atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Telephone Repairs & Equipment Troubleshooting 1970s-era AE "Desk compact"

Given that the problem seems to occur only when the phone is left undisturbed for long periods of time, I left it a good two weeks.

I picked up the handset about a minute ago, very carefully causing as little disturbance to the handset cord as possible. Again, dead receiver. Holding the receiver to my ear, and taking care not to disturb the handset cord in any way, I carefully unscrewed the mic housing.

As it began to come loose, I heard a faint crackle in the receiver, then it came to life with ringback (either the dialtone had timed out, or the unscrewing of the mic housing had pulse-dialed somebody; not exactly wanting to find out which, I grabbed the hookswitch).

So that brings up two questions:

1. How could the mic cartridge drag down the receiver?

2. Where would I find a replacement carbon mic cartridge? The markings on this read:

D-38379-A
GTE 810
2
OX (or XO?)

Picking up the cartridge by itself, and shaking it by my ear, I can hear the carbon rattling around, rather like fine sand in some small percussion instrument.