In article ,
mm wrote:

two plain wires that each connect to a pole (bolt with nut)
on a thing that is connected to a basement rafter.

that thing is the surge bypasser or surpressor

It is a "protector".

That is an old-fashioned term surely coming from the very earliest days of
telephony in the late 1800s.

It's a vague term by today's standards, however. The protector used still
today will NOT provide any protection from the "transients" (voltage surges)
that traverse utility lines CONSTANTLY. But when all this was invented and
deployed, the old, black rotary telephones didn't CARE about transients. They
were built like Mac trucks and lasted forever.

The new stuff today that is plugged-into the phone line is different. They
are equipped with a simple "chip" that took the place of the old, copper-wound
network that was surge resistant. The newer "chips" aren't so forgiving.

Even so, one should avoid using common, "surge bar" plug strips with
input/output jacks for your phone line ahead of a DSL modem. They have been
known to interrupt the DSL signal.

The protector, ostensibly present at the customer end of EVERY cable pair
will, however, keep your house from burning down in the event of a SERIOUS
surge (lightning striking nearby, power line falling across phone line, etc).
However, in the event of a DIRECT lightning strike, ALL bets are OFF.

**Western Electric are the phones that God intended, and are the
actual phones used in Heaven.

All the others are Satanic.

This is SOOO funny. Of course, you are correct!

After the breakup of The Bell System in 1984 and the resulting proliferation
of Cheapie Chirpertm phones hanging from a peg at the local Target, folks
have forgotten what a ahem *REAL* telephone is like.

Give me a 2500 (Touchtonetm desk telephone) or give me a drink!
--

JR