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#1
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
I like to have one telephone in my house that will work when the power
goes out. I had an old push button phone that got a good dial tone, but wouldn't dial out. I was told that in very old phones, polarity is an issue. I bought a new phone today at Radio Shack, and it won't dial either! The dial tone is fine. I reversed the wires at the jack, but no help. I tried the new phone at another jack, no help. An AC powered phone works fine at the original jack. I disconnected all my other phones and computers, no help. Every other phone in my house has an AC power supply and works fine. My computer modem works fine. This is California, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, if that provides any clues. Can anyone help with this? Aside from not wanting to spend any money, this is bugging me and i want to fix it myself!!!! |
#3
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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#5
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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#6
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
wrote in message ups.com... |I like to have one telephone in my house that will work when the power | goes out. | | GET A CELL PHONE NUMBSKULL |
#7
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On Jan 23, 1:09 am, wrote: I like to have one telephone in my house that will work when the power goes out. I had an old push button phone that got a good dial tone, but wouldn't dial out. I was told that in very old phones, polarity is an issue. I bought a new phone today at Radio Shack, and it won't dial either! The dial tone is fine. I reversed the wires at the jack, but no help. I tried the new phone at another jack, no help. An AC powered phone works fine at the original jack. I disconnected all my other phones and computers, no help. Every other phone in my house has an AC power supply and works fine. My computer modem works fine. This is California, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, if that provides any clues. Can anyone help with this? Aside from not wanting to spend any money, this is bugging me and i want to fix it myself!!!! I agree with to one responder. Rule out bad phone. Often times other devices (aka cheap junk) can affect the working of other devices. Go through your house and disconnect all the other things plugged into all of your other phone jacks checking your new phone as you go. The same thing happened to me. Once I unplugged the bad device everything was fine. Good luck. |
#8
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
| GET A CELL PHONE NUMBSKULL
this poor fellow isnt aware the wired system is much more reliable in a emergency. every line has a dedicated path, power backup is by big batteries and generators designed to run for weeks. specs designed during the cold war, it is very reliable. with the exception of peoples cheap phones that need power to operate now cell phones dont meet the military reundant specs, have limited capacity, during a real emergency only emergncy workers phones will function, all others will go all circuits are busy try your call later. when you need it the most know it wouldnt work. this so the limited capacity bandwidth can be used by emergency workers........ plus cell phone handsets need recharged frequently, in a power outage that may be a issue too. |
#9
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
You do know that the phone company must supply power to the phone lines for running the old phones don't you? It is obvious that you are suffering a power shortage on your phone line and you can ask the phone company to provide the proper power to your phone lines. Some of your 'powered' phones are masking your line problem. On 22 Jan 2007 22:09:11 -0800, wrote: I like to have one telephone in my house that will work when the power goes out. I had an old push button phone that got a good dial tone, but wouldn't dial out. I was told that in very old phones, polarity is an issue. I bought a new phone today at Radio Shack, and it won't dial either! The dial tone is fine. I reversed the wires at the jack, but no help. I tried the new phone at another jack, no help. An AC powered phone works fine at the original jack. I disconnected all my other phones and computers, no help. Every other phone in my house has an AC power supply and works fine. My computer modem works fine. This is California, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, if that provides any clues. Can anyone help with this? Aside from not wanting to spend any money, this is bugging me and i want to fix it myself!!!! |
#10
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
if you have a NID try plugging phone in there, it disconnects your
entire home. proves one way or other if phone or internal wiring of home has trouble i would try first plugging the suspect phone in a different outlet |
#11
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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#12
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
