# rotary phone help? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304 "2012-02-19T04:29:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/21 "2012-02-20T02:58:06Z")
Have you tried another land line phone to confirm the wall jack is ok? Dial out and talk with someone to confirm they can hear you and you hear them. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/22 "2012-02-20T05:05:41Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Have you tried another land line phone to confirm the wall jack is ok? Dial out and talk with someone to confirm they can hear you and you hear them. If it dials and rings, the line and jack are okay. It’s the same two wires that do everything. The problem is clearly isolated to the microphone or the wiring from it to the base. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/23 "2012-02-20T05:20:57Z")
How is the handset connected to the base? On some old phones, it’s the same sort of jack as between the base and the wall, making it easy to swap out handsets. You might try that with a known-good handset and/or a known-good base. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/24 "2012-02-20T05:29:05Z")
If the picture in the OP is of the OP’s phone, it looks like the handset is plugged into the base with a modular jack. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/25 "2012-02-20T14:06:11Z")
[QUOTE=obbn] Former BellSouth tech here. [/QUOTE] Good to hear…we need more outside craft support here. 🙂 Ever support any Merlin Legend with rotary T/R stations? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/26 "2012-02-20T14:16:16Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The only issue is any automated phone menu systems that what you to press buttons. My dentist recently robo called to confirm my appointment and I needed to press “1” to confirm. I had to run to my primary phone and do that. In the UK they used to provide tone emitting thingummies for doing phone banking (?) that you could hold up to the microphone of your rotary phone. If anyone could work out what the hell they’re called you might be able to find one on eBay. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/27 "2012-02-20T14:27:53Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > You think that rotaries are gone forever? Hah! Just check out this cell phone, for the more elderly consumer. > > [http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/542/cellphone.jpg/](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/542/cellphone.jpg/) I would pay good money for a rotary dial cell phone. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/28 "2012-02-20T14:46:14Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Or you can just click the hangup hook, five quick clicks to dial 5 etc. I used to impress my friends by “dialing” this way, though I used the rotary for the large numbers: (Nine “quick” clicks was too likely to be interpreted as 7-2 or 8-1 as my finger got tired and hesitated.) > > I think Kennedy was President then, or perhaps Eisenhower. What do you do for zero? I’m not being a smartass, I really wonder. My best friend’s number growing up had not one but two zeros \*and \*a nine, and it took forever with a rotary phone! ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/29 "2012-02-20T14:53:08Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > What do you do for zero? I’m not being a smartass, I really wonder. My best friend’s number growing up had not one but two zeros \*and \*a nine, and it took forever with a rotary phone! Ten clicks. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/30 "2012-02-20T14:57:58Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > What do you do for zero? I’m not being a smartass, I really wonder. My best friend’s number growing up had not one but two zeros \*and \*a nine, and it took forever with a rotary phone! Yes, ten, but the more clicks you have to do manually, the greater your chances that they won’t be within the specs. The specs are generous, since the Central Office can’t be sure just how fast or perfect a customer’s dial mechanism is, but it has to have some limits. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/31 "2012-02-20T16:22:35Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Yes, ten, but the more clicks you have to do manually, the greater your chances that they won’t be within the specs. The specs are generous, since the Central Office can’t be sure just how fast or perfect a customer’s dial mechanism is, but it has to have some limits. Specifically, the US standard is supposed to be 8 to 10 pulses per second, with a 60/40 make/break ratio - that is, connected for 60% of the interval, disconnected for 40% of it. As you note, most switches will accept a large amount of deviation. Back when rotary dials were common, I remember a few people who were impatient with the speed the dial turned at, and would physically drag the dial back around faster than it was intended to go (often, these people also dialed by sticking a pencil in the hole). That they didn’t misdial all the time is an illustration of the amount of slop in the spec, as well as a testimony to the ruggedness of the mechanism in that they didn’t break it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/32 "2012-02-20T16:26:05Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Back when rotary dials were common, I remember a few people who were impatient with the speed the dial turned at, and would physically drag the dial back around faster than it was intended to go (often, these people also dialed by sticking a pencil in the hole). That they didn’t misdial all the time is an illustration of the amount of slop in the spec, as well as a testimony to the ruggedness of the mechanism in that they didn’t break it. Yes! I would do that with my friend’s “6090” number! I’m sure I couldn’t have tapped that accurately. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/33 "2012-02-20T16:32:17Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Speak louder. “Hello, Sarah? Gimme Hazel 4 3145.” ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/34 "2012-02-20T16:35:25Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > If the picture in the OP is of the OP’s phone, it looks like the handset is plugged into the base with a modular jack. I must respectfully disagree, assuming that the picture in the OP is indeed the phone in question. For one thing, a modular handset cord has a flatter cross-section; for another, the cord is definitely not plugged into the handset. If it were my phone I’d take the cover off the base (easily done by loosening two captive screws) and test continuity between the tabs in the handset and the corresponding wires in the base, then proceed accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/35 "2012-02-20T16:35:45Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Specifically, the US standard is supposed to be 8 to 10 pulses per second, with a 60/40 make/break ratio - that is, connected for 60% of the interval, disconnected for 40% of it. As you note, most switches will accept a large amount of deviation. > > Back when rotary dials were common, I remember a few people who were impatient with the speed the dial turned at, and would physically drag the dial back around faster than it was intended to go (often, these people also dialed by sticking a pencil in the hole). That they didn’t misdial all the time is an illustration of the amount of slop in the spec, as well as a testimony to the ruggedness of the mechanism in that they didn’t break it. i would think that the time variation between dragging the dial and that produced by a older weaker spring were allowed in the design of the system. phones were indeed engineered rugged, they were owned by the company and not intended to be replaced or serviced for decades of use. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/36 "2012-02-20T16:40:51Z")
the phone pictured in the OP does not appear to be modular. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/37 "2012-02-20T16:48:26Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion] I would pay good money for a rotary dial cell phone. [/QUOTE] [$299, and it’s yours.](http://www.sparkfun.com/products/287) ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/38 "2012-02-20T18:08:54Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > [$299, and it’s yours.](http://www.sparkfun.com/products/287) Oh I know about those, sadly Verizon does not use SIM cards. ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/39 "2012-02-20T18:17:44Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Or you can just click the hangup hook, five quick clicks to dial 5 etc… Damn! I used a rotary phone for the first 20+ years of my life and I never knew that! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304/40 "2012-02-20T18:20:55Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Good to hear…we need more outside craft support here. 🙂 Ever support any Merlin Legend with rotary T/R stations? I have installed a few Merlin systems many many years ago. Most of my time was spent in I&M in residential and then about 3 years in Coin, working on payphones. Unfortunately in 2003 I was up a pole and took a 20’ fall, broke my back and that was all she wrote. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss working in the field! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotary-phone-help/613304.md?page=3)