Field Telephones, BD-71 Switchboard and Residential Crank Phones
I expanded my collection of things to include six US Military field telephones and a BD-71 WWII switchboard. See the 1914 service buzzer, TG-5 telegraph and telegraph switchboard pages, too. With minor work, I have been able to get all but one of my items working. Clean all connections if the phone does not work, or works intermittently. If there is leaked battery corrosion, that can be cleaned with vinegar. Electrical connections might benefit from a very light coating of electrical grease (found at auto parts stores). Lubricate any moving parts. A lubricant I recommend is Tri-Flow 2 fluid ounce Teflon lubricant in the little squeeze bottle with a tiny tube. You may need to go online to find this.
Click on "Home" to see all the pages, including the Model 1914 Service Buzzer page with general information . There are other pages or information on the SCR-625 mine detector, AN/PRS-1, AN/PRS-3, and the AN/PSS-11 mine detectors, EE-3, EE-8 telephones, TG-5 telegraph, Model 1914 service buzzer, BD-71 switchboard and residential phones.
July 2021 - I bought a telegraph switchboard on ebay. See my webpage
https://sites.google.com/site/scr625/telegraph-switchboard
Always remove "D" cell batteries from any equipment not being used - they frequently leak and corrode equipment.
July 2022 - I learned that a great cleaner for batteries that leaked is vinegar.
A technical note: Many people do not understand the purpose of cranking a telephone. Cranking the telephone magneto produces about 100 volts, which is for ringing the bells only, and nothing else. It does not power the phone, and it does not charge the battery. The talking circuit is powered by three volts, usually two "D" cells, and listening on a phone does not require any battery on the receive end. A crank telephone uses absolutely no power until the handset is taken off the hook, or the switch is depressed, whichever applies. Batteries were expensive and inefficient when theses phones were in use, which is why it was designed to use no power unless in actual use. Sometimes if a crank phone quits working, try cranking backwards a little bit. If the crank mechanism is a little sticky, the retract mechanism may stick in the crank mode, and not revert to talk mode.
WWII EE-8 field telephones: If you purchase carefully on ebay, about all you may need to replace is the handset cord. For this I used an old computer power cord that had no marking on it. Lubricate moving parts, and clean electrical contacts. The ringer may need adjusting, too. The three holes on the top front side are for a PL-58 plug, as used with a BD-71 switchboard. You can hook up a handset or headset as desired.
Replacement parts for sale: http://phonesurplus.com/bd71.html See my EE-8 repair page.
Helpful hint: Use a Popsickle stick to press down on the batteries to remove them.
July 2015 - I watched a couple of nice EE-8s sell on ebay for $37 each, if you are curious about prices. I don't watch EE-8 prices often.
2018 - Some EE-8s in good condition sell as low as $25.
Jan 2020 - A pair of EE-8s, canvas case, in good condition, sell for $71.
WWII BD-71 switchboard:
I bought two on ebay that were New Old Stock, that still needed work to get them operating. They did need some touching up of contacts. Do just one or two swipes with 600 grit sandpaper. The night alarm buzzer was not working on either. On one unit the night alarm switch and light switches were bad, and on the second unit, the magneto contacts did not retract properly. The four battery section of the BD-71 switchboard is just for the night alarm and lights. The night alarm and light batteries are two pairs wired in parallel, where just two modern batteries are sufficient, and four miss-matched batteries could be a problem. Use a piece of closet rod or something as a spacer in place of the second pair of batteries.
The BD-71, BD-72 switchboard is a key part of crank telephone exhibits I do, both military and residential. Though it is heavy for one person to carry, it is compact enough to not take up much table, floor or car space, and easy to demonstrate WWII military switchboard technology, and comparable to 1900 residential switchboard technology. It is entirely battery operated, simplifying setup and operation. The BD-72 is a 12 line version of the BD-71.
