atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Can you Identify this Phone Block?

Hey Guys,
Need help from more experienced techs on identifying the pictures of this phone block and what to do with it. This phone block is located inside a 30 year old apartment building with a total of 17 units. A buddy of mine who's an electrician sucked me into this one. I gave him a good piece of my mind for doing this. I need your help identifying the block and suggestion on how to recable this block. Apparently the rats chewed through the units phone lines and the electrician ran new CAT6 cable to each unit. He first called Verizon to come out and cross connect everything to the new cabling but the Verizon techs won't touch it. "I can't say that I don't blame them". Then he calls me and wants me to completely remove and replace this old phone block with a new cross connect or something appropriate. I've done my fair share of 66 blocks but this one has me concerned because there is a ground wire bonded to the backboard of this block and I believe 66 blocks are not the correct solution for the proper type of replacement equipment. I need to detach the entire phone trunk and punch it down on either new blocks or something similar as well as rerun the new CAT6 and properly route and reconnect everything properly on a new fireproof backboard. 2 reasons I'm concerned for proper grounding. This is Florida and lightening is my primary concern the other is ensure the circuits are grounded properly. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated.Joe

That is an old Verizon interface - I would not terminate house cable to it. Bring your house cable to 66 blocks & run cross-connect to the binding posts on Verizon's interface - That way all can be properly labelled and won't look like such a mess. As far as the grounding goes, typically, Verizon would have lightning protection installed at their primary building entrance - not sure on this old of an installation.

Aren't those the protectors on the left side?

That terminal was made by Reliable Electric and yes, it includes gas tube protection (the 3/8" nuts on the left side contain the gas tube modules). There's nothing wrong with that terminal, but I agree that you should terminate the CAT6 cables on a separate block and cross connect.

I wonder why you would be in the Verizon terminal.

I would lean more toward ordering a rj21x from Verizon for
the 17 apartments and and cross from your 66 block .

Going into their terminal ,I thought was illeagal,doable but illeagal. and fodder for a giant pissing contest down the road.

As the man said, it's the LEC's BET (building entrance terminal), part of their facilities distribution network, and there is no reason you should be in there.

Just terminate the blue wires (all 4 pairs) on as many 66M50 blocks that are required. 17 apartments? That would be 2 blocks, at 12 wires per block.

Then, as the man said, just run the appropriate cross-connections to the proper BP's. To make it a little neater, and as a compromise, I guess you could run a short length of 25-pair IWC and terminate it on a 66M50 block on "your" side of the backboard. Pick and choose the 17 pairs and then terminate them on the BP's, instead of 17 individual cross-connections.

If something doesn't work, call VZ, and meet their guy at the site.

As far as ordering an RJ21X, I believe that multiple subscribers cannot be on a mutual RJ21X without all of them signing off on the order, which would be like herding cats. You are essentially creating your own unofficial RJ21X by using a block of your own for the feeder.

This is the 7th level of Dante's phone hell.

An Inferno fan? Me too.

Just reading what's written on the demarc

I missed that.