Australian Post Office
Telephone No. 803

Telephone, Automatic and CB, Table and Wall

Federal Telephone & Radio Model 803

Model 803
Imported in small numbers as an emergency measure around 1948, to help with post-World War 2 recovery until regular supplies were re-established. It was a fairly close copy of Western Electric's 302 phone.  The automatic model 803A was imported in even smaller quantities than the magneto model 804A.  It appears that they were never given an APO type number.

A distinctive feature is the Western Electric F1-style handset. Internally the most notable point is the circuit diagram in English and Spanish. This model was intended for sale to South American countries.  The handset was often replaced with a standard 800 handset on maintenance.
 

Model 803A
Wall telephone that was not imported in large numbers and is rarely seen.

An interesting point is that Federal Telephone and Radio was owned by the multinational International Telephone and Telegraph conglomerate, known in Europe as Standard Electric. ITT bought many companies from the AT&T (Bell) company in the 1920s, on the agreement that they would not sell their telephones into the U.S. market. During World War 2 they set up production in the U.S., but kept to the agreement. The ITT company in Australia was Standard Telephones & Cables, but it did not have sufficient production facilities to meet post-War demand, hence the need to import some phones briefly.

Taken from Bob's Old Phones

Last revised August 27, 2022

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