AUDICHRON TIME OF DAY ANNOUNCEMENT (JANE BARBE) - MUSEUM OF COMMUNICATIONS - SEATTLE

[ElectroMecca]

Wow, she's even a beautiful looking machine :-)

[imickey503]

ICONIC!

[jennifer86010]

I actually spoke personally to Jane Barbe..."The Time Lady". She used to live in Atlanta, GA, I was writing a song about "The Time Lady" and I needed to get her permission to record it. After our friendly conversation, I couldn't resist asking....Ms. Barbe, can you tell me what time it is? She said...."Oh, about half past......" Her voice was the most listened to voice in the entire world. It was an honor to actually speak to her. -Dennis Edwards Music

[mathewbailey08]

Otis Elevator used to make a magnetic drum message system called Elevoice that played voice messages concerning various modes of elevator operation.

Nowadays elevator operation messages are generated by computer or chips.

[Madness832]

What does the WE 7A Announcement Machine look like? Similar? That's the one that was used for the intercept recordings.

[douro20]

@Madness832

The 7A was an optical machine which used photographic film; very different technology.

[douro20]

@douro20

Sorry I meant to say the 7A announcement machine; 7A was the first model of WE rotary system.

[05Cinco05]

Do you have anything with Mary Moore? I liked her . . . although she was being phased out when I was a kid . . . I liked the way she emphasized her 5's . . . . and I used to trip out on the faint background noise that was present on the recordings . . . Miss those days . . .

[05Cinco05]

Mary Moore and Jane Barbe are my favorite voices of the recorded announcements from the bell system . . . those were the days. Did Audichron also provide the equipment for the intercept recordings? "The Number You Have Reached 4 4 5 - 8 9 8 8 Has Been Disconnected . . . No Further Information Is Available About 4 4 5 - 8 9 8 8" . . .

[museumofcomm]

Yes, they did and Jane would have recording sessions multiple times a year to do these. I can video tape the intercept in the #5 and #1 crossbar switches. Those switches also have troubleshooting ticket generators made by Teletype.

[thecooldude9999]

@05Cinco05 you mean the automated intercept system.

[An805Guy]

We had one of the AudiChron (no 'O' in the middle) machines when I worked for GTE in Oxnard, CA. It served all the COs in Ventura Co. By the mid-1980's it was breaking down too often, so it was replaced by an ETC unit around 1990. Even though the AudiChron equipment had been leased, no one semed to want it back, so it was eventually placed in the recycling bin with other retired equipment. After Verizon took over they discontinued Time Announcement service completely.

[OldGuy0003]

Very nice. How many tracks are on this device? Is the recorded voice in sync. with the video? How does it pickup the time when in continous motion over the drum and not stopping at any one point to play that fragment?

Thanks.

[museumofcomm]

There are three recording drums which can move independently and are removable. The camera is facing the hour and minute drums. You can see the playback head drop just as the time is read. I may update the video showing both playback heads dropping.

[ElmerCat]

It's very cool to see an Audichron system in operation, but I'm surprised you haven't mentioned that the voice on the recording is that of Jane Barbe, arguably the greatest telephone voice ever! "Please make a note of it!"

[museumofcomm]

She was (and still is to some extent) ubiquitous.

[dllewiszz]

Evan Doorbell actually had an ongoing correspondence with Jane Barbee back in the day.

[Recumbentz]

Check : Phoneco-Galesville, Wi.