US/UK telephone compatibility

[Huge]

I imagine the EU will get round to those in time.

[Doctor Drivel]

They are standard in the USA. What a dumbo.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

An expert on telecoms now. Where did you buy that qualification?

For your information they are used as input sockets on some phones and modems in the UK too and anyone with the slightest experience would know they aren't always wired the same. I wonder how many you've thrown away as faulty after swopping leads...

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yup. The dreaded modem with RJ11 to BT wire.. we ended up making up a load of leads in both configs that we could identify, and always carrying a few of each..

Almost as much fun as the great RS232 'standard' on D type plugs.

[Graham.]

I saw a 15A 3 pin socket in Jerusalem once. Relic of the British Mandate I suppose.

[Andy Hall]

There are still a few around. They are the standard thing in South Africa and there are the 5A ones as well.

[Frank Erskine]

There are still a *lot* around. They're a standard used for stage lighting in theatres, even for new work. Normally single radial circuits from a dimmer pack.

[Andy Hall]

True. I was talking about Israel though.

The main standard there is something similar to the European Schuko connector.

[The Natural Philosopher]

5A is a standard in the UK as well. All my lights run on them

[Bob Minchin]

Would you care to speculate whether or not phones from countries that use UK plugs are likely to have a similar electrical interface too? I would like to use something that works on the UK system in Cyprus and don't want to have a problem when I get there.

TIA

Bob

[The Natural Philosopher]

Almost certainly UK stuff will work.

[Andy Hall]

I don't take phones around any longer (at least not fixed line ones), but I have never run into electrical interface problems.

I used to carry a set of phone adaptors and a screwdriver so that come what may, I could get a connection unless the phone system was digital of some kind.