Do you know how to use a Rotary Telephone?

[Still-alive]

They were still being used somewhat after i was born but soon they became rare to see. haven't seem one in ages in person.

do you know how to use this?

Yes i know how to use that type of phone

No i dont know how

I've never even seen a phone like that before

[Cherry234]

No lol. This was before my time. I'm one of the oldest in generation Z so of course I don't know how to use one of those phones. 😂

[dustybiker]

It’s not difficult, just took longer.
Here someone figured out how to use the rotary to dial a smartphone. lol

[Still-alive]

@dustybiker uhh ohh cats out of the bag now. :p

[dustybiker]

Ahh didn't think of it that way. Trying to be helpful. lol

[Cherry234]

@dustybiker Thank you 😊

[dustybiker]

You’re welcome. Worth getting into trouble over.

[Cherry234]

Thanks for MHO

[Sparks32]

@dustybiker lol this sort of thing can happen when nerds get bored

[dustybiker]

@Sparks32 That’s when some of the best discoveries are found.

[douride2]

Yes you put your finger in the hole & dial.

[douride2]

Thanks for a MHO.

[ShaTTeredMasterpeace]

Yes. We used to have an old fashioned phone like that when I was in high school. It was an antique Disney one. I think my parents got it because there was no way to sneak and use it lmao. Everything about that phone was loud AF. I was so happy when we got a cordless.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

I kept the rotary phone my dad used in in old home office.
Since he knows I'd collect such memorabilia, he gave me the old rotary phone that he used in his USAF office plus a couple of "hot line" lit-up push-button phones.
I also have a rotary public pay phone that I bought in an antique store.

[menina]

I remember seeing a rotary telephone back home when I was a child but I don't know how to use them.
It was like this one:

Red Rotary Phone

[Craftsman]

I still have a few of those in my shop. I learned how to use them when that's what phones looked like. They had to be dialed correctly, were wired into the wall, and didn't have any displays. 90 volts @ 30 Hz made the phone ring.
To this day, one of these will most likely work on a land-line wiring when the electricity goes down. They were powered from the batteries at the telephone company, so having the usual electricity didn't matter. Good in an emergency.

[ChiTown33]

Of course. I actually still have one in storage. I like to break it out whenever my nephew comes over with his friends because usually at least one needs to use the phone and I tell them where it's at and they freeze for a couple minutes. Then look at it like a monkey doing a math problem. They're teenagers so none of them will admit they don't know how to use it. Then one starts advising another. "One usually whispers how old is your uncle". It's hilarious

[MTC29]

They stayed around for a surprisingly long time, but I doubt that I've seen one in over a decade.

As a small boy I remember going to the Carousel of Progress in Disneyland and seeing the a demonstration first touch tone phones. At the time, the technology seemed remarkable.

[Cynicaldreamer]

I'm laughing at some of these comments. You can definitely tell a generation gap by some of the replies.

Yes I do! I grew up with them as a kid (late 80s, early 90s) and even had a toy phone that was a rotary. Those were the days~

[andreasderjuengere]

Sure: You wait until it rings. Then you speak into the end of the handle bar;
which must not rest on its carrier piece.
When you hear nothing back, the handle needs to be turned round.
If you still hear nothing, you try the flatter sides of the ends facing your ear and mouth.

The phone is not required to be rotated during the call; here, the name is a little misleading.

[dustybiker]

Wait… yes… I do. My family used to have one. Why do I feel cornered? 🤪

[loves2learn]

Yes indeed I do. I grew up with one in my basement. We had other regular phones, but yes I know how to use it.

[The_Maphio]

I lived through the last years of their existence. They were nice with the sound and the feedback from dialing the numbers, but it took quite a while to make a number and honestly house phones are not necessary anymore.

[jshm2]

Yes. Even used one.

But they are no longer used as signal lines are no longer analog and hence these would no longer work with modern services.

You can still buy these and get an adaptor to make it work like a digital landline.

[Little_Bumblebee]

My grandmother had one when I was a kid - until she later got one with regular buttons.
And I've seen several tv shows and movies with them.

So yeah, I know how to use them.

[goaded]

I even know how to dial 999 in the dark. (You feel around and put your index and middle fingers in the holes to the left of the metal stopper, then dial with your index finger, assuming you're using your right hand.)

[goaded]

My parent's phone number was three digits long (plus the name of the village).

[goaded]

Another fun fact: you don't actually need the dial, you can simply tap the switch that gets pushed down when you hang up, as long as you do it at roughly the right speed. The dial just interrupted the circuit 1-10 times.

[sawno]

To my knowledge you put your finger in the hole that is near that metal thingy, then you rotate it up to the number you wish to dial and let go. Never used one, but my grandma had one.

[sawno]

Looks like i misremembered, you do it the other way round. You put your finger in the hole of the number and then rotate to the metal thingy stops you.

[spartan55]

Of course! That's all we had in the house until I was in high school.

[alleon]

Yeah they were just about extinct when I was young gal ha

[purplepoppy]

I had a toy one as a child and I've seen a real one in a museum

[MrCommodore]

Yes I do, one of my grandparents had that type of phone and its where I made my first calls after a few attempts. Simpler times

[Aerissa_Jade]

My grandma still has one of those, the pain in the ass I have is no contact list. I only have one actual phone number memorized.