...So I have a cell phone, and a cordless landline phone, but I also have my classy Western Electric 306, and it annoys me to no end that in my entire life I've come across only one company courteous enough to install a computer system capable of utilizing the rotary dial decimal digital signal. Yes! A rotary dial phone IS a digital phone. Why can't all companies employ phone answering systems that are compatible with both touch tone and decimal pulse???

T.

The answers are cost and popularity of the current technology. If you look at the way land-line phone systems are going, they will be caput in about 10-15 yrs as everyone moves to ip(vonage, skype) or just has a smartphone. The teleco's though did it to themselves over the years, by increasing the prices for the same technology provided. The concept of telephone switching systems hadn't really changed since they figuered out the system in the early 1900's Wasted capability also comes to mind as all of the Fiber optic cable that was buried into the 1980's and 90's,now is being used for high speed data transmission not just to send a digitally encoded voice over fiber. It's a sign of the times, even though their was nothing really wrong with the old technology. Yay, progress!

P.S, I though that the FCC made the Telco's provide backward compatability with the rotary pulse phones!

:...So I have a cell phone, and a cordless landline phone, but I also have my classy Western Electric 306, and it annoys me to no end that in my entire life I've come across only one company courteous enough to install a computer system capable of utilizing the rotary dial decimal digital signal. Yes! A rotary dial phone IS a digital phone. Why can't all companies employ phone answering systems that are compatible with both touch tone and decimal pulse???
:
:T.
:

My parents still use the rotary/pulse dialing at their house. I discovered this one day when making a call from their phone. I suggested that they flip the switch on their phones to tone dialing and can you believe it? Their line is not set up for touch tone! They're content with the pulse dialing, so it's not a big deal except when they are calling a company with a phone system that requires touch tone - then they have to flip the switch and they get a little confused about this. Mark from Kalamazoo

AT&T, my service provider, is fully compatible with rotary dial service. However, most private companies' automated answering services aren't. It is especially annoying when I want to call Marcus Theatres to see about movie times, and then I get hung up on (though, again, I do have a cordless touch-tone). Their message states that if you don't have a touch-tone phone, they are sorry, and there is nothing they can do for you. In all of my life there has been only one company that I have called that said 'touch or dial'. I can't remember what that company is, either. There is no reason why these computer systems can't respond to both systems. They are both digital systems.

T.

In touch tone.. an audible tone travels on a steady state line, but in pulse the line is actually interrupted for each pulse.
This can be demonstrated by tapping the receiver hang-up button to interrupt the line once for each number.
So you can actually dial a number by tapping the button.
Years ago companies would put key-lock things in the number 9 hole of desk phones in offices so people could not dial out after hours.
We (night shift guys )used to "beat" it by tapping the number out on the hang-up button. ..But you've got to be good to get it right.

correction : I meant the number 1 hole.

:In touch tone.. an audible tone travels on a steady state line, but in pulse the line is actually interrupted for each pulse.
:This can be demonstrated by tapping the receiver hang-up button to interrupt the line once for each number.
:So you can actually dial a number by tapping the button.
:Years ago companies would put key-lock things in the number 1 hole of desk phones in offices so people could not dial out after hours.
:We (night shift guys )used to "beat" it by tapping the number out on the hang-up button. ..But you've got to be good to get it right.
:
:

:correction : I meant the number 1 hole.
:
::In touch tone.. an audible tone travels on a steady state line, but in pulse the line is actually interrupted for each pulse.
::This can be demonstrated by tapping the receiver hang-up button to interrupt the line once for each number.
::So you can actually dial a number by tapping the button.
::Years ago companies would put key-lock things in the number 1 hole of desk phones in offices so people could not dial out after hours.
::We (night shift guys )used to "beat" it by tapping the number out on the hang-up button. ..But you've got to be good to get it right.
::
::
:
Somewhere on the internet there is a guy that provides instructions for adding an extertnnal touch tone pad to a rotary phone. Google around touch tone pads, I'll try to find it again
Lewis

::correction : I meant the number 1 hole.
::
:::In touch tone.. an audible tone travels on a steady state line, but in pulse the line is actually interrupted for each pulse.
:::This can be demonstrated by tapping the receiver hang-up button to interrupt the line once for each number.
:::So you can actually dial a number by tapping the button.
:::Years ago companies would put key-lock things in the number 1 hole of desk phones in offices so people could not dial out after hours.
:::We (night shift guys )used to "beat" it by tapping the number out on the hang-up button. ..But you've got to be good to get it right.
:::
:::
::
:
:
:
:
:Somewhere on the internet there is a guy that provides instructions for adding an extertnnal touch tone pad to a rotary phone. Google around touch tone pads, I'll try to find it again
:Lewis
:
Googling "Touch Tone Adapter" got me right to it. Now all you need is a touch tone pad.
Lewis

