Talk:Model 302 telephone

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Date of Final Manufacture

I have a 302 whose parts all date from 1949; hence, I have changed the terminal date from 1948 to 1949. Gamahucheur 03:56, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Actually, some 302s were made well into the 1950s, usually for special purposes. I have a hotel model from 1952.  ProhibitOnions  ^(T) 16:36, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Ultimate Combination?

I suggest that if-and-when there are a fair number of articles on the various models of subscriber sets, there be a merging into a single, larger article, which individual model pages becoming redirects. —Gamahucheur 06:54, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

Picture

I dispute the description of the picture. To me, that does not look like an authentic Western Electric 302. In particular, I notice that the fingerstop is at the 5 o'clock position (as Automatic Electric used), rather than the 3 o'clock position that was typical for Western Electric.

Well, that's what it is (I am the dfsfsdfsdfsdssdfdsfsdfdfsowner of the phone), although it has an Automatic Electric dial, as this was probably a military-spec phone and they required AE dials for whatever reason. If you have a picture of one with a WE dial, please upload it; I own a couple of these, though they're on the other side of the Atlantic from me at the moment.  ProhibitOnions  ^(T) 16:35, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

This phone strongly resembles the Federal Telephone & Radio model 802, which is very close to the 302, cosmetically. Apart from the AE dial, you can confirm it to be the FT&R model if the cords for the handset and for the line both come out the rear of the base. On the WE 302, the handset cord comes out the side, while the line cord comes out the rear. Delbert Grady 16:55, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I think you mean the FTR model 803, but yes, that phone pictured is definitely the FTR model and not the WECO model. The military loved to buy FTR (and later Cortelco... same parent company: ITT) phones as they were marketed as being much more sturdy than the Western Electric. Hard to believe, I know, but FTR did go to such lengths with the 803 as sealing the induction coil inside a bakelite case inside, covering all exposed internal wires, supplying dust-covers for the dial plate, etc. Saturn 5 20:54, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

When did coiled handset cords first appear?

Does anyone know when coiled handset cords were first available?

BMJ-pdx (talk) 15:29, 7 August 2017 (UTC)