Audichron
Encyclopedia
Audichron was a talking clock
, or a time announcer which was developed and produced by the Audichron Company
, starting in the 1930s. There were several types of Audichron machines including the stand time piece (STM), M12, temperature machine (TEMP) and the Comparator.
Inside the STM were a series of gear
s that caused the drums to rotate and index independently to new messages (there were up to twelve messages on a drum), new hours and new minutes. There was a sound head on each side of the machine. The first would come down and play the message. Then it would be raised and the one on the left would drop down to play the hours and minutes. STMs were typically used in small towns with fairly low traffic
volume.
machine. It consisted on a long rotating drum (perhaps 18 inches long). Recorded on the drum were a series of temperatures (minus 40 °F to 120 °F, or −40 °C to 50 °C)). A single soundhead was attached to a lead screw. A thermometer
was placed on top of the telephone company central office and connected to the Audichron temperature machine. This would cause the leadscrew to rotate and position the soundhead on top of the correct temperature recording.
Thus with a time and temperature machine, a caller might hear: "Save by the 10th, earn from the first, at Central Brevard National Bank. Time one forty two. Temperature 98." In reality they were hearing announcements with four rotating drums on two separate machines. Audichron sometimes made special temperature machines that went up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) for desert cities in such states as California
, Arizona
as well as others.
units were found only in the largest cities. They were similar to M12 units but had an extra drum for seconds. Callers heard messages such as: "At the tone, the time will be twelve fifteen and 10 seconds" followed by a tone
. The comparator units used an oscilloscope
to monitor the National Bureau of Standards radio station
WWV to ensure the time was accurate. WWV used an Audichron machine to broadcast the time over the radio.
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
, or a time announcer which was developed and produced by the Audichron Company
Audichron Company
Audichron Company was a company founded in the 1930s by John Franklin in Doraville, Georgia, to produce the Audichron, a talking clock. By the 1970s, there were thousands of Audichron time-of-day announcers in use all over the world. Audichron had also developed a machine to announce the temperature...
, starting in the 1930s. There were several types of Audichron machines including the stand time piece (STM), M12, temperature machine (TEMP) and the Comparator.
STM
STM stood for "Small Town Machine". This was the standard time piece. It made announcements such as: "Save by the 10th, earn from the first, at Central Brevard National Bank. Time one forty two." The STM had three recording drums and two sound heads. The drum on the left side of the machine was the widest; it held the customers' messages. On the right side of the machine were the hour drum and the minute drum. The hour drum was the narrowest of the three drums; it simply had the hours 1 through 12 recorded on it. The minute drum had the minutes 1 through 59 and o'clock recorded on it.Inside the STM were a series of gear
Gear
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine....
s that caused the drums to rotate and index independently to new messages (there were up to twelve messages on a drum), new hours and new minutes. There was a sound head on each side of the machine. The first would come down and play the message. Then it would be raised and the one on the left would drop down to play the hours and minutes. STMs were typically used in small towns with fairly low traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
volume.
M12
This machine was similar in design to the STM machine. However, it had a feature called TLP (traffic load protection). M12s were used in larger cities that had lots of call volume. When call volume got very heavy, the M12 would shorten the message and then give the time. For example, "Central Brevard National Bank Time four o'clock." This allowed the phone company to handle more calls without overwhelming its system.Temp
This was the temperatureTemperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
machine. It consisted on a long rotating drum (perhaps 18 inches long). Recorded on the drum were a series of temperatures (minus 40 °F to 120 °F, or −40 °C to 50 °C)). A single soundhead was attached to a lead screw. A thermometer
Thermometer
Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer is a device that measures temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles. A thermometer has two important elements: the temperature sensor Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer (from the...
was placed on top of the telephone company central office and connected to the Audichron temperature machine. This would cause the leadscrew to rotate and position the soundhead on top of the correct temperature recording.
Thus with a time and temperature machine, a caller might hear: "Save by the 10th, earn from the first, at Central Brevard National Bank. Time one forty two. Temperature 98." In reality they were hearing announcements with four rotating drums on two separate machines. Audichron sometimes made special temperature machines that went up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) for desert cities in such states as California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
as well as others.
Comparator
The comparatorComparator
In electronics, a comparator is a device that compares two voltages or currents and switches its output to indicate which is larger. They are commonly used in devices such as Analog-to-digital converters .- Input voltage range :...
units were found only in the largest cities. They were similar to M12 units but had an extra drum for seconds. Callers heard messages such as: "At the tone, the time will be twelve fifteen and 10 seconds" followed by a tone
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
. The comparator units used an oscilloscope
Oscilloscope
An oscilloscope is a type of electronic test instrument that allows observation of constantly varying signal voltages, usually as a two-dimensional graph of one or more electrical potential differences using the vertical or 'Y' axis, plotted as a function of time,...
to monitor the National Bureau of Standards radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
WWV to ensure the time was accurate. WWV used an Audichron machine to broadcast the time over the radio.
Voice Talent
- Mary Moore (Time Lady)Mary Moore (Time Lady)In the United States of America, Mary Moore was the first national voice of the Bell System's standardized speaking clock and also provided the voice behind many telephone company recordings on equipment manufactured by Audichron....
- Jane BarbeJane BarbeJane Barbe was an American voice actress known as the "Time Lady" for the recordings she made for the Bell System and other phone companies. The ubiquity of her recordings eventually made her a pop-culture figure whose death drew national attention....
- Pat FleetPat FleetPat Fleet is a working American voice actress known as the registered voice of AT&T.Widely recognized for the tens of thousands of recordings she has made for US telephone companies such as AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, the former Bell System companies, and others since 1981, she is still most recognized...
- Don Elliot Heald