wrote in message oups.com... | GET A CELL PHONE NUMBSKULL this poor fellow isnt aware the wired system is much more reliable in a emergency. every line has a dedicated path, power backup is by big batteries and generators designed to run for weeks. specs designed during the cold war, it is very reliable. with the exception of peoples cheap phones that need power to operate now cell phones dont meet the military reundant specs, have limited capacity, during a real emergency only emergncy workers phones will function, all others will go all circuits are busy try your call later. when you need it the most know it wouldnt work. I was in Springfield last week where the power is STILL out. I had a cell phone and my daughter had a cell phone, 2 different carriers. There were plenty of times when only 1 had service and a few times when neither had service. Cell phones are not that reliable. How about CB and a couple extra batteries or a decent sized generator? this so the limited capacity bandwidth can be used by emergency workers........ plus cell phone handsets need recharged frequently, in a power outage that may be a issue too. |
#13
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
Mike Dobony wrote: I was in Springfield last week where the power is STILL out. I had a cell phone and my daughter had a cell phone, 2 different carriers. There were plenty of times when only 1 had service and a few times when neither had service. Cell phones are not that reliable. How about CB and a couple extra batteries or a decent sized generator? this so the limited capacity bandwidth can be used by emergency workers........ plus cell phone handsets need recharged frequently, in a power outage that may be a issue too. Exactly. Cell phone networks in addition to being radio (or wireless) as we are now once again referring to it, are not designed to be cost competitive AND as reliable as 'land lines'. Cell phone systems make a lot of sense; fewer cables, portability of the handsets, can be activated by building some towers and connecting them to the national telephone network which was and still is, including the numbering system, designed an built mainly by the traditional telephone companies. Also, these days, there is a lot more 'stuff' (junk if you like) being transmitted via cell phones. When situation is normal that has good aspects and bad. But one has visions of someone in an emergency situation like the above (Springfield), calling up a relative in another part of the world and saying "Hey, I'm in Springfield, look at this picture of a tree which fell on a house in ..................... ", blissfully unaware that the picture they are sending is using up cell phone bandwidth and circuit time that could carry 100 'real emergency' calls!!!!!! Thirdly the old monopoly telephone networks which reported to various regulatory commissions and had their rates approved, before the days of 'Competition', were, as somebody mentioned built to withstand various emergencies. Standard were, huge banks of batteries good for at least 24 hours, diesel generators, extra circuits, 'thread of life' circuits and procedures built into day to day operations that ensured what to do if/when emergencies occurred. Much of that 'extra' or overbuilding, which involved large capital investments, has gone in the name of cost reductions in the face of competition. Nowadays almost anybody can start a telephone company by using a computer plugged into a bedroom electrical outlet. Not very reliable, but cheap. The telephone business is a different world today; the technology has changed so rapidly, wider range of services available, lower price competition for customers. So; in times of stress particularly, poorer service and less reserve within the system/s to carry the telecommunications through an emergency! |
#14
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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#15
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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#16
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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#17
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
jart ames wrote:
wrote in message ups.com... |I like to have one telephone in my house that will work when the power | goes out. | | GET A CELL PHONE NUMBSKULL Our crews in New Orleans found that after the cell site batteries ran down the only phones left working were the ones that were connected to unflooded local exchanges. Not all cell sites have generators and their battery reserves are only good for a day or two. All of the legacy bell exchanges have engine alternator or generator sets. -- Tom Horne |
#18
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
Tony Hwang wrote:
wrote: | GET A CELL PHONE NUMBSKULL this poor fellow isnt aware the wired system is much more reliable in a emergency. every line has a dedicated path, power backup is by big batteries and generators designed to run for weeks. specs designed during the cold war, it is very reliable. with the exception of peoples cheap phones that need power to operate now cell phones dont meet the military reundant specs, have limited capacity, during a real emergency only emergncy workers phones will function, all others will go all circuits are busy try your call later. when you need it the most know it wouldnt work. this so the limited capacity bandwidth can be used by emergency workers........ plus cell phone handsets need recharged frequently, in a power outage that may be a issue too. Hmmmm, Wires break, I am a ham operator, I have radio gears I can use in an emergency charging batteries off my car. Solar panel is there too. Tony Wires don't break just because the utility power goes out but cell site batteries don't last for ever without it. Point is that you don't depend on just one means of communication. An exchange powered copper pair line is an excellent means to keep a pathway open when the a power outage is the problem. -- Tom Horne |
