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BELL
SYSTEM PRACTICES (BSPs) Technical
Documentation for Bell System products
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| SMALL FORMAT
BSP |
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LARGE FORMAT BSP |
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BSPs are extremely useful documents to collectors, as they contain loads of information on product features, LARGE FORMAT BSPs - 8 1/2 X 11 inches Individual BSPs ran from one to as many as 50 or 60 pages each. For a particular product, seperate BSPs often covered Identification, Selection, Connections, Installation, Operation and Maintenance. Each was typically stapled or glued together, and punched with 7 holes to fit 3, 4 or 7-pin binders. Each was also identified with a BSP number (described below), a date and an issue number. New issues were printed to describe new products and options, changes in technical specifications, different production parts, the adoption of new installation or service techniques and (occasionally) to correct errors. Packages of updates were periodically distributed, and had to be manually filed in each binder set in use, to keep the documentation set up to date. With literally thousands of BSPs published, this would have been quite a challenge for anyone lucky enough to have a large library of BSP binders.  (Source: Bell Telephone Magazine, Summer 1952) The number of BSPs exploded with the rush of new products in the 1960s and 1970s. This creates an obvious problem for collectors. If it's not enough of a challenge to find a reasonably complete set of BSPs for one's primary area of interest, things are complicated by wanting to know changes that happened during the life of a product. Several issues of each BSP are thus needed! We've seen some BSPs with issue numbers in the 60s or even higher. Some index documents that were frequently revised seem to have gone from issue 99 back to issue 1. Therefore, the issue number AND date are thus required to uniquely specify a particular document. SMALL FORMAT BSPS - 4 x 6 7/8 inches Shown with a carrying case above, these compact BSPs were produced primarily for installers to take along on the job. Sets were made up that contained the products most often used by an installer, and packaged in a hard board carrying case that was designed to fit conveniently in the installer's truck. Here they are shown with other contents of the installer's truck at a 1959 Family Night in Roanoke, Virginia.  (Source: The Transmitter, January 1959) While the same BSP numbers and content were used, the small format required the information to be typeset again, and corners and tabs were die cut, incurring additional cost and increasing the possibility of inconsistency and error. These BSP s were made from the 1910s through the 1960s! BSP HANDBOOKS During 1969 and the early 70s several Operating Companies experimented with producing bound copies of sets of the large BSPs for installers. Without the carrying case of the previous manuals, these often show signs of use -- wear and coffee stains. The feedback was that their 8 1/2 x 11 inch size was too large for convenience.     New York Telephone's smaller size was considered more suitable for installer use.  Beginning in 1970, the Bell System produced several sets of smaller format handbooks in the 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch format. Each BSP was photo-reduced, so the additional typesetting step was eliminated. The binding was simple and inexpensive, like a paperback book, so the books were cheaper, but not updateable. They were reprinted with current useful BSP issues every year or two through the 1970s and into the early 1980s. Old sets were discarded.    Several series were eventually developed, covering topics of interest to different groups of installers. STATION
SERVICE
MANUAL - Mainly single line sets and related components and
techniques
used primarily by residential installers.
BSP NUMBERING PLANSKEY SYSTEMS SERVICE MANUAL - Mainly multi-line sets and related components and techniques primarily used by commercial installers. STATION SPECIALTIES SERVICE MANUAL - Covered special function equipment, such as speakerphone connections, automatic dialers, answering machines and announcement machines. DATA SERVICES REFERENCE HANDBOOK - Devices (including modems) and procedures used to interface computers and other electronic data equipment to the telephone network. INTERCONNECTION SERVICE MANUAL - Electrical interfaces required for voice, data and customer supplied TIE lines. REGISTRATION SERVICE MANUAL - The FCC Registration Program, including specifications for jacks used to connect to the telephone network.  A library of just a few of the handbook sets published during the 1970s takes up about 6 feet of shelf space. BSP Numbers were initially in the form: Lss.nnn.vv where L = the letter indicating the series, ss = the numeric 2-digit section number (occasionally 3 digits were used), nnn = the 3-digit number of the BSP in the section, and vv = a one or two digit numeric variation code, if needed.
