Table of Contents

Intro

The goal of these wiki pages is to gather and arrange knowledge related to payphones in the US back in a days, and how to bring them back to life. Knowledge database will be continuously updated, drawing from our own experiences, as well as insights from dedicated Facebook and Reddit groups focused on payphones. The primary issue we aim to address is the lack of a structured knowledge base. Existing websites are no longer kept up-to-date, and exploring information in social media groups can be challenging over time. Additionally, some content, such as manuals, tends to be repetitive or unhelpful, creating a false impression of having more information than there actually is.

We are actively seeking contributors for this project! If you're interested in contributing, please reach out to Peter: peter at telesfor dot org.

Classic vs. Smart payphones

Before the deregulation in 1984, payphones were considered “dumb” phones, not having any advanced electronics. The rate, charge and return of deposited coins were controlled by the central office, and they required a special “coin line” with specific features - a voltage of 130V was applied between Tip and Ground to charge or return the coin. Dumb phones were typically owned by local telecom companies.

Smart payphones were often referred as COCOT (Customer-Owned Coin Operated Telephones) as they were usually owned by independent companies. Since they typically had no access to the coin lines, phones were designed to work on a regular line, eliminating the need for interactions with the central office. They had rate tables and voice prompts controlled by a built in computer.

However, in the early 90s, some coin line phones were retrofitted with smart boards, operating either on a coin line or a regular B1 line. Most commonly used boards were Protel 4000/8000 and Elcotel Olympian. So the difference between “classic” and “COCOT” is really vague.

From the collector's point of view, preferences vary

We are looking for:

Credits:

Phone Booths and Payphones Group (Facebook)
The Payphone Appreciation Group (Facebook)
Reddit payphone group
Payphone411 - great resources, but doesn't seem to be maintained anymore. This site will be updated in the future (from the owner).
The Pay Phone Directory
telephoneworld.org/pay-telephones/ - another interesting website
payphone.com (G-TEL) - supplier of payphones and parts. Unfortunately, expensive shipping.
http://www.mvtelonline.com/