#19
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On 23 Jan 2007 12:28:57 -0800, wrote:
[snip] There is usually a box on the outside wall , its the demarcation point between your hose wiring and the phone companies line. In there is usually a test point that you can plug a phone into . On recent installations. Older ones just have a junction box with a surge suppressor. If it works there the problem is in your house wiring. I have actually never seen a domestic phone that required outside power Cordless phones always require outside power. . The phone is powered via the phone line . If you are reversing pairs make sure you are reversing the correct line. It's usually the wires connected to the center 2 pins of the phone jack. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy |
#20
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
Thomas Horne wrote: Tony Hwang wrote: .... Tony Wires don't break just because the utility power goes out but cell site batteries don't last for ever without it. Point is that you don't depend on just one means of communication. An exchange powered copper pair line is an excellent means to keep a pathway open when the a power outage is the problem. -- Tom Horne Some copper pair land lines depend upon power that does not come from the central office. About a month ago, after less about a day of power failure, the phone went out (but DSL kept working for a while!!). It turns out that there is fiber optic from the central office to an equipment shack in the field. Power comes from the utility, then back up batteries, then a back up generator, but someone has to go out into the field to start the generator. What really matters for reliability is not the technology (land line vs. cell), but the reliability expectations, and what the service providers will do to meet those expectations. Currently, we expect land lines to be there all the time and get very upset if there is one outage a year. We expect cell sites and entire network regions to go down frequently. Consequently, land lines have back up batteries and generators (usually automatic!), and cell sites might have a battery. |
#21
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On Jan 23, 11:47 am, "Mike Dobony" wrote:
I was in Springfield last week where the power is STILL out. I had a cell phone and my daughter had a cell phone, 2 different carriers. There were plenty of times when only 1 had service and a few times when neither had service. Cell phones are not that reliable. How about CB and a couple extra batteries or a decent sized generator? Cell phone will not work, reliably, for voice. But text messaging works even under worst conditions. Too many Americans, because they don't use text messaging, do not understand why you set and periodically text message - because it is the only reliable mobile communication method during outages and crisis. |
#22
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
OK everyone. Here's where I am so far. I didn't think I'd get any
response! I'm glad to see there is so much knowledge out there. Bottom line is that I got the original phone working and now it dials out fine. The next to the bottom line is that I don't know what I did. The new Radio Shack phone still doesn't dial out on tone, but it works OK on pulse. I had already disconnected all the other devices in my house and I'm pretty sure I reversed the correct wires. Last night the old phone wouldn't dial out. Today I repeated all my efforts and the phone worked! I assume there was a bad connection somewhere or maybe a nicked wire or something. I don't know that I'll ever find the precise problem. I checked outside my 30-year-old house. There is an old junction box; no modern plugs! It was getting dark so I just took a wrench and tightened the nuts. Each nut tightened a little and I could see some green corrosion on most of the metal parts. Next time the phone doesn't work, I'll do a thorough cleaning of this box. I tried the new Radio Shack phone with spade lugs at the junction box, and the tone dial still doesn't work. I'll try it at a neighbor's house when I get a chance. For the record, the old phone is from Western Electric and the date on its base is 11/80. There is a sticker on the bottom certifying that it was properly sold (to me I guess, but I don't remember) on such-and-such a date, but the date is unreadable. The new Radio Shack phone cost $11. When you figure that Radio Shack had to make a profit on it, the packaging had to be paid for, and it had to be shipped from China; there can't be much quality to the guts inside. This brings up the issue of what the "phone company" used to be. If you're old enough to remember it, then you know. The youngsters wouldn't believe it anyway. I remember in the early '60's touring a central office. I do remember banks of batteries waiting for the day they'd power the system. Even then, there was a crew of old timers who communicated with these batteries and kept them charged. I doubt such skills exist today. Lastly, when the earthquake comes, (and it will), if we lose power, it will be out for months. During that time wouldn't it be silly to have a live phone line into the house and not be able to use it because I didn't have a phone that didn't need AC power? I forget the name the gentleman called me, but it's a name his wife might call him if he gets his family in that situation. A neighbor of mine took some courses in emergency civilian response. They warned the class about how many people would get themselves into situations