The BSP number was followed by the sequential Issue number and Date. For example, C11.001, Issue 4, 7-25-41 "Plan for System Issued Practices." Pages were normally on white paper. Addenda were on pink paper. Temporary Information Sheets were on yellow or light green paper. During World War II, "WR-" prefix BSPs were printed on blue paper. These documented Wartime Restrictions, including material substitutions. In 1956, the C-series was reorganized and converted to full page format. The "Station Operations Manual" was created, using a subset of the Css codes. Many BSPs were moved to new subsections in the Station Operations Manual, while others stayed in the Station Installation and Maintenance sections.
PLANT SERIES In the early 1960s, the numbering format was changed. All series were unified in a single all numeric numbering system. The initial letter was eliminated and the number was in the all numeric form: ddd-sss-kkk where ddd = Division Number, sss = Division-specific Subdivision Number, and kkk = Key Number. "ddd" Division Number Codes
The BSP number is followed by the sequential Issue number and Date. For example, 000-010-010, Issue 5, April 1964 "Bell System Practices - Plant Series General Plan" In typical Bell System fashion, BSPs were created to document the new numbering plan and conversion tables from old to new numbers.
BSP HISTORY BSPs were initially issued in about 1930. They evolved from "circular letters," informal "practices" and a similar format document called AT&T Specifications. The goal was to provide overall organization for all written instructions used by Plant and Engineering people. Bulk shipments were made from Western Electric to the Operating Companies for distribution to employees. After World War II, The Bell System struggled to catch up with demand that couldn't be serviced with wartime production and manpower constraints. On June 8, 1951, a task force was convened to study the use of BSPs, update some 8,000 sections of BSPs and to make recommendations for the future. Among the changes proposed were:
 (Source: Bell Telephone Magazine, Summer 1952) The updating activity took several years. During the 1950s and 60s some BSPs were renumbered and filed in different sections (making hours of entertainment for collectors trying to find a particular set or piece of equipment). Between about 1960 and 1963, the 9-digit numbering plan was adopted and phased in to use. It was probably done for the convenience of Bell System computers, but adds to the challenge for today's collector trying to trace a product's development. You can read the entire 1952 BTM article on BSPs (The Bell System's Best Sellers) here (13 MB): http://www.paul-f.com/Doc/BTM_1952_Summer_BSPs.pdf BSP SOURCES As you can easily see, the chance of finding anyone with a complete set of BSPs readily available is exceptionally small. It's even difficult to get a set of BSPs showing the evolution of a particular phone or component over a period of 5 to 10 years. For many years, collectors were lucky enough to be able to order BSPs directly from Lucent's web site. That has since stopped, so BSPs must be found on-line or on the used market. I've had some luck searching the internet for a BSP using "bsp" followed by the BSP's number in quotes -- e.g. bsp "000-010-010" When written, this returned a match on the site telephonearchive.com. Several sites are building libraries of BSPs and wiring diagrams from BSPs in pdf format. The TCI Library is the most comprehensive, with well over 10,000 documents. Please contribute scans of any BSPs or related documents you have. Some sources are listed on the links page: Paul-f.com links The handbooks still appear fairly frequently at telephone shows and on-line auctions at reasonable prices. Other BSP books and binders seem to command premium prices currently. Some phone club members are scanning groups of BSPs and making them available on CD. If you need BSPs, you should consider joining a collector club. You may find a source and will certainly find folks with similar interests who can help with wiring or troubleshooting issues, even if the documentation is difficult to find. No matter how much or how little you know, there are probably areas in which you can now or will soon be able to help others. Happy hunting! "You can't have too many BSPs!" Please send any comments, additions and corrections. Last update: 3 Jan 2014 |
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