Help me here, please. I've been "bit" while touching/working with a phone line in my home. Never did I imagine it being ninety volt AC. What little I know is that this a constant low-level voltage and for the phone to ring it needs a higher voltage...but 90 volt AC?
Only by more items using telecom, like DSL, DTV, modems, fax...yawn. Newer devices need less voltage than older ones.
Oren
That's a REN of 5. Many newer phones have a REN much lower than 1.
The ring voltage varies. I measured 75VAC here. Perhaps the 90VAC is to overcome losses on long lines (I'm in town).
BTW, it's 50VDC when the line is not in use.
I promise to post it if and when we find the cure.
Ringing voltage is 90VAC at 20Hz and it is superimposed on about 40 volts DC. The number of phones and the line resistance will affect the voltage tha you actually read in your house.
The DC on your phone line varies. Typically, it was alway from central office -48 volts which usually runs about -52 volts. However, I recently noticed my line is around 60 volts. It is not directly connected to a central office, but instead, to an underground remote about
2 block from me. This was done in order to allow more people to get DSL. Also, when the line is active, the voltage across the line will be lower.
My phone does that too. It is not really a full ring interval but just enough to make some noise. I also notice the "in use" lights on my ATT
922 phone flickerring on and off occasionally for no reason. I assume it is just "homeland" poking around.
OK, then I guess you've done what you can. I dont kno wwhat else to tell you, except to shut off the ringer when you sleep, but have an answering machine turned on in case something important happens.
Now if you could get your hands on a recording voltmeter you might find something out....
One other thing. Is the ground connected properly to the phone, where the line enters the house? Dont know if that would matter, but check it out. One other thing. Do your neighbors have the same problem? Ask them. If they do, then your phone company needs to hear from all of them and be forced to do something.
Lastly, outside your house, or in the basement, there is the phone box that has a standard phone plug, which disconnects the whole house. Unplug the whole house, and hook just one phone to that jack. Use a phone extension cord if you must and run it from the basement or in a window. At least that way you can eliminate all the wiring in the house.
Most obvious question do you have a cordless phone?
Most phone troubles can be traced to cordless phones, for mant thats all they own.
if the OP is using cordless unplug ALL of them and try a single wired phone for a few days.
I fix machines for a living, the mystic unexplained troubles drive me nuts. I can understand the phone rep wanting to find the answer.
no doubt theres a work around available like building a box that ignores the phone lines first ring so you cant hear it.......
let us know what the cause was
I forgot just what I measured in that last case, but it was a lot lower.
Are you sure it is 90v AC, in my checks to build a phone ring detector many years ago, and in internet research I have found that the ringer is 70 to
90v pulsed DC not AC. The actual phone runs on 12v DC.
I think maybe the calls were answered by another computer, that rejected duplicate calls.
Hey, we need coke. If it weren't for that, we'd need crack.
It is virtually impossible that the trouble is caused by something INSIDE your home. I'm hard pressed to think of something in the home that would generate ringing current, much less on a REGULAR basis.
Many Central Offices run a regular, automatic routine known as a LIT - Line Insulation Test - on virtually all lines it serves. Basically, this operation runs every night - mine is ~8:00pm without fail. I will notice the [line in use] lamp illuminate briefly on the set next to my chair or on my desk.
Most telephones have no problem with this test and remain silent. Some phones, particularly "cheapie chirpers", don't like the THRASHING that the line is given during the test and will "groan" or ring, although it is usually a "half" ring.
Removing a line from this automatic LIT (test) is occasionally done for those customers that complain with symptoms similar to yours. Removing a line, however, from the automatic test is NOT quick or easy. But, if your line has in fact been eliminated from the routine, the trouble is elsewhere.
In the following order, I would switch the segments that comprise the typical line:
After each item, I would wait a few days to see if the trouble clears. If it persists, I would perform the next step.
You may have to become a "squeaky wheel". Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
Hi, Does your utility(gas, water, power) by any chance read the meter via phone line? Wonder if they have anything to do with it. Ring needs quite a bit of AC current. I'd disconnect phone line for a day or two to make sure of it's origin.
According to jerryl :
We had a problem some time ago that was somewhat similar. The phone would occasionally ring in the late afternoon, and the phone was just about unuseable. At other times of the day it was normal.
It turned out to be a chunk of wire between the demark point and the interior distribution point that shorted somehow when the outside temperature and moisture level hit a specific point.
Also look for any other wire crossing the phone line. Contacting could depend on temperature.
Or someone is playing tricks on you.
I measured the voltage myself. Mostly many years ago with both voltmeter and oscilloscope, and recently with a meter, and again just now.
With no phones off-hook (all phones hung up), I just got 43 volts DC. I have heard other figures for what this is supposed to be, including 40,
42, 48 and 50 volts.The ring signal is AC with peak-to-peak voltage 80-100 volts (more often at least 90) superimposed upon the DC. I remember clearly an oscilloscope (many years ago) showing the AC to be just strong enough for the AC peaks in the polarity direction opposite that of the DC to outweigh the DC just enough to have peak voltage in the polarity direction opposite that of the DC polarity being a few volts. The AC peaks in the same direction as the DC, combined with the DC, had a peak voltage slightly over twice the DC voltage. Makes me think 90, maybe 95 volts. Sadly, I can't remember whether the waveform was sinewave or squarewave and I can't remember whether the frequency was 20 Hz or 25, althoug several seconds with Google is making me lean towards 20 Hz sinewave.
With a phone off hook, I just found the DC voltage to be 6 volts. This will vary with make and model of phone and I was expecting more.
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)
Probably a MLT (Mini Line Test) being done. There is a test system that is between each line from the switch, and the calble plant. Periodically, the test system looks towards the switch for dial tone, etc., and towards the cable plant (the pairs heading towards your house) for faults. While a normal phone with a bell doesn't make any noise, phones with electronic ringers will sometimes chirp, or whatever when they are re-attached to the switch.
Ask them if they've ever heard of the following names:
Had a doorbell line short once and ring the bell at wierd times, noticed it was when the hot water tank burner turned off or on. Wire was too close to gas line shook gas line found short.
to elminate ANY interior wierd issue so phone company CANT blame your wiring and charge you for service tech its simple.
buy some cheap phone cords and plug directly into phone interface bypassing your entire indoor system, run wire in window for test you can leave it that way for days if not weeks.
if it still occurs you have proven its not you.
theres always the chance someone wants a different number dials yours by mistake, realizes their mistake and hangs up fast. people can make repetive errors.might be from a different time zone.
might try star 57 thats the abuse caller number goes directly to law inforcement and uses ANI rater than caller ID. it might capture that info cant harm trying!
ani is auto number identification and cant be blocked
~100 VAC.
The actual phone runs on 12v DC.
-48-52 VDC
Change your number OR go to the Doctor and have him write a script for AMBIEN you will sleep through the night, after taking two of these babies. Need a little more info on your problem, such as, new phones, wireless phones, reversed tip and ring, new wiring, alarm company 24 hour monitoring, electronic bullet for direct TV, did you "piss off" someone, did you vote for Bush, any bumper stickers, bad credit, ex lovers, X Files, bounty hunters, holes in roof, dreams, drugs, angry dwarfs, loose snakes, UFO's, CIA, FBI, KGB, IRS, etc. Get back to us, we speak your language, we know your #. BIG BROTHER is WATCHING.
jerryl wrote:
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