from which they would have to be rescued. I was afraid the warning was exaggerated, but that cellphone comment removes my doubt. Thanks everyone. I'll be back if the phone acts up again. RC On Jan 23, 4:45 pm, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 23 Jan 2007 12:28:57 -0800, wrote: [snip] There is usually a box on the outside wall , its the demarcation point between your hose wiring and the phone companies line. In there is usually a test point that you can plug a phone into .On recent installations. Older ones just have a junction box with a surge suppressor. If it works there the problem is in your house wiring. I have actually never seen a domestic phone that required outside powerCordless phones always require outside power. . The phone is powered via the phone line . If you are reversing pairs make sure you are reversing the correct line.It's usually the wires connected to the center 2 pins of the phone jack. -- Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy |
#23
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:40:24 GMT, Thomas Horne
wrote: jart ames wrote: wrote in message ups.com... |I like to have one telephone in my house that will work when the power | goes out. | | GET A CELL PHONE NUMBSKULL What a child! Our crews in New Orleans found that after the cell site batteries ran down the only phones left working were the ones that were connected to unflooded local exchanges. Not all cell sites have generators and their battery reserves are only good for a day or two. All of the legacy bell exchanges have engine alternator or generator sets. I think these are the most reliable too, but feel compelled to give one opposite example. AFter the World Trade Center was destroyed in 2001, much/most landline phone usage was impossible in NYC, but cell phones continued to work, well in most cases. I wasn't in NYC that day. G-d forbid more of us should learn such things first hand. But like others have said, back-ups are good. Back-ups of a different sort are even better. And everyone with a landline should have at least one corded phone in the house, because almost all will work without house power. |
#24
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On 23 Jan 2007 12:27:22 -0800, "terry"
wrote: This not a criticism of the OPs 'good' phone but; 'Not all phones are created equal' Hey, that's unAmerican, or at least unTelphonian. In the United States of Telephone, all phones are created equal. that's in quality or meeting reasonable standards of ringing, dialling and transmission. Oh. OK. |
#25
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
In article , mm wrote:
I think these are the most reliable too, but feel compelled to give one opposite example. AFter the World Trade Center was destroyed in 2001, much/most landline phone usage was impossible in NYC, but cell phones continued to work, well in most cases. That's exactly backwards. The WTC was home to a number of cellular antennas, and the cellular service obviously went down when the towers did. Landlines that were not routed through the towers continued to work. -- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com) It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again. |
#26
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On Jan 23, 7:45 pm, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 23 Jan 2007 12:28:57 -0800, wrote: [snip] There is usually a box on the outside wall , its the demarcation point between your hose wiring and the phone companies line. In there is usually a test point that you can plug a phone into .On recent installations. Older ones just have a junction box with a surge suppressor. If it works there the problem is in your house wiring. I have actually never seen a domestic phone that required outside powerCordless phones always require outside power. Not only cordless phones, but also phones that have features like a Speakerphone and speed dial. I have a 2 line Lucent phone here with those features that requires batteries. . The phone is powered via the phone line . If you are reversing pairs make sure you are reversing the correct line.It's usually the wires connected to the center 2 pins of the phone jack. -- Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy |
#27
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On 23 Jan 2007 20:27:22 -0800, wrote:
[snip] I remember in the early '60's touring a central office. I do remember banks of batteries waiting for the day they'd power the system. Even then, there was a crew of old timers who communicated with these batteries and kept them charged. I doubt such skills exist today. I got to see a CO when I was in college. They said many of the batteries came out of submarines. [snip] -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy |
#28
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On 24 Jan 2007 05:19:35 -0800, wrote:
On Jan 23, 7:45 pm, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 23 Jan 2007 12:28:57 -0800, wrote: [snip] There is usually a box on the outside wall , its the demarcation point between your hose wiring and the phone companies line. In there is usually a test point that you can plug a phone into .On recent installations. Older ones just have a junction box with a surge suppressor. If it works there the problem is in your house wiring. I have actually never seen a domestic phone that required outside powerCordless phones always require outside power. Not only cordless phones, but also phones that have features like a Speakerphone and speed dial. I have a 2 line Lucent phone here with those features that requires batteries. If it's just speakerphone, that can be line powered. Speed dial (and caller ID) involve memory that has to be maintained all the time. Batteries may be needed to provide power when the phone is "on hook", since little current can be drawn from the line at that time. . The phone is powered via the phone line . If you are reversing pairs make sure you are reversing the correct line.It's usually the wires connected to the center 2 pins of the phone jack. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy |
