Blinking Telephone Light

[elevator_opratr]

This may be a very dumb question, so please excuse me if it is.

Is there a name for the system where an incoming studio telephone call makes a light on the wall or near the board blink so that the sound of a ringing phone isn't heard over the air?

I know most stations employ some sort of system like this, but I am not sure how to help someone trying to do this go about it.

Does a special phone have to be used, or can it be done with a regular phone? And how can it simply be done?

Thanks.

 

[jamesburlander]

> This may be a very dumb question, so please excuse me if it
> is.
>
> Is there a name for the system where an incoming studio
> telephone call makes a light on the wall or near the board
> blink so that the sound of a ringing phone isn't heard over
> the air?
>
> I know most stations employ some sort of system like this,
> but I am not sure how to help someone trying to do this go
> about it.
>
> Does a special phone have to be used, or can it be done with
> a regular phone? And how can it simply be done?
>
> Thanks.
>

I'm not quite sure how it's exactly done, I believe through contact closures or some kind of add-on to a telophone system. Usually, they have the regular lines just light up on the phone, and a seperate light - even on the wall, for the studio hotline... which will flash bright (like a strobe) when another jock or boss calls in.

 

[SM100000w]

> This may be a very dumb question, so please excuse me if it
> is.
>
> Is there a name for the system where an incoming studio
> telephone call makes a light on the wall or near the board
> blink so that the sound of a ringing phone isn't heard over
> the air?
>
> I know most stations employ some sort of system like this,
> but I am not sure how to help someone trying to do this go
> about it.
>
> Does a special phone have to be used, or can it be done with
> a regular phone? And how can it simply be done?
>
> Thanks.
>

I'm sure your local Radio Shack has what you're looking for. You plug the incoming line into the box, and you have the option of having the phone just ring, just flash, or both.

 

[THEInsultant]

> > This may be a very dumb question, so please excuse me if
> it
> > is.
> >
> > Is there a name for the system where an incoming studio
> > telephone call makes a light on the wall or near the board
>
> > blink so that the sound of a ringing phone isn't heard
> over
> > the air?
> >
> > I know most stations employ some sort of system like this,
>
> > but I am not sure how to help someone trying to do this go
>
> > about it.
> >
> > Does a special phone have to be used, or can it be done
> with
> > a regular phone? And how can it simply be done?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
>
> I'm not quite sure how it's exactly done, I believe through
> contact closures or some kind of add-on to a telophone
> system. Usually, they have the regular lines just light up
> on the phone, and a seperate light - even on the wall, for
> the studio hotline... which will flash bright (like a
> strobe) when another jock or boss calls in.
>

Cat. # 43-178 @ Radio Shack for $31.99


http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F008%5F007%5F003%5F000&Page=1<P ID="signature">______________
--- THE Insultant ---</P>

 

[Andy_Brown]

> This may be a very dumb question, so please excuse me if it
> is.
>
> Is there a name for the system where an incoming studio
> telephone call makes a light on the wall or near the board
> blink so that the sound of a ringing phone isn't heard over
> the air?
>
> I know most stations employ some sort of system like this,
> but I am not sure how to help someone trying to do this go
> about it.
>
> Does a special phone have to be used, or can it be done with
> a regular phone? And how can it simply be done?
>
> Thanks.
>

The Shack solution is OK if all you need is a little light for on top of the console, but if you want to take it a step further, you can use a relay that closes on ringtone and switches whatever you want it to ... lighting up lights or firing strobes or ringing a bell ... landline ring voltage in the U.S. is generally 20 Hz, so you have to use the right relay (or build an entirely electronic switch with an I.C.) that will work with this frequency. The ringing voltage varies but can be as high as 90 volts (if you've ever gotten bit by it you'd know what I'm saying). You also have to desensitize the relay or e-switch to low voltage a.c. noise or it will trip out on its own at random.

Here's some circuit info:

http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/telephone_ringer.html

http://www.epanorama.net/documents/telecom/telephone_ringer.html

http://www.electronic-circuits-diagrams.com/telephonesimages/telephonesckt3.shtml

Here's some relay info:

http://www.midsouthcable.com/EdsTelsigs.htm<P ID="signature">______________
Electricity is really just organized lightning.
~George Carlin</P>

 

[elevator_opratr]

Hey thanks for the information, guys. Very helpful.

