Rotary Phone Doesn't Ring

Never heard of a rotary phone with a battery to help the ringer. Are you absolutely sure that it has a battery inside? Most likely problem is that the ringer has been disconnected to either reduce the ringer load on the line or to prevent its detection by the phone company. Check to see if there are any loose wires inside the phone. Chances are that may be the problem. If the G-type is similar to the standard 500 model phone, and follows the same color codes, you should be able to find a schematic on the web. If you can't find it, I can send one to you. You might also have a problem with the hookswitch. There is a contact on the hookswitch that completes the ringer circuit when on-hook, and opens it when the phone goes off-hook.

--
Dave M
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Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time!!
 wrote in message 
news:1135548631.932990.14760@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I recently purchased a Northern Telecom G-Type rotary phone from the
> 70's. It doesn't ring when a call comes in.
>
> I opened it up, but not sure if that is the problem with the magnets or
> with the battery that seems to be boosting the signal to power the
> ringer.
>
> any ideas?
> Anil Panguluri
>

How have you wired it up? As I recall, it's not just 2 wires for some of those phones to get the ringer working.

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hey sam, i was wondering, do you have big nuts?

Here's a couple thoughts:

- What you think is a battery is probably the ringer series capacitor.

- In the 70's 2-party lines had the ring voltage(s) put tip-to-ground for one customer (tip party), and ring-to-ground for the second customer (ring party). In that manner, neither party heard the other's ring. Be sure your bell circuit is not connected to ground, but is across the line's tip and ring leads. This will be through the switchhook.

Don

Anil -

I had a similar problem with a 1950s Northern Electric phone, until I remember that it was originally on a party line (office/house) - which had a different ring frequency.

Steve Hilsz at Antique Telephone Repair in Salome, AZ repaired a damaged rotary dial and found the correct ringer. I have been pleased with Steve's service through the years

He has telephone information pages

Ralph O. Meyer has written books on this subject, and has a web site

Want an authentic cloth covered cord - like Western Electric use to make, see Odis W. LeVrier at House of Telephones in San Angelo, Texas.

He purchased the 1930/1940s vintage braiding machines that made these cords !!

Greg w9gb

There are no batteries in standard 500-type phones. You're probably looking at the DC blocking cap for the ringer itself.

Although it's aimed mainly at Western Electric sets, this may help, as there was a great deal of commonality between the Canadian and WeCo equipment.

Fascinating site anyway...

Happy tweaking.

--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
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with surreal ports?"

. Possible that it was a different frequency ringer. There were/are telephone systems in use that employed several different ringing frequencies. That form of ringing system was sometimes, not quite accurately, called 'Harmonic Ringing'. In one system up to five different ring frequencies could be used; for example, 16.6 cycle, 25 cycle 33.3 cycle 50 cycle and 66 cycle. Using that method all the phone customers on that same line would have the same number but the suffix, which was originally a letter, would be different. The phone ringers were electrically and mechanically tuned to their frequency. The weight on the ringer arm of say the 16.6 cycle was noticeably bulkier and heavier than that on other frequency ringers. At one time, for example, our phone number, on a four party line, was

579-2567 A; the 'A' denoting that our ringer frequency was 33.3 cycles. The advantage was that although it was a party line there was secrecy of ringing. Another feature was that by sending ringing out over the line 'to ground' it was possible in some administrations to have up to ten different parties on a line (usually long rural lines); using the five different frequencies of ringing to ground, one each side (Tip/Ring) of a single pair party line. Another possibility is that the OPs phone was non frequency specific but is still wired as a 'party' line customer's phone from a telephone system that used one frequency of ringing, usually around 20 hertz! Or that the ringer is merely disconnected either to avoid too many ringers on the one line, especially very long lines from the telephone exchange, or because a previous customer wanted it that way. I may have circuit diagram for that phone in an old telephone company handbook and tomorrow (after Christmas) will see if can find it. Cheers. The other Terry S!

I am not sure if it is a battery, but it does look like one - a big block with leads going into the dial, ringer, etc. probably something that would boost the incoming/outgoing signal into ringer/voice, etc. i will try to post a picture of it soon.

Beautiful. Yes, the solution shown at

works like a charm. Thanks Dr. Squeegee.

The exact link is

Note that there may be a 'fat' black wire and a few 'thin' black wire. move the 'fat' one. probably disconnect the phone from the wall to ensure you don't fry anything by accidental contact.