I have a lovely vintage red GPO 746 phone which is sadly not compatible with modern systems.
I also have a repro 746 that is compatible (it has * & # keys) but doesn't feel as sturdy as the original, nor look or sound as good.
Does anybody know if it's feasible to put the modern innards into the vintage shell? Or know if such a thing is available already?
Many thanks,
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Have a look here https://www.antiquetelephones.co.uk/index.html
Customer 'Farkinhell' was less than impressed...Originally Posted by Chris_in_the_UK
"I bought this reproduction 746 from Amazon which looked great in the photos. When it arrived it was the nastiest piece of tat I have ever seen and It didn't even work properly - if someone rang and you lifted the handset it kept ringing. Bit of a major fault! Bit on top of that it was mader of horrible plastic, the "ring" was pathetic, it weighed so little that it was impossible to dial, the rotary movement was nothing like the original, and it was generally just awful. Even the wires for both the handset and the telephone line went into sockets underneath the phone, which not only looked ridiculous, but meant that it didn't sit on the surface very well. I sent it straight back to Amazon for a refund. I was really upset, because I REALLY wanted one of these. But then I found Abdy Retro. I bought one of their genuine refurbished and re-cased 746's from them and I LOVE IT! <3 <3 It takes me back to when I was a child. The weight is right, (about 3 times the weight of the cheap Chinese import), the colour is right, the movement of the rotary dial is especially right, and the ring... Oh! That ring. Perfect! Don't buy one of these - you'll be disappointed. Check out Abdy Retro. Can recommend them highly enough."
Love me some good quality amazon review reading.
LOL - didn't see that!!
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
BT brought out the 8746 which is a version compatible with plug and socket. You can still pick them up or if you ar particularly fond of your 746 you could use the high impedance bell coils from the 8746 in your 746 and change the wiring straps to match the 8746.
I have the black verison of the GPO 200 Series, sadly its just a ornament now but this thread has made me think i'd like to get it up and running...
My mother has green one and the red one of the same model and i think her's is fully working or used to a few years ago...
Rather than mess with a classic I’d be inclined to use an external pulse to DTMF converter assuming that the innards are sound. You could use a DTMF generator if you want the # facility.
Last edited by Mr Curta; 2nd August 2020 at 15:27.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/227-A-196....c100752.m1982
So would this sort of thing work on a 'normal' BT line? Loving the idea of a retro phone in a modern office.
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