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Monitoring a phone line

I don't like phones especially. They make an annoying ringing sound, which usually isn't intended for me. (I have a wife and daughter). I have an answering machine which takes care of part of the problem, but there's a specific problem I'd like to solve that I'm sure other people (or at least other phonophobes) have solved. It goes like this:

When I have friends over, we usually sit in the basement, far away from the answering machine. It could happen that one of my friends needs to be reached in a hurry (say, by family), but I don't want to pick up the phone (or run upstairs to listen to the answering machine) every time the blasted thing rings, on the one-in-huge-number chance that it's important. (They mostly don't carry cell phones, and cells don't work well in my basement anyway.)

What I'd like is for my answering machine to pick up normally, but for some device in the basement to recognise the line's been picked up, and play the call over a speaker. If it's unimportant, which it will be virtually every time. I want to click a button, to shut the speaker off until the next call. If it is important, I'd like to click the button and then pick up a phone and talk, etc.

Someone just said the word "eavesdrop". No, that's not the intent. So I want the circuit to be easy to turn off, and have no effect when it is off; I'll turn it on when friends are over, etc.

A hack solution has been to put an answering machine in the basement, set to pick up one ring before the upstairs one does. The problem is that time has proven that I'm constitutionally incapable of remembering to turn it off when friends leave, so later, messages actually get left on it, and then no one remembers to check it. Which is bad. According to my wife and daughter.

I'd like to buy a solution, but if absolutely necessary I will build one. I've been surprised at how hard it is to find such as thing - I'd think listening in on calls would be extremely popular among the paranoid and jealous, and that can't be that small a market.

Anyone have any ideas? TIA.

Reply to
ScottM
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Get a baby monitor and set it within a few inches of your answering machine. I assume it would have a volume control. Set it real low. That way you and your buddies won't have to listen to stuff going on upstairs where the phone is, like your wife and daughter kvetching. But when the phone rings a couple of inches away from the monitor you will certainly hear that. Then you can turn the monitor up enough to hear the answering machine speaker and decide whether to pick up.

Reply to
kell

[snip]

Here's one solution:

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It's not the automatic solution you're looking for, but it will work.

These so-called buttin sets (used by telephone company guys/gals) can monitor a phone line without disturbing it. Ones with speakerphone, like the TS22, are expensive.

Home Depot and Frys used to sell these. I'm not sure if they still do, but you can easily find them (even on eBay).

Bob

Reply to
Bob

Heh. Elegant and inexpensive... and with extra receivers, it could solve the problem in other parts of the house, too. I really should have thought of that... thanks.

Reply to
ScottM

Switch the two answering machines, unplug upstairs one when friends arrive ...

normally, the upstairs one answers first, so basement is inactive ... when upstairs is unplugged, the basement one will pick up.

When you forget to fix it after friends leave the following will occur: the wife will check the upstairs one, realize its unplugged, fix it and check basement, thus not missing any calls, and resulting in minimal complaining

Martin

Reply to
Martin

By the way, unplug above means unplug the wall wart, so that it is _obviously_ dead, (don't just disconect the phone line, which would leave it non-functional, but looking OK)

Reply to
Martin

Run the power supply to a basement answerphone off the light switch. The answerphone will never make a connection until the light is on. I presume that you remember to turn this off?

R >
Reply to
Roger Dewhurst

I have never heard the term "buttin", they have always called them a "Butt Set". Mine is an old Harris model that was in a box of dead electronics that I picked up as scrap. I replaced the test cable and it works fine.

Google gives these results:

Results 1 - 100 of about 38,800 for "Butt set". (0.27 seconds)

Results 1 - 1 of 1 for "Buttin set". (0.18 seconds)

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I\'ve got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Michael,

Yes, they're most-commonly known as butt sets. The story I got, when I worked at Harris Dracon (for 10 years), was that they were originally called buttin sets because they could butt into a conversion. Some people think they're called butt sets because they're worn on the belt and rest against your butt.

The Dracon division of Harris was recently purchased by Fluke Networks. They're closing their California operation and moving to Colorado Springs. Fluke is a classy operation so I think they'll treat the Harris people well.

Bob

Reply to
Bob

SNIP

In the UK, Australia, New Zealand etc the lineman/tech test phone was always known as a BUTTINSKI ever since I can recall (1950's).

An example of 1970 era plastic molded type is shown here

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Reply to
Ross Herbert

How about a speaker connected to the answering machine's speaker, maybe in parallel, with a switch?

Good Luck! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

baby monitor. (or any other voice-activated intercom)

hmm, slightly harder

connect the basement phone to the handset jack of the answering machine. when you pick up the phone the machine stops

that's three out of four, close enough?

it's possible you could modify the baby monitor such that you could mute it by pressing a button and have it reset automatically, perhaps they make one with that feature.

Bye. Jasen

Reply to
jasen

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