Bell used to sell a device that told you when a phone was connected. You placed it in series with the line and a light would indicate when the line was busy. Any idea as to how to build one as they are no longer sold.
The indicator circuit is required to present an ultra-high impedance to the line when on hook. This little flasher from Tech-Lib does the job: View in a fixed-width font such as Courier.
Was found in several seconds of searching. Minus the bullshit about phone tapping, looks like it's the right device. Presumably there are cheaper ones.
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