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jakdedert

Jim Land wrote:
wrote in news:1165250313.219717.51370
@l12g2000cwl.googlegroups.com:

I just moved into a new house and have a problem with the phone system.
We get a dial tone and can make calls, but when someone tries to call
us they get a ring which then breaks into static; the phone doesn't
even ring at our house (This happens, by the way, if only one working
phone is plugged into a jack or even if no phones are plugged into any
jacks in the house, so it's not a problem with my phone.) I took a
phone outside and plugged it into the jack at the network interface and
was able to receive a cell phone call fine, so I'm guessing the problem
is in the house.

Last night I opened an access panel in the basement to check the phone
wiring coming into the house -- quite a tangle of wires! -- and, with
assistance from various websites on the Internet, was able to finally
make some sense of all the connections, though the problem wasn't
immediately apparent.

I'm hoping someone could tell me what might be causing this. Can a
problem at one of the jacks cause a problem with the whole system even
if no phone is plugged into that jack? Or is the problem more likely
to be with the wires coming into the house? Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any insight or suggestions.

When you went outdoors and were able to receive a call at the network
interface, do you mean that you unplugged the house wiring at the
interface and plugged in your phone? If so, it sure sounds like you have
a problem with the house wiring.

A phone jack can go bad after years of use. (A short or intermittant in
one jack can cause problems on the line.) Try disconnecting one jack at
a time and testing to see if the problem goes away. (Unscrew the jack
from the wall, completely disconnect all the wires from the jack.) If
you find one that makes the problem go away, replace it with a new jack.

If you've disconnected all the jacks in the house and still have the
problem, then it's the wiring in the house. If you *really* understand
the connections at the basement panel, you can try disconnecting the
various branch circuits to try to localize the problem. (Hint: Draw a
clear diagram of all the connections before you start!)

Best of luck.

You might save some time by simply examining each jack (assuming you can
find them all--not easy, sometimes). I had this problem when an unused
jack that had been mounted 'hole up' got covered by plants. In the
process of watering the plants, some water inevitably got into the hole
and corroded the contacts until the corrosion 'grew' together, causing a
partial, intermittent short. The phones worked okay--some noise, but
usable--for dialing out, but the ring voltage was enough to get the
corrosion to conduct.

The end result was exactly as the OP described. Note that this sort of
problem could occur anywhere in the system where moisture is present,
and bare wires are close together; but is most likely in the jack itself.

Use a small mirror and a strong light to look into the hole.

jak