[Novalug] OT: Broken phone line ?

[Bradley Alexander]

Well, since neither jack is working, I would have to say that it has to be some common point between the jacks. <taking off Ric Romero hat>

In my phone installation, which was done 5 years ago, every phone jack in the house terminates at the NID. In fact, every cable in the hose is home runned to that corner of the basement. Thus, I would suspect it is the NID that has gone bad. In fact, if I remember correctly, the NID has a customer (where you can plug new jacks in) side and a Verizon side. Where did you plug in when you got tone? I would try at the point where the jacks connect in the NID. If you don't get tone there, then call Verizon. If you get tone, then its something in your wiring, and you need to decide whether or not you want to pay them to rewire...But it doesn't make sense that plugging a fax in to one jack would kill both jacks...It doesn't make sense that it would kill one jack...


----- Original Message -----
From: gregory pryzby <greg at pryzby.org>
To: Northern Virginia Linux User's Group <novalug at calypso.tux.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 8:37:44 PM GMT-0500 US/Eastern
Subject: [Novalug] OT: Broken phone line ?

Calling all PHONE weenies.

I just learned that my house phone (verizon) is no longer working.

When you call my house, my verizon vmail answers IMMEDIATELY and our
'busy message' plays. So any incoming calls look like we are on the
line. There is NO DIAL TONE when I pick up.

So I go to the NID (courtesy box) and plugin. I have dial tone at the
NID. 

So that means it appears the issue is the house wiring. 

Nothing has changed in the house, EXCEPT my wife plugged in the fax
yesterday to send a fax and then unplugged it. She did it by
unplugging the phone from that jack and using that cable to plug into
the fax. 

We have only ever used 2 jacks in the house. Those jacks are not
working. I can not get a tone on any jack. I have a line tester and
get nothing with the tester.

So, I would say the problem is INTERNAL wiring. However, I am not sure
why vmail picks up showing that the line is busy..... That is the
'strange' piece to me.

Maybe a phone person can explain.

Then explain how a cable was damaged in my house by ghosts.

MAN I am frustrated... because it will be 1 week before Verizon can
make it to the house.

Oh, and forget trying to rewire this house. The wiring job was done by
a blind drunk with bailing twine. It is just unbelieveably ugly.

-- 
greg pryzby                              greg at pryzby dot org
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