5 ms·

Using a 1965 Dutch rotary phone via VoIP

77 points by jandeboevrie 2y ago

gpvos 2y ago
dup of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40689341 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40689341
rotaryfan2024 2y ago
My experience in trying to reproduce one of these rotary VoIP write-ups that make the front page is that the authors tend to leave out some critical piece of their network/general setup that would allow others to reproduce. So in the end, good, interesting write ups but your mileage may vary in trying to reproduce.
- mnutt 2y ago
  As the author of a different VoIP write-up that made the front page, you're not wrong. There's a lot of variance across home networks, and SIP behind a NAT can be incredibly painful to get working correctly.
- jandeboevrie 2y ago
  Using the VoIP credentials of my ISP in the Fritz!Box or ATA and nothing else. (which they must provide since The Netherlands has free modem choice: https://web.archive.org/web/20230921231725/https://www.acm.nl/en/publications/consumers-and-businesses-are-allowed-choose-their-own-modems https://web.archive.org/web/20230921231725/https://www.acm.n...), no other setup involved, no port forwarding, etc.
- aftbit 2y ago
  If you can build a PC or configure a consumer router, you can set up an ATA. Just make sure to buy the right ATA (one that supports pulse dial). Then find a half-way decent VoIP provider.
isoprophlex 2y ago
That's very cool, but a lot of effort; I just want one of those with a 3.5mm jack plug, so I can do video calls by speaking into a 70 year old bakelite earpiece, haha. Does anyone know if the electronics in these old phones will allow me to just wire up a 3.5mm cable to the receiver? Or will this need some active amplification?
- peetee22 2y ago
  A lot of folks in the vintage/retro telephone community I’m in seem to like these pick-up coils. I bought one (they’re cheap, low risk purchase) but haven’t used it yet. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034I75IK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034I75IK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...
  - euroderf 2y ago
    Hah, I remember using one of these with a small reel-to-reel. In principle it should work for video calls by sticking it to your computer, yes ? The sound quality might leave something to be desired.
- da768 2y ago
  There are adapters for handsets on Amazon, but interfacing to a phone could be harder as you have to provide DC power and deal with duplex audio on a single pair. If you're only using it as a mic, a 9v battery, resistor and decoupling capacitor might work. An easier way could be to join the conference audio through SIP.
  - pokeymcsnatch 2y ago
    Coupling capacitor, not decoupling, right? You want the AC signal and want to block DC.
    - da768 2y ago
      Yes, I stand corrected.
fnord77 2y ago
> The rotary dialing is what makes the old phones fun, I saw this and thought that I must have gotten really annoyed at the slowness of rotary dialing... But then really thinking about it I don't think I ever did. Life was just slower back then.
- jillesvangurp 2y ago
  Most local numbers were short and people developed a muscle memory for numbers they dialed frequently. Somewhere in the eighties we got phones with a memory for speed dialing. I think it's still called dialing a number even though that's not been a thing for a few decades. Anyway, we had this exact model in our house when I was a kid in the seventies and eighties. The PTT (now KPN) had a monopoly on phone lines and rented out this model; so they were everywhere. Eventually newer models with keypads and memory functions came and the market opened up with more providers and different models. But that took quite some time to happen.
- WesolyKubeczek 2y ago
  Then you listen to "Alpha" by Vangelis and shed a tear. Or three.
- JJMcJ 2y ago
  Rotary was fine until the first time I used Touch-Tone, as AT&T called it. I also remember the old Western Electric 500 and its touch tone younger brother, the 2500. Those were phones that were built to last: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Model500Telephone1951.jpg/888px-Model500Telephone1951.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Mo...
creeble 2y ago
My Grandstream HT500 ATA handles (US/Bell) pulse dialing. I don't think they make it any more, but they can be found on eBay. It was fun when our kids had friends over (before every kid had a cell phone) and they wanted to call home. We'd point them to the dial phone and watch their confused faces.
jmkb 2y ago
I grew up with rotary phones, and dialing (on a physical dial) really was fun. Disassembling my first junk phone and playing with the rotary relay was even more fun. But the best was learning to dial numbers by manually pulsing the switch on the handset cradle. Timing was tricky but luckily there was some leeway. (And it helped that phone numbers were shorter then.)
- mhandley 2y ago
  Dialing by tapping the cradle switch to produce your own pulses was very useful once upon a time - it allowed you to bypass the dial lock that some places fitted to allow incoming calls only. Some people who shall remain anonymous got quite good at it.

