Trouble is, they won’t work on today’s phone system. It will answer a call, but can’t call out because the system is only touch tone now. Rotary dials worked by interrupting the circuit very fast indicating the number being dialed. It was a hardware solution. Now the system is totally digital and won’t recognize rotary dials.
And one of the ultimate throw backs in language, at least in American English: We “dial” phone numbers even though we push buttons on a modern phone. What else would we say? Push the phone buttons. The word dial works great.
I can go one better, Fred. I remember that my grandparents still had a CRANK phone – you turned the crank on the side and asked the operator to connect you. This was in a rural area. They were connected to a party line, as well.
I well remember this from when I was a teenager. We had a phone on the wall but the cord was never long enough and I wanted to talk and cook at the same time but the cord wouldn’t reach and it was hard to hold it against my shoulder anyway so I could use both hands. When I think of the technological advances since then and now I’m really amazed. What will they come up with in the next 30 years?
streetlight2L: You could say “phone” (as a verb) whatever number, or “call”, but no one would use thee terms. I am too busy “taping” a TV program I might otherwise miss (onto a tiny printed circuit).
jimgamer over 10 years ago
Back in the old days ???? 8^)
IndyMan over 10 years ago
I prefer mine hanging on the wall.
juicebruce over 10 years ago
Strange how things have changed in the last decade.
stlmaddog5 over 10 years ago
Trouble is, they won’t work on today’s phone system. It will answer a call, but can’t call out because the system is only touch tone now. Rotary dials worked by interrupting the circuit very fast indicating the number being dialed. It was a hardware solution. Now the system is totally digital and won’t recognize rotary dials.
stlmaddog5 over 10 years ago
http://www.oldphoneworks.com/rotatone-pulse-to-tone-converter.html
Streetlight2 over 10 years ago
And one of the ultimate throw backs in language, at least in American English: We “dial” phone numbers even though we push buttons on a modern phone. What else would we say? Push the phone buttons. The word dial works great.
neverenoughgold over 10 years ago
What? Antique?.Where’s the antique?
pauljmsn over 10 years ago
I can go one better, Fred. I remember that my grandparents still had a CRANK phone – you turned the crank on the side and asked the operator to connect you. This was in a rural area. They were connected to a party line, as well.
alondra over 10 years ago
I well remember this from when I was a teenager. We had a phone on the wall but the cord was never long enough and I wanted to talk and cook at the same time but the cord wouldn’t reach and it was hard to hold it against my shoulder anyway so I could use both hands. When I think of the technological advances since then and now I’m really amazed. What will they come up with in the next 30 years?
hippogriff over 10 years ago
streetlight2L: You could say “phone” (as a verb) whatever number, or “call”, but no one would use thee terms. I am too busy “taping” a TV program I might otherwise miss (onto a tiny printed circuit).