Try ----------- www.homephonewiring.com/index.html


"Pop" wrote in message
news:LDgZf.2080$Vy3.812@trndny02...
See ==== inline:

"Beowulf" wrote in message
newsan.2006.04.06.21.53.21.398948@wayoftheancien ts.trail...
...
I know phones generally only need only two lines, such as green and red,
for usage, so I attach the gree and red wires to each of the two poles of
the thing on the rafter, but does it matter which pole gets red and which
gets the green?

==== It depends on a lot of things, but mixing them up would -probably-
never be noticed. Keep red to red and green to green and you should never
have a problem.
FWIW, with the phone hung up, the red lead should be negative w/r to the
green wire. There's a bout a 99% chance the wires coming in from the
telco will have that DC polarity correct, but when things seem 'funny'
it's worth checking out.
If the wires were reversed, it will NOT cause any damage to anything.
The worst would likely happen is some really cheap phone equipment might
not count the incoming ringing voltage properly since it's 90Vac riding on
top of 48V DC. I'd be surprised if you ever noticed it, though since
equipment hasn't been that cheaply made in some time. It takes all of 4
cheap diodes to make the equipment immune to polarity of the wires g.


Also, the modular phone jacks have terminals for green, red, black, and
yellow, which I connect, but are the black and yellow really needed if
only green and red are attached to the main pole terminal on the basement
rafter?
==== No, not for standard, plain old telephone service. You can cut
them off even with the jacket if you wish to get them out of the way.
Only the two wires are necessary.
Actually, some people use the other two wires for intercoms, things like
that. But you don't need them.

And if the black and yellow are needed, is their order of
attachment on the main pole terminal important, and should the black go
with the green, and the yellow with the red?
==== IFF you had a key system or something that used them, rather than
just plain old service like you probably have, it would matter. For some
systems, there ARE uses for those wires but you're not likely to have that
type if you're just wiring up plain old telephones.


I appreciate any help, I am having one hell of a time getting this sorted
out, in part because of the phone company-- they hooked my up to my
house,
I had a dial tone, then 5 minutes later the line went dead; there was no
dial tone at the "Demarc(ation) box" phone jack so I know the problem for
now is on their end.
==== Just for grins, when you checked it at the "demarc", did you make
sure you had YOUR house wiring disconnected? To be certain, always
disconnect the house wiring from the demarc before testing.
Also, don't let them come into your house without telling them you are
NOT authorizing any charges of any kind for them. I let one clown in thru
my garage doors once, and he looked up at the box on the way by, and
commented on the neat wiring job. I received a BILL for "inside services"
from the telco! They didn't get away with it!

Their repair is coming back to check for a short etc
at the main box.
==== Repair -should- do exactly what you did: disconnect the house
wiring, and then put their butt-set on it to see if there's dialtone there
and that the voltage is in spec. If it's not, the problem will be on
their lines somewhere between where they connected the butt-set and the
telco. They do NOT have to go into your house for any of that. If they
go inside, then you're likely going to get charged for it, even if all
they do is tell you that there's a short "somewhere" in your wiring.

But once they confirm a dial tone at the box I am on my
own,
==== Well, you don't -have- to be on your own. They'll probably be glad
to fix it, but it's going to cost you. So, you're doing the right thing.

frustrating and I want to understand this to get my phones working
once I have a signal from the phone company.

Thank you in advance,
Randall

Best of luck, & HTH,

Pop