BT line tester

[Taylortwocities]

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet

I don’t. And that includes posts by certain contributors to this and other fora.

 

[JM2]

Agree,

And for an ex_BT technician it is a shame he doesn't know the London Numbering System

0203 633 XXXX is wrong
020 3633 XXXX is correct

Areas code for London is 020

then four digit exchange code 3633
then four digit subs' number XXXX ( on that exchange )

Err, I believe 0203 is actually a correct London code. It is the not so new overflow from 0207 & 0208 (inner & outer iirc).
Director (ex-) exchanges still have 3-digit grouping and 4-digit sub's numbering.

 

[opps]

Yes they still are their property as it is very likely that they are connected to a a pair ( of wires ) in a distribution cable.

They need to protect the other circuits in a multipair cable from spurious signals that could be created by some one using a seemingly defunct telephone pair for an internal ( inside the house ) data or voice connection.

The pair may be dissed at the exchange or in a street cabinet so it appears to be dead but is still capacitively coupled to other pairs in the cable betweem house and cabinet / exchange

Point taken. I will open up the box just above where the cable comes out of he ground. I can see that one goes to the house next door. It is a semi detached property.

Anything that is not connected to the "fat" cable I will remove. Doing so may well be illegal but I really don't expect to face prosecution. I don't totally understand your point about cables being repurposed in the customer's house though. Surely if remove any path back to the box/exchange, I am doing them a favour?

Would it really be detrimental to their network if I snipped a redundant cable that came out of their "floor" level junction box and terminated it with gel filled clips. In my lay head that would only make sense if they intentionally ran extra redundant cables, but I am not aware of them ever doing that. I understand the concept of twisted pairs in cat cables but I have only ever seen two BT wires terminate in an NTE5 box.

Sorry, I am not trying to be combative. If you look through my posting history (hopefully) you will see that I am not the kind of person that seeks an argument. I just struggle to see how BT can claim ownership of lines that may not be physically connected to their network, nor do I understand how they may argue that those disconnected lines are crucial to them providing a reliable service.

I genuinely appreciate the responses thus far, and I suspect that they were well intentioned, however, I cannot see how it is an offence to remove cables that are not connected to BT's network.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I am not trying to be combative. If you look through my posting history (hopefully) you will see that I am not the kind of person that seeks an argument.

Indeed, but there are some contributors on almost every forum who are ‘in your face’ and will jump on any minor issue just because they think it makes them look clever.

Crack on matey.

 

[SUNRAY]

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.

especially if it's posted by winston1

 

[Taylortwocities]

No names, no pack drill.

 

[SUNRAY]

Err, I believe 0203 is actually a correct London code. It is the not so new overflow from 0207 & 0208 (inner & outer iirc).
Director (ex-) exchanges still have 3-digit grouping and 4-digit sub's numbering.

I think you'll find Bernard is correct, THE code for London is published as 020.

 

[winston1]

Err, I believe 0203 is actually a correct London code. It is the not so new overflow from 0207 & 0208 (inner & outer iirc).
Director (ex-) exchanges still have 3-digit grouping and 4-digit sub's numbering.

You believe wrong. The London code is 020. London numbers are 8 digits. So far only levels 3, 7, and 8 are used. Many people and businesses get this wrong despite extensive publicity by BT when 8 digit numbers were introduced.

 

[winston1]

Point taken. I will open up the box just above where the cable comes out of he ground. I can see that one goes to the house next door. It is a semi detached property.

Anything that is not connected to the "fat" cable I will remove. Doing so may well be illegal but I really don't expect to face prosecution. I don't totally understand your point about cables being repurposed in the customer's house though. Surely if remove any path back to the box/exchange, I am doing them a favour?

Would it really be detrimental to their network if I snipped a redundant cable that came out of their "floor" level junction box and terminated it with gel filled clips. In my lay head that would only make sense if they intentionally ran extra redundant cables, but I am not aware of them ever doing that. I understand the concept of twisted pairs in cat cables but I have only ever seen two BT wires terminate in an NTE5 box.

Sorry, I am not trying to be combative. If you look through my posting history (hopefully) you will see that I am not the kind of person that seeks an argument. I just struggle to see how BT can claim ownership of lines that may not be physically connected to their network, nor do I understand how they may argue that those disconnected lines are crucial to them providing a reliable service.

I genuinely appreciate the responses thus far, and I suspect that they were well intentioned, however, I cannot see how it is an offence to remove cables that are not connected to BT's network.

How do you know if they are connected to BT’s network (at the other end)? Bernard has explained well the possible problems if they are.

 

[winston1]

especially if it's posted by winston1

Another unnecessary insult from SUNRAY. Why are you such a cyber bully? You never answered my question whether you were going to insult Bernard in the same way for agreeing with me.

 

[SUNRAY]

Reply posted elsewhere

 

[bernardgreen]

There will certainly be no record of where a drop wire (or any other cable) is physically run.

i am not too sure about that.

A few years ago I granted a wayleave for a 12 pair UG cable across my yard when my neighbour needed another line to their retail unit. The contractors who trenched and installed the ducting took a photographic record of the route from pole to my wall.

It replaced the three ( would have been 4 ) aerial drops that were landing on my chimney stack and running along my wall. At the time OpenReach had a ban on landing new aerial drops on to chimney stacks.

 

[bernardgreen]

Took me a while to find the notes

Some years ago a house next to a disused water tower changed owners and the new owner tidied up the wall of their house, this involved removing a GPO cable that went along their wall from the drop wire junction box and towards the water tower before disappearing into the ground.

Within hours of them cutting the cable engineers and officials arrived. The cable they had removed carried three private wires to equipment in the water tower.

The phone line to the house was dissed ( breach of contract ) and had to be re-applied for.

A Private Wire seldom has a voltage across the pair and will therefore appear to be dead when tested with a voltmeter

 

[Diver Fred]

Wow, that takes me back to my telegraph days. I doubt that anyone* in the uk has a working telex line these days.

*you watch, someone on here will have one…

My neighbours, who have a steel stock holding company, still have one. Dealing with overseas companies its the most secure means of communication, to date nothing has been found to have the same degree of communication confidence..
I gather there is only 2 Telex exchanges left in the country.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

As per Bernard - if wayleave has been granted to a telecoms company for cable to be run across your property, then those cables are not your property and the company could charge you for their repair if you were to damage them.

Straightforward, uncomplicated single domestic lines - no problems with modifying them.