UK phone line question ..old/new wire colours?

[oxf]

Anyone know the answer to this?

I have to replce the master BT phone socket as it's old, crakles etc and playing havoc with broadband. So I went to B&Q and got a new one. But nothings simple in this old house, Wiring is ancient and so is the phone wire!

Heres the problem:

Just two wires comming in from the outside phone line. Junction box (old style). The two external phone wires connect to internal phone cable and there are two colours, Blue and Orange. These go to the master phone socket which is old style BT. Orange and Blue connect to terminals A and B in the socket.

New master socket has six connections. Leaflet say 1 and 6 usually not used in domestic installation. The other one 2, 3, 4, 5 and wires to them. I assume 2 and 3 would be the ones I wanted because leaflet says: "Blue with white ring to connection 2" and "orange with white ring to 3"

I tried that and get dial tone but no dial out. Obviously not correct.
Sooo does anyone know the interconnection between the basic two phone wires and the new style socket. Simply if I just have two basic phone wires from outside where do they go?

I have no phone extentions in this house or likely to need in future

Thanks

[haqking]

Anyone know the answer to this?

I have to replce the master BT phone socket as it's old, crakles etc and playing havoc with broadband. So I went to B&Q and got a new one. But nothings simple in this old house, Wiring is ancient and so is the phone wire!

Heres the problem:

Just two wires comming in from the outside phone line. Junction box (old style). The two external phone wires connect to internal phone cable and there are two colours, Blue and Orange. These go to the master phone socket which is old style BT. Orange and Blue connect to terminals A and B in the socket.

New master socket has six connections. Leaflet say 1 and 6 usually not used in domestic installation. The other one 2, 3, 4, 5 and wires to them. I assume 2 and 3 would be the ones I wanted because leaflet says: "Blue with white ring to connection 2" and "orange with white ring to 3"

I tried that and get dial tone but no dial out. Obviously not correct.
Sooo does anyone know the interconnection between the basic two phone wires and the new style socket. Simply if I just have two basic phone wires from outside where do they go?

I have no phone extentions in this house or likely to need in future

Thanks

To be honest are you sure you should be reaplcing the master socket ?

from what i remember, you are allowed to replace the faceplate but not the complete master socket as far as BT goes

Have you bought a replacement master socket as oppose to a generic

try here http://www.rob-r.co.uk/other/UKphonecatwiring.htm

Also what i found was a great add on to the master was a ADSL faceplate http://www.amazon.co.uk/Broadband-Professional-ADSL-Splitter-NTE/dp/B000PBYR8K/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1310564453&sr=8-15

[TBABill]

Having worked as a tech for a US telephone company, our wiring is obviously colored differently but the operation should be the same. If you have DT, but cannot dial out, try reversing polarity by swapping your tip and ring leads (the blue and orange). If part of your wire run in the home was inadvertently reversed, you'll have to reverse at the jack to correct for it. Otherwise you'll have to open the telephone connection points throughout the home to find the reversal if that's what caused the problem (or in BT's box on the house).

[oxf]

OK thanks both for that. It is a new master socket. I'll try reversing and see if that fixes it first. As I say this is old wiring. The original wire was installed when we still had dials on phones so it's ancient.

[oxf]

OK here's the complete deal. I get crackling on the line which is anoying to phone conversations but also causes my broadband to drop. I'm almost certain the problem in not onmy property..

If I understand this correctly BT responsibility includes the master socket. I had assumed responsibility ended at the little junction box just inside my door. But If BT's responsibility runs up to and includes master socket I might just leave as is and they can check the line and replace if need be. Am I reading this correctly?

Thanks

[Elfy]

Am I reading this correctly?

ThanksAs far as I remember - yes.

Phone them and ask, they will likely check some things while you are on the phone:)

From experience be aware that having a phone issue and bb issue are 2 different things - I lost my phone line - and obviously the bb. They fixed the phone line - when I realised they'd done that bit I was not too impressed given that they'd marked the whole thing as fixed - no bb for days ...

[TBABill]

As far as I remember - yes.

Phone them and ask, they will likely check some things while you are on the phone:)

From experience be aware that having a phone issue and bb issue are 2 different things - I lost my phone line - and obviously the bb. They fixed the phone line - when I realised they'd done that bit I was not too impressed given that they'd marked the whole thing as fixed - no bb for days ...
Often times when you have a phone line issue you will also have broadband issues as well, particularly so if you have an audible issue such as static. Static is usually caused by a "high resistance open", which is an oxymoron because with electrical wiring an open is an infinite resistance. Regardless, static is caused normally by corrosion, and that comes from moisture on a conductor, a loose connection corroding or by a conductor in contact with another surface where corrosion begins to occur. A simple loose connection that is corrosion free can also do so, such as a loose terminal lug or a wire that has begun to break inside a conductor (remember those phone cords that get static when you move them?).

It's possible to have a phone related trouble with a perfectly working broadband. In fact, I have seen an instance where the tip side (ground) of the phone line was broken so there was no ground. The phone was obviously completely dead, but the broadband worked fine on one conductor.

Anyway, if you have a phone problem and a broadband problem, try to be sure the technician verifies BOTH are working because it is easy to fix one and leave the other out of service by simple errors in workmanship. I liked to show my customer the throughput readings on my test equipment then have them logon to be certain not only the line worked, but that they hadn't accidentally unplugged something on the computer or modem while troubleshooting.

[Elfy]

...All that aside - I was more pointing the OP at making sure BT know all they need to - they knew all in my case and still managed to make pig's ear of it.

Upside of all that is when my renewal came up recently I got more than I had for half the price I paid and of course a complete refund for the time without :)

[mips]

OK here's the complete deal. I get crackling on the line which is anoying to phone conversations but also causes my broadband to drop. I'm almost certain the problem in not onmy property..


Dunno if you guys use ADSL POTS filters over there but I've noticed that they can cause noise on a line. Easiest way to figure out if it's faulty is to unplug the filter and then listen for noise.

If it's not the filter then the noise is most likely external to your property. Chaffed cables from tree branches and water in the system can also cause noise.

[oxf]

Well looks like I've located the problem. BT ran some line checks will came out OK. My partner says "couldn't be the phone could it? It is rather old" Unplugged the hone and problem solved (I dont have a second phone to substitute. I never considered this because I assumed the noise from within the phone would not get back through the filter. Wrong! Unplugged the phone and problem solved!

[Elfy]

Yay for simple causes.

[oxf]

Yay for simple causes.

Yes but it wasn't the phone in the end. Tried two other phones in the socket same problem,
BT ran a line check and confirmed a problem on the line after warning me it would be a £130 charge if it was forund to be my equipment. Engineer comes and verifies severe line noise outside the house at 48 Metres down the line, underneeth where his van was parked. Eventually after several climbs up the phone pole, much head scratching and visit to connection cabinet down the street switches my line to a spare wire in the underground cable. Result.. nice quiet line and broadband runs like new :D