BT Relate 1000 Pulses, No Longer Tones

Last.To.Know

Last.To.Know

Member
I have a BT Relate 1000 corded landline phone.

It looks like this:

relate1000.jpg

Although mine is a little grubbier.

For some reason, it has switched from tones to pulse.

There is a switch under where it is set to
T-TB

The other options are

T-E
P-E

No selection changes it back to tones.

I have unplugged it and removed the batteries overnight in the hope of a reset.

Nope.

So, if anyone has any ideas, I would be grateful to hear them.
 
The BT Relate 1000 user guide is remarkably unhelpful, but I found this in the BT Decor 1100 user guide (which at least explains the terminology):

1628614715165.png

If the switch isn't doing what it is supposed to, I suspect it's gone open-circuit.

Landline users should be advised there is a conspiracy afoot to replace all analogue phones with VoIP. I do not regard this as progress, because the VoIP terminal at the subscriber's premises (be that a "phone" with built-in VoIP, or an adapter to connect a conventional phone) will need to be powered at the premises and won't be powered by the line itself.

This means telephone-connected services such as emergency pendants, dial-out intruder alarms, or even simply phoning for an ambulance or the police, won't be available during a power cut.
 
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Black Hole said:
This means telephone-connected services such as emergency pendants, dial-out intruder alarms, or even simply phoning for an ambulance or the police, won't be available during a power cut.
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I suspect that most of those will be expected to migrate to cellular connections.
TBH so many people have cordless phones these days we tend to have to go 'mobile' during power cuts anyway.

I suppose it'll be like the change from analogue to digital TV. Resistance is futile and you will be assimilated - or crushed :eek:
 
MikeSh said:
TBH so many people have cordless phones these days we tend to have to go 'mobile' during power cuts anyway.
Click to expand...
Always a good idea to have a simple corded phone on standby, but I recently discovered mine isn't working any more!

MikeSh said:
we tend to have to go 'mobile' during power cuts anyway
Click to expand...
That won't work - the cellular masts are also mains powered (with no UPS).
 
Yes, I believe OpenReach are no longer issuing PSTN lines, or at least are planning to stop doing so soon.

[Edited to add] Where are my manners?!

Thank you BH.

That's the same switch configuration.

A quick search on "open circuit phone" seems to only relate to the line.

I tried a different handset on this upstairs extension and it issued tones.

And the phone downstairs is fine.
 
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Black Hole said:
That won't work - the cellular masts are also mains powered (with no UPS).
Click to expand...
I can't find anything definitive online, possibly because it's restricted information, but my understanding is that many masts have battery or generator backup supplies. They may also be treated as 'critical', like hospitals, and be the last to get disconnected.
For certain, both in our current Hampshire house and previous Cheshire home I've been able to use a mobile to call the power company when our mains was down.
 
They are using the switch for two unrelated functions :-
1) select between T = Tone dialing and P = Pulse (also called Loop Disconnect) dialing
2) select between TB = Timed Break and E = Earth Recall Signalling (for PBX only)

The second one determins what happens when you push the 'R' recall button on the phone, it either momentarily disconnects the looped line or momentarily applies an Earth to the 'B Wire', this signals the PBX (Private Branch Exchange) to supply dial tone to the user

This was at a time when PBXs had started using Tone dialing (also called MF4 - Multi Frequency version 4) where all other equipment was still using LD dialing, LD PBXs only used Earth Recall signalling
 
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Ezra Pound said:
Half a dozen shifts from T-TB to P-E and back again finishing on T-TB is worth trying, it's probably just a dirty switch
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This worked!

Some of the time.

I get tones back immediately after sustained switch shifting.

Then it goes back to pulse after a while.

I'm tempted to dismantle the phone...

Any advice?
 
Work out which contact permutation is the one that works, remove switch, solder wire link across those terminals. (Or if switch is wired rather than on the PCB, connect the appropriate wires and insulate or remove others). Hopefully it'll just be one pair.
 
Black Hole said:
Landline users should be advised there is a conspiracy afoot to replace all analogue phones with VoIP. I do not regard this as progress
Click to expand...
And how are you going to hear the line noise which often happens when there's a fault and the broadband is struggling?
I'm not really interested until it's digital end-end i.e. fibre to the premises. Fibre to the cabinet is still prone to the same faults, although obviously over less distance which makes it easier to find/fix (if the lazy/disinterested Openreach people can be bothered).
 
Last.To.Know said:
I'm tempted to dismantle the phone...

Any advice?
Click to expand...
As per MikeSh: dismantle the phone and hard-wire the switch combination in the required state. I'm inclined to remove the switch altogether (unlike bottletop), to eliminate the risk of anyone thinking it still does something (including yourself), unless you can actually replace the switch - it might be a standard PCB-mount slide switch hidden by a plastic cosmetic slider.
 
Actually I'd think it is possible that it's a dry joint on the switch-PCB, assuming it is direct mounted. That could present the same as a poor contact ... because it is basically the same ... and operating the switch can jiggle the pins in the PCB and fix it, for a while.
In which case just run a soldering iron over the joints.
 
MikeSh said:
Actually I'd think it is possible that it's a dry joint on the switch-PCB
Click to expand...
Possible, but unlikely I think, given these sort of things usually develop when operated lots, and this is the sort of thing that is set once and never touched again.
 
It will come as no surprise to anyone, least of all BH, that my soldering skills are non-existent.

Nonetheless, I thank you all for your helpful replies.
 
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