epsilon@ames.arc.nasa.gov (07/06/89)
I have one of those GE multiline phones with the line-monitoring LEDs; each day around 0200 (the exact time varies) they flicker briefly. (415-337) Counting RENs? :-) -=EPS=-
roy@uunet.uu.net (Alaska's leading Cyberpunnk) (07/09/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0225m05@vector.dallas.tx.us>, claris!wet!epsilon @ames.arc.nasa.gov writes: > I have one of those GE multiline phones with the line-monitoring > LEDs; each day around 0200 (the exact time varies) they flicker > briefly. (415-337) Counting RENs? :-) > > -=EPS=- That's the ESS switch running diagnostics on your line. Several years ago, just after deregulation, I bought onne of those El Cheapo Profundo 1-piece phones at a grocery store. I plugged it, and dutifully called the PhoneCo office to report my FCC registration number. The woman didn't have any idea why I would want to tell her such a thing, but she agreed to copy it down and forward it to somebody Generally in Charge of A Lot of Things. The very next day, I heard someone banging about behind the apartment, and looked out to see a telephone man working in the box outside. I picked up the phone, and there was no dial tone, so I asked him if he had disconnected my phone. He told me he unhooked it to check the line, because the "computer said you had some trouble out here"... seems the little tortured-cricket ringer doesn't couple to the line the same way a coil does, and it makes your phonne pair appear unterminated _and_ of uneven length(!?) Oh, he did hook it back up....:-) Roy M. Silvernail Sub-Arctic Programmer-at-large UUCP: uunet!comcon!roy (spif sig Real Soon Now) [my account, my opinions]
julian@bongo.uucp (julian macassey) (07/10/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0225m05@vector.dallas.tx.us>, claris!wet!epsilon @ames.arc.nasa.gov writes: > I have one of those GE multiline phones with the line-monitoring > LEDs; each day around 0200 (the exact time varies) they flicker > briefly. (415-337) Counting RENs? :-) They flicker because the telco is testing the loop (Your line to the Central Office). The lights should not flicker if the phone actually met FCC Part 68 and Bell Pub 48005 and the GTE equiv the number of which escapes me right now. The phone when On Hook should have a DC resistance above 10 Meg Ohm and a particular on hook impedance. Exact numbers escape me, but without getting too techie let me explain what is expected. A phone on hook should present a 0.47 uf Capacitor and a large coil of wire in series to the loop. This means a gong ringer and the DC blocking capacitor. Most ringer ICs (the ones that chirp and warble) do not present this impedance curve to the phone line. The Motorola ones do and I think the AT&T ones may. No one ever gave me AT&T phone ICs to play with. Now the lights on the GE phone are possibly controlled by Zener diodes that turn on the lights when the DC voltage drops below say 26 Volts. The normal on hook voltage is 48 V and off hook it will drop to about 9 to 3 V. When testing the telco may lower the line voltage and your lights may flicker. They also sometimes use low frequency and low voltage test sigs. Maybe someone at the CO side of biz could supply us these specs? The Telco would probably love you if you junked the phone and got a real one so they could get meaningful test results. Yours -- Julian Macassey, n6are julian@bongo ucla-an!denwa!bongo!julian n6are@k6iyk (Packet Radio) n6are.ampr.org [44.16.0.81] voice (213) 653-4495