Lewis: I have a 1930's phone with the box on the wall, but no dial. Have often thought about adding a touch tone pad, but never got around to figuring out how to do it. Anyway, I can use the phone to answer calls and I like the ring it makes. So much nicer than today's electronic ringers. Mark from Kalamazoo

...Well, I have no interest in having a touch-tone pad on my phone. I like using the dial. ...But they do make converters that you can put inside of the phone. When I dump my landline, I may try to make a cradle that I can drop my cell phone into that my rotary dial can dial through. Sounds kinda far fetched, though, but it could work like the Philco Mystery Control.

T.

One could build a microcontroller based system to monitor the line for the pulses and convert them to DTMF tones. It would sit between the phone and the wall jack. However it isn't as simple as it sounds. The pulses would have to be intercepeted and removed from the line, while still passing the audio signals. It isn't extremely complex, but it isn't straight forward either. Many IVR systems are PC based using cards by companies such as Dialogics. I don't recall ever seeing or using pulse dialing with Dialogics cards. I know they could do pulse dialing, but don't recall the ones we used in IVR systems supporting pulse recognition. From my experience the reason for no pulse recognition in IVR systems is simple economics. The demand is too low to justify the added hardware and software costs. Sad as it may be, the majority of the world revolves around finances.

Richard

I read that there is an app for the I-phone that brings up a picture of a rotary dial on the screen and then you can use your finger on the touch-sensitive screen to "dial" the number - for those who really want to dial in a rotary fashion.

:Lewis: I have a 1930's phone with the box on the wall, but no dial. Have often thought about adding a touch tone pad, but never got around to figuring out how to do it. Anyway, I can use the phone to answer calls and I like the ring it makes. So much nicer than today's electronic ringers. Mark from Kalamazoo

Mark,
How did you hook up your old phone? I have an early Kellog wall crank type that I would love to use.
Thanks,
Jon.
:

::Lewis: I have a 1930's phone with the box on the wall, but no dial. Have often thought about adding a touch tone pad, but never got around to figuring out how to do it. Anyway, I can use the phone to answer calls and I like the ring it makes. So much nicer than today's electronic ringers. Mark from Kalamazoo
:
:Mark,
:How did you hook up your old phone? I have an early Kellog wall crank type that I would love to use.
:Thanks,
:Jon.
::
:
Jon:
The crank type phoone is what we call a "Line BAattery" , while the latter models are called "Common Battery" I will look for a site where you can buy (cheap) parts to coonvert your set to common battery.

I'll get back to you.
Lewis

Jon: I think that you should follow Lewis' suggestions. My phone is not a crank type and it connects to current phone line without any modifications. Mark

:Lewis: I have a 1930's phone with the box on the wall, but no dial. Have often thought about adding a touch tone pad, but never got around to figuring out how to do it. Anyway, I can use the phone to answer calls and I like the ring it makes. So much nicer than today's electronic ringers. Mark from Kalamazoo
:
Lewis

::Lewis: I have a 1930's phone with the box on the wall, but no dial. Have often thought about adding a touch tone pad, but never got around to figuring out how to do it. Anyway, I can use the phone to answer calls and I like the ring it makes. So much nicer than today's electronic ringers. Mark from Kalamazoo
::
:
:
:
:You must have a phone that was used in a manual exchange, where the ringer (phonnespeak for beelll) has a capacitor to block the DC. Google "add a touch-tone pad" and see how this guy does it. There is no permanant mod tto the phone, the TT pad is in a separate box, and it supposed to work great.
:Lewis
:

:::Lewis: I have a 1930's phone with the box on the wall, but no dial. Have often thought about adding a touch tone pad, but never got around to figuring out how to do it. Anyway, I can use the phone to answer calls and I like the ring it makes. So much nicer than today's electronic ringers. Mark from Kalamazoo
:::
::
::
::
::You must have a phone that was used in a manual exchange, where the ringer (phonnespeak for beelll) has a capacitor to block the DC. Google "add a touch-tone pad" and see how this guy does it. There is no permanant mod tto the phone, the TT pad is in a separate box, and it supposed to work great.
::Lewis
::
:
:Try here:
:
:atcaonline.com/ttpad.html
:
:Lewis
:
For parts, try here:
jydsk@tds.net

Lewis

I do this all the time on my parents' basement wall phone. I installed it a long time ago. It's from the 20s, and it's made by Automatic. Doesn't have a dial. ...But I dial out on it all the time. You actually don't have to punch the button all that quickly.

T.

...Sorry, 'tap.'

T.