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 > > > >> > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > > > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > > > > Version: 9.0.725 / Virus Database: 270.14.126/2601 - Release Date: > > 01/05/10 02:35:00 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > MIME-Version: 1.0 > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net > > > Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net > > > > > > You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion > list. > > > If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members > > > page on the Hidden Tech Web site. > > > http://www.hidden-tech.net/members > > > > > > > > > -- Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller at deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/