TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT

Press, Volume C, Issue 29672, 16 November 1961, Page 17

TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT

Installation At Addington

A new type of telephone equipment known as a “tine concentrator,” recently installed in the Addington district, in the central Christchurch exchange area, has so far been fault-free, thedivisengineer, equipment (Mr E. G. Harris) said yesterday.

The equipment enables a relatively large number of subscribers to be served by relatively few cable pairs back to the exchange, the principle being that, since not all subscribers want to use their telephones at one time, it is possible to economise on cabling by giving them automatic switching to one of a small number of trunk circuits.

5 The equipment installed at ? Addington had a nominal f capacity of 49 subscribers t linked to nine cable pairs, but the department had so t far only connected 26 subs scribers in case it should turn s out that there was a greater s use than anticipated, said Mr t Harris. No complaints had r been received, however. ' Swiss Manufacture t The concentrator used at Addington was of Swiss ■ manufacture, and was one of f two types now coining into - use in New Zealand. The r other type concentrated 22 s subscribers’ lines onto five • trunk lines, and was made in r Britain. The larger concen- ■ trator had to be housed in a building, the one at Addington being in the Post Office. The smaller version was accommodated in a roadside cabinet similar to those used for major underground cable junctions. This smaller version was not yet in use in Canterbury. Both types of concentrator i required extra equipment in ; the exchange to sort out the ' calls from the various subl scribers to give suitable coni nexions into the dialling . selection gear. I As the equipment was , somewhat expensive and the installation costs fairly high, , there was no question at the moment of its widespread in- ; troduction, said Mr Harris. • The department was “still feeling its way.” The con1 centrator would be used only when conditions were suit- ‘ able, which was usually when a group of subscribers was at 1 some tittle distance from the exchange.