Switching and the USS Hornet. A request has gone out to the Switchers' community for help restoring the Strowger telephone switch on this historic aircraft carrier. The Hornet is now serving as a museum in Alameda, California at the old Navel airstation. This looks like a most interesting and worthy project. Stay tuned!

Description of Automatic Ship's Service Telephone System. In recognition of the above request, this issue includes an excerpt from an instruction book for an Automatic Electric 100-line "Ship's Service Telephone System" as used on CL55 "Cleveland" Class Light Cruisers.

The Mason Michigan Show. There are lots of photos from this recent show with special emphasis on the Switchers' exhibits. A brief visit is also made to Keith Hlavics' switchroom.

A Demonstration Board of the Austrian 48V Dial System. Gerhard Fuchs describes his demonstrator switch that shows the operation of the Austrian 48V dial system. There are lots of photos showing the details of this interesting system.

Nationwide Operator Toll Dialing. Dennis Hock submitted this reprint of an article that originally appeared in the January 12, 1946 issue of Telephony magazine. This is where the Independent telephone industry learns about the long distance network to come. Of course, operator toll dialing ended up being only an intermediate step on the path to Direct Distance Dialing so the reader will discover the beginnings of the universal numbering plan that is still a part of the North American telephone system today. This issue includes the fifth and final article of the series.

Telephony's Tidbits. This is a collection of short anecdotes, jokes, short stories and other contributions from the Switcher's Quarterly readers.

The Switch List. Buy - Sell - Trade exclusively for the more "esoteric" telephone collector.

The 6A Key System. Part XIII is the final part of a series by Joel Eves. This part features the operation of the "Add-on conferencing" feature. Both the 226B KTU and H883002-26 Equipment Units are covered. Hopefully, Joel has something up his sleeve to offer in the future.

Nationwide Operator Toll Dialing. Dennis Hock submitted this reprint of an article that originally appeared in the January 12, 1946 issue of Telephony magazine. This is where the Independent telephone industry learns about the long distance network to come. Of course, operator toll dialing ended up being only an intermediate step on the path to Direct Distance Dialing so the reader will discover the beginnings of the universal numbering plan that is still a part of the North American telephone system today. This issue includes the fourth of five articles.

The Night We Routed an 8000-line 5XB Office's Power Through a pair of C-Clamps! Now that took guts! Steve Flocke writes about how he and the Western Electric installation crew he worked with re-terminated a 750 MCM central office power cable. Keeping the office alive during the operation required some hardware and techniques that were most likely not specified in the Bell System Practices.

The Switch List. Buy - Sell - Trade exclusively for the more "esoteric" telephone collector.

This is a combined issue but still worth the wait.

The 6A Key System. Part XII of a continuing series by Joel Eves. This part features the operation of the "camp-on" feature. Both the 224A KTU and H883002-24 Equipment Units are covered.

Strowger Meets the Microprocessor. SQ Editor, Mike Magnus discusses the TeleTechnology International (TTI) microprocessor controlled Strowger switch. (Yes, it really exists!) It uses a Z80 microprocessor to control vertical and horizontal position of the wipers. There are no other relays to be found. This unique switch was developed to provide a cost effective way of expanding existing central offices in the 1980's.

Six State Area Cities Go Dial. This reprint of the February, 1950 issue of Illinois Telephone News shows the cutovers to dial of several cities in northern Illinois. This sets the stage for...

...Central Office Cutovers. Steve Flocke writes about the procedures used for various types of cutovers including: Magneto Manual to Dial, Common Battery Manual to Dial and Dial to Dial. Cutovers can be particularly harrowing. During a cutover of a No. 5 crossbar switch one worker said, "It was a sickening feeling you couldn't go back" as he cut the cables in the old manual office.

Frankenswitch comes to Cincinnati. See the "monster" Strowger switch that Steve Flocke displayed at the 2003 Cincinnati show. With 22 relays, a minor switch plus a repeat coil, it does just about everything a switch could do.

The Switch of Doom. Michigan Switcher Gene Doom shows off a small Frankenswitch he built at the February 7th show in Mason, Michigan.

Switch Test Stands and Bench Battery Supply for Step-By-Step Offices. See how the Bell System "customized" a standard test stand in 1949.

Nationwide Operator Toll Dialing. Dennis Hock submitted this reprint of an article that originally appeared in the January 12, 1946 issue of Telephony magazine. This is where the Independent telephone industry learns about the long distance network to come. Of course, operator toll dialing ended up being only an intermediate step on the path to Direct Distance Dialing so the reader will discover the beginnings of the universal numbering plan that is still a part of the North American telephone system today. This issue includes the second and third of five articles.

The Switch List. Buy - Sell - Trade exclusively for the more "esoteric" telephone collector.