$1.25 bus ride to a friend's house with a landline?

$50 once, and $29.95 per year for a Magic Jack?

$9.90 for a 20 Hz ringing generator?

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121058890727

(NOTE that the Ebay description states that the output frequency is "20 mHz" which is a tad fast, by a factor of 1,000,000, for most ringers I've met.)

Just add a 24 to 48 Vdc filtered supply and you can test talking and ringing.

If you need to test rotary dials for % M/B and speed, or DTMF dials for frequency accuracy, you'll need to spend real money for real equipment. Here's a rare example of a Teltone unit for cheap.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Teltone-TLS-5-Telephone-line-simulator-4-line-/331088222269


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"