GEC GECOPHONE

Gecophone in Black		Gecophone in Mottled Brown

Introduced around 1930.  Similar to the GPO 200 type but with the base extended.  This housed an integral bell or buzzer.

British Ericsson made a similar instrument.

GEC Gecophone

The Gecophone was the GEC firm’s attempt at producing a self-contained version of the Tele. 232, and very successful it was, with production spanning three decades or more (1930s-1950s). The name Gecophone (pronounced jeekophone, not ggeckophone) was also used on their domestic wireless sets.

In appearance the Gecophone was a very neat instrument with a built-in bell., with styling similar to the 232 but less harsh in outline. To maintain the compact size of the instrument the gongs were small, giving the ringer a rather cheerful  jingly sound. Very early examples had the BPO style ‘stag’s antlers’ cradle;  later ones had a simpler and less vulnerable pattern that was no higher at the rear than at the front. It is unclear when production  finally ceased, probably around 1960, as several instruments have been seen with the same ‘modern’ handset as used on the 1000-type telephone and on the Muraphone K.

Plan versions of the Gecophone existed with buttons and lamps drilled in the case, as did secretarial sets mounted on the same design of plinth as used by the BPO. The wall version, called the Muraphone, had the handset hanging vertically over the dial and appeared after the war; before then GEC supplied iron wall brackets to convert the Gecophone for wall use.

Colours:
Black, ivory, Chinese red, jade green [unconfirmed], mahogany/walnut. Many black examples carried a prominent gold and black transfer below the dial stating they were the property of the Reliance Telephone Company. The ivory models are hard to find in perfect condition as the moulding material (Urea Formaldehyde, not Bakelite) often deteriorates badly. Either the manufacturers had difficulty mixing the ingredients or else the material was unstable from the outset. It often cracks and goes like toffee ripple ice cream, with swirls of yellow-brown in the ivory. The mahogany models are extremely rare and may not have been issued in this colour; the only examples seen originated from the Gleneagles Hotel and were originally spray painted silver in 1933. Stripping the paint revealed the mottled brown material underneath.

Users:
The Gecophone saw considerable use on private (PAX, not PABX) systems installed by  Reliance Telephone Company (a GEC subsidiary) and in the public network  of  the Irish P&T and some Commonwealth countries. Examples also turn up with the branding Air Ministry on the base. Prestige installations included the ocean line Queen Mary and the Royal Train (it is understood that the ivory Gecophones aboard the latter have been retained at the wish of Prince Charles). Many telephones from the Queen Mary reached the collector and antique markets a few decades ago; they are recognisable by the labels in the dial dummies inviting users to place calls to any destination world-wide. These phones were also installed by the LMS Railway at their prestige golfing hotel at Gleneagles in Scotland. In central London the bookshop H.K. Lewis (in Gower Street) had black Gecophones all over the store until the 1970s or 1980s.

Variants:
A model not infrequently seen is the modified version that was made for use on board Royal Navy ships. The handset is restrained by metal guides and a movable retaining clamp and the telephone itself sits on a plinth. The ‘dial label’ is chemically etched from brass. The telephone itself is an amazing concoction of case (marked AP 12688, AP standing for Admiralty Pattern), handset AP 12691 and base AP 16667. The case is a standard Gecophone case but the circuitry is similar to the BPO Tele. 332 and is too large to all fit inside the Gecophone case (hence the plinth). Assembly was done by AEI Ltd at their Spennymoor works and examples have been seen with dates as late as 1966 (by which time the Gecophone shape was looking distinctly out-of-date).

Note:
As mentioned above, the name Gecophone was used for to brand the company’s domestic radio sets as well. There was a Junior Gecophone (an office intercom phone), also the New Gecophone (alias the Telephone No. 706).

Early Gecophone showing the oval terminal block used originally.	CB version, showing signs of distress
The Gecophone Junior was a compact intercom telephone for 'universal' desk or wall use	Mottled red-brown telephone from Gleneagles Hotel (the label states that guests should use the telephone for all requirements - Auchterarder 2231

Circuit diagram for the dial model and how to convert to Plug and Socket

Inside of a Gecophone - this model has only one capacitor, which is on the rear of the baseplate.
(disregard the line cord wire colours)

Last revised: 28 February, 2006