Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => OT Knowledge => Topic started by: Tim Hall on 15 January, 2019, 10:12:07 pm

Title: Splicing phone lines
Post by: Tim Hall on 15 January, 2019, 10:12:07 pm

Supposing someone* cut the overhead phone line to a house in a fit of exuberant foliage pruning. How hard is it for the enthusiastic amateur to rejoin it to restore some semblance of telephonic and broadband connection until the Telco rock up, suck their teeth and say it'll cost a hundred and fifty notes?


* not me, Jennifer Aldridge, off of The Archers.

Title: Re: Splicing phone lines
Post by: Feanor on 15 January, 2019, 10:23:41 pm

If it's a part of the cable that's suspended between the pole and the property, then the difficulty will be not so much making good the electrical connections, but the mechanical one.  The drop cable is under some fair tension on a suspended section.  You'd struggle to bring the cut ends anything like close together.

If you are in need of a more urgent bodge, then leave the cut ends fallen where they are and splice in a length of whatever twisted pair cable you have to hand: telephone extension cable / cat5 / cat6 / whatever.

The BT Drop Cable often has Orange, White, Green and Black wires.  Usually (but not always) Orange and White are the pair in use, and these are the 2 wires you need to splice through.  ( The other pair are spare, and can be used for a second line etc. )

If it's a section which is not under tension, eg an un-tensioned drop between the point where it is attached to the house, and entering the house, then it's easy. Have at it.

Title: Re: Splicing phone lines
Post by: Kim on 15 January, 2019, 10:57:57 pm

The live pair will have 50 volts DC on them.  Unless the phone's ringing, in which case it'll be ouch volts AC.

Title: Re: Splicing phone lines
Post by: Canardly on 16 January, 2019, 10:23:25 am

Virgin repair accidental damage for free.