Grumble Thread

[Serial_Apologist]

Or the old candlestick handset where you just unhooked the receiver and waited until an operator spoke to you. ("This is Nailsea 193. Can I have Bristol 46xxx, please?") Trunk calls might take rather longer to connect, though. In fact I'm not sure that they didn't have to be booked ...

Do you remember the other type of phone that looked like a convention phone, but in place of the dial was a circular centre feature for displaying its phone number? I remember as a small child asking my mum, "How does one dial up to make a call?" "You don't have to, dear - you just lift the receiver and wait for the operator to ask what number you want to phone - 'Number please?' - and the lady [usually a lady from memory] at the exchange dials if for you". I think they were eventually phased out, or restricted to people employing a private telephone service - one of which played an important role in the 1971 film "Sunday Bloody Sunday" with Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson.

[french frank]

Do you remember the other type of phone that looked like a convention phone, but in place of the dial was a circular centre feature for displaying its phone number? I remember as a small child asking my mum, "How does one dial up to make a call?" "You don't have to, dear - you just lift the receiver and wait for the operator to ask what number you want to phone - 'Number please?' - and the lady [usually a lady from memory] at the exchange dials if for you". I think they were eventually phased out, or restricted to people employing a private telephone service - one of which played an important role in the 1971 film "Sunday Bloody Sunday" with Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson.

This is most like the one we had (no dial):


Available approx from 1912 -1946. About right as it was in the house when the family moved there in 1947.

[smittims]

I believe there's a 1930s GPO film explaining the transition from the fully- manual exchange to the semi-automated one. One still had to ask for 'trunks' to make a long-distance call. An interesting book could be (mabe has been ) written on the old Telephone system. Remember when you sometimes got a 'crossed line' and heard someone else's call?

[kernelbogey]

Or the old candlestick handset where you just unhooked the receiver and waited until an operator spoke to you. ("This is Nailsea 193. Can I have Bristol 46xxx, please?") Trunk calls might take rather longer to connect, though. In fact I'm not sure that they didn't have to be booked ...

I can remember making phone calls to potential holiday homes (sometimes crofts) in the Western Highlands in the very early 1970s: I heard a series of operators talking to each other, passing on the requested phone number like a relay baton until I finally heard the ringing tone for Gairloch 24 (of whatever) sounding.

[oddoneout]

I believe there's a 1930s GPO film explaining the transition from the fully- manual exchange to the semi-automated one. One still had to ask for 'trunks' to make a long-distance call. An interesting book could be (mabe has been ) written on the old Telephone system. Remember when you sometimes got a 'crossed line' and heard someone else's call?

Party lines - waiting for the other subscriber to finish a call so you could make one...

[Old Grumpy]

Party lines - waiting for the other subscriber to finish a call so you could make one...

Perhaps we're going back there now when you have to wait until your kids have finished gaming before you can use your VoIP phone!

[oddoneout]

Perhaps we're going back there now when you have to wait until your kids have finished gaming before you can use your VoIP phone!

Cos everyone's got a mobile innit?

[Dave2002]

Party lines - waiting for the other subscriber to finish a call so you could make one...

There was that - but I think the technology sometimes went wrong and several conversations got crossed. One of our first phones was a party line - mostly wasn't a problem, though I used to use the phone in the phone box at the end of our road quite often. I suspect that's gone now.

[Old Grumpy]

Presumably the few residual phone boxes with phones in will demise too.

[Dave2002]

More info here.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls

As you say power cuts are a problem, even more so for those who don't have alternatives - for whatever reason - such as a mobile phone. There are also question marks over how well the switchover will be handled for those who have care related alarm call systems, and the power packs/batteries to keep a phone working during a power cut which apparently only last for about an hour.

We had a 20 minute black out a couple of days ago. There is a help line to ring to figure out how long each power outage is going to last, but of course that won't work here as most of our phones are the cordless variety, and require a signal from a powered base station.

At the moment it is still possible to get contact with the outside world as we have an old style plug in phone, which should work if plugged into the master socket. Unfortunately it only works if all the other phones and base stations are disconnected, and doing that in the dark is not really a good option.

Mobile phones - if charged up - may allow connection with the outside world - though there we face another problem as often the mobile reception is also "iffy".

We do have torches and camping lanterns to reduce the risks somewhat - and at least for heating we can revert to using logs. An extended power cut - and we have had some which lasted several hours - but at least not days - can be a pain, and sends me searching for batteries for portable radios, and even a boom box which can play CDs.

One option we could try is to install power batteries into our domestic power system - at some cost, but mostly those only provide enough power for a day or even only half a day. There have been some power outages in the frozen north - and even in the "affluent" south, which have gone on for weeks.

So the phone "upgrade" is not necessarily going to be very helpful for everyone.

[Dave2002]

Well, in the case of the switch to DAB+, a cynic might argue that the aim is to increase sales of DAB+ radios. There's a general tendency to think that. because something is technologically possible, its value must be proved by exploiting it for commercial gain while pretending that it's a good thing for society.

Isn't the real "reason" so as to squeeze more trashy stations delivering "content" in lowish quality sound into the broadcast space, and to provide more opportunities for advertising products and services you maybe don't really need - so not actually radio sales - but other products?

[Dave2002]

Just spotted a new "oddity". Some London Overground lines are to be renamed/rebranded - at a cost of over £6 miillion.

Does that really make sense? Not sure.

[Pulcinella]

Just spotted a new "oddity". Some London Overground lines are to be renamed/rebranded - at a cost of over £6 miillion.

Does that really make sense? Not sure.

Golly: news really does take a while to reach you.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/15/london-overground-new-names-and-colours-for-six-lines-revealed

[LHC]

Just spotted a new "oddity". Some London Overground lines are to be renamed/rebranded - at a cost of over £6 miillion.

Does that really make sense? Not sure.

Giving the disparate and largely unconnected London Overground lines their own names is actually a very sensible decision and should make them much easier to navigate as part of the overall TFL transport network.

I'm not convinced by all the names chosen, but we'll have to see how they work once in service.

You might find this helpful in explaining some of the background to the names (and hopefully amusing too)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD0kq77xiPE

[smittims]

Since I don't expect to travel on any of these lines and I'm not paying part of the 6 million pounds it could be said that it's none of my business. But my opinion, or reaction, is that it's a waste of money. I agree with the voice on the video who suggested it's 'a short-term attempt at populism'. None of the groups from whom the names originate had anything specific to do with railways. I think its just another assertion of political-correctness, like filling adverts with afro-caribbean people as a pretence that 'we care about BLM'. It would have been better simply to number the lines. There's never been felt a need to name , say ,the Crewe to Manchester line.