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Rotary phones are a style of telephones that were largely replaced by punch-button telephones and later by mobile and smart phones. Even though they have become obsolete, you still may encounter rotary phones in certain situations like older homes and telephone booths. Dialing a rotary phone is different from dialing a smart phone or a push-button phone, but it is just as easy.
Things You Should Know
- Pick up the handset and listen for a dial tone. It should be a mid-range, constant sound.
- Stick your finger in the hole over the first number you want to dial. Rotate the dial clockwise until your finger hits the metal stop.
- Repeat for each number in the phone number.
Steps
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Remove the handset from the cradle.
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Place the handset to your ear and listen for a dial tone. The dial tone should be a mid-ranged, constant pitch.
- If you do not hear a dial tone, something is wrong. 3 Ways to Diagnose Landline Phone Problems
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Place your finger on the first number you wish to dial. Each number has a corresponding hole that will allow you to place your finger in to begin dialing that number.
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Rotate the dial clockwise until your finger touches the finger stop.
- The finger stop is a shaped piece of metal passing over the dial. Your finger should not be able to pass through it.
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Remove your finger from the hole. This will allow the dial to return to its original position.
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Find your second number and repeat steps three through five. Do this for the remaining numbers.
- After all the numbers are dialed, the call should automatically connect.
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Return the phone to the cradle when you are finished with your conversation.
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Remove the handset from the cradle.
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Listen for a dial tone. The dial tone should be a mid-ranged, constant pitch.
- If you do not hear a dial tone, something is wrong. 3 Ways to Diagnose Landline Phone Problems
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Hold the handset with the dial up. The dial is located between the earpiece and mouthpiece of the phone.
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Place your finger on the first number you wish to dial. Each number has a corresponding hole that will allow you to place your finger in to begin dialing that number.
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Rotate the dial clockwise. Push through the metal stop until both the metal stop and the dial no longer move.
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Remove your finger from the opening. This will allow the dial and the metal stop to return to their original positions.
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Find your second number and repeat steps four through six. Do this for the remaining numbers.
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Return the phone to the cradle when you are finished with your conversation.
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Remove the handset from the cradle. Notice the two prongs that rise from the cradle of the phone when the handset is removed. This is called the switch hook. Sometimes you will find a rotary phone that still works, but has a missing or broken dial. Pressing the switch hook is what will allow you to dial the phone despite the damage.
- The reason this works is because a rotary dial works by repeatedly closing the switch hook an amount of times corresponding with the number you dial. This can also be done manually by pressing the switch hook quickly.
- This method only works on a phone line that supports pulse dialing. Most rotary telephones, with the exception of modern clones, only work on telephone lines that support pulse dialing, so if a rotary telephone is in use or has been used before and it is not a clone, this method will work.
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Listen for a dial tone. The dial tone should be a mid-ranged, constant pitch.
- If you do not hear a dial tone, something is wrong. 3 Ways to Diagnose Landline Phone Problems
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Press the switch hook down to dial stop the dial tone. Releasing the prongs should bring back the dial tone.
- They do not need to both be pressed, since they are mechanically connected and should move together.
- When you press the switch for an extended period of time, you are doing the same thing the handset would when you hang up the phone.
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Dial the first number of the phone number by pressing down on the prongs as many times as the number. To dial a 4 you would rapidly press the switch down four times.
- To dial 0, press the prongs down rapidly ten times
- Make sure to press the switch very quickly. Do not press it for too long, as that would register a hang-up.
- This process is known as switch-hook dialing.
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Pause briefly.
- This is to allow a reasonable gap between digits so they are not interpreted as the same digit.
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Repeat steps four and five until you have dialed all the numbers in the phone number
- After all the numbers are dialed, the call should automatically connect.
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Return the phone to the cradle when you are finished with your conversation.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I "Press One," "Press Two," etc. when requested on a rotary telephone?ChristopherTop AnswererThe phone number may offer a choice to make selections by speaking what you want into the speaker, or you can hold the line and speak to the operator from the company, explaining that you don’t have a touch tone phone.
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QuestionIf I am failing to use only the prongs, how would I dial a 0?marsCommunity AnswerPress the switch hook 10 times. This corresponds to the 0 having the longest travel time when you dial it on a rotary dial, which is because the switch is closed 10 times.
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QuestionHow can I get a phone number for a rotary phone?marsCommunity AnswerAny landline phone is connected to the telephone line. If you have home telephone service, it can simply be plugged into a jack. The phone number corresponds to the home number, it does not have a unique number like a cell phone. It reflects the number in the telephone service.
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Tips
- You may be forced to hold if the number called has an automated system that allows you to select an option by dialing a number.Thanks
- If you have long or decorated fingernails, and are concerned that dialing might damage them, you may use the eraser end of a pencil to dial.Thanks
- The cradle is where the phone rests when not in use.Thanks
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Warnings
- The Missing or Broken Dial method is based on the assumption that you are dialing from North America. In North America one pulse from the dial results in dialing the number 1, but in other regions this may correspond with dialing 0.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Rotary dial phone.
About This Article
Article Summary
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To dial a rotary phone, start by removing the handset from the cradle and placing it to your ear to listen for a dial tone. Next, place your finger on the first number you wish to dial, and rotate the dial clockwise until your finger touches the metal stop. Then, remove your finger from the opening and allow the dial to return to its original position. Repeat this process for the remaining numbers. To learn how to use a rotary phone with a handset dial, keep reading!
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