Easy-to-find Partner phone doubler

[jlshelton]

As we know, Partner phones use 8-pin jacks, yet only 2 of the 4 pairs of wire. Many of us run CAT-5 or better wiring, for flexibility, even when used with Partner phones. With two of the 4 pairs "wasted," it's sometimes tempting to double-up.

I found that the easily-purchased Radio Shack 279-456 8-pin/4-pin adapter does the trick nicely. They are often in stock in RS stores. They conveniently split pairs 1&2 from 3&4. If you use one of these at each end of a wiring run, you can install two phones in one location without the bother of running more wire.

The RS part has 6-pin jacks, so you will need station cords and patch cords with 6-pin plugs on them (or get out your grinder and trim the edges off your 8-pin plug.)

The part can be viewed at:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.a..._name=CTLG_008_008_001_001&product_id=279-456

 

[skip555]

I 'll take the jack off and pop another one in on the unsed pairs if I need to.

using something like that is poor practice in my opion , just the kind of thing to come back and bite you in the rear when you least need it.

"you know that extension you added last week ? now neither one of them work and we have two phones down how soon can you get somebody out here "

(unbillable warranty and you look bad)

not the kind of call I need on a busy day when I'm 60 miles in the other directionin the middle of a 4 hour move.

if the end user buys that kind of junk and uses it themself fine but then I get to go in and shake my head and do it right ...and BILL for the service

if there was absolutley no practical way to get the jack off I would crimp some four pair to a 8 conductor plug and break it out to two biscuit jacks. (quicker than a trip to radio shack and about 1/4 of the price)

 

[jlshelton]

Good point that you can do it cheaper, but then the jack cannot be instantly reverted back to CAT-5 status. The RS solution is 100% reversible.

 

[392]

The RS product is a repackaged AllenTel AT400E modular adapter, available at nearly any Graybar or Anixter. They are great in a pinch, but have a tendancy to snap off if brushed against and are too wide to use side by side in a patch panel.

I keep a dozen of them in my emergency restoration kit for times when extensions are required to instantly be moved to locations where only data cables on not enough voice cables exist. I can get a dozen extensions temporarily moved on 6 cables in less than 5 minutes, if need be.

A great temporary tool, but no substitute for proper cabling and terminations.

 

[skip555]

Good point that you can do it cheaper, but then the jack cannot be instantly reverted back to CAT-5 status. The RS solution is 100% reversible.

cheaper wasnt the point, relablity was

as 392 pointed out that sort of thing can and will break or come un plugged.

while you cant revert to cat 5 instantly if you rewire you sure can do it quickly (5min or so ) 100% reversible

I think using that sort of thing is a very poor practice

my "cheaper soultion " is also one less likely to suffer the problems inherent in the adapter also

just my opion here

 

[itpphoneguy]

Since you are terminating on a BIX, 110 or (yuk) 66 block I wouldn't worry about CAT-5 status. Every system we terminated on CAT-5 patches have been a nightmare later for various reasons. We use CAT-5e because of better noise immunity and a reduction of skews in the warehouse.

Using adapters is begging for trouble as far as my experience has shown. If it make you feel better, we use CAT-5 jacks, keystone. Very reliable.

-Chris

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Since it's a pain to re-terminate at the patch panel once everything is in use, I will usually set up some spare patch panel ports like this. One port (Called the "OUT") has its Blu and Grn pairs jumpered to another port's (Called "A")Blu and Grn, then the Orn and Brn pairs jumper to still another port's (Called "B")Blu and Grn. At the station side, either put a 2nd jack on the Orn and Brn, or set up an 8-pin solid copper jumper to 2 jacks. Stuff the original Cat-5 jack back into the mud ring, and put the 2 new jacks on the faceplate.

Long story short, patch from "OUT" to the station cable's port, patch a station to "A" and another to "B". Need it to be a real Cat-5 later on? Just rearrange the patching.

 

[itpphoneguy]

Problem is some people just gotta play "operator". When everything is punched down nice and neat (neater than a patch panel), most people are afraid to touch it. And you can really tell if they do.
-Chris

 

[aarenot]

I leave a bit of service loop somewhere hidden near the patch panel, to pull down if I am in a situation needing to convert a 4 pair termination on the patch panel jack to another configuration. I put the less than 4 pr terms area farther away from the cabling source so I have to pull down more cable. Also, if I need to take it back to a 4 pr termination, I move it back to the area where I have only 4 pr terms. I use a label printer to denote numbers on the patch panel, so I do have to print new labels, but it takes only a few minutes to do so.
Up front my wiring reccomendations to the customer are this. Figure out how many jacks you feel you will need in the next five years, then double that. It is cheaper to do the cabling all at once, when the ceiling grids, furniture, etc., are not in place, and the cable itself is pennies per foot.
While I do not like pulling cables off the patch panel and messing with the pretty lines it has, it can save from doing cable runs that cost money. It also saves time and inconvenience of ladders etc in the office for the customer versus running new cable.
If the customer has both options presented, and chooses the less costly one, I try to remember. This is not about me, or my desires, or convenience, or having the patch panel look perfect for the wall behind the patch panel to look at. It is about the customer.
If I have a knowledgable customer who feels they may need short term multiple jacks off of one cable I do this for them, and leave it on site. I cut up a Express quick cable or two

http://www.expcomm.com/quickcables/index.asp,

and term the proper RJ on the open end, and leave it on site. One customer uses this for annual phone training to turn 4 network jacks in their large conference room into, 16 IPOffice digital exts.
The express cables are 25 to 50 pair cables with RJ plugs terminated on one end, individualy shrink wrapped to look pretty for each RJ plugs wires. The other end (open) end is just a straight 25 or 50 pair to terminate in any type of 66, or 110 termination device. You can also crimp RJ plugs, or amphenols to the open end, as I do on ocasion. They make installs quicker as well, since the plug ends are designed to match numerous phone system port configurations.

I tried the splitter option years ago and they break or fail frequently.


You do not always get what you pay for, but you never get what you do not pay for.