, 34% make. In North America it was IIRC closer to 70% break etc.

So if this is some unusual manufacture of phone from say
Chechloslovakia, or some made up abomination of a 'fake vintage' phone
made in Taiwan or somewhere, expect anything in way of performance on
a standard North American telephone connection! Which is, btw, why, at
one time, Bell System and other companies discouraged the installation/
connection of 'other' phones to their lines; too many problems and
trouble calls!

Oh. BTW don't think a rotary dial phone will work on any of the VOIP
(internet connected) services such as Skype!!!!!!