[Hidden-tech] Phone Service Alternatives?

Robert Heller heller at deepsoft.com
Wed Jan 6 17:51:06 EST 2010


At Wed, 6 Jan 2010 16:33:14 -0500 ussailis at shaysnet.com wrote:

> 
> I have seen that, but I was thinking about a "clean" break. I have even
> seen a phone pole sliced off, and supported by the power lines.
> 
> The newer Verizon cables have many wires and probably a stiffener cable in
> them. One that was run near my street is about 1" in diameter. It would
> probably support some tree.
> 
> Phone cables depend on where you are. Some really are 100 years old.

Yep...

> 
> Electric lines; The new technology is to use bare wire. Insulation doesn't
> matter much at 4000 volts (and up, way up). I asked my Power Co
> engineer-neighbor in Canada about this as bare wire was run up the street
> last year. The tree doesn't stand a chance. ZZZZZ
> 

Most modern power lines are 13kvolts...

> 
> Jim Ussailis
> 
> 
> 
> Original Message:
> -----------------
> From: Robert Heller heller at deepsoft.com
> Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 16:14:36 -0500
> To: ussailis at shaysnet.com, heller at deepsoft.com, reva at revareck.com,
> hidden-discuss at mm01.tnrnet.com, heller at deepsoft.com
> Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] Phone Service Alternatives?
> 
> 
> 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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> > >                                                               
> > 
> 

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933
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