atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Antique Telephones Mechanical ringer problems

I have 3 or 4 Western Electric 302 phones that all work including the ringers. The problem is we have DSL and the phone man said you can not use the old mechanical ringers with DSL because they require to much power thus it messes up the phone line giving people false busy signals and goofy ringing for the house. Is there any way to bypass this issue so as to be able to use the mechanical ringers and DSL without making the line go on the fritz. I had 5 old phone connected around the house at one time with DSL and no problem but now just plug one in and it makes the line go. The main reason I ask is because now around the house all we have is electronic ringers and I do not particularly care for them

Yes, you can use a ring booster. Viking Electronics' #RG-10A is perfect for this application.

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You're going to get the ring voltage the phone company gives you no matter what type phone you have, it's either enough to drive the ringer or not. DSL being on the line should have nothing to do with it.

When you say makes the line "go". What are you talking about? The line goes dead? Or just won't ring? If it's won't ring you could be exceeding the REN.

Ed seems like 5 ringers of 1 REN would be too much on POTS lines as well as DSL HUH?

Yep. That's why I suggested the Viking ring booster. It will handle a total REN of 12.

I've never had a problem with "vintage" phones mixed with DSL. In fact, before I rewired with a "whole house filter" at the demark, I didn't install filters on the older phones (because they are hard-wired), and they did not interfere with the DSL signal when off hook.

The telephone company is required to provide enough power to ring a minimum of 5.0A ringer equivalence number. Roughly, one REN is the equivalent of a 500 set, which has a 0.5mfd capacitor in the ringing circuit. The 302 sets have, I seem to recall, capacitors that are 1.0 mfd. You can do the math.

As far as this quote: "...but now just plug one in and it makes the line go..." I have no idea what that means.

The booster Ed suggested would make the REN a moot point.

I should have worded that differently if I connect on of the phones into the one of 5 phone jacks it makes the line go dead in a sense. People will call and it will give them two rings and then cut out on them or it will just say the line is always busy. There are three lines connected to the box outside one goes to the shop one goes to one room in the house and the other is the main line into the house. I no longer connect all five phones and would be happy with just one or two on the line. The phone line only acts like this when only one of the old phones is connected to the line

Any of the 5 phones do the same thing? How are you hooking them up to the line?