In a previous project I already experimented with reading out the receiver contact and the dialing pulses of various rotary dial telephones. These signals are accessible because when the telephone is converted into an MP3-playing 'Wonderfoon', the electronics simply replace the original interior of the retro telephone.
However, due to the appreciation for this old technique, the resistance grew to irreparably destroy a marvel of vintage technology. Wouldn't it be much nicer if you could just plug in any 'landline' phone (old or new)? On this page my experiments to read out the various signals.
POTS is the name for the original analog telephone connection and stands for 'Plain Old Telephone Service', 'Post Office Telephone Service' or 'Post Office Telephone System'. Although nowadays analog telephony is also referred to by the abbreviation PSTN ('Public Switched Telephone Network'). The system (obviously) has an informative page in the Wikipedia.
Whoever studies it cannot but be impressed by the principles that, in times when technological developments were not as advanced as today, were used to make telephony possible with the simplest possible technology. Only two wires per subscriber were needed for a fully functional home phone.
In the Netherlands, the PTT introduced, as it was then called, a then modern telephone with a dial: the now legendary T65. The 'T' for 'table model' (there was also a wall model, yes, indeed... the W65) and the 65 from the introduction year, 1965. Fortunately, the old technology is very well documented. There is still a lot to be found online. For example, I found the websites matilo.eu and dutchtelephones.com very instructive. I can also warmly recommend the booklet 'Het Elektuur telefoonboek', which I could still find second-hand online, for anyone who wants to enjoy this wonderful 'vintage technique'.
This page is not ready yet. I'm still working on the rest of the content and final video. So come back soon!