How easy is it to shorten a phone lead? Standard BT connector. Can the old
plug be re-used, or do you need a new one? Special crimp tool? (I'd rather
not have a splice in the cable as it would show - and the idea is to make
it look neater.)

--
*A fool and his money can throw one hell of a party.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman wrote:

How easy is it to shorten a phone lead? Standard BT connector.

If you don't want to get a ratchet-crimp tool for the BT431a plugs,
there's a cheap alternative, a metal slug that you use in pliers (or a
small vice for more even pressure)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/UKDJ-BT-431a-Telephone-Phone-Line-Plug-Crimp-Ends-IPC-Contacts-Inc-Tool/1907745962

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

How easy is it to shorten a phone lead?

Very easy to replace it with a shorter one.

Standard BT connector. Can the old plug be re-used,

Nope.

or do you need a new one?

Yep.

Special crimp tool?

Yep.

(I'd rather
not have a splice in the cable as it would show - and the idea is to make
it look neater.)

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
How easy is it to shorten a phone lead? Standard BT connector. Can the old
plug be re-used, or do you need a new one? Special crimp tool? (I'd rather
not have a splice in the cable as it would show - and the idea is to make
it look neater.)


IME new plug and crimp tool.

Dave Plowman (News) explained :
How easy is it to shorten a phone lead? Standard BT connector. Can the old
plug be re-used, or do you need a new one? Special crimp tool? (I'd rather
not have a splice in the cable as it would show - and the idea is to make
it look neater.)

If you mean the flexible lead, which plugs into the wall socket...

Usually you can unplug the lead at either end, enabling you to just
replace the entire lead with a shorter or longer one to suit. You can
buy ready made leads of various lengths on ebay.

In article ,
says...


If you don't want to get a ratchet-crimp tool for the BT431a plugs,
there's a cheap alternative, a metal slug that you use in pliers (or a
small vice for more even pressure)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/UKDJ-BT-431a-Telephone-Phone-Line-Plug-Crimp-Ends-IPC-Contacts-Inc-Tool/1907745962

£15 p & p?

Much cheaper to buy in bulk:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/BT-4-Wire-4...lephone-Crimp-
Ends-10-Pack-and-Metal-Crimping-Tool-Kit-Bt06/1137772404?
_trksid=p2349526.c100534.m4207&_trkparms=aid%3D666 006%
26algo%3DPRP.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20151029144854%2 6meid%
3D476db9a095f24456ab6ca06ed944389b%26pid%3D100534% 26rk%3D2%
26rkt%3D9%26&rt=nc

or

http://tinyurl.com/y8wrczge

--

Terry

In article ,
Jack Konstan wrote:


"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

How easy is it to shorten a phone lead?

Very easy to replace it with a shorter one.

They come in all possible lengths?

Standard BT connector. Can the old plug be re-used,

Nope.

or do you need a new one?

Yep.

Special crimp tool?

Yep.

(I'd rather
not have a splice in the cable as it would show - and the idea is to make
it look neater.)


--
*You can't teach an old mouse new clicks *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Saturday, 12 August 2017 10:11:37 UTC+1, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
How easy is it to shorten a phone lead? Standard BT connector. Can the old
plug be re-used, or do you need a new one? Special crimp tool?

Before the metal slugs became available (and I think I've seen them even in B&Q) and when crimp tools were too expensive I had acceptable results tapping the contacts into place in the plug housing with the snapped off end of a hacksaw blade and a small hammer.

Worth doing a continuity test before cutting an existing cable, as you may need to take the centre pair (at the RJ11 phone end) and move it to the middle pair (2 & 5) (at the BT 431A wall end)

Owain

Terry Casey wrote:

says...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/UKDJ-BT-431a-Telephone-Phone-Line-Plug-Crimp-Ends-IPC-Contacts-Inc-Tool/1907745962

£15 p & p?

sorry, I didn't look at the P&P, was just showing what was available
short of a full crimp tool, not suggesting where to buy from, had mine
years from one of the sheds.

Andy Burns wrote:

Terry Casey wrote:

£15 p & p?

sorry, I didn't look at the P&P

And now, having looked at the P&P it says 50p to me ...

In article ,
says...

Andy Burns wrote:

Terry Casey wrote:

£15 p & p?

sorry, I didn't look at the P&P

And now, having looked at the P&P it says 50p to me ...

Just opened it up again and it still says £15 on my screen!

--

Terry

Terry Casey wrote:

says...

having looked at the P&P it says 50p to me ...

Just opened it up again and it still says £15 on my screen!

Did I mangle the original link then? Here's the shipping details page
for the item ...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351857998753#shpCntId

New connector needed. Probably need a crimp tool though. You could fit a box
rather than an inline socket.

Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
How easy is it to shorten a phone lead? Standard BT connector. Can the old
plug be re-used, or do you need a new one? Special crimp tool? (I'd rather
not have a splice in the cable as it would show - and the idea is to make
it look neater.)

--
*A fool and his money can throw one hell of a party.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

I have used one of these kits, no crimp tool required just insert plug and metal block in a small vice to crimp. This kit seems to have suffered cut backs as I am sure the one I got had more than 2 plugs in.

https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/telephone-plug-kit-bd41u

Richard

On 12/08/2017 10:11, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

How easy is it to shorten a phone lead? Standard BT connector. Can the old

Easy

plug be re-used, or do you need a new one? Special crimp tool? (I'd rather

no, yes, yes

not have a splice in the cable as it would show - and the idea is to make
it look neater.)

You need a new plug and crimp tool, or you possibly be able to shorten
it at the phone end if its hard wired.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 12/08/2017 11:49, Andy Burns wrote:
Terry Casey wrote:

says...

having looked at the P&P it says 50p to me ...

Just opened it up again and it still says £15 on my screen!

Did I mangle the original link then? Here's the shipping details page
for the item ...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351857998753#shpCntId

FWIW I see 99p + 50p P&P. So you're both seeing things...

Andy

In article ,
says...

Terry Casey wrote:

says...

having looked at the P&P it says 50p to me ...

Just opened it up again and it still says £15 on my screen!

Did I mangle the original link then? Here's the shipping details page
for the item ...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351857998753#shpCntId

Ah! Using the original link you provided:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/UKDJ-BT-431...ne-Phone-Line-
Plug-Crimp-Ends-IPC-Contacts-Inc-Tool/1907745962

clearly (still) shows £15.00 for P&P BUT, if you click on
'View Details', it becomes £0.50 ...

--

Terry