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From: marks@ssdevo.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: phone problems
Message-ID: <1317@mountn.dec.com>
Date: 1 Feb 90 13:40:39 GMT
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Organization: Digital Equipment Corp. - Colorado Springs
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In article <1679@xn.LL.MIT.EDU>, rp@XN.LL.MIT.EDU (Richard Pavelle) writes...
> 
>I am having an intermittent problem wherein the phone rings, I wait
>for the 2nd or 3rd ring, pick it up and hear a disconnect. This
>occurs on about half my calls on all phones on a particular incoming
>line. The other two incoming lines do not have this problem. 

Try switching your phones amongst the lines to your house and see if the
problem moves with the phone.  If the problem moves with the phone, you
can probably conclude the problem lies within the phone.  If it doesn't
move with the phone, the problem is with the line/jack.  If the phone
company can't fix the line, I would argue that they should give you a new
line/number and see if that fixes it.

Somebody more knowledgeable in phone systems can probably correct me if I'm
wrong, but I think the phone company does tests on the lines on a frequent
and repetitive basis.  I suspect this because one of my phones makes 
noise (not ringing) every once in a while.  If I pick it up, I hear what sounds
like a disconnecting line.  Maybe the problem you are experiencing is related
to these tests.  Do you know whether the problem arises when somebody is
actually trying to call your house?

	Randy Marks

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