Any phone technicians here?

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Seedsower Franklin, WI(Zone 5a) Feb 08, 2006

I couldn't get on the internet (dial up) since I got home from work two hours ago. Was getting an AOL error message that there was no dial tone. I could hear other people talking on the phone thru my computer speakers. I unplugged something in the box mounted on the side of the house and now it works.

Any ideas what was happening and how come I could eavesdrop on other folks conversations?

Thanks!

Sandy

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Horseshoe Efland, NC(Zone 7a) Feb 09, 2006

Just curious...has it been rainy there? Sometimes dampness will get in those boxes, or the main boxes that are out by the road where they run your phone line from. If there is dampness sometimes there is a cross-over between lines.

Usually the phone company will send someone out to resolve it (no charge!).

Post #2031692
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Seedsower Franklin, WI(Zone 5a) Feb 09, 2006

Hi Horseshoe...nope, no rain! It was so weird! I guess disconnecting the moduler plug from the test jack reset it...

At first I thought my phone line had been hijacked....!

Sandy

Post #2031990
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Horseshoe Efland, NC(Zone 7a) Feb 09, 2006

Good going! Well, at least you know what to do now, in case it happens again, eh? (And I bet you are glad to be online again!)

Happy day to ya!

Shoe.

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imzadi Jackson, SC(Zone 8a) Feb 09, 2006

my lines were deterioating due to old age. not my house lines but the actual lines to my house. i was picking up the local radio station. call them and tell them what you did and they probably will send someone out to check it out for you. my mom used to hear other peoples calls due to a squirell chewing on the main lines up torwards the trees. its embarrising. she would call me and then it would be like hello who is this this is a private conversation. weird.

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golddog Western, PA(Zone 6a) Feb 17, 2006

After several years of WIN 98 I now have XP. But for some reason the internet connection wouldn't work (no dial tone) upon setup. I actually took the computer back for another, but that didn't solve the problem. Our telephone lines are so old they are still on pulse. So, with help, and a lot of cussing, we tried pulse, and it worked.

Now I have a built in security system. Just put the computer on dial tone. No one will figure this out.:)

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George Valinda, CA(Zone 10a) Feb 17, 2006

To go from pulse to tone dialing you must switch the two main wires. The polarity causes the change. Way back this was used to enable the phone company to charge more for the tone dialing. Now I would expect that they would want to do away with the old pulse equipment.

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