Home-built multi-line phone system?

Edwards Finance > Phones

Q. Sounds like ISDN. Our digital phone system uses a single pair, over which both 54 VDC and the packets are sent. It works up to 2000 feet, and a different phone set can go even greater distances.

A. Some systems carry the third pair from to the phone to a convenience jack, but that pair is wired from the punchdown block to the phone aux jack, it has nothing to do with phone sys operation, and can go unconnected without affecting operation. It's there to optionally be wired for the convenience of hard-wiring an accessory. Merlin requires 3 pairs per phone to work (unless you use a local power supply, supposedly), and all 4 for proper operation. Let me look....Nope, it's the DIGITAL system that uses the SECOND pair for a phone, the ANALOG phone that uses TWO pairs, and the KXT-70/7130 that uses the THIRD pair for OHVA (off-hook voice announce). The only function of the third pair in Panasonic KX-T systems is Off-Hook Call Announcing with the analog 7130 phone, and an earlier model (123230?). These phones have 3-pair line cords. All other Pan system phones have 2-pair cords. The third pair is _NOT_ used for the eXtra Device Port jack ("XDP") on the digital phones. Speaking of punchdown blocks... I have a question that I'd like to see if people here would think it'd be a viable option... One of the projects we're thinking about for my fraternity house (I'm a recent alumni, but I still have a lot of contact) is making the phone system a bit more manageable... As it stands now, we have 6 lines entering the house, each ending in a utility closet in the basement, in a jack of some kind... From here, it gets REALLY convoluted... When a line was installed, they ran a phone cable up to the room that it was going to. If someone else wanted to take over that number, they had to either re-run the cable, or splice into the original cable... If someone wanted to share the line, it got even worse... Mind you, this works, but it's very hard to change around... If you want to share a line, it's easiest to share with the person in the next room... If you want to share with someone at the other end of the house (and this is a big house), forget it... What we're looking for is a system so that lines can be easily shared, no matter where in the house they are, and it can be re-worked often (i.e. semesterly or yearly...). Also, that it be easy to understand, as the entire house population changes every 4 or 5 years... We have 18 locations within the house (15 rooms, plus 3 other common-areas) where we could put phones... ALso, easy to add additional lines... In thinking back to my theater experience, I thought about a patch panel like we used for lights... Here (finally ;-) is my idea: First, run a phone cable from each room to the utility room in the basement (best location for it). At this location, each run would terminate in a standard phone jack. As for the lines entering, each line would terminate in 4 or 6 phone outlets (I've seen jacks with 6 jacks on one plate). Then, to connect an extension to a particular phone line, you just connect the appropriate jacks with a short length or regular modular-plug phone cord... Of course, this entire connection area would be able to be locked, to keep people from playing with the connections...

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