Lawrence, Kansas, NOVEMBER 12, 2014.
A Kansas farm wife called the local phone company
to report her telephone failed to ring when her friends
called and that on the few occasions, when it did ring,
her dog always moaned right before the phone rang.
The telephone repairman proceeded to the scene,
curious to see this psychic dog or senile lady.
He climbed a telephone pole, hooked in his test set,
and dialed the subscriber's house.
The phone didn't ring right away, but then the dog
moaned and the telephone began to ring.
Climbing down from the pole,
the telephone repairman found:
1 . The dog was tied to the telephone system's
ground wire with a steel chain and collar.
2. The wire connection to the ground rod was loose.
3. The dog was receiving 90 volts of signaling current
when the number was called.
4.. After a couple of jolts, the dog would start
moaning and then urinate.
5. The wet ground would complete the circuit,
thus causing the phone to ring.
Which demonstrates that some problems
CAN be fixed by pissing and moaning.
Just thought you'd like to know.
Personnel Note: As a former telephone company employee, of 30 years, I can relate to this. In other words, nothing could surprise me.
Thanks Hal!
I worked as a delivery driver in college - I once went the back door (looked like the front door to me) and pushed the square that had a silhouette of a dog on it. And the dog barked! I thought it was a really neat idea for a doorbell. I rang it numerous times. Finally, when the resident came walking around from the front door, I commented on the interesting doorbell. "Oh that's not a doorbell…" Poor dog.
ReplyDeleteRace, Ouch poor little guy.
DeleteThat poor doggie. I love retired phone peeps. They're the only ones I let work on our phones. Independent, show up when they say they will, and cost half of what the phone company charges.
ReplyDeleteAdrienne, I was a cable splicer, and rarely saw the inside of a telephone. Your inside and outside wiring would sure be 100%.
DeletePoor dog indeed. Poor, poor dog.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day Odie. ☺
Sandee, that ringing current can have a bit of a bite to it.
DeleteMy dogs piss and moan about how rough their lives are... maybe I should investigate.
ReplyDeleteCube, have your phone lines and grounds checked.
DeleteAs somebody who worked for the IRS for 4 years (and was rescued by The Blonde), I know what you mean.
ReplyDeleteEdutcher, we all have our blondes to bare.
ReplyDeleteOuch, Poor ol dog. As a former PacBell prechecker (long ago) I can tell you there where some strange service calls...
ReplyDeleteBrighid, PacBell here too, but what's a "Prechecker"?
DeleteLOL ! I put 35 yrs into Ma Bell ! My first job was a cable splicers helper ! Next was Installer/Repairman ! I know about that ringing current !
ReplyDeleteDavidc, (that would be my brother-in-law's handle if he came here also, but he worked for the gas company). They no longer had splicer's helpers when I hired on. I went straight to it and it worked just fine. I was a splicer my whole career, except a few months as a manager/instructor in Splicing school and a couple of years in Maintenance. Everything else was in Construction. And we did it all up here ... even fiber.
DeleteSome people dial "O" for information. Others dial K-9.
ReplyDeleteProof, information is 411 . . .
ReplyDelete