I'm trying to install a rotary phone, but it doesn't have a jack like modern phones do. It has three wires with little crescent shaped metal things on the ends. Please help!

I like to use an old corded phone to diagnose telephone line problems. First though, try a new telephone cord between the base and the phone jack. (This can be obvious to some but I once saw a person swap a handset cord (the coiled cord) and an RJ-11 cable.)

Next plug a different phone into the jack. If it gets a dial tone, the KXTGA470B needs service. (If it is out of warranty, it may be better to replace it.) If the second phone does not get a dial tone, try the spare phone at a different jack if there is one. If the phone gets a dial tone at this jack, your wiring to the jack or inside it is faulty. I'd check the jack first, unscrew the faceplate and look at the back of the unit. There are two types of jacks. One has all of the conductor wires connect to screw terminals. If any wire is broken, strip the shielding from a bit more of the wire. Then wrap the wire under the appropriate screw. The other type of jack is a keystone. If a wire is loose, you'll need a punch-down tool (available at many hardware stores in the wiring section). Do not strip the wire, just press a new section into the correct point on the keystone. See http://www.lanshack.com/wire_phone_jack.aspx for the pin assignments.

If there isn't another phone line jack or there is no dial tone at another jack, find where your telephone service comes in. Open the box and look inside. If you are lucky, the service will have an RJ-11 connection. Plug in your test phone and check for dial tone. If there is still no dial tone, call your phone company and tell them to fix it. (I've had mice chew wires in underground service.) It will be a free repair. If there is a dial tone here, you've confirmed an inside wiring issue. One thing to check while you are at the box: since you have multiple jacks, check that all of the wires connect to the box. We had our service upgraded and they forgot to wire one jack to the new service box. (It was obvious when we went to the box; the wire was just floating behind the house's vinyl siding.)

Next consider your service type, if you have DSL with your phone service, check the filter. Some phone companies have these inside the home and you are responsible for it. Lightning strikes nearby can damage them and interrupt the phone line. Otherwise, since you didn't see any breaks in the wires when you inspected them, you may want a professional to check the wiring. It's possible to have one broken conductor within the shielding. (One way to test this is to swap the wires at the service box and the jack. Most RJ-11 lines are 4 or 6 wires. Two wires are needed for each line. Use the diagram I linked to above and physically connect the R2 and T2 lines to the R1 pins.) Some telephone companies will do indoor repairs for a fee.

If the service box doesn't have an RJ-11 connection or you have an outside DSL filter, ask them to send someone out to physically check the service. (Just because their computer says it is up, doesn't mean it is. I've seen it happen.)

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells
(My preferred test phone is an old rotary unit. It never fails unlike some newer phones.)

There may be damage to the wiring of line 2 (either in the building or on the phone). Are both lines wired to one jack or are they separate? Do you have any other jacks that have line 2 connected (preferably as single line jack) in the building?

I like to use an old single line corded phone that does not use a power adapter. (As long as the EP5962 corded base will work without power (POTS), it might work for the tests below. You might want a simpler phone to carry around.)

If the lines have separate jacks, try switching line 1 and line 2. (Connect your Line 2 jack to the Line 1 input on the phone and vice versa.) If line 2 doesn't give a dial tone when connected to line 1, see the next set of tests. Otherwise, contact AT&T if the phone is under warranty. These phones are not meant to be user-serviced. Alternatively, plug in a different phone to the line 2 jack to test for dial tone.

Next move to another jack with line 2. Check if you have dial tone at that point. (If you do, you know the problem is at the first jack or the wiring to the jack.)

If there is no dial tone at the next jack or you do not have another jack for the line, find where your telephone service comes in. Open the service box and determine the type of connections in the box. If you are lucky, you will find RJ-11 jacks for the incoming service. Plug in your test phone and check for dial tone. If you have no dial tone or can't check the service, then contact your telephone company. They will test your line and fix it free if the probIem is outside.

If you have a dial tone, then it's an inside wiring problem. Inspect the visible wires for damage. Open the faceplates for the jacks and check for loose wires. There are two types of connectors. Screw type connectors need the wire stripped back a little then wrap around the screw and tighten. The other type is a punchdown jack. To repair a loose wire in this, you will need a punchdown tool. These are often available in hardware/home improvement stores in the wiring section. http://www.lanshack.com/wire_phone_jack.aspx has clear pictures of the wire color to pin pattern.

You may want a professional to check the wires inside the walls. Your phone company will fix problems for a fee.

Damaged DSL filters on one line could be the cause. Similarly certain animals may have chewed on the specific wires somewhere in the line.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

For this type of problem, you need to isolate the issue. It could be the phone, the inside wiring, or the outside wiring. I like to use an old rotary phone for testing but any basic corded phone should work. Get a new RJ-11 phone cable as well.

Unplug the base unit and plug in the test phone to that jack. Check if you get a dial tone. (Try a new cable if the initial one doesn't work.) If your test phone has a dial tone, then the problem is isolated to the cordless phone. (If the test phone works with the new cable, do check if Uniden works with that cable.) Modern phones are not designed to be fixed by the consumer. If the phone is under warranty, contact Uniden Customer Service. (Otherwise decide if the costs are worthwhile for you; there will be a significant delay before the phone is returned/replaced.)

If you do not get the dial tone, you need to track down the wiring issue. Next move to another jack on the phone line and check if there is a dial tone on your test phone. If there is a dial tone, you have isolated the problem to the jack or the wiring to the jack.

If there is still no dial tone, find where your telephone service comes in to your building. If you can, open the box. Determine the type of connection used there. If you are lucky, you will find a RJ-11 jack for your phone line. Plug in your test phone and check for a dial tone. If there is no dial tone, contact your telephone provider. They will fix this outside problem for free.

