I tone tested a line and there was no signal via tone tester. I plug in my butt set facing the providers demarc and no dial tone. I decided to contact the phone provider to send a tech to check out their end (MDF) on the customers premises. After the provider tech work on the line, I successfully tone test the line and when I plug my butt set facing the providers demarc I was able to hear a dial tone. The providers tech did not tell me what was done and evaded my questions. Next time it happen again I stayed with the tech and found out it was a short on their line. My question why was there no tone until the provider fixed their circuit?

Because there was a short. If you clip the clips on your toner together what happens to the tone?

-Hal

I always verify my tone that way , when I have the tone at the other end I short it and confirm that it kills the tone.

Thank you.