Viking E-1600-20A ADA Emergency Phone 2-Button Stainless Steel Dialer

Viking Electronics E-1600-20A Two-Button ADA Emergency Phone with Autodialer and Voice Announcer

The Viking Electronics E-1600-20A is a flush- or surface-mount emergency phone built for stairwells, elevators, parking structures, and any ADA-regulated space where a hardwired, telephone-line-powered call point is required. Constructed from 14-gauge marine-grade 316 brushed stainless steel and rated for operation from -15°F to 130°F, this unit is built to survive installations that would corrode or fail lesser enclosures. No local power supply is needed — the E-1600-20A runs entirely off talk battery from the telephone line, drawing a minimum of 20mA at 24V DC, which simplifies conduit planning and eliminates a common failure point in remote call stations.

When This Is the Correct Choice

Specify the E-1600-20A when your project requires ADA and ASME A17.1 elevator code compliance, a hands-free two-button interface, and a steel enclosure that can be flush-mounted into a standard rough-in box or surface-mounted with the optional VE-5x5 cover plate. The autodialer with voice announcer means no handset to vandalize and no user training required — press the button, the unit announces itself and dials out automatically.

When to Choose a Different Model

If the installation is exposed to weather, condensation, or wash-down environments, consider the E-1600-20A-EWP variant in the same family, which carries an IP66 rating and supports up to 100% humidity — the standard E-1600-20A is rated 5% to 95% non-condensing. For IP-network-connected deployments where the phone must register as a SIP endpoint on a VoIP infrastructure, look at the 1600-IP series instead.

Key Features

• Telephone Line Powered (POTS): The E-1600-20A draws all operating power from the analog telephone line — minimum 20mA at 24V DC talk battery. No 120VAC outlet, no PoE injector, and no UPS branch circuit required at the call station itself. In elevator shafts and stairwells where running power conduit is expensive, this is a meaningful installation cost reduction.
• 5 Programmable Emergency Numbers + 2 Central Station Numbers: The dialer can cycle through up to five emergency destination numbers in sequence, plus two dedicated central station numbers — useful when primary dispatch is unreachable or when code requires a redundant monitoring path. Programming is stored locally on the unit.
• 3 Non-Emergency Info Numbers: Beyond the emergency dial list, three additional non-emergency information numbers can be assigned — practical for maintenance dispatch, property management, or tenant services lines on the same device.
• 16-Second Voice Memory: A recorded voice announcement plays when the call connects, identifying the unit's location without relying on the caller to describe where they are. Sixteen seconds is enough for a building address, floor, and zone ID — critical for dispatch accuracy when a caller is panicked or incapacitated.
• 14-Gauge Marine Grade 316 Stainless Steel: The E-1600-20A enclosure uses 316-series stainless, which offers measurably better chloride and corrosion resistance than the more common 304 alloy. At 5.75" x 3.08" x 1.05" and 2.5 lbs shipping weight, it fits standard gang box rough-ins without custom fabrication.
• -15°F to 130°F Operating Range: Covers unheated parking garages, exterior stairwells in cold climates, and mechanical rooms. If your site sees temperatures below -15°F or above 130°F, the EWP variant extends the range to -40°F.
• ADA and ASME A17.1 Compliance: Dual-standard compliance satisfies both the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for accessible emergency communication and the ASME elevator safety code — a single SKU that checks both inspector boxes on most commercial elevator modernization and new construction projects.
• Flexible Mounting: Ships ready for flush mount using the included rough-in box. Surface mount, post mount, and single/double gang box configurations are supported. The optional VE-5x5 surface cover expands the footprint options without field fabrication.

Integration and Compatibility

The E-1600-20A connects to any standard analog (POTS) telephone line. It is not a SIP or VoIP device — it requires a dedicated analog loop. Where a PBX or hosted phone system is in use, a FXS analog telephone adapter or analog station port must be provisioned. The unit integrates naturally with Viking Electronics line-seizure accessories and remote programming interfaces where the installation requires shared line management. For outdoor enclosures and vandal-resistant housings compatible with this form factor, reference the Viking emergency phone accessory line.

Review the emergency phone selection guide for side-by-side coverage of analog vs. IP emergency call station tradeoffs, ADA rough-in requirements, and dial sequence programming best practices before finalizing your specification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does the E-1600-20A require external power at the installation point?

A: No. The E-1600-20A is telephone line powered, drawing a minimum of 20mA at 24V DC talk battery from the analog loop. No AC outlet or supplemental power supply is needed at the call station.

Q: Is the E-1600-20A rated for outdoor or wet locations?

A: The standard E-1600-20A is rated for 5% to 95% non-condensing humidity and operates from -15°F to 130°F — suitable for covered, semi-protected locations. For fully exposed outdoor, wash-down, or high-humidity environments, the E-1600-20A-EWP variant carries an IP66 rating and supports up to 100% humidity.

Q: How many emergency numbers can the E-1600-20A dial?

A: The unit can store up to 5 programmable emergency numbers and 2 central station numbers, plus 3 non-emergency information numbers — 10 total destinations across all categories.

Q: What compliance standards does the E-1600-20A meet?

A: The E-1600-20A is compliant with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements and ASME A17.1, the elevator safety code. This makes it suitable for elevator cab and hoistway emergency phone applications on new construction and modernization projects.

Q: Can the voice announcement be customized on the E-1600-20A?

A: Yes. The unit provides 16 seconds of programmable voice memory, allowing a site-specific location announcement (building, floor, zone) to play automatically when a call connects.

Q: What mounting options are available for the E-1600-20A?

A: Flush mount using the included rough-in box, surface mount with the optional VE-5x5 cover, post mount, and single or double gang box mounting are all supported.

Ted Perry

The Viking Electronics E-1600-20A is one of the cleanest analog emergency phone specs I run across on elevator modernization and parking structure projects. The combination of 14-gauge marine-grade 316 stainless construction and a -15°F to 130°F operating window covers the vast majority of unheated or partially exposed installations without needing to step up to the EWP variant — and keeping it on a standard POTS loop means your low-voltage subcontractor handles the whole rough-in, no electrician coordination required for a branch circuit at the call station.

Technical Highlights:

• Line-Powered at 20mA / 24V DC: Draws all operating current from the analog loop. In multi-station elevator installations this means no power budget math per cab — just loop current planning, which any telephony tech can do off the splice documentation.
• 7-Number Dial Sequence (5 emergency + 2 central station): Having two independent central station destinations matters on monitored systems where a single-point dispatch failure would leave a cab unreachable. Most competing single-dial units don't carry this redundancy.
• 16-Second Location Announcement: Enough runtime to encode building name, floor, and zone into a single recorded message. Dispatch gets a location ID before the caller says a word — directly improves response time on large campuses or multi-building properties.

Deployment Considerations:

• The E-1600-20A at 5.75" x 3.08" x 1.05" fits a standard rough-in box, but verify cab wall clearance before ordering — elevator cabs with thin decorative panels may require a surface-mount VE-5x5 approach instead of flush.
• This unit requires a live analog (POTS) loop. On VoIP-only buildings, you must provision an FXS port or ATA at the MDF before this phone will operate — a step that's often missed during design review on newer construction.

The E-1600-20A is the right spec for elevator cab retrofits and ADA-compliance upgrades in commercial and multi-family residential buildings where an analog loop is already present or being pulled. If the loop doesn't exist yet and the building runs pure SIP, budget for an ATA or revisit the 1600-IP series.