Telephone problem, only one ring?!?!?

Question

Hey guys and girls,

this is a Q for the techie amongst you. The problem is that our phone(home phone) only rings once and then the connection is cut. I don't know the cause for this and before you ask I checked every setting underneath the phone. It's really annoying as you have to wait next to the phone for it to ring again and pick it up real fast. Some help please?

Answer 1

I don't know if this is the same thing, but I had 5 instances last week where I had one ring, and went to answer the phone and the connection was cut. I got the # off caller ID and called it and the recording was" the number you dialed is no longer in service"; then I googled the # and found that this number is assigned to telemarketing groups calling from India. When I listed the # on donotcall.gov, the calls stopped. I don't know if that was coincidental, or if someone did something.

Also, if the phone company is doing loop tests your phone may ring only once.

Answer 2

99% it is either a defective phone, or wet jack....

disconnect one phone at a time, and use your cell to call into your line...

Answer 3

The telephone line uses -48 volts DC for talkpath while the ringer in the phone uses 90 volts AC.  Inside your telephone, a capacitor is placed across the telephone circuit in series with the ringer.  Capacitors will block DC voltage but allow AC voltage to pass.  When 90 volts ringing voltage is sent down the line, the capacitor allows the voltage to pass through the ringer circuit and rings the bell/warbler while still keeping the -48 volt DC talkpath circuit open.  Once you pick up the phone you short the DC circuit creating the talkpath and stopping the ringer.  If your ringing capacitor is faulty it could be shorting your -48 volt talkpath circuit after one ring.  Try removing all phones and plugging them in one at a time and call them.  Call from a cell phone or other land line to see if each phone continues to ring or ring trips after one ring.  You may find it is one phone with a faulty ringer capacitor.

Answer 4

Well it could be a prank caller but if this is happening every time, you may have an answering machine set up to turn on after one ring, the way to fix this is to mess around with your phone. with my old phone it was something like turning the machine on after you heard x rings and i guess it remembers that.

Answer 5

very simple explanation..your phone is trippin the ring..which is a short in one of your jacks or a faulty phone..your jacks are connected to inside wires which spider web thru your house from one jack to the next if..one of the jacks is dusty or green ..the metal tines inside will make contact and trip the ring...take all phones off the jacks ..including computer modems ..and find one jack...make sure its clean..blow the dust out..and plug a phone in and call yourself (from cell)..if it still trips..then its definatly a jack problem..if it rings thru..3 or 5 times then its a faulty phone or modem..good luck..