On Oct 18, 10:28*am, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
Andy wrote:
Andy writes:

You don't say what the telephone problem is that you are
trying to solve....

Over 20 years- probably 20 different problems.g * * *



*Note that normal service is for an REN number of 5.

40 yrs ago when I worked for a telco only the number of ringers
mattered. * *Is that what the REN means? * * We have about 13 terminal
blocks- but only 7 or 8 phones, a couple caller-id displays and an
answering machine- and only 2 ring.

All the problems I've had over the years have been with wiring or
equipment malfunctions.



If you have 16 phones on a single line, that number might
be exceeded and stuff won't work right...phones won't ring.

If this is your problem, -- the phones don't ring -- then
go google *" telephone REN" to read up on what I
am talking about....

Wasn't my problem but curiosity got the best of me-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringer_equivalence_number

Can't believe the Western Electric 500 phone is still used as the
standard. * * I'll bet 5 of my dinky little phones don't draw what one
of those beasts do/did. * [and now I read on that page that is about
the ratio for "externally-powered digital-ring" phones.]

If my post is redundant, please accept my apology...

Appreciate the thoughts- * * *BTW- *I think there's some rule against
apologizing on Usenet. *I won't report you this time.

Jim

Nothing wrong with he 500 type (And its Automatic Electric and British
GPO equivalent phones). Very rugged and maintainable

Provides a good standard of transmission, provides a reasonable return
loss which allows telephone companies to increase and improve long
distance transmission standards. Does not require any in home
batteries, re-chargers or electric power, so it works during power
failures because all energy to work it comes from the telephone line.

The main problems with telephone sets we had, were after customers
were allowed to hook up any of the old junk and el-cheapo phones that
have come on the market.

Among others we had a cheap (and unsafe) bedside radio plus phone that
was leaking AC line voltage into the phone line! But the worst was two
cheap phones that a fireman's two sons had received with magazine
subscriptions. They loaded down the telephone line so badly that the
regular, main telephone wouldn't ring! And the fireman was on
emergency call-out! Once the two el-cheapos were removed everything
went back to normal.

Other amusing (and sometimes time consuming) incidents included a
continental European dial pulsing phone that had a different
percentage ratio to its dial contacts so that it frequently dialled
wrong numbers!

Another was a doctor's office telephone system that was powered from
the same circuit as the sump pump. Every time the (faulty) sump tried
to cut in it 'blew the fuse' and the whole doctor's telephone system
stopped working. I recommended the doctors office should plug in one
regular phone on their first line and put it in a cupboard so at least
they'd know someone was calling them; until the owner of the building
fixed up the AC supply fusing and the sump pump.