#29
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On Jan 24, 11:30 am, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 24 Jan 2007 05:19:35 -0800, wrote: On Jan 23, 7:45 pm, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 23 Jan 2007 12:28:57 -0800, wrote: [snip] There is usually a box on the outside wall , its the demarcation point between your hose wiring and the phone companies line. In there is usually a test point that you can plug a phone into .On recent installations. Older ones just have a junction box with a surge suppressor. If it works there the problem is in your house wiring. I have actually never seen a domestic phone that required outside powerCordless phones always require outside power. Not only cordless phones, but also phones that have features like a Speakerphone and speed dial. I have a 2 line Lucent phone here with those features that requires batteries.If it's just speakerphone, that can be line powered. Speed dial (and caller ID) involve memory that has to be maintained all the time. Ever hear of Flash memory? Batteries may be needed to provide power when the phone is "on hook", since little current can be drawn from the line at that time. . The phone is powered via the phone line . If you are reversing pairs make sure you are reversing the correct line.It's usually the wires connected to the center 2 pins of the phone jack.-- Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - |
#30
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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#31
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:30:10 -0600, Mark Lloyd
wrote: If it's just speakerphone, that can be line powered. I have a speakerphone at my desk that is line powered. I have another one in the kitchen that uses a small wall adapter. It doesn't seem worth it to plug in the adapter 24/7/365 for maybe 10 minutes a year I would use the speakerphone. I guess I won't. Speed dial (and caller ID) involve memory that has to be maintained all the time. I know redial can work on line power. I can never remember how to store things in memory. Batteries may be needed to provide power when the phone is "on hook", since little current can be drawn from the line at that time. The corded phone that needed batteries had a bunch of features, including a display of the time and date, and the number just dialed. While it needed 4 AA to do this I don't know. I have an early, 1971, GE FM radio with pushbutton numbers and digital tuning that can run down 2 nine volt back up alkaline batteries in about 5 hours. Yet I have a watch that can keep time for 5 years on a much smaller battery. Strange. And new cordless phones can't be turned off. They say better design enables them to stay charged for what, 3 or 4 days, even when on. Yeah, but if one could turn them off, so they didn't ring when the phone rang, but I could place a call from one, they would last 20 or 30 days. That would be really good. Maybe I will have to take mine apart and modify it. |
#32
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On 24 Jan 2007 08:35:09 -0800, wrote:
On Jan 24, 11:30 am, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 24 Jan 2007 05:19:35 -0800, wrote: On Jan 23, 7:45 pm, Mark Lloyd wrote: On 23 Jan 2007 12:28:57 -0800, wrote: [snip] There is usually a box on the outside wall , its the demarcation point between your hose wiring and the phone companies line. In there is usually a test point that you can plug a phone into .On recent installations. Older ones just have a junction box with a surge suppressor. If it works there the problem is in your house wiring. I have actually never seen a domestic phone that required outside powerCordless phones always require outside power. Not only cordless phones, but also phones that have features like a Speakerphone and speed dial. I have a 2 line Lucent phone here with those features that requires batteries.If it's just speakerphone, that can be line powered. Speed dial (and caller ID) involve memory that has to be maintained all the time. Ever hear of Flash memory? Apparently the manufacturers of those phones were saving money (flash memory would have been more expensive 10-20 years ago, and some of those phones will still be around). Batteries may be needed to provide power when the phone is "on hook", since little current can be drawn from the line at that time. . The phone is powered via the phone line . If you are reversing pairs make sure you are reversing the correct line.It's usually the wires connected to the center 2 pins of the phone jack.-- Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy |
#33
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:18:51 -0500, mm
