I was working at a install yesterday and verizon terminated to a Krone block , the tech said thats what their using now

since I didn't have a krone punch tool he punched some jumper wire down for me with his tool.

after he left I played around a bit(using pin 49 and 50 in case I screwed it up ) and punched wires down with 110 blade .

it seemed fine

I know harris makes a "dually blade " that does both krone and 110 so they have to be real similar

is their any reason not to use 110 blade on the krone block ?

Geez, NYNEX was using them for a while and even Bell Atlantic played with them for a short period about ten years ago. We don't see the Krone blocks much at all around these parts anymore. I have not seen any interconnects using Krone either. They are largely popular in Europe, but I have yet to see them used anywhere else on a large scale.

I attended a class for Krone and you definitely should NOT use a 110 blade on them. These blocks do not rely upon impact to terminate the wire, similar to BIX. Remember that these blocks grip the wire from the sides, not from the bottom like 110.

Well thats about right for Verizon , 10 years behind the curve :rolleyes:

I have one of the harris dually blades ...somewhere

about 10 years ago there was a deal where krone and harris would send you a free one . so I sent off for it . It really didn't work well on 110 and I hadn't run across krone block until yesterday the dually has been kicking around for years and now that I need it I cant find it

This was a actual verizon tech , verizon truck and all not a sub . He thought krone was the newest thing going . I don't think he quite believed me when I told him I had a blade that I got ten years or so ago and that I knew krone had been around quite awhile

he was telling me that he thought you can punch more than one wire down per pin

if it grips from the side that might be true

I checked eBay and you can get the actually KRONE tool for 10.50 which included shipping so I went ahead and bought one

Krone punch tools are on eBay all the time, usually from Great Britian - if you're going to be running into them, might be worth picking one up (I've had things mailed from England, and it's not very expensive)

thats what I figured

the one I got is coming from hong kong

1.99 for the tool + 8.50 shipping

so for 10.50 , I've got one in the truck next time I run across a Krone block

The new Krone blocks will work with a 110 blade and accept two wires on each position. How do you know if it's a new style block? You don't unless you just bought them so my advice is always use a Krone blade. As far as I know Harris, now Fluke still makes them. You can always get the complete tool from Krone. Anixter stocks Krone.

Verizon uses them all the time around here for NIs. (RJ-21x with or without an Amphenol on the bracket) I love them and even stock them for when Verizon didn't install one. Why? I keep the test plug, the one that splits the sides, with my banjo. I connect my butt set and run down the block in about 10 seconds flat. If I get no dial tone on one or more pairs I know the problem is outside because the test plug disconnects the IW when it's inserted.

I know some have said that they have had problems with those contacts in the block but in all the years I have been using them I can remember only one instance where this was a problem.

-Hal

Verizon has been installing Krone blocks as RJ-21X around here since the late 80's early 90's, we use to contract for Rolm of New York & New England back then, they also used them on all there frame's

We have both AT&T and Verizon in our area. VZ has just started using the Krone blocks for new installs. Funny thing is, the VZ tech used a 110 blade. Must've been the new Krone blocks.

Justin:

What's sad is that you are referring to Pacific Telephone and GTE! Look at how many name changes have occurred over the years between them.

As I stated in an earlier post, I haven't seen Krone in the Bell Atlantic region of Verizon's territory in ten years. We get lines delivered on outdoor NIDs with individual RJ11s or if indoors, on traditional RJ21X jacks. Krone came and went a long time ago around here.

True, their design allows multiple conductors to be inserted into the same slot. It's nice, but not something that's really needed in this day and age. Most circuits are 1:1, aren't they?

the verizon tech was using the krone tool , same one I just bought on ebay . when he finished he said "where using these new krone blocks now on new installs you probably don't have a krone tool do you " ?

I didn't so I cut him 20 pieces of cross connect wire about 6' long , had him punch those down and then I set up the mushrooms and cross connected from there after he left

they may be the new blocks because as I said my tests with 110 blade seemed to work just fine.

The northern telecom Bix tool works on krone

You can get them for less than $10 on ebay. You should get a few and put them in the glove boxes of your service vehicles.

I believe in using the right tool, since they are so inexpensive. If they cost more I would consider cutting corners too.

Ed, I believe you need to go back one more name change on GTE. I'm pretty sure it was General Telephone before GTE. We have a few former General Telephone/GTE guys in our company.

