sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information How can I test a landline telephone without a phone line service?

Is there some type of testing device that I can use to check if my old telephones are working properly? I don't have access to a phone line service. I have a budget of $50 dollars . Thanks in advance

google Telephone Line Simulator

There are several schematics, and links to things like Teletone TLS-2, Viking's ring down simulator, Mike Sandman's page, even pick up an old Partner system

Here's a link to get started with
https://www.telephonetribute.com/telco_line_simulators.html

$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

Thanks for the links and the suggestions. I'll check them out. I'm going to add a bid right before the auction ends, hopefully I won't get outbid. I think I have a 24vdc power supply. How do I connect the ringer and the power supply together? Is there a simple schematic that I can use as a reference?

The talking circuit uses DC. The ringing circuit uses AC. You can use them separately just to test the functions of the phone.

DC = talking, sidetone, transmission, reception, dial pulses or DTMF tones

AC = ringer

You need to study up on how telephones work. Google is the best way to get started. My fingers would wear out if I were to try to teach you everything you need to know about this subject. I figured you already were conversant with the basics and just needed to know how to test old phones for proper operation.

https://oldphoneguy.com/

Nothing flashy on the above site, just lots of great info.

Recommended reading.

Jim Bennett
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Please hit "Enter" twice, it's a long way to Utah.

Thanks Jim!

Teletone's are the way to go. If you want cid use a tls-5 but simple dtmf a tls-2 or -3 will work fine for ring and voice and dtmf from the phone by ear.

I have a land line. I have always had a land. I am fortunate to live in an area where the telco does not want to take land lines away. We had a tornado go through and guess what!? My cell phone died but my land line worked! By the way I use it to work on old telephone sets.

I'm a phone collector and my cheap and easy way of getting dial tone etc to test has always been with a "freepbx" asterisk system on an old cheap laptop. i put one extension through to a cheap cisco ATA, they can be had for less than your budget.