[Telecom] Seeking info on Model 200 Universal Hold Device

If it's the one I'm thinking of... it let you have multiple single line phones and retrofit in a "hold" function by doing something like the following:

a: have your three (let's say) phones hooked up to three regular rj-11 outlets (or even hardwired).

b: wire this box in as well.

c: when you've got a call you want to put on hold so you can move to another phone:

1: tell the person you're putting the call on hold 2: flash the switchhook ?twice? 3: the box "hears" this, sends a short warble tone across, and places a "bridge" on the line to "hold" it active 4: hang up your phone, walk to second, and lift.

- or I could be totally wrong...

That is indeed what it does. It puts a 1K or so load across the phone line and holds it as long as the line voltage stays above a certain limit. You hold the button down and hang the phone up, and the load from the box keeps the phone off-hook. When you pick another phone up, the additional load drops the line voltage, and the SCR inside the hold box opens up and removes the load.

--scott

That sounds right, I'll give it a try, but there could be problems since I have call waiting and 3 way calling, hitting the hook switch could activate those functions. My Nortel phone has a link button so hitting the hook should not cause a problem. I don't have any real use for it since all my phone all have holds on them. Found a lot of other old stuff including Bell and GTE tech manuals for working on all kinds of telephone. Those I can use.

Thanks for the information

I used to have one and it worked quite well.

-- Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous for general use." Thomas Alva Edison