sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Avaya - Lucent Telephones & Systems Severe Crackling noise resolved

In the list of actions taken, you mentioned:

"Sent x11 to a different part of the office, just in case an electrical device close to the original cabling was causing the clicking."

Do you mean that some you moved patch cords so that extension #11 was sent to a different location (to an extension that was not having any problems to begin with) and the problem followed along with extension #11? :confused:

Hal - I ran a 50-foot cat-5 cable from the x10 port on the ACS directly to my Euro 18D, simply laying it on the floor all the way down the hall so it was not near the existing wiring. It still clicked.

Dexman - Cabling for desk A was formerly plugged into the x16 port on the ACS. I moved it from there to the x11 port on the ACS, and suddenly desk A had clicking on the line. The person who moved from desk A to desk B, and kept x16 the whole time, has never heard clicking on the line.

"50 foot cat 5"

do you crimp your own cables or is this store bought ?

my money is on poor crimps

plug a factory made cable cat 5 or plain 'ole silver satin from the 18d directly into the port on the processor and see what happens

I agree with Skip. The patch cords for the 3 extensions seem to be the only constants.

Skip - Yes, I crimped all cables myself. And yes, I have made mistakes and had to re-crimp, so I thought you might have had it pegged.

I rounded up a 20 or 30 foot store-bought Cat 5, plugged it directly into the x10 port, but it still clicked.

I was side-by-side with an x18 phone at the same desk, and here is what I tested:

x11 calling my cell: Click on all 3 outgoing lines.
x18 calling my cell: No click, and I only tried one line.
x11 calling x18 via intercom: No click. However, we have heard clicks on intercom in the past.

One thing that has me concerned is having the processor located near a breaker panel, microwave and fridge.

Just for giggles and test purposes, could the processor be mounted elsewhere to see if the problem disappears?

Dexman - Yes, near all three. It isn't the fridge or microwave, though, because I unplugged them and tested it. I will test an alternative location next.

Thank you!

Consider using your "toner" (inductive amplifier) as a poor man's way to locate the noise source. Fluorescent lighting may also be to blame.

What's the story on the PBX ground?

Your circuit may be overloaded. Try plugging in the Partner in another circuit in another room using an extension. Also suggest you put a meter in the same outlet as the Partner and see if there are any voltage dips when these large appliances come on.

Also, just because you have a UPC doesn't mean it's stil working. Batteries do get weak and go bad. Easiest way to test a UPC: unplug it. Does the attached equipment stay up? The meter is also useful here.

Also, the laser printer, fax, microwave and refrigerator should never be on the same circuit as the Partner or any electronic equipment. These all have a very large current draw, especially as they start, and at the same time they put out a burst of static.

Dexman - Moved it to different locations within the office.

dagwoodsystems - Fluorescent lighting is off. I have the processor grounding screw connected to the ground at the electrical outlet. Is this the proper method?

Grim - Tested alternative circuit, swapped out UPS, unplugged laser printer and other appliances.

The click remained.

You guys may kill me for this next part:

Because the click only happens on x10 and x11, I had ruled out a phone line problem. Today I unplugged our main phone line from the processor, connected it to a regular phone, dialed out and heard the clicking. I immediately called Embarq repair service and scheduled a service call - and the customer service rep could hear the clicks on her end.

Could I have spent hours and hours chasing a problem that wasn't there? We'll find out after Embarq visits. I'll let you know.

Thank you again for all of your ideas.

Bart