wrote: On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:30:10 -0600, Mark Lloyd wrote: If it's just speakerphone, that can be line powered. I have a speakerphone at my desk that is line powered. I have another one in the kitchen that uses a small wall adapter. It doesn't seem worth it to plug in the adapter 24/7/365 for maybe 10 minutes a year I would use the speakerphone. I guess I won't. I have a speakerphone that connects directly to the phone line. It doesn't have a dial but could be used to answer calls. That thing is completely line powered. Speed dial (and caller ID) involve memory that has to be maintained all the time. I know redial can work on line power. I can never remember how to store things in memory. My father bought a s mall one-piece phone in about 1980. It had redial (for some strange reason, that worked only when set to pulse dialing) and 3 programmable buttons (supposed to be used as a substitute for the nonexistent 911 service). It had a small backup battery. Maybe just so it would retain memory while disconnected from the phoneline. Batteries may be needed to provide power when the phone is "on hook", since little current can be drawn from the line at that time. The corded phone that needed batteries had a bunch of features, including a display of the time and date, and the number just dialed. While it needed 4 AA to do this I don't know. Was the display lighted? That takes a lot of power. I have an early, 1971, GE FM radio with pushbutton numbers and digital tuning that can run down 2 nine volt back up alkaline batteries in about 5 hours. Yet I have a watch that can keep time for 5 years on a much smaller battery. Strange. And new cordless phones can't be turned off. They say better design enables them to stay charged for what, 3 or 4 days, even when on. Yeah, but if one could turn them off, so they didn't ring when the phone rang, but I could place a call from one, they would last 20 or 30 days. That would be really good. Maybe I will have to take mine apart and modify it. My current cordless phone has no on-off switch, but the ringer can be disabled. However, it still lights up when it would otherwise be ringing. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has no place in the curriculum of our nation's public school classes." -- Ted Kennedy |
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:38:50 -0600, Mark Lloyd
wrote: The corded phone that needed batteries had a bunch of features, including a display of the time and date, and the number just dialed. While it needed 4 AA to do this I don't know. Was the display lighted? That takes a lot of power. No. It was an LCD display. It's broken now, can't hear anything, and I haven't had time to look at it. But this was the one that generated radio station interference in the phone, so it's not at the top of my list. I have an early, 1971, GE FM radio with pushbutton numbers and digital tuning that can run down 2 nine volt back up alkaline batteries in about 5 hours. Yet I have a watch that can keep time for 5 years on a much smaller battery. Strange. And new cordless phones can't be turned off. They say better design enables them to stay charged for what, 3 or 4 days, even when on. Yeah, but if one could turn them off, so they didn't ring when the phone rang, but I could place a call from one, they would last 20 or 30 days. That would be really good. Maybe I will have to take mine apart and modify it. My current cordless phone has no on-off switch, but the ringer can be disabled. However, it still lights up when it would otherwise be ringing. A good option. For a while I had a light in my bedroom so that when the phone ringers were turned off, but I was awake, I could see the light flashing. It's one of those that look like a plastic pointed half-lemon, pointing up. With a neon light, had to add a resistor. |
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
In article , DK
wrote: You do know that the phone company must supply power to the phone lines for running the old phones don't you? It's required for NEW phones, too. It's called "dial tone" or "battery". It is obvious that you are suffering a power shortage on your phone line A "power shortage", eh? I knew it. We need a new government bureaucracy to address our dependence on FOREIGN DIALTONE. sigh you can ask the phone company to provide the proper power to your phone lines. Say what? ...as if there's a master potentiometer out there somewhere. Some of your 'powered' phones are masking your line problem. Who WAS that masked phone? -- JR Climb poles and dig holes Have staplegun, will travel |
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
In article ,
Goedjn wrote: Try dialing by banging on the switch-hook. Use the new, $10 Radio Shaft phone for this exercise. I suggest using a 16-lb sledgehammer. FWIW, the correct term for "banging on the switch-hook" is "flashing the switch-hook". Many modern phones have a "flash" key, but is usable only for a SINGLE flash to switch between callers in Call Waiting mode. Did you know you can "dial" and entire number by simply/quickly "flashing" the switch-hook? It's called pulsing the line. Flash the switch-hook, in rapid succession, 5 times for the number 5; 8 times for the number 8; and so on. It really works but you have to be VERY nimble with your finger on the switch-hook and ACCURATE with the short pause between each pulsed number. Talk about worthless trivia... -- JR Mean Evil Bell System Historical Society |
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
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Telephone will not dial out--the kind of phone with no AC power
In article ,
Mark Lloyd wrote: I got to see a CO when I was in college. They said many of the batteries came out of submarines. I'd never heard that but certainly believe it. I wonder if we'll get their used nukes? bg -- JR |
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