How it works - An incoming crank telephone call causes the little door to drop. If the night alarm is switched on, the buzzer will buzz until the door is put back up. The door dropping indicates which line has the incoming call, where just a bell ringing will not identify the active line. The switchboard operator then presses the lever down to talk to the incoming call, to find out who to connect to. The operator holds the switch up of the party to be called, and cranks the magneto to signal that party. The operator then puts the switch down to talk to the called party. To connect the two parties, the cord from the calling party is inserted in the jack to the party being called. The technical manual is TM11-330. The little lever type thing with the knob on it is to hold the little door in place when not in use.
For working demonstrations of the BD-71 switchboard, instead of using the chest set, using a TS-9 handset with Push to Talk switch, (from an EE-8 field telephone) wired to a PL-58 plug, works better.
Nov 2016 - A very nice BD-71, with no accessories sells on ebay for $249, with just one bidder.
Jan 2017 - A decent BD-71 with no accessories, sell for $219, with just one bidder.
Aug 2017 - A BD-71 in unknown condition sells for $171. The seller did not even open up the front of the switchboard fully. Three bidders over $100. The seller said "The bells still ring for incoming calls", though the switchboard does not have any bells!
Sep 2018 - A BD-71 with front control parts in rough shape sells for $134. Handset included?
Dec 2018 - A BD-71 in good/very good condition with chest set sells for $381. Two bidders.
Sep 2020 - A BD-71 in excellent condition, with chest set, sells for $600 (?). Buy It Now sold.
Oct 2021 - A BD-71 in very good condition, with chest set and manual, sells for $176.
Apr 2022 - A BD-72 in good condition sells for $250?
Dec 2022 - A BD-71 in good condition, with chest set, sells for $317, with low shipping cost.
Jun 2023 - A BD-72 in good condition, sells for $427, with $89 for shipping.
Dec 2023 - A BD-72 in good condition, sell for $255.
Dec 2023 - A BD-71 in good condition, sells for $200.
Feb 2024 - A BD-71 in excellent condition, sells for $295.
Watch the movie "Monuments Men", and you might notice a BD-71 in the background in a scene with Hugh Bonneville in a tent requesting help from other officers. Otherwise a technically inferior war movie, where they drive jeeps in a war zone with headlights full on and bright lights all over the camp at night.
WWI EE-3B field telephone: Mine was reconditioned by the previous owner, but had not been used. The batteries corroded in place were dated 1943. By installing just a two "D" cell batteries, with a piece of closet rod as a spacer to make up for the difference in size compared to the original battery, it works fine. Adapted from the Model 1917 Camp telephone, where the telegraph key was removed when rebuilt. See notes and picture with Camp Telephone Model A paragraph. The battery compartment is wired for two batteries in parallel, which is unnecessary and not recommended if they are mismatched. The EE-3 is compatible with the EE-8, and most residential crank phones.Watch out on ebay: The phone handset might be missing the ring at the end to hang it on the hook, or it has a wrong handset.See my EE-8 repair page. The basic technology is the same as the EE-8, if you are attempting to get a EE-3 functioning. Aug 2017 - Oh-Oh The magneto of my EE-3B is shorted, but the it is otherwise still functional.
Model 1917 Field Telephone: This is the WWI telephone the EE-3B was modified from. Similar to the Model 1914 Service buzzer, with telegraph and phone capability, except that the Model 1917 Field Telephone had a magneto to ring the another phone, and it's own bells to indicate incoming calls. Watch out on ebay: The phone handset might be missing the ring at the end to hang it on the hook, or it has a wrong handset.
WWI field telephone prices. What has actually sold on ebay. Watch out on ebay: The phone handset might be missing the loop at the end to hang it on the hook, or it has a wrong handset.
Feb 2022 - A Model 1917 telephone, in good condition, sells for $349. One bidder.
Feb 2022 - A restored EE-3b sells for $200.
Mar 2022 - A EE-3B in good condition sells for $200.
May 2022 - A model 1917 field telephone, in very good condition, sells for $399?
