Unchained Preppers

Off Topic/ B.S. => General Off Topic => Topic started by: APX808 on August 11, 2013, 11:53:17 PM

Title: Homemade field phones?
Post by: APX808 on August 11, 2013, 11:53:17 PM
Hey guys, I was looking at ebay the prices of TA-1 field phones and they are fucking expensive! I'm talking used phones about 200 to 400 bucks, that got me thinking

Could we adapt some crappy indoor phone and power it with 12v?

Something like this Chinese shitty indoor phone (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Indoor-Audio-Door-Phone-System-DC-0892-White-Wall-mount-Hole-/290724271083?pt=Intercoms_Access_Controls&hash=item43b08453eb)

Have you seen someone implement a similar solution?
Title: Re: Homemade field phones?
Post by: Currahee on August 12, 2013, 01:09:30 AM
I have not tried this

Homemade Field Phones (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMDbj0ZCiCc#)
Title: Re: Homemade field phones?
Post by: Grudgie on August 12, 2013, 01:17:03 AM
I have tried paper cups and fishing line. They work OK over short distances. When I really want to reach out there I shout my position over a megaphone.
Title: Re: Homemade field phones?
Post by: JohnyMac on August 12, 2013, 10:01:34 AM
Good find Currahee. Great idea but I have a shit-ton of questions like:

1) What powers the intercoms? 120 Vlt with a step down transformer or 9 vlt transistor battery.
2) How far will a good signal travel on wire. The distance from my LP/OP to the cabin is about 1/2 mile. Probably
    12AWG would work better than 18AWG.
3) Cost of speaker wire. Again I need about 1/2 mile worth of wire. That's about 2,600 feet at 21? per foot
     for "in the wall" 12AWG wire not outside wire ($554-) or 08? a foot for 18AWG in the wall wire ($208-).

Check out this site http://rarmy.net/armysurplus/military-surplus-field-phone/ (http://rarmy.net/armysurplus/military-surplus-field-phone/)for some phones.
Title: Re: Homemade field phones?
Post by: APX808 on August 12, 2013, 11:18:08 AM
You can buy telephony wire that is way cheaper, I dunno why that guy is using speaker wire.
In SHTF you can steal the wire from the public network also.

I just found a chinesse pair of phones for 20 bucks, they say they support a wire up to 200 meters

Chinesse intercom (http://dx.com/p/home-office-wired-intercom-telephone-system-with-wall-mount-2-pack-15960)

That intercom works with 4 AA batteries, you can adapt it to work out of 12V.
I think is the same model the guy in the video is using.

Also, don't forget that you can use a signal amplifier if you need a longer wire.

Maybe I'll get a set to do some experiments
Title: Re: Homemade field phones?
Post by: JohnyMac on August 12, 2013, 11:28:34 AM
Cool!  :thumbsUp:
Title: Re: Homemade field phones?
Post by: Currahee on August 13, 2013, 01:47:46 AM
You can buy telephony wire that is way cheaper, I dunno why that guy is using speaker wire.
In SHTF you can steal the wire from the public network also.

I just found a chinesse pair of phones for 20 bucks, they say they support a wire up to 200 meters

Chinesse intercom ([url]http://dx.com/p/home-office-wired-intercom-telephone-system-with-wall-mount-2-pack-15960[/url])

That intercom works with 4 AA batteries, you can adapt it to work out of 12V.
I think is the same model the guy in the video is using.

Also, don't forget that you can use a signal amplifier if you need a longer wire.

Maybe I'll get a set to do some experiments


Let me know how it goes, I found the same thing on Amazon and the reviews were not good, but it would be a cheap experiment.