atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Reusing 1A2 25-Pair Cabling for an Avaya Partner

Bill-

As much as I appreciate your attention to detail, and I REALLY DO want to make this install as professional as possible: I need to bang this entire project out BY MYSELF (I don't do this everyday, so it's slower for me) within 1-2 days over a weekend. I really don't care if it doesn't look "perfect".. It's in a basement and I think it will still look better than what's existing!

I actually intend NOT to install a backboard on that wall (at least not during the initial install)... There's only so much time in a day (or two).... and it will never be more than a single 66 during my tenure maintaining this system. Let the new owners of the house deal with it in a few years.

Do you really think I should reuse something that is 40+ years old?

What! Only 40 years? They are practically new. Unless they have been exposed to water they should be fine. I would just leave everything as is especially if you aren't going to use a backboard. Do like Ed suggests and put the cover back on when you are done.

-Hal

You may be right... I looked closely at my pictures of this block and it does seem to be in good condition. Maybe I'll just reuse it and save a lot of headache.

Here's a close-up of the existing block. I have no clue when/if it was ever replaced, how old it is, etc.


Question is: DUMP IT or KEEP IT?

Wow, that's a GTE installation. I thought that it was, but the close-up confirmed it. Must be west of LA, huh?

I'd keep it. It can't be that damp or that terminal would have been corroded years ago. Just pick out the first two pairs of each station cable and punch them down in vertical succession. Insulate and store the remaining pairs for future use. At the other end of the tie cable, you'll have all of your station pair assignments come out in order on the new block that you install.

Oh and don't listen to MooreTel, he's quoting you Canadian (old Northern Telecom) part numbers. He doesn't understand 66 blocks. That is a Reliable R66A1-50-MH.

Keep it, clean up the wiring like Ed said then find the cover that belongs to it.

Hmmmm I wonder where the cover is??? I didn't even know there was one, but now that I look at the metal bracket, it totally makes sense.

Yes, this is Verizon (formerly GTE) territory in West Los Angeles. Good call Ed.

If you can't find the cover and even care about it, I think that I have some of them. Otherwise, it has been functioning this long without a cover, so I don't see it as being an issue.

So is THIS the NIU from the telco?? I was wondering where the hell the MPOE was. If you had to guess where on the block would the lines from Verizon actually terminate?

No, not even close. The MPOE (Minimum Point of Entry) or NIU (Network Interface Unit) is a device where the individual lines terminate before they enter the building. This can be via overhead or underground cables. Regardless, these cables will terminate on a protector or an NIU. This/these can be installed indoors or outdoors.

The wiring and equipment that you have shown is all system wiring that is unrelated to the MPOE. Here is what a typical network interface looks like, but due to the age of the house, I doubt that this is what you have:

I've seen an NIU before, but you said the system looked "GTE" and I got confused. I'm 32 and I had to really dig to think of a time when the PHONE COMPANY installed phone systems - now it makes sense!

Let me ask you this: In a 1A2 system, where would the CO lines I need to use for the future Avaya system be? At the big ole block in Pic A, or somewhere adjacent to the 1A2 in Pic B? I will trace this all out on the day of the install, but any granularity I can get in the meantime the better I can strategize. There's a good possibility the NIU itself is somewhere near the 1A2 in the basement (this is also where the city power comes in) and I just didn't notice it.

I hesitate messing with anything over there as the system is in a very precarious state right now. If something goes wrong I won't be able to fix it. Hence the stupid questions.