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Line 2 intermittent

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mmmheyhey

Technical User
Jul 26, 2003
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Not sure of what is going on here. Have a customer with non ksu 4 line phones, and about a month ago (have been in business for 5 years), their line 2 became intermittent. It would be there, they would use it and then it was gone for awhile. Phone company says it is a short in the cable. Came in, line 2 was on the phone, and then it went out. Went to demarc, plugged into the test jack and no dial tone there. Waited about 10 minutes and it was back, has been doing this for about 3 weeks. Could it actually be the phones, or is is the clec? Thanks for the help
 
You'll have to disconnect the phones from the demarc (or remove the bridging clips, if there are any). The equipment could be shorting the lines. Remember to check for other equipment on the line: alarm systems are notorious for causing problems, and an intermittent "outage" could be the alarm communicator trying to send some sort of signal, like a trouble with a sensor or something.
 
Thank you Crumthwacket, great suggestions! I have ran into similar problems with the alarm system. They don't have one here,even though this is our economic development association where I live, go figure. So, this would knock out the local phone companies dial tone for awhile if this was a short? Again, thank you
 
When the phone company rep says it's a short, you really don't know if it's a short or some other condition. If an alarm system is connected to a CO line, it's supposed to be with an RJ-31X jack, which is a series connection: the line is connected to the alarm system, typically on the white/blue pair, and is then returned to the telephones from the alarm panel on the white/orange pair. When it signals, it seizes the line and doesn't return the dial tone to the telephones for the duration of the signal. An intermittent dead short sounds more like the service provider's cable has a problem. Just make sure that when you check the line at demarc while it's out of service that nothing else is connected; if it's out of service, then it's not your problem, it's the phone company's problem.
 
Crumthwacket, thank you again, I have disconnected all cables going to the dmarc, and there is no dial tone, which I have verified with this company! The phone company keeps telling them that it is a short in the cable, either from a phone, or.... we keep telling them that is not the case...
 
Swap lines 2 and 4 at the demarc (frog)if the trouble stays with line 2 it's your trouble into the wiring/phones, if the trouble is now on line 4 then it's the phone company's problem, and demand a visit!
 
if you have disconnected all cables going to the demarc
and the problem of no dial tone at demarc sounds like
the phone company has the problem the short could be
in the cable feed to building.

no problems only solutions

strmwalker
 
If the inside wiring has been 100% isolated and the LEC still shows a short on the line, then they will need to resolve.

The suggestions above plus the advice given at the other tech help site should be enough to knock out the trouble.

If it ain't broke, I haven't fixed it yet.
 
To answer your question -

yes, if the line was shorted and then you removed the short (e.g. disconnect at the demarc)the line will appear dead for a period of time. 5-15 minutes.

So the line probably is intermittently shorted, but you need to determine on which side of the demarc the short is.

I would suggest disconnecting at the demarc and checking it every 15 minutes for an hour or so. Once you get dial tone you should continue to get it every time. If it goes away again then the short is on the telco side of the demarc.

When the line is "dead" what do you get when you call the direct number for that line?


-------------------------------------------

TIP: If you ask a better question, you will get a better reply. Be specific so we can help!
 
One more suggestion in troubleshooting this problem, when the bridge clips are removed @ the MPOE and you have verified that nothing else is connected and you have the "dead" or no DT condition; call this line from another line and see if you get ringing or a busy condition. What the results will indicate is, Busy = some sort of short on the pair, and ringing could indicate an open somewhere on the pair. With a "ringing" condition you might try answering the line with a testset or 2500 set, whichever is easier.

In regards to the phone company or service provider, open a trouble ticket and have them dispatch a repairperson to fix the line. If no results, escalate to a supervisor!!

....JIM....
 
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