If the connection is not a RJ-11 jack, you will need to call the telephone company so that they can determine if the problem is inside or outside.

If you do have a dial tone, then the problem is with the inside wiring. Inspect the visible wires for damage. Open the faceplates for the jacks and check for loose wires. There are two types of connectors. Screw type connectors need the wire stripped back a little then wrap around the screw and tighten. The other type is a punchdown jack. To repair a loose wire in this, you will need a punchdown tool. These are often available in hardware/home improvement stores in the wiring section. http://www.lanshack.com/wire_phone_jack.aspx has clear pictures of the wire color to pin pattern.

You may want a professional to check the wires inside the walls. Your telephone provider will do this for a fee.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

You need to find where your phone line has a problem. This could be a sign of a wiring problem inside or outside or a problem with the phone itself. First try another phone at the current jack (I prefer to use an old corded phone with a different phone wire). Since this is a 4-line phone, you will need to check each line separately. Check for dial tone. If the test phone works, try the second wire with the ATT-974. If it still doesn't work, replace the phone. Modern phones aren't meant to be user fixable. If neither phone works, continue below.

Next try both phones at a different jack. If the phones both work and the jack is for the same line as one of the lines to the first jack, then you probably have a wiring problem at the jack or leading to the jack for all of the lines. You can open the faceplate and check for loose wires. If it is the wires to the jacks, you may want a professional to deal with the issue.

If you get the in use message at other jacks on both phones, find where the telephone service comes in. If you are lucky, that will terminate in RJ-11 jacks. Then open the service box and use your test phone there. If the problem occurs at the service box, call your phone company. They should fix it for you. If the dial tone is normal, it's an inside wiring problem. The phone company will fix it for a fee. (If the service uses a non-RJ11 jack, you should have the phone company do this test.)

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells
(who has gotten a line in use error when mice chew on the wires or a crew dug too deep near the underground wires. Sometimes we'll hear a fast busy signal when the handset is picked up with the problem. Although with 2 line service, only the digging humans usually cause a problem with both lines. Animals only damage on line at a time outside.)

The phone wire in your house ... is that what you are changing?

You probably have a red green and yellow ... ...take (probably) the red and green and put them on terminal 1 and 2 in the new box that has the RJ-11 in it ... where you will eventually plug your new phone into.

The sure teller is ... if you do this and you have a dial tone ... you are home. if there is no dial tone ... try the red and yellow ... try again ...

No go ...take the yellow and the green ...

If you are in the USA ... you will find a dial tone on two of the three wires.

If you have more modern wire ... the first pair is blue (withits buddy the blue and white) ... followed by the orange pair then the green pair. Your prinary line should be on the first pair.

If this is not the case ... please post your question again ... Please keep in mind your wires may not be configured as they originally were before telephone divestiture in 1974 ... that is why I am hedging. Since then, the phone company doesn't do anything inside the home so your sires may have been repurposed.

Thanks for your intertest in FixYa.com

I assume you mean something like a Dremel high speed rotary tool with various bits. Here are some general guidelines....
You can divide the bits into three groups - cutting, grinding, and polishing.
The cutting tools will have the largest (relatively) teeth, some look like little gears. These are suitable for fairly soft materials like wood and plastic, and maybe drywall. They are useful for carving.
The grinding tools are either small stones (these are very hard, not rubber) or they have a fine coating of diamonds glued to a metal surface. Both are used for grinding hard stuff like metal, ceramics or glass. The diamond coated ones can grind very hard materials. The stone ones can wear down, but remain usable. Grinding is handy for sharpening and for removing small amounts of metal to shape it - but this is a pretty slow process. You can also etch glass by grinding it, but be sure to keep a little water on the glass or the local heating of the glass will break it.
The polishing tools are hard rubber or fabric or little wire brushes. These are good for polishing things, mostly metal. I find the little wire brush bits very useful for cleaning up corroded contacts in flashlights and other battery-operated devices.
Be sure to wear safety glasses with any of these bits, but especially the wire brushes as they tend to throw out those little wires!
Let me know if you would like any more help. Thanks for using Fixya, and good luck.
Al K

If yours is the "express" you can download it off a website. Google search, "Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer OWNER'S MANUAL."
My model was different and needed this stupid little "crescent wrench." Not a normal crescent wrench, but a crescent moon shaped handle with two little knob things sticking out that fit into the two holes in the top of the blade. It screwed counter-clockwise until parts all came out for cleaning.
(hint: I never toss my owner's manual, but I couldn't find it anywhere until I saw on the box that it said it came with a recipe book. I went to my recipe book cabinet, and there was the owner's manual - in the recipe book.)
Good luck.

Hello,
Look for screws on the bottom of the phone. Unscrew them. The top shell cover (excluding the dial) should be pulled up. Loosen the screws that hold the wires attached. To reconnect match wire colors.
Hoe it helps.

There are two possible answers to this problem. The first thing is to check on the cordless phones, is a 2 way switch, one setting is for DP=Dial pulse (setting for old rotary phones) 2nd setting is TT= Touch Tone. I would guess that the setting should be set to TT on both cordless phones for touchtone.
Second thing to do is to plug in the base unit of your cordless phone to a jack that currently has a landline phone plugged into it that works and test again. If cordless phone works OK then go back to the original jack that didn't work and reverse the wires in the jack: that is what is known as a "polarity" issue.

Scroll down a little and theres the cresent tool. It has free shipping and its $7.99

https://www.unitycart.com/pjss/accessories/parts_classic.asp