Remember the 1980's?

[Welly]

My first job was working for a very successful construction contractor in the late 80's and ALL the cars had phones I used to get the use of quite a few cars like a BMW 325i, Saab Turbo, Golf GTi, XR2's, Cav's, Sierras , and even a 2.0 Montego which went like a stabbed rat I was only 18/19 when this was going on so felt pretty cool even though for the most part I was running personal errands for the bosses like taking the car for a wash/service, dropping them off at a piss-up, taking them home after a piss-up and driving back to the office on a Friday afternoon from the pub piss-up so they could sober-up enough to get themselves home later on

The key to being a successful business motorway driver was all in the technique back then.......sit right on their bumper with your right-turn indicator going then if you worked in construction you could place your 'helmet' on the rear parcel shelf to alert others to your manliness in a no-nonsense busy man kinda way

There was also the GL/L etiquette.......if your were charging down the motorway and a Cavalier came up behind you with Colour-Coded bumpers then that meant it was a GL with the 2.0 engine and you had to move over to let this better person past in fact back then cars were ALL about aspirations, you started with the bob-basic L version and looked on with admiration at those who could afford the GL or, dare I say, the Ghia version what came with 'electric mirrors' and everyfing

[steve_earwig]

That's a GPO 746.
Actually, is it a reproduction? The receiver is a funny shape, and there isn't a blanking plate where the on/off button goes, there are two extra holes after 0, the stop is the wrong shape, and the card in the centre looks funny.

A reproduction? Lord, what crap will they be reproducing next? What on off button? That was the earth calling button for party lines. Or something. Pfft, I never had to fix them, just widdle on the earth spike when they stopped working I was actually amazed to see one of them in an antiques shop when we were back in the UK - what's next, used Coke cans? I suppose this is the sort of thing you find as you get older, cheap tat that was once commonplace suddenly becoming rare antiques.

Btw the originals were quite robust, the internals being mostly made out of metal, the later ones were just plastic with metal contacts, cheap tat My dad had one of the first trim phones (with the luminous dial, no less) because he was on call outs for the GPO, as it was then. My nan used to have one of those bakalite jobbies with a metal dial

Actually, I'm surprised they still work, I thought they'd have turned off pulse dialling by now.

My bro used to have to carry about one of the first mobile phones, with the carry box and handset on a lead. Being a bit of a luddite I resisted mobile phones (just like I did computers) until about 2000 when I was given one at work. Not that I didn't put up a fight...

[TooT]

There was also the GL/L etiquette.......if your were charging down the motorway and a Cavalier came up behind you with Colour-Coded bumpers then that meant it was a GL with the 2.0 engine and you had to move over to let this better person past in fact back then cars were ALL about aspirations, you started with the bob-basic L version and looked on with admiration at those who could afford the GL or, dare I say, the Ghia version what came with 'electric mirrors' and everyfing

Wasn't this on a TV series about reps? It rings a bell with me. I seem to remember a quote from one of the reps saying if a Cavalier comes up behind him in the third lane with wipers on the lights it was an SRI so had to let him past. Sad git

[FarmerPug]

it was simpler back then knowing what was the better car, today some companies dont even have trim levels

about the old phone there is 2 of them in our attic a green one and a black one they are both really heavy an the ringer sounds like a school bell. one was used until recently but dialing out on them is an absolute pain in the arse especially if you make a mistake, and with all these companies phone systems using numeic menus (eg press 1 for customer services) the rotary phone just doesnt work you can spin the disk to one but it doesnt get recgonised.

[Doggy]

There was also the GL/L etiquette.......if your were charging down the motorway and a Cavalier came up behind you with Colour-Coded bumpers then that meant it was a GL with the 2.0 engine and you had to move over to let this better person past in fact back then cars were ALL about aspirations, you started with the bob-basic L version and looked on with admiration at those who could afford the GL or, dare I say, the Ghia version what came with 'electric mirrors' and everyfing

I always assumed the alphabet soup applied to Cavaliers related to their legendary ability to burn oil, e.g.

GL: Gobbles Lubricant
GLS: Gobbles Lubricant & Smokes
GLSI: Gobbles Lubricant, Smokes Incessantly
SRI: Smokey Rust Inhibitor
CD: Converting to Diesel
LD: Legitimate Diesel

etc.

[FarmerPug]

There was also the GL/L etiquette.......if your were charging down the motorway and a Cavalier came up behind you with Colour-Coded bumpers then that meant it was a GL with the 2.0 engine and you had to move over to let this better person past in fact back then cars were ALL about aspirations, you started with the bob-basic L version and looked on with admiration at those who could afford the GL or, dare I say, the Ghia version what came with 'electric mirrors' and everyfing

I always assumed the alphabet soup applied to Cavaliers related to their legendary ability to burn oil, e.g.

GL: Gobbles Lubricant
GLS: Gobbles Lubricant & Smokes
GLSI: Gobbles Lubricant, Smokes Incessantly
SRI: Smokey Rust Inhibitor
CD: Converting to Diesel
LD: Legitimate Diesel

etc.

the old vauxhall naming worked better than the shitty names they put on their cars now like club, envoy, design, life and elegance.

[rwb]

...What on off button?...

The sticky-up bit on top in front of the receiver http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORIGINAL-GPO- ... 336ddefbae

I have a black one that came from an office building in Birmingham on which this is a button that disables the ringer.
I really like these telephones; they have a pleasing ring and the receiver is really comfortable and easy to balance on your shoulder.


I think I remember that program TooT. I remember something about the importance of the i, and Rabbit phones.

[steve_earwig]

I think the button had a few different functions, depending on what it was being used for. I mainly saw them on party lines so that's what I remember best.

Ah, the days before headsets (and the neck injuries...)

[trem1]

I think the button had a few different functions, depending on what it was being used for. I mainly saw them on party lines so that's what I remember best.

Ah, the days before headsets (and the neck injuries...)

party lines havnt heard that term in ages, we used to have a party line with someone over the road if you picked the phone up you could listen to there conversation

[steve_earwig]

There were a few about when I first joined BT but they were all replaced with DACS (no, not ducks )

[steve_earwig]

I almost forgot:

My nan used to have one of those bakalite jobbies with a metal dial

My dad still has this I think it'll be one of these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPO_telephones#232_Type

Good old Wiki

Oh look

The 700 series was able to have between one to six additional buttons fitted; these could be used for many purposes, of which the earliest was for seizing the line and getting Dial Tone for subscribers on Shared Service (party lines).