Genuine Red Victa Public Payphone from from the 1970s for rent
This phone was a great purchase as it came with the stand which is rare.
The Red Victa payphone was used in many Aussie Tv shows and movies.
The phone is authentic and in its original condition from the 70s
The Red Phone, supplied by the Victa Telecommunications Company and built by Tamura in Japan, was the other entrant in the leased payphone market. In most respects it followed the pattern of the Easiphone. It was a popular target for theft because of its compact shape when not mounted on the stand as shown. It was soon provided with a chain and lock at the rear so it could be bolted down. Apart from this, it proved reasonably popular and fairly reliable in service.
Victa was also bought out by Telecom Australia in 1964. Until then, both the Easiphone and the Red Phone did a lot to fill the market gap. Unlike the Easiphone, the Redphone continued in service for some time and was actively sold by the new Telecom.
There was also a half-height version, intended for low-use areas such as boarding houses. The full-size phone was known as the Commercial Unit, and the half height model was the Domestic Unit.
Directory assistance 013 and 000 etc also require a coin before you can place a call. With these numbers the coin will be returned after the call.
There are two main types of redphone the tall version and the squat version. The tall version is by far the most common. It also has two obvious variants a 20c only version and a 10c & 20c version. The tall versions appear to have been manufacured in Japan.
The redphone weighs over 10kg with an empty coin tin. It is very solidly constructed. The redphone has three locks. The back RHS lock is for the payphone owner to make "uncharged" calls. The front RHS lock is for the coin safe. The coin safe contains a small black plastic container which holds the coins.
The LHS lock allows the top to be removed from the telephone. Three connections are made between the top half of the phone and the base. These are for the dial.
The hookswitch mechanism of the redphone has an interesting built in delay. This is to prevent hookswitch dialling. The redphone has a conventional electro-mechanical bell. A circuit diagram is usually pasted inside the case of a redphone. One interesting adjustment is that a PCB key is inserted to allow the phone to be used on SxS or ARK exchanges.
The Red Phone, supplied by the Victa Telecommunications Company and built by Tamura in Japan, was the other entrant in the leased payphone market. In most respects it followed the pattern of the Easiphone. It was a popular target for theft because of its compact shape when not mounted on the stand as shown. It was soon provided with a chain and lock at the rear so it could be bolted down. Apart from this, it proved reasonably popular and fairly reliable in service.
Victa was also bought out by Telecom Australia in 1964. Until then, both the Easiphone and the Red Phone did a lot to fill the market gap. Unlike the Easiphone, the Redphone continued in service for some time and was actively sold by the new Telecom.
There was also a half-height version, intended for low-use areas such as boarding houses. The full-size phone was known as the Commercial Unit, and the half height model was the Domestic Unit.
Directory assistance 013 and 000 etc also require a coin before you can place a call. With these numbers the coin will be returned after the call.
There are two main types of redphone the tall version and the squat version. The tall version is by far the most common. It also has two obvious variants a 20c only version and a 10c & 20c version. The tall versions appear to have been manufacured in Japan.
The redphone weighs over 10kg with an empty coin tin. It is very solidly constructed. The redphone has three locks. The back RHS lock is for the payphone owner to make "uncharged" calls. The front RHS lock is for the coin safe. The coin safe contains a small black plastic container which holds the coins.
The LHS lock allows the top to be removed from the telephone. Three connections are made between the top half of the phone and the base. These are for the dial.
The hookswitch mechanism of the redphone has an interesting built in delay. This is to prevent hookswitch dialling. The redphone has a conventional electro-mechanical bell. A circuit diagram is usually pasted inside the case of a redphone. One interesting adjustment is that a PCB key is inserted to allow the phone to be used on SxS or ARK exchanges.