Telephone REN Booster

[Piratepete]

Anyone know where I can get a Telephone REN Booster new or secondhand please?

My client has 6 items (including 4 corded phones) on the line which may explain why the ring is sometimes just a single ding.

I am loath to suggest replacing them with a base plus 4 hands free units as he is nearly blind and used to the telephones he has.

:sad_smile: Web search hasn't offered anything so far. They used to be quite common. I'd have thought someone has got one sitting in their junk boxes!

Cheers

Pete

 

[ImpededLoop]

Do they all need to ring? If not try disconnecting terminal 3 on the ones that don't need to ring.

 

[Piratepete]

Do they all need to ring? If not try disconnecting terminal 3 on the ones that don't need to ring.

He's deaf as well! But I think there might be one I can turn off.

 

[snowhead]

May be highly inappropriate, but someone else would have posted it;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7L3iSZsNpY

 

[Gazthesparky]

Try Rs components

You used to be able to get them easily but now they arnt needed as much so not many places sell them.

This
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/telephone-accessories/2079519/

Or

This
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/miscellaneous/2082436/

 

[Richard Burns]

Try Rs components
You used to be able to get them easily but now they arnt needed as much so not many places sell them.
This
870788 | BT Cord Untangler Extension Booster | BT
Or
This
| REN BOOSTER | NEUTRAL

You have linked to discontinued products there!


I am not sure if this would work but marlin sell a wireless telephone extension kit that can have slave units as well, I would assume this is similar to cordless phones where the base unit is REN1 and the rest of the phones are powered by the mains supply and so would not affect the REN.
Therefore you could install these and plug in the phones to these sockets instead of the hardwired sockets.
I may be wrong but it may be a possible solution.
Worth looking into anyway.

 

[Gazthesparky]

You have linked to discontinued products there!

Doh didn't see that bit when I was linking to it hahahah

 

[Richard Burns]

Well I spelled Maplin as Marlin, so forgiven!

 

[ian.settle1]

Well I spelled Maplin as Marlin, so forgiven!

Thought that was a bit fishey

 

[Piratepete]

Thanks guys for trying. I've already tried all the usual suppliers - seems to be discontinued. Richard, I guess you mean the
[h=1]DECT Wireless Phone Line Extender. [/h] I could buy this and 3 other wireless adaptors, but this solution is very expensive and you need a 13 Amp socket near each phone. These don't currently exist.

So has anyone got an old unit knocking around?

Pete

 

[ian.settle1]

Why not just change all the sockets for master sockets ?

 

[Piratepete]

Why not just change all the sockets for master sockets ?

How does that help?

 

[ian.settle1]

How does that help?

The is a capacitor in them unlike the slaves which helps with ringing

 

[Piratepete]

The is a capacitor in them unlike the slaves which helps with ringing

My understanding of the capacitor is that it is for conducting the bell signal which is about 70v at 25Hz. Additional capacitors would not boost the signal.
Furthermore you risk the ire of BT because having additional capacitors and resistors upsets their line testing.
Pete

 

[UKMeterman]

Hi,
If you can't find a ring booster then fit the customer a cheap PABX, it will do the same job for the ringing and stop people snooping on the phones. Radius 416 PBX Multi-Line Telephone System only £129.00 | Extera Direct

If you think it is the ring capacitor, then try fitting adsl splitters for each phone, the capacitor in the master socket is then redundant,
Lastly a single ding is often a sign of ring trip, the line insulation is breaking down under the high voltage of the ring, this then causes a DC condition on the line and the exchange thinks a phone has gone off hook to answer the call. This can be confirmed by listing to the ringing tone, if it stops then it is ring trip. It may be an idea to disconnect all the phones and the BT wiring and then do an insulation test at 100V

Have a read https://corporate.sky.com/documents/about-sky/policies/sky-pstn-network-interface-specification.pdf

 

[Piratepete]

