3 Comments Posted by dukanetech

Motts is right...this is the nurse call system master station. Calls from the room would be annunciated by a light in the top rectangle portion. The nurses could have a two-way conversation with the calling room using the controls at the bottom part. The dial would allow the nurse to call into the room directly.

This is an Edwards annunciator panel. There were 4 lights...A, B, C and D. If a switch was flipped in an area, it's corresponding light would come on and a buzzer sound would be heard at this station. The nurse could flip the switch on the station to silence the buzzer. When she responds to the call, she cancels the call in the room by flipping the switch off. This extinguishes the light on this panel and causes the buzzer to ring again. When she returns to the nurse station, she flips the switch on the front of the annunciator back to silence the buzzer, and the system is now ready for another call.

Dukane is still in the nurse call (and as mentioned by other posters, school PA) system business! Although the model shown here is LONG discontinued. The company is now owned by GE.

This is more of an intercom/call for help system than a paging system. A button on a cord (looks a lot like a ring-in button for a Jeopardy game show) plugs into the CALL CORD jack on the front of the station. The patient can hold it while they are in bed. When the patient needs a nurse, they push the button and the CALL light comes on. Outside their room above the door a light comes on as well. At the nurse's station there would be a master console so the nurse could communicate with the patient in the room.

The secrecy switch would allow the nurse at the nurse's station to talk into the room, but the nurse would not be able to listen in on the room.