Help needed re: rotary dial phone and telewest/virgin phone line?

Question

I would like to get an old style 1970's rotary dial phone but on every website i look it says they don't support telewest or virgin phone line. I understand the whole plse/ tone issue but would like to know if the phone would work at all or does it just not ring or what would happen if I plugged one of these phones into my virgin line? Has anyone out there got one of these phones and a virgin line and can tell me what will happen?

Answer 1

You will get a dial tone when you pick it up, and can hear people and talk to them if they call you, but you won't be able to dial out to reach anybody.  This is most systems that only support touchtone now.  There are still a few rotary phones out there so some systems still support it.

Answer 2

Won't work, I'm afraid.  There are quite a few rotary-dial style phones out there, which actually have the push buttons of a modern phone but set in the old style.

Answer 3

I am afraid that you are stuck with an ugly modern phone like we are, ugh BT made some horrors in their day the Berkshire 200 is possibly the worst, but we have an old 1920s "candlestick" phone that looks nice in the place where the phone should be and hide the one that actually works in a drawer.  You do need the touch tone keys I am afraid and I am not aware of a company that has managed to achieve this with an old rotary dial phone.

Answer 4

Quite simply it will not work on Telewest or Virgin for dialling as they use MF tone dialling

However it will ring and you will be able to speak on it if it is in a working condition

Answer 5

you need a pulse to tone converter

http://telsoftdirect.com/index.asp?PageA...

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=pulse+t...

Answer 6

Certainly you will not be able to use rotary pulse dialling on a digital phone line. The rotary dial requires an incoming voltage from the exchange which is returned to the Strowger or number selectors in a series of "make/break" pulses. A Digital system has no equipment that provides the voltage or can respond to the rotary make/break pulses to generate a number.

These rotary dials are considerably slower (and more expensive and mechanically complex)  than the modern  DTMF, selectors used in digital switching.

Then there is the separate issue of your old analogue phone needing to be equipped with an analogue to digital converter, and also a digital to analogue converter.  

However, it would be possible to use a small piece of equipment that will convert your pulse dialler to digital signalling and interface with a digital system.

Unfortunately, having said that, I am not actually aware of any providers of such equipment. Likely this has a lot to do with the fact that there really is no advantage in continuing the use of this mechanical equipment other than for sentimental reasons.

The systems are quite incompatible, unless you can find a friendly amateur electronics "fiddler" willing to construct the necessary interfaces.

Answer 7

Not compatable. You need a PSTN (copper) line, not a cable (fibre optic) to work a dial phone. Older phones can also be annoying when going thru automated options, press #, is very difficult if your phone doesn't have one. Repro. phones might give you both the look and the technology. Good luck.