Radar Telephone

Name/Title

Radar Telephone

Entry/Object ID

2022.35.01

Description

Sound Powered Telephone Station Magneto Howler Call Number A541S7 unit from the United States Instrument Corporation of Charlottesville, Virginia. A green metal wall mounted telephone with hand crank and long, curled cord attached to the black handset. Telephone has crank to provide ringing and signalling power.

Context

Text by This phone was mounted on the FPS-18 Control Monitor, at the north end of the equipment room centered between the two rows of radar transmitter and receiver cabinets. It was most likely connected to an identical phone in the radome to allow technicians to coordinate calibrating the transducers that sent the antenna position and speed to the Control Monitor and FST-1 Coordinate Data Transmitter. Operating the crank would turn the magneto and cause the howler on the receiving phone to, well, howl, alerting the person on the other end to take the call. Being sound powered, the phone did not require batteries or any other source of power to work.

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2022.35

Source or Donor

Gustafson, Chuck

Acquisition Method

Donation

Dimensions

Height

12 in

Width

11 in

Depth

3-3/4 in

Location

Building

History Museum at Mt. Baldhead Park/Pump House Museum

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Mount Baldhead Gap-Filler Radar Annex 1956-present

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Object Label

Label

Part 3. Sound-powered Telephone with Magneto and Howler. This phone was mounted on the control monitor in the equipment room. It was most likely connected to an identical phone in the radome to allow technicians to coordinate calibrating the antenna. Operating the crank would turn the magneto and cause the howler on the receiving phone to alert the person on the other end to take the call. Being sound powered, the phone did not require batteries or any other source of power to work.

Create Date

April 26, 2022

Update Date

June 27, 2022