wiring a telephone

[maxwell_smart007]

I'm trying to add a telephone to my back room.

It's an old home...

Currently, I have a black wire coming into the house from the telephone company - it only has two wires hooked up to the punch block. I have a rotary phone (two wire) hooked up to the block, and two more modern sets of wires hooked up as well...

Picture attached...

Thank you!

 

[maxwell_smart007]

My thought is green red black yellow on the fourth column...but when I stripped the wires to test it, it didn't work...hence my inquiry.

I didn't punch them directly into the block, as there's not a lot of wire to play with, and I didn't want to mess it up...it's an analog phone, and I've tested it on the other line and it works fine.

 

[jeff]

If the new phone is wired "normally" the green-red pair should be line 1. Perhaps try black-yellow on the chance that the jack is miswired.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Sorry, Jeff - but when you say 'line 1', do you mean punch them into the first and second pins (going from top to bottom) in the first free column?

 

[maxwell_smart007]

I also don't really get how the two blue wires coming in on the 'main' can "power" the whole block...my thought is that only the first two rows work, and the rest of the wires are punched in just for show?

 

[jeff]

I mean line one at the jack. In a typical phone jack, there are 4 contacts. The center two are for the first line of a two line phone (i.e. a phone that can have two numbers), the outside pair is line 2. I wasn't referring to the horizontal rows of connectors on the punchdown block.

Usually, the reg/green pair is wired as line one at the wall plate, and yellow/block is line two. If the jack is wired wrong, then the black/yellow pair will be line 2. To check it, try connecting the black/yellow pair from the new phone line each to a contact on the first two rows (same rows the incoming line connects with). I am assuming that there is some wiring in a wall that runs to a jack.

In that block, each horizontal (as the pic is oriented) row of contacts are common. So the first two rows are the only ones connected to your incoming line.

edit: yes, only the first two rows are active. the other wires are just punched down for neatness.

 

[jttheclockman]

The main does not power the whole block. Your two wires pair up with the main 2 wires. If you want more rows they have jumper clips. Red/green phone line one. As Jeff mentioned maybe the jack was wired with another combination. Could be anything. This is a RJ11 block at the phone. Take it off and look at the colored wires used. Also as Jeff said the other wires are just punched down for neatness or an easy install of another line. You can strip that wire back if you need more. A punch down tool is ideal for that block. Can get away with a thin blade small screw driver.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

I installed the wires in the hub - green, red, black, yellow - in the first free column...no dice.

I checked the jack, and it was wired with red going to red, green to green, etc.

I tried wiring in another jack that I had, and still no dice.

Odd, eh?

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Hmm...just about to go nuts with this thing. Any way to check continuity to look for a break in the line? It's installed in an outside wall in a box, so not easy to replace - but if it's not intact, that might explain thigns...

 

[jttheclockman]

Lets us stop and take a break. Did you try the new phone in a jack that you know works??? If yes and the phone works then that end is good. The problem is then between the main block and the wire going to the jack in the new room. Did you run the wire and install the jack??? You show wires at the main block that you want to hook up. Where and what are those wires??? The first two rows of connectors Left to right are the only connectors that are hot on the main block. You have 2 open ports left. They are the 2 right after the main wires going to the left. One of your older phones was wired with telephone wire and the other was wired with Cat wire. Makes no difference.

If you do not use a punch down tool in those type connectors sometimes they do not make contact because they do not cut into the wire well.

To check for continuity disconnect all 4 wires at the main block and let them sit in free air. Go back to the jack and read continuity between all combinations of the wires at the jack. You should not read anything. If you do then there is a short in the wire somewhere. All that checked out, now twist red and green together at main block and go and ring it at the jack. You should get a signal between red and green. You can do this with the other 2 wires as well if you want. If you get a signal you are good to go. If no signal then the wire is open or broken. If only one sets rings through just use that set whatever it is. Just as long as you have 2 good wires. Now land one wire on the first row and the second wire on the second row and you are done. Just make sure that you are making good contact in those connectors.


Now if you did all this and you know the phone works and you still do not get a signal, disconnect the 2 modern phones you have connected. If the rotary phone can be disconnected then do that as well. Then try the new phone. If it works then you may have to install a booster. Each phone ringer takes power and those rotary phones are the worst if it is an older rotary phone. Keep plugging in phones one at a time and check condition. If one phone takes the line down then you have to make a decision. get by the first step first and that is make the new jack work. Good luck.

Why not just get a bunch of wireless phones. One base and a bunch phones all over the house

 

[Herb G]

Why not just get a bunch of wireless phones. One base and a bunch phones all over the house

This is what I had to do when we had a lightning strike that fried the old wiring thruout the whole house.
Phone co. ran a single new wire inside. I got a cordless set that has 4 phones, and I can add a phone whenever I want.
Made my life a lot easier than running all new wires thru this old house.

 

[jttheclockman]

Why not just get a bunch of wireless phones. One base and a bunch phones all over the house

This is what I had to do when we had a lightning strike that fried the old wiring thruout the whole house.
Phone co. ran a single new wire inside. I got a cordless set that has 4 phones, and I can add a phone whenever I want.
Made my life a lot easier than running all new wires thru this old house.

It is what I do also. Have a phone in wherever I want. No no phone in bathroom.:biggrin:

 

[studioseven]

....and I thought I was the only one with a rotary phone left. But I did get rid of my 8 track player a few years ago.

Seven

 

[wouldentu2?]

A rotary phone in a cellphone society? Next you'll take up pen making in a paperless society.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Not only do I have a rotary, I was wiring in another rotary phone! I adapted it to fit an RJ45 plug, as I really like the ring sound on those old phones....and they just fit with the character of our house.

JT, thank you for the write-up. After going through these steps, I figured out that there was a break in the wire...or so I thought. I had an epiphany, and I realized that the phone wire I was hooking up was NOT the phone wire that I thought it was...it was just an orphaned wire that was never removed.

I found the correct cable tucked away in the corner, and all works swimmingly now.

Thanks to all for the help!
Andrew

 

[Rick_G]

Glad you got it working. We had a rotary on the phone in the hall in a church I attended a few years ago before moving. Had many a laugh watching the teenagers try and figure out how to make a call on it.

 

[Herb G]

When I was a kid, my Dad would always disconnect the ringer inside the extension phones. That way, the phone co. couldn't tell you had extra phones you weren't being ripped off every month for.
They used to be able to tell how many phones you had by the voltage drop when they called your house.
Of course back then, the phone rang loud enough to hear it thru the whole house. No need for them all ringing.

 

[thebillofwrites]

A cool thing about the old rotary phones that some folks may or may not remember is that if someone put one of those little dial locks on the phone to keep people from dialing a number, you could still make a call when they were not looking.

If you had good technique, all you had to do is tap the receiver hook, or the button the receiver sat on. Seven quick taps for a 7, then a short pause, then a corresponding number of taps for each digit of the phone number until you had tapped all the numbers.

 

[jttheclockman]

Not only do I have a rotary, I was wiring in another rotary phone! I adapted it to fit an RJ45 plug, as I really like the ring sound on those old phones....and they just fit with the character of our house.

JT, thank you for the write-up. After going through these steps, I figured out that there was a break in the wire...or so I thought. I had an epiphany, and I realized that the phone wire I was hooking up was NOT the phone wire that I thought it was...it was just an orphaned wire that was never removed.

I found the correct cable tucked away in the corner, and all works swimmingly now.

Thanks to all for the help!
Andrew

Oh now isn't that a kick in the bottom. glad all worked out. :biggrin: