I moved into a house built in the 1950s in the north eastern US and this outlet is on the back of the house but I can't find anything like it searching online. If anyone knows what it is I'd greatly appreciate the enlightenment!
this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2026
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Type 505A telephone jack. You can see one in this wiki under History.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_jack_and_plug
It's a Bell 548A jack to be more precise. It's compatible with both 283B (the older square shape) and 505A (the later round shape) plugs
OH, that's the name and not the current rating! Pick up there phone, it's fucking Zeus!
That would make for an amusing phone... Once I guess
When Thor is calling.
Back in my day, our phones were powered by the wrath of Zeus. We had to anger him BOTH WAYS to get some lightning to call and hang up.
I ran across 18v AC of his wrath stripping one side of the phone wire with my teeth on a scheme to capture and store \ use ring voltage to power devices. Free electricity you know.
Pocketbook empty
Can't afford a cell
Looking for juice
Found a bottomless well
No stripper, no crimps
Used teeth on the shell
Now my heart's all aflutter
With the touch of Ma Bell
I don't understand the reference. Can you please explain?
Zeus is the Greek good of thunder and lightning.
lol! Gee, thanks. 😂
No, I meant with the phones. What's the relation?
Was that like some reference from an ad? A movie?
The jokes about the phone connection and Zeus is that 505A can be read as 505 amps, an electrical measurement for current. 505 amps is quite a lot, especially in the context of being for a phone. 505 amps is about equivalent to 20 1200 watt microwaves running at the same time (120V).
Aaaah OK. Thank you for the explanation! 😊
https://usdictionary.com/idioms/i-walked-to-school-uphill-both-ways/
I might have mixed up threads to your comment :) what reference were you reffering to?
I got a really good laugh out of this thank you
Now I'm imagining a mad scientist hooking some weird antenna up to a telephone while screaming something about jigawatts.
Was that ever a valid pronunciation of gigawatts, or did somebody admit that it was a misreading of the printed word?
I frequently say jigawatts and jigabytes ironically. But probably often enough that it's no longer ironic.
Yeah that's how they getcha
In my country we say jigawatts (and jigabytes, jif, and so on)
I can't believe you say jigabytes! Don't you know know jibibytes are more precise?!?
Fellow Americans, why are we at war with Iran for no reason when this country exists?
Be gentle to the Australians. It is a silly place full of horrors beyond your reckoning, and dangerous animals too.
Thank you, I've never seen older than the 6P4C, I love learning little tid bits of history like this!
Sure. Honestly I've never seen one in person. 4 wires is the norm for telephones and I figured it was too small to be high voltage so I guessed comms then researched it. Ended up being right luckily 😅
Wonder if it actually still works
Thats good question, I might have to go antiquing to find something to try it out with.... although i suppose I'd have to pay to activate the line so maybe not.
And yeah I ruled out power right away since theres no poka-yoke feature to prevent mixing up hot, neutral, and ground, but "four prong outlet" and reverse image searching weren't getting me there.
They made adaptors from what you've got to rj11.
https://youtu.be/bTQQ5idTDjo