Subj : Dead Phone Line
To   : Jay Emrie
From : Greg Easthom
Date : Tue Nov 30 2004 03:00 am


JE> In trying to decipher what my problem is with my phone lines I made a
JE> rather startling (to me anyhow) discovery. All of those 6' - 8' phone
JE> cables one uses to connect the phone to the hone jack are NOT equal. Some
JE> have only TWO wires and some have FOUR wires. I made never looked at one
JE> closely - just assumed they were all two wired. I must have 15 or 20 of
JE> those things here.

And some of them (when viewing both plugs head-on) will switch the
colors, while others keep them in the same relative place.
           __    __
cable 1 - xRGX  xGRx
           __    __
cable 2 - xRGx  xRGx

Cable 1 initially looks wrong, as the colors are different, but
when laid flat, the wires are obviously a "straight-through" design.

Cable 2 seems more normal, as both ends look the same, BUT when
laid flat, you see it actually switches the wires side-to-side,
changing the polarity of the final connection. Most phones, faxes
and modems won't care, but some don't like it, and won't work right.

Just another little thing that makes you go Hmmmmm.......

  * SLMR 2.1a *
--- Maximus 3.01
 * Origin: The BandMaster, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (1:153/7715)

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