Old Rotary Phone with Cell Phone Bluetooth

[NicNicholas]

Hey everybody, name's Nic and I check this board every couple of weeks to read all of the interesting threads, but don't post very often. I've come tonight to seek an answer to a question I've had for quite a while.

I've got an old rotary phone (I'll post a pic when I get my camera working) that still works, however in my apartment I don't have a landline. I know there are systems out there where I can use my cellphone connected to some sort of Bluetooth device tethered to the rotary phone. The idea here is that when I get a call on my cell, the rotary phone would ring and I could receive and make calls through that phone. Does anybody have any experience with this?

Thanks a lot.

 

[sixties.nut]

Rotary to DTMF conversion

Hi NicNicholas,

Welcome! In order to get this to work with either MajicJack or Vonnage, you will need to build a converter that will take your rotary pulse and convert it to DTMF. That's just to start. You will then need to be able to power the rotary phone 24 volts talk and 110 to ring. It can be done with some effort on your part. You only need to forward the cell to your vonnage or MajicJack number.

this will get you started, I googled pulse to dtmf and found this article.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=836

It's been done, see if it's worth the extra effort. Keep us posted.

Regards,
sixties

 

[DapperDuck]

I have not seen a dongle that does what you want, but I have seen a place that sells modified rotary phones that do. Unfortunately it costs $200. It would be nice if they made a device that you could attach to any POTS phone. Search for "Port-O-Rotary Sparkfun" on Google.

 

[Forgotten Man]

I've got a land line... three antique phones... a Western Electric model 302 "Lucy", a 1936 Western Electric model 202 and a 20s Western Electric Candlestick... never drops calls and will hold up under most conditions.

Only about $15 bucks a month... never will get rid of that landline!

Some day, I'd like to find a way to have a voice activated operator built into a bell box... when you pick up the receiver, you'll hear the classic southern sounding 30s operator asking: What number please? And you give a name or a number and it will search the database for that number and as it's searching, the voice will say: One moment while I'll connect you. Then it will automatically call for you... a fun thing to do is code every number with your friends with the old exchanges... so, it will dial the correct number even if you mention the old exchange and number. lol that would be so fun!

 

[bolthead]

I've got a land line... three antique phones... a Western Electric model 302 "Lucy", a 1936 Western Electric model 202 and a 20s Western Electric Candlestick... never drops calls and will hold up under most conditions.

Only about $15 bucks a month... never will get rid of that landline!

Some day, I'd like to find a way to have a voice activated operator built into a bell box... when you pick up the receiver, you'll hear the classic southern sounding 30s operator asking: What number please? And you give a name or a number and it will search the database for that number and as it's searching, the voice will say: One moment while I'll connect you. Then it will automatically call for you... a fun thing to do is code every number with your friends with the old exchanges... so, it will dial the correct number even if you mention the old exchange and number. lol that would be so fun!

That would be awesome.

How can one get the old rotary type ring on your standard phones we all use today? I was at a Dr.'s office a couple of weeks ago and the receptionists phone rang, it was the old classic ring that we all know and love, when I asked her about it and how I can get it, she didn't have a clue. Does anybody here know about it?

 

[Mr E Train]

That would be awesome.

How can one get the old rotary type ring on your standard phones we all use today? I was at a Dr.'s office a couple of weeks ago and the receptionists phone rang, it was the old classic ring that we all know and love, when I asked her about it and how I can get it, she didn't have a clue. Does anybody here know about it?

Most cellphones (at least ones I've had) have classic phone ringtones built in, or you can download them. I have an iPhone, and the ringtone I use is called "Old Phone." It sounds reasonably close to an old phone.

What I've had in mind to do is see if I can set up voice dialing so that I can call my home by saying "Sarah, get me my house" like on the Andy Griffith Show.

 

[bolthead]

Most cellphones (at least ones I've had) have classic phone ringtones built in, or you can download them. I have an iPhone, and the ringtone I use is called "Old Phone." It sounds reasonably close to an old phone.

What I've had in mind to do is see if I can set up voice dialing so that I can call my home by saying "Sarah, get me my house" like on the Andy Griffith Show.

I totally get what you're saying about what you'd like to do.....I don't mean to sound like I'm hijacking this thread, that is not my intention, but I think you've misunderstood me.

I would like the vintage/classic ringtone, (if you will), for my home phone, not my cel. Thanks.

 

[Mr E Train]

I totally get what you're saying about what you'd like to do.....I don't mean to sound like I'm hijacking this thread, that is not my intention, but I think you've misunderstood me.

I would like the vintage/classic ringtone, (if you will), for my home phone, not my cel. Thanks.

That's my fault for not paying attention. I missed the "standard" part. As far as modifying a modern landline phone to have a ring like vintage phone...you got me.[huh] I would think that maybe you could take the ringer from an old phone and hook it up to the modern phone.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

What I've had in mind to do is see if I can set up voice dialing so that I can call my home by saying "Sarah, get me my house" like on the Andy Griffith Show.

Interesting...Sarah was the name of the operator in Hooterville on Green Acres. "This is Sarah, your Hooterville operator..."

RE: the original post - you're probably going to save a lot of expense and hassle, in the long run, just paying for a landline...