Party line (telephony)
Encyclopedia
In twentieth-century telephone
systems, a party line (also multiparty line or shared service line) is an arrangement in which two or more customers are connected directly to the same local loop
. Prior to World War II
in the United States, party lines were the primary way residential subscribers acquired local telephone service. British users similarly benefited from the party line discount.
was for the first subscriber to the line, the ring would follow one pattern such as two short rings, if the call was for the second subscriber, the ring would sound another way, such as a short ring followed by a long one, and so on. Other subscribers on the line heard the ring and might listen in. Frequently ringing phones were an annoyance, so selective ringing methods were introduced in the mid twentieth century. Especially effective on two-party lines was the distinction between tip party and ring party. Each telephone bell, rather than being connected across tip and ring
as usual, was connected from one wire to local ground. Thus only the selected station in a two party line would ring. For multiparty lines all the "tip parties" or all the "ring parties" would ring, in this semi-selective scheme.
Later systems applied multiple ringing frequencies for fully selective ringing. Equipment at an individual subscriber's location could distinguish several different ringing signals so that only the desired party's phone would actually ring. In this arrangement the only inconvenience of a party line was occasionally finding the line in use (by hearing talking) when one picked up the phone to make a call. If one of the parties used the phone heavily then the inconvenience for the others was more than occasional as depicted in the 1959 comedy film Pillow Talk.
Even for lines with selective ringing, calls to another party on the same party line, known as "reverting calls", required special equipment and procedures. One such piece of equipment allowed a user to hear the conversation on the line without interrupting the conversation.
high in the mountains above Los Angeles
, near Sierra Madre, California
, where 81 cabins, a group camp and a pack station all communicate by magneto
-type crank phones. One ring is for the pack station, two rings for the camp and three rings means all cabins pick up.
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
systems, a party line (also multiparty line or shared service line) is an arrangement in which two or more customers are connected directly to the same local loop
Local loop
In telephony, the local loop is the physical link or circuit that connects from the demarcation point of the customer premises to the edge of the carrier or telecommunications service provider's network...
. Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the United States, party lines were the primary way residential subscribers acquired local telephone service. British users similarly benefited from the party line discount.
Selective ring
Originally, in order to distinguish one line subscriber from another, operators developed different ringing cadences for the subscribers so that if the callTelephone call
A telephone call is a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party.-Information transmission:A telephone call may carry ordinary voice transmission using a telephone, data transmission when the calling party and called party are using modems, or facsimile...
was for the first subscriber to the line, the ring would follow one pattern such as two short rings, if the call was for the second subscriber, the ring would sound another way, such as a short ring followed by a long one, and so on. Other subscribers on the line heard the ring and might listen in. Frequently ringing phones were an annoyance, so selective ringing methods were introduced in the mid twentieth century. Especially effective on two-party lines was the distinction between tip party and ring party. Each telephone bell, rather than being connected across tip and ring
Tip and ring
"Tip" and "Ring" are common terms in the telephone service industry referring to the two wires or sides of an ordinary telephone line. Tip is the ground side and Ring is the battery side of a phone circuit. In the UK these are referred to as the 'A' and 'B' wires...
as usual, was connected from one wire to local ground. Thus only the selected station in a two party line would ring. For multiparty lines all the "tip parties" or all the "ring parties" would ring, in this semi-selective scheme.
Later systems applied multiple ringing frequencies for fully selective ringing. Equipment at an individual subscriber's location could distinguish several different ringing signals so that only the desired party's phone would actually ring. In this arrangement the only inconvenience of a party line was occasionally finding the line in use (by hearing talking) when one picked up the phone to make a call. If one of the parties used the phone heavily then the inconvenience for the others was more than occasional as depicted in the 1959 comedy film Pillow Talk.
Even for lines with selective ringing, calls to another party on the same party line, known as "reverting calls", required special equipment and procedures. One such piece of equipment allowed a user to hear the conversation on the line without interrupting the conversation.
Characteristics of party lines
- With party line service, it was usually necessary to complete a long distance call through the operatorTelephone operatorA telephone operator is either* a person who provides assistance to a telephone caller, usually in the placing of operator assisted telephone calls such as calls from a pay phone, collect calls , calls which are billed to a credit card, station-to-station and person-to-person calls, and certain...
to identify and correctly bill the calling party. - When the party line is already in use, if any of the other subscribers to that line pick up the phone, they can hear and participate in the conversation. EavesdroppingEavesdroppingEavesdropping is the act of secretly listening to the private conversation of others without their consent, as defined by Black's Law Dictionary...
opportunities abounded, as shown in the 1959 film Pillow Talk. - The completely non-private party lines were a cultural fixture of rural areas for many decades, and were frequently used as a source of entertainment and gossipGossipGossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
, as well as a means of quickly alerting entire neighborhoods in case of emergencies such as fires, as written in "The Thorn BirdsThe Thorn BirdsThe Thorn Birds is a 1977 best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, an Australian author.In 1983 it was adapted as a television mini-series that, during its television run 27–30 March, became the United States' second highest rated mini-series of all time behind Roots; both series were produced by...
" by Colleen McCulloughColleen McCulloughColleen McCullough-Robinson, , is an internationally acclaimed Australian author.-Life:McCullough was born in Wellington, in outback central west New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved...
. - Party lines remain primarily in ruralRuralRural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
areas where local loops are long and private loops uneconomical when spread sparsely over a large area. PrivacyPrivacyPrivacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
is limited and congestionCongestionCongestion generally means excessive crowding.Congestion may refer to:* congestion in heart failure, a term to describe low cardiac output seen in heart failure.* Nasal congestion, the blockage of nasal passages due to swollen membranes...
often occurs. In isolated communities, party lines have been used without any direct connection to the outside world. - Party lines are not suitable for Internet access. If one customer is using dial up, it will jam the line for every customer. Bridge tapBridge tapBridged tap or bridge tap is a long-used method of cabling for telephone lines. One cable pair will "appear" in several different terminal locations . This allows the telephone company to use or "assign" that pair to any subscriber near those terminal locations. Once that customer disconnects,...
s make party lines unsuitable for DSLDigital Subscriber LineDigital subscriber line is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ,...
. - Many areas have laws requiring a person engaged in a call on a party line to end the call immediately if another party needs the line for an emergency.
Use on railways
Party line usage was at one time common on railways, where numerous telephones were connected to a single pair of wires. Usually a long ring of many turns of the handle would alert the exchange that a connection was required to another destination. The problem of selective calling was also solved by a mechanical device which could selectively ring one or a group of stations.Party lines still in existence
One example of a community linked by party line is in Big Santa Anita CanyonSanta Anita Canyon
Santa Anita Canyon is a canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains, within the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California.-Geography:...
high in the mountains above Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, near Sierra Madre, California
Sierra Madre, California
The city of Sierra Madre is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California whose population was 10,917 at the 2010 census, up from 10,580 at the time of the 2000 census. The city is located in the Foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains below the southern edge of the Angeles National Forest. ...
, where 81 cabins, a group camp and a pack station all communicate by magneto
Magneto
A magneto is a type of electrical generator.Magneto may also refer to:* Magneto , permanent magnetic alternating current rotary generator* ignition magneto, magnetos on internal combustion engines...
-type crank phones. One ring is for the pack station, two rings for the camp and three rings means all cabins pick up.