Hi,
If you can't find a ring booster then fit the customer a cheap PABX, it will do the same job for the ringing and stop people snooping on the phones. Radius 416 PBX Multi-Line Telephone System only £129.00 | Extera Direct

If you think it is the ring capacitor, then try fitting adsl splitters for each phone, the capacitor in the master socket is then redundant,
Lastly a single ding is often a sign of ring trip, the line insulation is breaking down under the high voltage of the ring, this then causes a DC condition on the line and the exchange thinks a phone has gone off hook to answer the call. This can be confirmed by listing to the ringing tone, if it stops then it is ring trip. It may be an idea to disconnect all the phones and the BT wiring and then do an insulation test at 100V

Have a read https://corporate.sky.com/documents/about-sky/policies/sky-pstn-network-interface-specification.pdf

Thanks UKMeterman for your comprehensive reply.

When it dings once the incoming call goes to voicemail. So the system must think the phone is engaged?? Is that a clue?
I'll check the insulation level of the circuits though.
All his phones already have their own filter or they share a filter. He has got bog standard broadband which seems ok.

Cheers!

 

[UKMeterman]

Do a quick check, short out the line and is it the same voice mail, do one of the telephones have a telephone answering service? Also check the line current when all the phones are on the hook, the above document should give you a guide when all the phones are on the hook.

Get them to try a single simple phone plugged into the BT test socket for a week or two, and find out if the problem is still there.

 

[Piratepete]

Do a quick check, short out the line and is it the same voice mail, do one of the telephones have a telephone answering service? Also check the line current when all the phones are on the hook, the above document should give you a guide when all the phones are on the hook.

Get them to try a single simple phone plugged into the BT test socket for a week or two, and find out if the problem is still there.

Hi.
He uses external Talktalk voicemail. When it's working properly the phones ring 7 times and then the call goes to voice mail. When it's not, the phones do a single ping (which he doesn't usually hear) but the caller still hears 7 rings and then it goes to voicemail.
An 'engineer' has been and checked the system, but apparently didn't find anything wrong! I don't suppose he did the testing that I'm about to do!

Cheers!

Pete

 

[7029 dave]

extension bell unit off the line box. I have used them hard wire across, it is either 2 and 3 or 5 and 3. Turn off some of the ringing on the apps.

 

[UKMeterman]

Ok,
If there are seven rings, then it is probably not ring trip as the line has not been seized, may be too many items to ring or a problem with the ringing signal from the exchange. Difficult to isolate, try with one simple phone into the test socket for a while. If customer is deaf perhaps rationalise the phones and put in 877905 | BT Adapter Ringer | BT it has the bell set from the orginal dial telephones, it startles anyone under about 35!!

 

[Piratepete]

Ok,
If customer is deaf perhaps rationalise the phones and put in 877905 | BT Adapter Ringer | BT it has the bell set from the orginal dial telephones, it startles anyone under about 35!!

Hallo UKMeterman
He already has one of these bells! I'll see if he can do without some of the phone bells. I guess some of the phones will have a ringer off switch, otherwise disconnect the ring line. The PBX solution looks like overkill though my main concern is that he'll fiddle with it or chuck it out (He's a cantankerous old bugger!).
So...I'M STILL LOOKING FOR A REN BOOSTER. ANYONE? LOOK IN YOUR JUNK BOXES, PLEASE!
Will be there today giving the wiring a comprehensive going over, and testing line voltages, etc!
Cheers
Pete

 

[Barry White]

Not cheap but its new
BT Telephone Extension Booster (REN Booster) 870788 | eBay

 

[Piratepete]

Not cheap but its new
BT Telephone Extension Booster (REN Booster) 870788 | eBay

Hmm! Daylight robbery when you consider they used to cost £40! But thanks. I'll make an offer.

Cheers!
Pete

 

[Dan]

Don't mind me while I bump some old threads. Just doing the rounds. Ignore the thread if it's not current topic, it'll soon drop off the list, but if the thread interests you, feel free to reply.