What is this grey box?

[fonebake]

Hello. I'm doing so decorating and have come across a cable that leads from the outside into the lounge and ends at this box here.



Here's the back of the box:



From outside the cable seems to be coming from a round plastic black circular box, roughly 6" in diameter.

Does anyone know what this is and whether I can just cut the cable back (from where it enters my flat)?[/img]

 

[breezer]

I would gues something to do with a rtelephone system, follow the cable and see where it goes

 

[fonebake]

Thanks for your reply.

I've followed the cable but all it leads to is a black box outside. The telephone cable is separate and doesn't connect to it in any way.



Here's a pic with the cover off:



Looks like some form of socket...?

 

[plugwash]

where is the box outside?

i'd guess from the type of cable possible some kind of entryphone system or similar where the entryphone hardware has been removed but the wiring left in place.

 

[fonebake]

The cable leads out through a small hole just above the front door and the black box is about a foot above it outside.

I suppose it could be an old sort of entry phone system as I live in a block of flats. Our current entry phone system isn't linked to this black box though.

Was hoping some one had seen something like the grey box/socket with all those holes in before.

Will test to see whether it's live first before I decide to cut it back.

 

[breezer]

nice clear pic, i agree with previous old entry phone (so i was close with phone)

 

[fonebake]

Cheers for your help breezer and plugwash.

 

[byron]

Looks like an early cable television box that was experimental in the 60,s or a reddifusion box that piped radio into peoples homes again in the 50-60,s

 

[fonebake]

Looks like an early cable television box that was experimental in the 60,s or a reddifusion box that piped radio into peoples homes again in the 50-60,s

Hmm....very interesting! With your info I did a bit of googling and I do think you're right about it being something to do with early cable tv/radio.

I found in one forum someone had said that on some old council estates piped telly was "strung together with thick black cable and black circular boxes" between each house. Although my cabling is white I have the circular black box - plus my flat is part of a 60s council estate. Guess it also explains why the grey socket is in the lounge.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cable+"rediffusion+box"

Thanks for your help!

 

[baldelectrician]

it's an old british relay / multibroadcast box.

We had one in our old house until 1982 (moved out then)

 

[supersparky]

yea BE is right its the old british relay system

now long redundent

i always cut em off, many people do, all the masts have gone so they dont do much, although i did hear somone near me on the HAM radios using it as a giant aerial which used to cock up everyones TV

ss

 

[plugwash]

what exactly is/was british relay?

 

[byron]

In the 50/60,s some estates in the Nottingham and to my limited knowledge also in the Sheffield area were wired up similar to cable television but the cables were strung from house to house terminating at distribution points similar to the telephone system.I believe you could subscribe to this system and you had a box installed in your property that allowed you to watch something like pay tv,boxing matches ,films etc.I think British Relay were the company that experimented with these systems and they were probably a bit before their time.

 

[toasty]

Interesting post. More like these please!!