June 2022 - A Model 1917 Field telephone, in very good conditions, sells for $107, with low shipping cost.
June 2022 - A model 1917 field telephone, in very good condition, sells for $340.
June 2022 - A Model 1917 Camp telephone in good condition sells for $150.
Sep 2022 - A Model 1917 Field telephone in very good condition, sells for $128.
Oct 2022 - A Model 1917 field telephone, in good condition, but missing some parts, sells for $103.
Dec 2022 - A Model 1917 field telephone, in good condition, sells for $120.
Jan 2023 - A Model 1917 Field telephone in very good condition, except rusted bottom, sells for $150.
Mar 2023 - A pair of EE-3Bs, in good condition, one with wrong handset, sell for $150.
Feb 2024 - A Model 1917 field telephone, in fair condition, wrong handset, sells for $172.
Apr 2024 - A Model 1917 field telephone, in fair condition, sells for $104.
Apr 2024 - A Model 1917 field telephone, in bad condition, sells for $60.
Other phones:
Sep 2020 - A Model A Camp Telephone, in good condition, but missing screws and parts, sells for $141.
Aug 2017 - A decent Model 1913 Camp Telephone sells for $249. The first one I've ever seen.
Aug 2017 - An EE-1A, in fair shape, sells for $150.
Mar 2019 - A Model 1905 Field Telephone sells for $600 (buy it now price)?? Looks like parts may have been removed and something else in its place???
Aug 2018 - A Model 1912 Field Artillery Telephone sells for $89. It has a buzzer component of some sort to call someone.
May 2019 - A model 1912 Field artillery telephone in fair shape, wrong headset, sells for $35.
Aug 2020 - A Model EE-1A Buzzerphone in good condition sells for $154.
Jan 2021 - A Model A Camp Telephone in good condition, sells for $128, with low shipping cost.
Photo
WWI Camp Telephone Model A field telephone (picture above, removed from wooden case): Purchased on ebay for $51 plus shipping. Sold for a low price because it was entered under residential phones, not military. Physically in good shape. Cleaned contacts, lubricated moving parts and made a battery , and it works. For the battery, use two "D" cells and a 1.1" long piece of closet rod as a spacer, and add a piece of metal at each end of the spacer, connected with a wire. Tape together to be one battery. See picture below. It works with pretty much any military crank telephone, even the TA-312.
Watch out on ebay: The phone handset might be missing the ring at the end to hang it on the hook, or it has a wrong handset.
Korean War TA-43, Vietnam War TA-312 field telephone: The TA-43 worked after replacing the receive element wires in the handset, and the TA-312 worked after cleaning the battery terminals. They are compatible with all the other phones listed on this page. The phone clatters, rather than rings, when called. The "loud/low" knob adjusts the loudness of the clatter. The batteries go one up, one down, in the battery compartment, even though it looks like both should go up.
November 2016 - A pair of TA-43 telephones, a little dirty, sell for $32 on ebay
Oct 2017 - I watched a nice working pair of TA-312s sell on ebay. Without case one sold for $52, with case one sold for $129.
Residential crank phones: I purchased several residential crank (magneto) wall telephones made around 1915. You can find lots of these on eBay, or on craigslist in major cities. The transmit element sometimes needs to be replaced, for about $6, and the receiver cord. Replacement parts are readily available. These, too, are compatible with the EE-8 and EE-3. I mounted a wall telephone in my kitchen, and ran wires to my shop, where I connected them to an EE-8. Now my Commander-in-Chief can summon me without shouting, and she really likes the residential phone.
Like most of the old phones on this web page, lubricate moving parts and lightly clean contacts. I worked on four phones from a living history museum, and there were no completely bad parts, but one that needed a cord replacement, and several non-critical parts missing. If the talk volume is too low on a phone, try a 4.5 volt battery source instead of 3 volts. Phonecoinc in Wisconsin is the best source of repair parts
There is some variation in circuitry, where some phones work together better than others.