77 points by jandeboevrie 2y ago

dup of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40689341 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40689341

rotaryfan2024 2y ago

My experience in trying to reproduce one of these rotary VoIP write-ups that make the front page is that the authors tend to leave out some critical piece of their network/general setup that would allow others to reproduce. So in the end, good, interesting write ups but your mileage may vary in trying to reproduce.

mnutt 2y ago
As the author of a different VoIP write-up that made the front page, you're not wrong. There's a lot of variance across home networks, and SIP behind a NAT can be incredibly painful to get working correctly.
jandeboevrie 2y ago
Using the VoIP credentials of my ISP in the Fritz!Box or ATA and nothing else. (which they must provide since The Netherlands has free modem choice: https://web.archive.org/web/20230921231725/https://www.acm.nl/en/publications/consumers-and-businesses-are-allowed-choose-their-own-modems https://web.archive.org/web/20230921231725/https://www.acm.n...), no other setup involved, no port forwarding, etc.
aftbit 2y ago
If you can build a PC or configure a consumer router, you can set up an ATA. Just make sure to buy the right ATA (one that supports pulse dial). Then find a half-way decent VoIP provider.

isoprophlex 2y ago

That's very cool, but a lot of effort; I just want one of those with a 3.5mm jack plug, so I can do video calls by speaking into a 70 year old bakelite earpiece, haha. Does anyone know if the electronics in these old phones will allow me to just wire up a 3.5mm cable to the receiver? Or will this need some active amplification?

peetee22 2y ago
A lot of folks in the vintage/retro telephone community I’m in seem to like these pick-up coils. I bought one (they’re cheap, low risk purchase) but haven’t used it yet. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034I75IK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034I75IK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...
- euroderf 2y ago
  Hah, I remember using one of these with a small reel-to-reel. In principle it should work for video calls by sticking it to your computer, yes ? The sound quality might leave something to be desired.
da768 2y ago
There are adapters for handsets on Amazon, but interfacing to a phone could be harder as you have to provide DC power and deal with duplex audio on a single pair. If you're only using it as a mic, a 9v battery, resistor and decoupling capacitor might work. An easier way could be to join the conference audio through SIP.
- pokeymcsnatch 2y ago
  Coupling capacitor, not decoupling, right? You want the AC signal and want to block DC.
  - da768 2y ago
    Yes, I stand corrected.

fnord77 2y ago

> The rotary dialing is what makes the old phones fun, I saw this and thought that I must have gotten really annoyed at the slowness of rotary dialing... But then really thinking about it I don't think I ever did. Life was just slower back then.

jillesvangurp 2y ago
Most local numbers were short and people developed a muscle memory for numbers they dialed frequently. Somewhere in the eighties we got phones with a memory for speed dialing. I think it's still called dialing a number even though that's not been a thing for a few decades. Anyway, we had this exact model in our house when I was a kid in the seventies and eighties. The PTT (now KPN) had a monopoly on phone lines and rented out this model; so they were everywhere. Eventually newer models with keypads and memory functions came and the market opened up with more providers and different models. But that took quite some time to happen.
WesolyKubeczek 2y ago
Then you listen to "Alpha" by Vangelis and shed a tear. Or three.
JJMcJ 2y ago
Rotary was fine until the first time I used Touch-Tone, as AT&T called it. I also remember the old Western Electric 500 and its touch tone younger brother, the 2500. Those were phones that were built to last: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Model500Telephone1951.jpg/888px-Model500Telephone1951.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Mo...

creeble 2y ago

My Grandstream HT500 ATA handles (US/Bell) pulse dialing. I don't think they make it any more, but they can be found on eBay. It was fun when our kids had friends over (before every kid had a cell phone) and they wanted to call home. We'd point them to the dial phone and watch their confused faces.

jmkb 2y ago

I grew up with rotary phones, and dialing (on a physical dial) really was fun. Disassembling my first junk phone and playing with the rotary relay was even more fun. But the best was learning to dial numbers by manually pulsing the switch on the handset cradle. Timing was tricky but luckily there was some leeway. (And it helped that phone numbers were shorter then.)

mhandley 2y ago
Dialing by tapping the cradle switch to produce your own pulses was very useful once upon a time - it allowed you to bypass the dial lock that some places fitted to allow incoming calls only. Some people who shall remain anonymous got quite good at it.