 

[taylorengineer]

> > This may be a very dumb question, so please excuse me if
> it
> > is.
> >
> > Is there a name for the system where an incoming studio
> > telephone call makes a light on the wall or near the board
>
> > blink so that the sound of a ringing phone isn't heard
> over
> > the air?
> >
> > I know most stations employ some sort of system like this,
>
> > but I am not sure how to help someone trying to do this go
>
> > about it.
> >
> > Does a special phone have to be used, or can it be done
> with
> > a regular phone? And how can it simply be done?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
>
> The Shack solution is OK if all you need is a little light
> for on top of the console, but if you want to take it a step
> further, you can use a relay that closes on ringtone and
> switches whatever you want it to ... lighting up lights or
> firing strobes or ringing a bell ... landline ring voltage
> in the U.S. is generally 20 Hz, so you have to use the right
> relay (or build an entirely electronic switch with an I.C.)
> that will work with this frequency. The ringing voltage
> varies but can be as high as 90 volts (if you've ever gotten
> bit by it you'd know what I'm saying). You also have to
> desensitize the relay or e-switch to low voltage a.c. noise
> or it will trip out on its own at random.
>
> Here's some circuit info:
>
> http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/telephone_ringer.html
>
http> ://www.epanorama.net/documents/telecom/telephone_ringer.html
>
>
http://www.electronic> -circuits-diagrams.com/telephonesimages/telephonesckt3.shtml
>
>
> Here's some relay info:
>
> http://www.midsouthcable.com/EdsTelsigs.htm
>
Hey Andy....thanks for the links. I just spent the better part of a hour looking at cool stuff like fuel cell model car kits. My wife said to tell you she hates you!!

 

[Chuck]

> Hey thanks for the information, guys. Very helpful.
>
Back in the old days, people just put a neon lamp across the phone line. It doesn't load the line unless it is ringing. When the ring voltage comes down the line, it normally exceeds 60-65 volts or so, and the lamp lights. Simple. The Bell System had neon lamps mounted in little octagonal base fixtures that resembeled the tail light lens of a '57 DeSoto.

Just a neon lamp like a NE 2 and a series resistor (About 100-120 K, IIRC) should work. I guess they still have neon bulbs at Rat Shack.

 

[ssnake]

Our Nortel KSU system has a contact-closure output to indicate ringing on any of the lines. We've hooked this up to a low-voltage power supply, and we use the 24VDC signal to have solid-state relays switch 120VAC to spotlights in the studios.

An older (circa 1985) system we had used an external device to detect the ring voltage on the lines.

Note that I use a solid-state relay; they are more expensive at about $15 each, but you can locate them in the studios without worrying about clicks from mechanical relays. We also use these to drive the "On Air" signs.


> This may be a very dumb question, so please excuse me if it
> is.
>
> Is there a name for the system where an incoming studio
> telephone call makes a light on the wall or near the board
> blink so that the sound of a ringing phone isn't heard over
> the air?
>
> I know most stations employ some sort of system like this,
> but I am not sure how to help someone trying to do this go
> about it.
>
> Does a special phone have to be used, or can it be done with
> a regular phone? And how can it simply be done?
>
> Thanks.
>

 

[tpt]

Depends, of course, on what kind of telephone he has.

For a simple system that feeds tip and ring around the building, this will work fine. Same for older systems that generate their own ring, such as the old key systems, or even more modern PBX systems that still have actual telephone "bells" in the phones.

Some newer phones just generate their own electronic ring using low voltage DC devices like the venerable sonalerts. Which, of course, will not work with a neon.

 

[CW]

> Back in the old days, people just put a neon lamp across the
> phone line. It doesn't load the line unless it is ringing.
> When the ring voltage comes down the line, it normally
> exceeds 60-65 volts or so, and the lamp lights. Simple.
> The Bell System had neon lamps mounted in little octagonal
> base fixtures that resembeled the tail light lens of a '57
> DeSoto.
>
> Just a neon lamp like a NE 2 and a series resistor (About
> 100-120 K, IIRC) should work. I guess they still have neon
> bulbs at Rat Shack.

Telco specs for analog/POTS lines:
Line impedance: 600ohms typical
Tip/Ring voltage: On Hook (hung up) 48-56 V DC
Off Hook (when talking) 6V approx
(Actually, it is 20ma current flow that counts here)
Ring Voltage: 90V @ 20 Hz AC

Use of the Radio Shack box is easiest on POTS lines...if you are trying it on a KSU, make sure you do this on ANALOG lines only...the digital circuits do NOT comply with the above obviously and will be proprietary with any system.
Teltone made some relays that were great for signaling on ringing AND offhook...
but they are out of production.

 

[farside1023]

If you can't find them at Radio Shack, try www.sandman.com in Chicago. All kinds of phone stuff.

>
> Use of the Radio Shack box is easiest on POTS lines...if you
> are trying it on a KSU, make sure you do this on ANALOG
> lines only...the digital circuits do NOT comply with the
> above obviously and will be proprietary with any system.
> Teltone made some relays that were great for signaling on
> ringing AND offhook...
> but they are out of production.
>

 

[CW]

> If you can't find them at Radio Shack, try www.sandman.com
> in Chicago. All kinds of phone stuff.
>

Amen!! Mike has PLENTY of neat stuff