Sound f/x Telephones

[gpq]

Our sound designer mentioned that he might have a way to rig a phone to make it ring onstage. That's much better than the stupid ringing a phone through the sound system. I'd like to steal a march on him and and walk into the next rehearsal with a real phone that I can ring on command. Anyone know how to wire this?

Thanks.

 

[Les]

Yep.

Tele-Q: Operating Telephones for Stage and Screen.

They're not exactly dirt cheap (about $120), but this is one of those devices that no theatre is complete without.

 

[chausman]

If you try the search feature, there are several threads on this, and even though they are fairly old, most of them still have valid links.

This one for instance. http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/sound-music-intercom/1479-telephone.html

Yep.

Tele-Q: Operating Telephones for Stage and Screen.

Or, there is tele-q, which is $139.95 (and optional $18.00 AC adaptor).

 

[DuckJordan]

If you try the search feature, there are several threads on this, and even though they are fairly old, most of them still have valid links.

This one for instance. http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/sound-music-intercom/1479-telephone.html



Or, there is tele-q, which is $139.95 (and optional $18.00 AC adaptor).

You know these arent that hard to build, i never understood why the can charge so darn much... In high school i built one... granted you can hear the ring through the phone handset after being picked up (not the actual ringer, just the tone).

 

[Nelson]

Some years ago we rigged battery powered bells and switches to telephones that sounded much like real telephone ringers that the actors could ring on command. If you needed them to ring "on their own", you could run telephone wire to the bells and have the battery backstage where yourself or someone else could ring them. Buying battery-powered bells was less expensive than buying Tele-Q or other types of remote ringers.

Its easy for us now -- I am the telecom manager (telephone switchman) and can make our PBX do anything we need to do with telephones!

 

[Joshualangman]

And if it's a wireless phone …

Prop Phone | Use an iPhone or iPod Touch as a stage prop by controlling it remotely.

 

[MilesDenison]

You know these arent that hard to build, i never understood why the can charge so darn much... In high school i built one...

+1 - I built one not that long ago for one of our performances. The circuit isn't all that complicated. I did something fairly similar to the diagram attached(pulled from http://www.techlib.com/electronics/telephone.html)

If you're feeling bored one day, you might make a radioshack trip (or you might have the parts around already) and breadboard it out. Best of luck!