atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information antique phones don"t ring

I have 7 phones in the house. all but one of the phones are antique phones (pre 1970's). The newer phone and only one antique ring on incoming calls. What can be done to get all the phones ringing?

Where do you get your phone service? Verizon? FiOS? Cable company?

-Hal

Just a hunch, but the total load that all of the phones creates is probably exceeding what your service provider can support (the maximum R.E.N. limit is being exceeded).

A simple test is to unplug all of the phones, connect one make a test call in, add another phone and repeat until the phones no longer ring properly.

But, yes, are you getting service from a cable provider, Verizon FiOS or Verizon copper?

I ask only because I can get an idea what the REN supplied is. You antique phones would normally have mechanical ringers which consume the most ring current. I believe a copper POTS line will ring 5 (REN=5) such ringers assuming 1 REN each.

-Hal

If pre 70's are antique then I'm a fossil

Jim, To think of pre '70s as "antique" is hilarious. At best, lets go with "Vintage" even we don't know here what actual era we are dealing with. Even coffin phones, candlestick phones, etc. are all more correctly identified as "Vintage". Of course if he does truly have antique phones (100+ years), then he has to leave them as curiosity pieces. You don't want to ruin them by retrofitting them to work. In all likelihood, my guess is that we are dealing with rotary dial 500 sets and the like.

Greenie, bottom line is your Tel Co will only be sending at best, enough current to ring 5 phones. Just check the REN number on the bottom of your phone. It should list 1.0A. If the sum total of all your phones is over 5, you are doing well to have any phones ring.

Without seeing them I would guess the phones if they are that old dont have a REN on them. Maybe the ringers have to be wired for bridged ringing instead of party. If the REN is too high the ringing will trip on the first cycle. Jim says only two of them ring. What model of phone are they?

It could also be that the ringer isn't hooked up. Older phones with out modular cords needed the yellow wire moved over to green to turn the ringer on.

But we could go on all day. We need to know the make and models of all the phones and then we can start troubleshooting.

Sam

Well, OK. What happens if you plug them in one at a time? Does each phone ring that way?

-Hal

Am getting the model #'s together and will get back to everyone with the info. My service is with Verizon and is on a copper line. I had an electricia come in and was told by him that there wasn't enough ringing voltage (?). When one of the older phones is plugged in along with the much newer phone both ring. When another older phone is added, that phone doesn't ring.