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a pair of field phones...how old??


Rob P.
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Just got these today for $68.00. Don't know if they work and need to know what type of wire I need to conect them, would radio shack have it? Or do I need some specific military comm wire? Also it appears they take 2 D cells for power, would that be right? I think they are pre Korea late 1940's one of the orange date stamps could be 1948 or 9 but it is hard to tell, I can not really get the last digit for sure, might be even a 5 for 1945, but would something like this be that old? Any help on showing me how to check them out and try to use them would be greatly apprciated. Particularly as my 6yo has claimed them as "his" the moment I brought them in the door.

Also any info on years when these were used and the model or type, any info at all would be great. They are much bigger then the ones I used in FOP's and LP's back in my day.

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More pics.................




Thanks guys for looking and again any help would be apprciated, I have not messed with anything like this before. Their different from the field phones we used in the 1980's and 90's and this is new collecting territory for me. BTW, was $68.00 for the pair a fair price, cause I really have no idea on this one.

Semper Fi, Rob

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hbtcoveralls

 

 

More pics.................

Links are dead,PM sent. drt


Thanks guys for looking and again any help would be apprciated, I have not messed with anything like this before. Their different from the field phones we used in the 1980's and 90's and this is new collecting territory for me. BTW, was $68.00 for the pair a fair price, cause I really have no idea on this one.

Semper Fi, Rob


Later WWII and Korea. The earlier EE-8s had a leather case, but it was changed to canvas due to experience in the jungle. Very nice set, some commo wire and a couple sets of batteries and you're in business! By the way don't put your hand on the terminals when you crank, you'll remember it for a long time.
Tom Bowers
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Johan Willaert

Unscrew the mouth or earpieces on the handset, the inner pieces are generally dated....

 

As said these could be late WW2 1944/1945 at the earliest and are described in the 1945 manuals.

The difference between the A and B model is in the internal wiring only.

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Third Herd

To hook them up, you could use speaker wires, a pair of wires. When you crank the handle it puts out 90-volts to make the ringer ring on the other phone, it will wake you up. I have heard of ringing up night crawlers, just water the ground and let it soak in, pound in two metal rod, hook wires from the EE-8 to them. Crank the handle and pick up the night crawlers. I've never tried it, but have shocked people and have been zapped a few times. It was a standard prank when I was in the Air Force and Army Guard.

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Thank you gents, the two ear pieces are dated 6-44 as is one mouth piece. The other mouth piece is dated 2-45. I'm gonna take them out of the cases later and clean'em up and hopefully try them out! I am stoked that they are late WWII!

 

Semper Fi, Rob

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As for the wire, I'm not sure it has ever changed! Maybe newer spools, etc., but I'll bet it is identical today. Watch for surplus.

 

Tom

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As others have stated, any two conductor wire will work - speaker wire and lamp cord are the most popular, but any two separate wires will work. When you connect the wires, it doesn't matter which one goes on which post. You can sometimes find military wire at surplus stores, but it is often a bag full of tangles and/or cut into varying lengths. It can be spliced, but that can be a chore.

 

Two D cells is exactly what they take, but make sure the springs & contacts and interior of the battery compartment are as clean as you can get them. Steel wool, wire brushes, and scotchbrite scouring pads work well. The newer TA-312 field phones need the batteries to be "one up and one down," but if I recall, the EE-8 series should have both batteries in the same direction.

 

Another common problem is that one or both won't transmit, but you can receive. Try unscrewing the mouthpiece cover, then remove the microophone element and rap the element firmly on a hard surface like a table-top. The older transmitter elements used carbon particles and they get compacted and stuck together over the years. A good whacking will sometimes dislodge the particles enough to get them working again. This works on other microphones too, such as the ones used in tanks, airplanes, etc. It only works on CARBON mics, though. Not on modern dynamic or electret mics.

 

Finally, try this website: http://www.myinsulators.com/commokid/telep...itaryphones.htm He has a lot of interesting stuff there, and a couple good links. There is probably more info out there if you do a google search.

 

Steve

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Thank You all for the great info and links, hopefully on Sunday I can get these working! I am still excited that these are WWII! Will post results when cleaned up and tested.

 

Semper Fi, Rob

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Constabulary

Don´t forget to feed them with batteries :rolleyes:

 

if you need a manual send me a PN, I have a PDF file.

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They Work! Thank you to everyone for the help and the links, this has been a great project.

 

Semper Fi, Rob

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Outstanding!

 

Supposedly, you can hook these up to your regular phone line (copper wire, not fiber optic) and they will work. Not sure I'd try it without further research, though!

 

Have fun!

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