Folks,
Just an FYI, the IEEE in it's Proceedings Journal as part of the STARS history series, just published an artilcle on the history of telephone sets. It can be accessed at:
E. Tappert
Interesting article, thanks for posting it.
A side note about the model 302 set. When the 500 set came out in the early
1950s, the Bell System found itself with an idle inventory of perfectly good 302 sets. Customers wanted the more modern set. To utilize them, they created a case that looked like the newer 500 set, but was actually a 302 set, and installed them in service. But plenty of regular 302 sets (and the wall version, 354), remained in service through the 1960s.Also, the "F" handset of the 302 set was often used to replace the E handset on the older 202 sets. The F handset offered superior sound quality.
The sound quality of a 302 set in good condition is almost as good as that of a 500 set. However, the heavy handset is tiring to hold in a long conversation, and the ringer, while pleasant, was fixed in a loud position (the 500 set ringer is adjustable).
A 302 will work on a regular landline today. But I wonder how long exchanges will continue to accept rotary-pulse dialed calls.
In a recent high-fashion ad series by a Manhasset, NY upscale mall, lines such as Tiffany and Jimmy Choo had a 302 set as part of the photograph. In one, a model wearing a Tiffany bracelet is placing a call on a 302 set.
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