I'm New to this Forum - A quick phone Question
#1
I'm New to this Forum - A quick phone Question
I'm new to this Forum, just wanted to say Hi to everyone. I have a quick Phone Wiring question. I purchased a home built in 1969 and the house was wired for a lot if Phone Jacks (About 50 in a 1800 sq ft home). My question is, all wires going to the jacks have 4 Cables , I thought phone line only have 2 Cables? There are some points that have 8 Cables. I'm re-wiring a 4th bedroom into a bathroom and there are (2) Jacks I want to eliminate, and again there are eight lines. I do not want to cut one and the whole house go dead. Any suggestions? Any "economical" testing unit anyone could recommed? My quick question turned into a slighty larger! Thanks for any input!
Tom
Tom
#2
standard phone jacks do have 4 wires [2 pairs of wires]. Phones only use 1 of these pair and the other pair can be used for a second line. Check the jacks that have the 8 wires [4 pairs] to be sure that they are NOT the same siaze as the 2 pair jacks. If the sizes are different, then the 4 pair jacks are network jacks, if they are teh same size, then most likely thier was a 4-line phone setup in those rooms. 1 pair for each line.
Regardless, if you 'cut' or just end a jack, then it should have no affect on the rest of the jacks.
Regardless, if you 'cut' or just end a jack, then it should have no affect on the rest of the jacks.
#4
for a home with only 1 line - either the jacks are all wired stright to the junction box, or they are spliced from wires that are. I would not cut them bu trather just puch them into the wall. If you do cut them, tape up the ends so you have no exposed wires.
#6
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To answer your question about a cheap test set: use a regular, cheap phone (not cordless) and get some alligator clips from Home Depot (about $2.) Take a small jack (I have used the base-board mount type, not flush mount - doesn't really matter) and wire the Red and Green to the Alligator clips, one each. Plug your phone into the jack and you have a test set. You can do it without the jack, but you have to hack up the phone line going to the phone (really small wires - usually 26g), and if you use the jack method, you can easily unplug the phone from the jack and plug it into the jack you're working on to test it.
Not exactly a professional set, but you can make one for less than $10 this way. To get a decent professional set, you're looking at upwards of $100 ($200 if you want a good one.) Too much to just wire a couple of jacks.
Good luck!
Not exactly a professional set, but you can make one for less than $10 this way. To get a decent professional set, you're looking at upwards of $100 ($200 if you want a good one.) Too much to just wire a couple of jacks.
Good luck!
#7
I'm just blown away about the number of phone jacks in that house. I thought I was a bit crazy have 34 in my house! Which is funny since I hate talking on the phone! Hopefully his are not daisy chained or killing one in the middle will kill everything after it.
Sounds like someone got quite creative. I would like to see how this one pans out.
Sounds like someone got quite creative. I would like to see how this one pans out.
#8
Originally posted by SafeWatch
Not exactly a professional set, but you can make one for less than $10 this way. To get a decent professional set, you're looking at upwards of $100 ($200 if you want a good one.) Too much to just wire a couple of jacks.
Good luck!
Not exactly a professional set, but you can make one for less than $10 this way. To get a decent professional set, you're looking at upwards of $100 ($200 if you want a good one.) Too much to just wire a couple of jacks.
Good luck!
#9
[QUOTE]Originally posted by SafeWatch
[B]
Not exactly a professional set, but you can make one for less than $10 this way. To get a decent professional set, you're looking at upwards of $100 ($200 if you want a good one.) Too much to just wire a couple of jacks.
Then I won't suggest the type that I use which costs about 800 bucks. Then again, it has a digit grabber, digital display, db meter, speakerphone, hook status indicator, polarity indicator, built in multimeter, variable volume control, tone/pulse dial and a few things I never use. I do like it very much but it isn't the most durable think in the world. Not to mention for 800 dollars you would think it would have redial and progamable speed dial like the 50 dollar specials have. However, I couldn't live without it and I can't go back to the regular ones again!
[B]
Not exactly a professional set, but you can make one for less than $10 this way. To get a decent professional set, you're looking at upwards of $100 ($200 if you want a good one.) Too much to just wire a couple of jacks.
Then I won't suggest the type that I use which costs about 800 bucks. Then again, it has a digit grabber, digital display, db meter, speakerphone, hook status indicator, polarity indicator, built in multimeter, variable volume control, tone/pulse dial and a few things I never use. I do like it very much but it isn't the most durable think in the world. Not to mention for 800 dollars you would think it would have redial and progamable speed dial like the 50 dollar specials have. However, I couldn't live without it and I can't go back to the regular ones again!
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Hey, Phonetek, if you happen to run across one of those sets that, you know, no one is using or maybe has a few scratches on it, feel free to send it to me. I sure could use something better than the "Lil' Butty" I have right now. Although, it does have redial on it
#12
I know we have several dead ones laying around Safewatch but those won't help. Actually, I am the only tech using one still at this point as the other guys kept blowing them up so the company quit buying them. If you are measuring voltage for instance on a HDSL line (aprox. 185 volts) and go off hook by accident the POOF you just fried it! I cooked one myself but I got lucky and the fuse blew instead. Put a new fuse in and I was back in business. Thank god as I would be lost without it. If you want to check them out they are called a "ZIAD". I'm sure if you did a search you would be able to find one. Sorry I don't have an extra one for you but I will keep my eyes open!