You're right on the Pacific Telephone. Didn't it go: Pacific Telephone, the Pacific Bell, then SBC, then AT&T?

Don't forget Pacific Telesys

Where did that one fall in, TTT?

GTE = General Telephone and Electriconcs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GTE

GTE = Get to it Eventually

Former Northern Ohio Telephone Company Employee who worked for General Telephone and Electronics just before it became GTE then Verizon way after I left.

Carl

Carl, what was Northern Ohio Telephone Company?

Verizon New England used Krone blocks about 10 years ago for new installs. I don't know if they still do. I did purchase a Krone blade for my Paladin Pro Punch PDT but I can't say that working on the Krone blocks in the office does anything for me. I would much rather work with 66s or 110s.

Krone????

Same Same as BIX !?!?!?! .......The BIX made me do it !!!!!!!!

:nono:

Next thing you know they'll want to use Q connectors...... :rolleyes:

I have actually seen the Krone stuff in use. Toledo used them for a time, on the blocks and jacks. They don't install it now, they use Hubbell. I've never worked on it though. Some of the Nordx stuff is BIX, but I always used the 110 stuff.
Jeff

Justin -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Telesis

I guess they were more of a holding company for PacBell, but I remember installers having the Telesis name on their cards and trucks

Pacific Telesis was in the mid 1980's just after divestiture, largely in place to secure the Pacific Bell name for equipment sales.

Yes, Justin, you are correct, it was General Telephone and Electronics. Automatic Electric was the company-owned manufacturing arm, like Western Electric was to the Bell System.

Jeff: Northern Ohio Telephone Company was just a small independent telco. I believe that Contel took over their territory in a purchase before GTE puchased the service areas of Contel. I can't remember the details about that acquisition since it's been a very long time.

Huh? Jeff, Ed, NOTC was an independent telco headquartered in Bellevue where I grew up. In encompassed Medina, Norwalk, Port Clinton, Delaware, Bowling Green, Ashland, and Oberlin. Sylvania and Carey were part of BG district, but mostly any Verizon property near the above cities were probably NOTC offices. IIRC sometime in 1968 or '69 'Col. Henry the skinflint owner of the company sold out to General Telephone, making people like the Uhlmans very wealthy.

We still maintained NOTC identity until about 1974 when we became GTE branded. They removed all the brass NOTC plates on the offices on a Saturday....I just missed getting mine by about an hour :-(.

A Google search of "Northern Ohio Telephone Company" brings up a couple of good articles, but https://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/oh/medina/history/18.htm details one of the best descriptons of the "old days" fights to get things like EAS service to larger cities.

Carl

I'm installing ADC/Krone CopperTen (Cat6A) products in our new computer room. The ADC rep told me the products we are using will work with a 110 punch down tool. It has worked fine for me. ADC does cost more than the other brands but is a high quality product.

Krone has been pretty much the norm here in England since the early/mid 1980s.

It's amazing the number of telephone jacks I look at for no dialtone, no ringing, or noise symptoms and it soon becomes obvious that somebody has tried jamming wires into the terminals with a screwdriver.

thanks Richard ,

thats what it looked like when I tried the 110 blade on the spare terminals , wires where tight terminals didn't look deformed .

I do have the KRONE tool on the way though

Krone Blocks are wonderful, we support about 50 cruise ships that were all built in Europe all have Krone blocks, well a couple of the old ones still have wire wraps and solder but Krone blocks work really well, much better than 110 blocks. Almost like a mini 66 block because you can leave a nice little service loop and trace cables easily in a compact space. But a Krone tool is required - use the right tool for the job!

At one time Sprint was involved with GTE in our area, If I'm not mistaken it was a relationship like Southwestern Bell and AT&T ,Sprint was the longline division just like AT&T ,I think.

Not exactly. Southern Pacific Comms sold Sprint to GTE in 1983, which became GTE's long distance money loser. In 1986 GTE sold Half to United Telephone who had also bought US Telecom. The new company became US Sprint, and in 1989 GTE sold United the controlling interest and all of it by 1991. The new company then branded United Telephone Company "Sprint" for its local telco service. In Ohio, it was still listed as United Telephone Co of Ohio dba Sprint...at least until the Embarq deal.

Talk about the tail wagging the dog.......

Carl