atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Information on Phone Systems

I would like to learn all there is to know about installing phone systems. I have a basic knowledge, but I know I have a lot more to learn. Does anybody know of any good books or informative websites that talk about telephone systems in general?

I never read this but this might help you with what you want to learn. I did a search in 'google' for 'understanding PBX'. I'm sure there are many more of its kind but I stopped searching once I found this one.
Hope this helps.

Just a fair but of advise from a oldie phoneman who is dragging himself into the new age. Get yourself in a Tech School or community college take corses for A+ then N+ then Linux and MCSE. In the next few years this business will be 70% or above with IP phone systems Networking over IP and VoIP will be replacing you LD and Local dial tones. These things are happening today and will only get stronger as companies try to reduce cost and people. Your sales contacts will be IT managers not office managers and you will need to be able to explain to them in there terms the new systems will be safe and secure to run across there networks without hurting there networks preformance.
Good Luck this is a great business to be in.

In my opinion, the BEST thing you can do, is get someone who has been in the business for about 15 years or so and work with them for at least a year. Someone who knows tip & ring, color codes, how to trace wires, knows 25pr cable and how some old buildings are wired. Someone who knows different systems and how to program them. That person is going to be hard to find. If you find a person like that, and listen to him---you can learn more in a month than you can by reading some book by some "communication expert". Get Newton's Telecom Dictionary and just start reading it everyday.
ORRRR..... you can start reading all the old threads on this site to get a feel for the problems that come up..buy a few used systems, get the manuals, get them up & running and programmed to do different things, start selling & installing systems. Don't quit your day job, though. Good Luck.

The whole world is just boxes and wires.

SS & JW are both right on. Learn the older stuff but get ready for the new IP stuff as well. It will migrate towards IP faster than any of us would probably like.

if anyone knows of a tech in new york like jw described looking for a job. let me know. i could use a guy like that

>>if anyone knows of a tech in new york like jw described looking for a job

Most all the techs here are senior techs, as jw explained and some are Senior...Senior Techs.

But anyway DMC what I was originally going to say is that those kinda techs aren't usually looking for a job...Jobs are usually looking for them.

As JW said, find an old timer and watch and listen to him carefully, Once you learn the cable side and get good at programming a few different system you can then pick up about any manual and program any system.

The majority of all the systems we are installing are all IP enabled. This technology is moving so fast that some of our senior techs are having trouble with the new stuff.
I agree that a clear understanding of networks and Servers (MS & Linux) would be of greater help now than sweating color codes. Although that is very important, I can more easily get people to pull my cable & terminate my blocks than I can to get someone who can put a phone on a network and ensure QOS.

Ralph