[Hidden-tech] Phone Service Alternatives?

Robert Heller heller at deepsoft.com
Wed Jan 6 16:14:36 EST 2010


At Wed, 6 Jan 2010 14:30:16 -0500 ussailis at shaysnet.com wrote:

> 
> Here's more to consider:
> 
> 1. If a tree takes the power down, say on your street, are the phone lines
> going to stop the tree fall? I doubt it.

Actually, there was a tree being *supported* by the *phone* cable for
several weeks (months?) on North Leverett Road before Verizon bothered
to call a tree service to deal with tree.  (Wondering what that did to
the cable -- note that cable is still there (Verizon never replaced
it), complete with a nice dip in it where the tree was.)

What is likely to happen is that the power cable will support the tree,
but the tree will short the circuit (all that nicely conductive sap). 
It *might* break the wire, but not instantly.  The tree will have been
slowed, so its eventually fall to the phone cable will be relativly slow
and will probably not break the phone line.

> 
> FYI, the phone lines and cablevision lines are the lower lines on the pole.
> The upper wires are power.

Yes indeed.  And the power wires have the big glass insulators the phone
(cablevision) ones just depend on the plastic cable sheath.

> 
> 2. Cell towers often use a T-1 or T-3 line for getting into the phone
> network. That is, where these lines are available. Radio communication is
> from you to the tower. For example as I recall there were more than a dozen
> T-1 lines brought into 221 Pine St in Florence when the chimney was first
> used for two cell companies' antennas. 
> 
> At the time I was told by a Verizon guy that there were no T-1 lines there,
> so I pointed the line that ran over my office ceiling tiles to an ISP that
> went belly-up several years before. Verizon keeps good records!
> 
> Sometimes these T-1 and T-3 lines are also affixed to the poles. Cheaper to
> repair that way.
> 
> Although I don't know, I would expect the cell companies talk
> tower-to-tower in the hill towns.

Probably not.  At the very least the towers are too far apart.

> 
> 3. Since the fiasco in New Orleans there has been a move to have cell
> companies provide back-up systems and mobile systems. I wouldn't be
> surprised if they had a generator at the tower sites, esp in the hills.
> 
> 
> Jim Ussailis  
> 
> 
> Original Message:
> -----------------
> From: Robert Heller heller at deepsoft.com
> Date: Tue, 5 Jan 2010 18:03:01 -0500
> To: reva at revareck.com, Hidden-discuss at mm01.tnrnet.com
> Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] Phone Service Alternatives?
> 
> 
>    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
> 
> 
> At Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:23:39 -0500 Reva Reck <reva at revareck.com> wrote:
> 
> > 
> > MIME-Version: 1.0
> > 
> >    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's
> area.
> >    ** If you did, we all thank you.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > I think there's a lot to be said for keeping a true copper landline, 
> > especially if you live in a remote area. You can get their cheapest plan 
> > - one where you pay for every call - for very little money, and then use 
> > something like magicJack or whatever for most of your actual phone 
> > calls. I think people should think about being without power, possibly 
> > in a situation where roads are impassable, and having no way to make a 
> > phone call. For those of us who don't get cell service at our homes, 
> > that's a prettty scary scenario. Even if you do get cell service at your 
> > home, will the cell tower you get your signal from be operational if 
> > there are widespread power outages?
> 
> Actually, I think Verizon no longer bothers to maintain any sort of
> long-term backup power for the copper phone system -- any long term
> power failure generally takes the phone server down too.  It might be
> delayed for 10-12 hours or something.  Last year's ice storm did NOT
> knock the main phone lines down in Wendell, but phone service was
> down until *power* was restored in Orange (the location of the CO for
> Wendell). People with generators and satelite internet were able to stay
> on-line and in communication.  Wendell's emergency planning is working
> on the assumption that phone service will be out in the event of any
> major emergency.
> 
> 
> > 
> > /Reva Reck/
> > 
> > /reva//@//revareck.com/
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Robert Heller wrote:
> > >    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's
> area.
> > >    ** If you did, we all thank you.
> > >
> > >
> > > At Tue, 5 Jan 2010 12:08:47 -0500 Frank Aronson <fsaronson at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > >
> > >   
> > >> Keep in mind that both MagicJack and Phone Power are both VoIP and are
> not
> > >> true landlines.  The great advantage to Phone Power is that it doesn't
> > >> require a "server" (a computer to run the software) as its all
> contained in
> > >> the "free" adapter (a la Vonage).  I assume it also works a bit better
> than
> > >> MagicJack and the cost is lower than Vonage (right now you can get a
> > >> residential line for $8.33/year with a two year commitment).
> > >>
> > >> The only *true* landline you're going to find is Verizon.  We have
> Comcast,
> > >> but if you lose power, you're pretty much down (yes, there's a battery
> > >> backup, but it doesn't last forever).  The old copper lines will still
> > >> provide power to your wired phone even if you can't see the buttons in
> the
> > >> dark!
> > >>     
> > >
> > > It should also be noted: Verizon wants to get out of the copper landline
> > > business.  Verizon is also *barely* maintaining the copper landline
> > > infrastructure, which in rural areas can be pretty bad (there are people
> > > who lose phone service when it rains because the phone cables fill up
> > > with water).  Oh, Verizon charges something like $60/month for service
> > > that is equivalent to Vonage (eg nationwide long distance, voicemail,
> > > etc.). Not really the best deal available (probably the *worst* deal
> > > available). 
> > >
> > >   
> > >> Frank
> > >>
> > >>     
> > >
> > >   
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> 

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