TELEPHONE SPECIAL RANGE No. 8023

The Telephone Special Range (TSR) No. 8023 (Genie) is a distinctively styled self-contained press button telephone. Incoming calls are signalled by a tone ringer that has a three position volume control switch in the base of the unit near to the handset cord outlet.

Telephone SR No. 8023 is similar in appearance to the Tele 8022A (shown to the right) but additionally offers Last Number Redial and mute facilities. All Genie telephones are intended for table mounted use, signal in 10 pulses per second loop disconnect signalling only and do not offer recall facilities.

The Genie was introduced in the UK by British Telecom around 1983.

BT marketed this telephone as the Genie LNR.

Colours: Antique White, Peach, Red and Blue/White.

Suitable for use on Direct Exchange Lines only.

Price in the early 1980's was �55.

Made by A.P. Besson Ltd (manufacturer's code DAE) and Autophon Ltd (manufacturer's code AUC).

REN - 1.5.

APPROVAL STATUS
Genie telephones are approved as supplied under the following approval numbers:
Genie 8022A S/1000/3/C/020055
Genie LNR 8023 S/1000/3/F/500254

Circuit diagram

History
The UK Genie telephone which as made in the UK by A. P. Beeson (now Hosiden Besson Ltd), was originally developed and manufactured by the American Telecommunications Corporation (ATC) of El Monte, California, USA, in the 1980's. ATC, also known as "Deco-Tel", originally manufactured a line of telephone housings that the phone company could install dials and networks into.

The ATC portfolio included:-
The Cradlephone, The Candlestick Phone, The Empress Phone (standard & deluxe models), The Chestphone, and Character Phones (Mickey Mouse, Snoopy & Woodstock, Kermit The Frog, and Winnie-The-Pooh).

The Genie Phone was also the first to use an electronic ringer. The network was a hybrid, using the same touch tone pad that was developed for the Candlestick phone and other models. The weak place in the pad was the mechanical switch to disconnect the transmitter when the buttons were operated. The spring would deform and the transmitter would go permanently dead.

After being acquired by General Dynamics, ATC manufactured complete phones, introduced answering machines, auto-dialers, and other apparatus.

General Dynamics finally went back to making weapons only, and the various plants in California were closed. Today, Comdial operates what's left of what was once a real going concern.

More information on Telephones Special Range

Special Range Telephone Suffix's
A = NO RECALL, CALLING DEVICE
B = NO RECALL, NO CALLING DEVICE
C = RECALL, CALLING DEVICE
D = RECALL, NO CALLING DEVICE
G = MF DIALING

Genie Colours

Last revised: July 22, 2025