Bell bug?

December 2, 2008 9:53 AM

I've unplugged all my home phones. What should I hear if I call the number, and my service is working properly?
posted by Chuckles McLaughy du Haha, the depressed clown to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

Best answer: If you're calling from another number, you should just hear the line ring and ring. If you have a voice mail service (I think Bell calls it "call notes") it'll eventually go there, where you can leave yourself a message.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:55 AM on December 2, 2008

If you have voicemail, it should connect to the voicemail after a few rings. If you don't have voicemail, it should ring indefinitely.
posted by desjardins at 9:56 AM on December 2, 2008

On the calling line? You'll hear the ring indicator more or less indefinitely.
posted by majick at 9:56 AM on December 2, 2008

endless ringing (unless that phone company has an automated re-dial option). the phone company is still sending the signal, and your line is not technically "disconnected".
posted by boeing82 at 9:56 AM on December 2, 2008

Seconding spike, unless someone else is calling your number at the same time as you and beat you to it. Then you would hear a busy signal, unless you have call waiting, in which case you would hear a ring, unless two other people are calling at the same time as you, in which case you would hear a busy signal.
posted by found missing at 9:58 AM on December 2, 2008

Best answer: Also, the ringing you hear is called ring-back. It's independent from the signal that is sent to ring the phone of the person you're calling, which is why in some cases the person will pick up before you hear anything on your end.
posted by burnmp3s at 10:07 AM on December 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

Will it just ring forever, or is there a point where the phone company says 'Listen, pal, nobody's going to answer,' and just disconnects the call?
posted by box at 10:25 AM on December 2, 2008

Will it just ring forever, or is there a point where the phone company says 'Listen, pal, nobody's going to answer,' and just disconnects the call?

I think it's up to whoever's providing the service to the person you're calling. Some companies will stop trying to connect you after as short as a minute, some will ring much longer than that.
posted by burnmp3s at 10:40 AM on December 2, 2008

I've called a phone with no answering service before and let it ring for a solid five minutes, box, for what that's worth.
posted by sjuhawk31 at 10:41 AM on December 2, 2008

It will behave exactly as it would if the phones were plugged in. Whether there's a real phone plugged in at your residence makes no difference whatsoever to what's heard by someone calling your house.
posted by jon1270 at 10:56 AM on December 2, 2008

When you call someone what happens is your phone connects to the switching station the callee is connected to. The teleco phone switch generates human friendly tones so you can know whats going on. While its waiting for the callee to pick up the phone it does two things:

1. Makes the phones ring at that location by raising the voltage on the line in the typical ring pattern.
2. Generates a ringing sound on your phone so you know that the connection went through.

These two things do not have anything in common. The rings you hear are not made by the ringers on your friends phone. They are all generated by the phone switch at the teleco switching station. These sounds arent even synchronized.

So if you call your home number you'll get just endless ringing. Thats the switch's way of saying "Hey, no one is picking up!"
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:07 AM on December 2, 2008

Response by poster: So my line is faulty. All I hear is one ring, static, then the call is dropped.

Now to find my demarcation jack, (either in the attic or covered up behind a wall - grrrr), and see if it's my problem or Bell's.

Thanks all!

(favouriting spikelee... for first, and burnmp3s for the ring-back link)
posted by Chuckles McLaughy du Haha, the depressed clown at 11:28 AM on December 2, 2008

It will behave exactly as it would if the phones were plugged in. Whether there's a real phone plugged in at your residence makes no difference whatsoever to what's heard by someone calling your house.

Unless that phone is off-hook.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 12:51 PM on December 2, 2008

if the demarc point is inside, it's likely pretty old and contributing to your problem. if you don't have a nid outside the building, make the phone company install one. (generally you can get this done for free, esp. if there is old wiring causing problems. plus it makes it easier for them to deal with the drop to your building)

also, even if it is the old style inside kind, it's still the phone company's equipment and responsibility. (which again is why they should be happy to install a shiny new nid)

also also, if it is the old style demarc, then the drop itself is probably pretty old. getting a nid installed to replace old-old-school equipment will often get a new drop as well.

personally I would go ahead play with the demarc and punchdown board or whatever there is (or lack thereof), but that's 'cos I'm a masochist who likes that sort of thing. probably just a short somewhere. phone company doesn't really like you doing that, though. if you mess something up, or even if they think you did something to cause this problem, you may end up paying for repair.

(this is all regarding usa altho probably applies to north america in general)
posted by dorian at 3:50 PM on December 2, 2008