usefull homemade device

[thereisabelle]

a couple of electricians were working on a large machine when i noticed they were talking to each other via old phone handsets with a 9v. battery taped to it. with the alligator clips on the right wire they could talk back and forth and have both hands free. i thought how cool!
does any one know and can tell me how to wire this up? and could it be used with a more modern pair of headsets? it would save a lot of hollering and back and forth down below when working on something that runs from one end to the other... jimbob

 

[kenn]

If you're talking about telephone handsets from the 1960s or earlier, with carbon-button microphones and magnetic-coil earpieces, then yes it is as simple as connecting two handsets in series with a battery.

But these days it would be easier and cheaper to simply buy a pair of those FRS (or GMRS) 460 MHz walkie-talkies, which can be had as cheap as $25 a pair.

 

[thereisabelle]

could be the novelty or i watched too many war movies... it's raining all day here, thought i'd spend some time in the shop. phone nestled between my ear and shoulder seems second nature. can see me hunting down the grandson and the walkie- talkies.
i'll dig em out and peek inside. series you say? thnks. jimbob

 

[Hermit Scott]

It's just easier to buy walkie talkies, but who cares!
I love building my own thigns like this. In fact that is all I ever do. Literally.
I found this site that gives pretty good instructions.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-your-own-intercom-or-walkie-talkie-out-of-tw/

 

[thereisabelle]

thanks hermit. went to instructables.. too modern. found a diagram on how stuff works. looks like i need a 300 ohm. resistor on the red wire. didn't notice that on the orig. handset. happy sailing. jimbob