Befuddled by a Rotary Phone

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Originally Posted by Headworx

Yes, pick up the ear piece and if nobody was talking you turned the handle a few times and waited for the operator to come on and ask who you wanted to reach. Our number was 37U, and 3 shorts and a long on the party-line meant the call was for us

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Got it. Send the man a TD amulet. My mom was the local telephone operator. Great job. She had all the dirt on the entire town. :)

My father always claimed we had the first phone in the village, something I've since doubted but I'll never forget the number, 365. Such excitement.

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Originally Posted by Norton

Got it. Send the man a TD amulet. My mom was the local telephone operator. Great job. She had all the dirt on the entire town. :)

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Cool :p. I forgot one part of the process, at the end of a call you gave the handle 4 or 5 short turns so everyone else on that line knew it was free again. And yeah, for sure every operator knew everybody's business!.

^ I didnt realise you were so fukkin old

Did you use a slate at school?:)

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Originally Posted by Dillinger

Did you use a slate at school?

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We had dip pen and ink well. Nary a ball point pen to be had.

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Originally Posted by Dillinger

^ I didnt realise you were so fukkin old

Did you use a slate at school?:)

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Not really old, but *technology* like party-lines were still common in remote rural locations till not so long ago.