Telephone Troubleshooting

[Cephkiller]

Any telephone experts out there?  Here's the story:

Approx. 2-3 weeks ago phone started acting up.  It would ring once on incoming and then terminate call.  Sometimes once, sometimes twice but when person called me back, all was fine.  Around Tues. or Wed. the phone went dead.  I have no dial tone and when someone calls, it rings busy.  Here's the kicker; I have DSL on the same line and it works fine!  No issues with DSL whatsoever.

Here's what I've checked so far:

1)  Test jack on box outside works fine so it's obviously my problem

2)  I unplugged all DSL filters and all phones and I'm still unable to get anything out of any jack with the working phone I used to check the test jack.

3)  I unplug my perfectly fine DSL from the wall jack and plug in the working phone and I get NOTHING!  When I plug back in the DSL, it works fine.

HELP ME!!!!

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Ceph if it is a portable and not holding a charge you may have to replace the battery in the hand set. Although sometimes it is about the same just to get a phone new!

Open the hand piece, they are usually flat and have to be pulled out.

I am certainly not an expert but what you are describing happened to me and it was the battery

[frogtog]

Sounds like you have a splice under the house an it has moister in it!

[Glenn]

I would borrow the neighbors phone for a few minutes, swap it with yours, and see if it works.  If it does, then it's the phone. If not, then it's the line.  If it's the phone, then Muddy may be onto something, so it's either try that or replace the phone. If it's the line, then have the phone company fix it.

[rondef]

Does your DSL modem work in the other jack?  That would be the deciding factor as to where the problem is.  The DSL modem and the phone operate on two different/distinct time slots (telecom terminology).  If the modem works on the jack that the phone was plugged into and if the phone is ok then the carier (i.e. Verizon) has a problem.  If the modem does not work you have a wiring problem in your house.  Have you checked the cable between the phone jack and the phone?

[Cephkiller]

Hey Ceph if it is a portable and not holding a charge you may have to replace the battery in the hand set. Although sometimes it is about the same just to get a phone new!

Open the hand piece, they are usually flat and have to be pulled out.

I am certainly not an expert but what you are describing happened to me and it was the battery

Thanks, but nope.  I am using an old desk phone to test that I have confirmed is good.

[Cephkiller]

Sounds like you have a splice under the house an it has moister in it!

That is possible, but would the DSL still work if this were the case?  I honestly don't know.

[Cephkiller]

I would borrow the neighbors phone for a few minutes, swap it with yours, and see if it works. If it does, then it's the phone. If not, then it's the line. If it's the phone, then Muddy may be onto something, so it's either try that or replace the phone. If it's the line, then have the phone company fix it.

I am using a phone that I have tested and is good so that's not the problem.  I have also tested the exterior test jack at the phone junction box and it works fine there so the problem is somewhere in my house.  This means the phone company won't fix it without charging a fortune.  Thanks.

[Cephkiller]

Does your DSL modem work in the other jack? That would be the deciding factor as to where the problem is. The DSL modem and the phone operate on two different/distinct time slots (telecom terminology). If the modem works on the jack that the phone was plugged into and if the phone is ok then the carier (i.e. Verizon) has a problem. If the modem does not work you have a wiring problem in your house. Have you checked the cable between the phone jack and the phone?

Again, the phone and the phone cable are fine and have been tested.  Also, the modem works in every jack but the (tested and confirmed good) phone will not.  The exterior test jack works fine so the problem is mione, not the carrier's.

[Cephkiller]

I wasn't trying to be ungrateful in the above replies, I just want to clarify the situation in case anyone else can help.  Thanks for trying guys.

[Cajun1977]

my vote goes for moisture in the line, the phone company should take care of this.  it happened to me before

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Now it begs for this question; DID YOU DROP YOUR PHONE IN YOUR BEER

[Cephkiller]

I don't know. I was too drunk to remember!

[rondef]

Do you have your DSL filter in between your phone and phone jack? Have you tried a different DSL filter? Do you pay for your in home wiring troubleshooting?  Not all carriers provide this for free.  Do you know where the phone line enters the house?  Do you have access to it where it enters the house?  If yes, splice the wire and add a new phone jack and try it out.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I don't know. I was too drunk to remember!

NOW THAT IS  *&@$%@*)& FUNNY  

[Cephkiller]

Do you have your DSL filter in between your phone and phone jack? Have you tried a different DSL filter

2) I unplugged all DSL filters and all phones and I'm still unable to get anything out of any jack with the working phone I used to check the test jack.

Do you pay for your in home wiring troubleshooting? Not all carriers provide this for free.

Yes. I have to pay for anything wrong on my side of the box.

Do you know where the phone line enters the house? Do you have access to it where it enters the house? If yes, splice the wire and add a new phone jack and try it out.

1) Test jack on box outside works fine so it's obviously my problem

[Catt]

That's the reason I use Ma Bell, one call and they have to fix it  

Other companies are fine but they don't have directory assistance, they don't have operators, & you have trouble getting them to fix problems.

Even after hurricane Rita we had phone service in most areas & they were the first back on line once the poles were back up.

[Cephkiller]

I finally have a day off tomorrow so I'll let everyone know what it was (if I ever find out).  I have a feeling I may just have to rewire everything without ever knowing what caused it all to begin with.  We'll see.

[kybassangler]

Might be easiest to find out where it works, then splice and run wores from there.

[jb_from_texas]

without reading all the posts...  i asked my neighbor that works for the local phone company.  here is the response:

you should leave phones plugged in and dial the house # with

a cell phone. If it does not work unplug all phones and dial in with a

cell phone.  It might be a bad phone.  One bad phone or jack will

knock out all jacks except DSL which runs seperate from outside

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Filters.  I bet there's a glitch in the phone line filters.

[Cephkiller]

Well, as I said, all my phones checked out OK.  My DSL and voice run on the same line in my house. None of the jacks would work even if I unplugged everything and tried them one at a time.  Anyway, the problem turned out to be the wire running from the phone box to the splitter under my house.  I could see no visible damage and everything appeared dry.  Also, I have not been anywhere near the phone lines nor have I or anyone else done anything to damage them as far as I know.  All I know is, when I finally bit the bullet yesterday and crawled under the house with a fresh roll of phone wire and changed the wire from the box to the splitter, all is well.  After some creative Googling, I learned that the DSL is capable of working on just one of the two wires, so I guess one of mine was damaged, apparently.  I still don't know what was wrong, but at least everything works now.

Thanks for all the replies, guys  

[kybassangler]

Good deal buddy.