Telephone
Telephones were being used aship and ashore in ever-increasing numbers during this period. The British, who approached these things from the standpoint of the Torpedo men who would have to maintain the phones, saw fit to split the definition into two types: telephones suitable for working over long range circuits, and those limited to service over the short distances one might find on board a ship.
The shorter-range telephones were called "loud-speaking telephones" until around 1914, after which they were increasingly called navyphones. The other type continued to be called telephones and will be covered here.
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British Mining and Range Telephones
The British Torpedo Drill Book, 1914 called some of its long-range telephones range telephones because using them at a gunnery range was a common application (to connect firing and impact positions, perhaps).
Wentworth Mining Telephone Patt. 1684
The transmitter microphone was "Hunnings cone type" and seems to have been fixed into place in the front of the chassis, which also contained 3 dry cell batteries and ain induction buzzer. The receiver ("double pole Service pattern") was the classic old bakelite cylinder on a cord, hanging on a hook on a rocking switch which powered up the line when lifted in answer. A small key switch (like a small telegraph key) was there to ring the buzzer at the both the local and remote station loud enough to be heard "at a considerable distance". The local ring was a means of testing the soundness of the call-up circuit.
In event of a battery failure, it's noted that a temporary substitution of 2 Patt. 1451 wet cells could be made.[1]
Bisley Range Telephone Patt. ????
It had two dry cells "in the primary" (which may mean just one of the two phones), and an induction coil which seemingly functioned to help overcome attenuation over a long connection. The transmitter was a Hunning's cone type fitted to the chassis, and an "Ader type" receiver (an oddly stubby little bit compared to that in the Wentworth phone) which hung on a hook switch.
Calling up was by manually spinning a magneto generator which caused induction coils at both stations to drum between two hemispherical bells (a new pattern is alluded to in which only the remote station's bells would be rung). This same rough model must be familiar to most people who have seen an old movie. The magneto and bell seem external from the phone chassis, and may have had their own little box.[2]
Kettlewell Range Telephone Patt. ????
This is described as an improved type of Bisley phone which could be hooked by 3 wires to the "National" telephone used on shore or could be used in conjunction with a Bisley. I suppose this means it was interoperable with the civil model telephones being deployed in Britain.
It had a magneto handle, battery, transmitter, receiver and a bell.
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