HS-30 military headset:
The HS-30 headset is a WWII vintage headset that was made to be worn under a helmet. Used with mine detectors, radios, switchboards and telephones. Periodically found on ebay, or from vintage military suppliers. Be careful when buying a headset from a supplier, without seeing the actual headset. They may be much worse than you expect. Look on ebay under collectibles: military or radios: headsets or headphones. May also be listed as a R-30 headset, because that is what people see written on the receivers. I have one for sale on my SCR-625 C Mine Detector for sale page. I have various cables and connectors, will build to suit.
The HS-30 military and various options (click to enlarge):
When buying a phone:
When buying a phone on ebay, check pictures carefully, or ask the seller these questions:
Is there any battery compartment corrosion, or corrosion anywhere?
Does the crank turn freely?
What condition is the cord in?
If you install batteries, press the switch, and blow in the mouthpiece, can you hear it in the receiver? Some phones require a second phone hooked up for this test.
On a residential phone, with the receiver on the hook, if you crank the magneto, do the bells ring? Are there any cracks or damaged parts?
Repairs and Parts:
Lubricate all moving parts, and clean connections with a fine grit sandpaper or emery cloth. Leaf switch contacts (such as at the end of the magneto) should be cleaned with 600 grit emery cloth. A staticy sound in a working phone means there is a loose or dirty contact.
A note on old wire connections- many of the old wires were not soldered to connectors, but were just crimped on, with small barbs that pierced the insulation. In many cases, the wires are nearly impossible to strip or solder for a normal connection. If there is a bad connection, try recrimping the connector slightly, with a vise grips. Phonecoinc (below) has replacement connectors (lug5 or lug8), or you can pry apart the old connectors and reuse them.
Aug 2017 My Camp telephone Model A needed the handset cord replaced, which worked out OK, but also needed contacts cleaned after not being used for a year. I had a spare three wire cloth handset cord which I had purchased from Phonecoinc. several years ago.
"If it doesn't work, it's just spare parts"
Sources for parts:
http://phonesurplus.com/ This place sells field telephone parts at a reasonable price, and also BD-71 switchboard parts. For the switchboards you will need a chest set, which may be included with the switchboard. They are the only ones I've found that have the PL-58 plugs for chest sets, that also fit the EE-8 field telephones. He also does repairs for military and residential phones. I highly recommend him.
http://www.fairradio.com/ This place sells parts like HS-30 headsets and T-26A chest sets, but not complete. Some of their stuff is pricey.
http://www.phonecoinc.com/ For old time residential phones parts. Very reasonable prices.
http://www.strombergcarlsontelephone.com/kellogg/kellogg_main.htm For online scans of old residential phone manuals and catalogs. Interesting reading.
Exhibiting phones:
Working crank telephones are a very popular display with kids and senior citizens. I do working displays at military events, civic events and senior citizen facilities on a regular basis. It usually works best to have the connected phones about five feet apart, so if the users are not hearing each other over the phone, they can tell the other person. You will have to accept the fact that there may be some damage done in use or transporting it. Better to be used and risk damage, rather than collecting dust in a closet or behind a glass case. There are collectors of antiques, and hoarders of antiques. Share your antiques with the community, and be a collector and teacher, not a hoarder. A phone to look at might interest a child for 5 seconds, but a phone they can use may interest them for 5 minutes.
A Scout camp display. Minnesota in October.
An 1890's Western Electric telephone, and an WWII EE-8 telephone. The large battery box on the bottom is to accommodate "wet" batteries, prior to "dry cells". The old 1890's phone is a hot item for collectors, though the prices are not much higher than standard crank telephones. Having a receiver with external wire connections is a key part of the collectability.
A 1910's residential candlestick phone, plugged into a WWII EE-8 with a PL-58 connector. The EE-8 provides the electrical circuity not part of the candlestick phone.
Signal Corps cover over ???, at Ft. Snelling, Minnesota.