Telephone Exchange, High Street
| Place type: | Building |
|---|---|
| Also known as: | Telephone Exchange |
| Address: | High Street |
| Town or Locality: | Gawler |
| Year constructed: | 1889 |
| Year demolished or re-purposed: | 1968 |
| Used for: | Telephone communication |
In 1889 telecommunications were established between Gawler and Adelaide. There were only three Gawler subscribers connected at that time.
The early telephone exchange would have been a magneto exchange. This would have required the subscribers to turn a handle to generate power to drop a shutter on the switchboard to let the operator know to plug a cord into the appropriate jack and answer the calling customer. According to records there were 28 subscribers connected in 1907 and 584 calls were recorded. The Gawler exchange changed over to CB (central battery), working and was installed above the old Gawler post office. There were two “A” positions for local calls, nine trunk positions for trunk calls and two through positions for calls from other towns that were switched through Gawler. To make a call at this time subscribers only had to lift the receiver and a light lit so the operator could see who was calling. There were over thirty telephonists there in those days working shifts 24/7.
Some subscribers kept the same number from the early days until Gawler changed over to Automatic. G McLean Undertakers and Veterinary Surgeon was number 6 and the Fire Brigade was number 11.
The building in High Street was called the Gawler Repeater Station as it housed program amplifiers, and long distance 12 channel systems that needed to be amplified, or repeated, along the way and so repeater stations were required. It also housed 2VF equipment which was used by operators to make trunk calls. This used a pulse of 750hz to connect and dial a number and 600hz to clear down a call.
On 15th May 1968 Gawler manual exchange closed and the new automatic crossbar exchange was cut into service. Some operators were retained for the new through switchboards that were installed on the second floor of the exchange. These were required until STD (subscriber trunk dialing), was fully operative in the district.
In the early 1990s the new AXE digital switching exchange gradually took over switching calls and the Crossbar exchange became obsolete and taken out of service. There were about 30 technicians stationed at Gawler that serviced the exchanges and substation equipment in Gawler and district.
At the end of the century the staff were not required in the exchanges as the control of the exchanges was being done from a room in Adelaide for about five years. Then all the control of the exchanges was taken over by the Clayton staff in Victoria.
Staff now only attend the exchange when required.
For more photos of the Telephone Exchange, click here.
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