Is there a requirement for phones to be able to dial if the

[thegoons]

"Rod Speed" <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:34jqlcF4b5c1iU1@individual.net...

I obviously meant often in the sense of per mains
failure, not that the mains failures are frequent.

Nothing "obvious" about that.

I happened to have one yesterday, at about 11am
or so on a glorious summer day and it turned out
that they had to do some emergency maintenance
and it was out for about an hour or so. There's fuck
all I can actually do with no power, so its useful to know
if its going to be only a short time or an hour or two.

As if they would tell you it was "emergency maintenance", particularly when
you would have spoken to a monkey in Bombay.

Sounds like you need to complain about service quality

Best get those ears tested. I doubt we get
more than one a year or so and much less
that are out for more than a few minutes.

One a year, that's poor service quality.

- call your State regulator to get some action and, if you have
documented evidence, a compensation payment from the distribution
company.

Pointless, we wouldnt qualify

Pity about the Energy Ombudsman.

and I dont agree with that
sort of terminal stupidity anyway.

lol, you wouldn't agree with anything.

I prefer to have lower
power bills when they take reasonable steps to deliver

hardly "reasonable".

power reliably and accept the fact that there will be
some times that they need to turn it off deliberately etc.

If they notify you "in advance".

Or are you in one of those jurisdictions where the government has a
monopoly and doesn't care about reliable service?

Nope, we get a pretty reliable service.

From a monopoly government provider.

Hmm. I can't recall precisely when the power last went off where I
live... it was years ago.

That'd be unusual Aust wide.

Wrong again, as always.

A cheap conventional phone makes much more sense.


googlegroups@sensation.net.au> wrote in message
news:1105485954.685377.322870@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure.
Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be
able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base
doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

 

[thegoons]

Yeah, and if the power went "off" because of a power surge, it could also
very well make the UPS terminally dead.

"Don McKenzie" <look@mysig.com> wrote in message
news:34jh4tF4c65k2U1@individual.net...

googlegroups@sensation.net.au wrote:

One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure. Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

If you run a PC UPS, plug it into that permanently. Or get one, they are
cheap anyway. (Rod said that somewhere.)

Mind you, I always have an old 50V line standard phone for emergencies.

Don...

--
Don McKenzie
E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.e-dotcom.com/ecp.php?un=Dontronics

VoIP USB/RJ11 Use Any Phone http://www.dontronics.com/phoneconnector.html
USB to RS232 Converter that works http://www.dontronics.com/usb_232.html

 

[thegoons]

Hardly and suppliers of any decent handsets these days. Yeah the Big W ones
are cheap, yet the more expensive ones at DSE and the likes are not much
better. Even Telstra's standard handset is some el cheapo plastic heap of
crap nowadays.

"quietguy" <david1133@REMOVE-TO-REPLYoptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:41E4B3C6.24AE977F@REMOVE-TO-REPLYoptusnet.com.au...

Where I live in rural NSW we get lots of blackouts, and of course my
walkabout phone doesn't work when there is no power. So I can phone and
report the power outage I bought an ordinary $10 phone from BigW that is
plugged in parallel with the walkabout. Simple, but necessary.

David

googlegroups@sensation.net.au wrote:

One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure. Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

 

[thegoons]

Would give me even more incentive to tell-off the curry muncher. Now, that's
entertainment!

"Phil Allison" <philallison@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
news:34k1epF49tfmfU1@individual.net...

"KLR"

Regardless of the above, Get a standard Telstra phone, you probably
already have one there that you arent using - , or buy one secondhand
for a few bucks. Leave it plugged in all the time so you do have a
working phone always there if there is emergency, and also so you can
be CALLED too.



** Yes, you do need to be able to be called on the usual number during
such an emergency - what if a neighbour, friend or relative needed your
help ??

BTW

When the AC supply goes out to a whole area at night for a few hours -
folk stuck at home have suddenly go nothing to do but sit in the dark -
so, I wonder if those wonderful young folk in the *telemarketing *
industry have thought of getting busy, identifying the phone numbers in
the affected localities and calling to entertain the poor folk whose lives
are on hold with interminable surveys and offers too good to be true to
help while away the time !!!


OTOH - damn good thing my Caller ID unit is battery powered !!!




.............. Phil

 

The Family wrote:

googlegroups@sensation.net.au> wrote in message
news:1105485954.685377.322870@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type
of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

Yep. There are several 240V systems in stores like DSE and Jaycar.
They're
relatively expensive compared with some simple DC systems that are
also
readily available.

They're also relatively bulky, not the sort of thing you would want
sitting on the kitchen bench...

If all else fails, build one yourself. Appropriate rechargeable
batteries,
wiring and a plug pack (it sounds like you already own the latter)
should do
the trick.

Yeah, I was originally thinking of using a 12V SLA with a float charger
and a 9V regulator, but that's most likely overkill. I could probably
get away with 7 NiCd batteries, two diodes, a resistor and the existing
plugpack.

Regarding the suggestions by others - we both have mobiles and we also
have a good old plugin phone as well. The battery backup idea is partly
for convenience, but mainly for safety. If it's a fire that has knocked
out our power, I would much prefer that all phones are working in case
someone panics and doesn't think to use the backup ones.

 

[Lord-Data]

"thegoons" <thegoons@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:34k7t6F4cl7m2U1@individual.net...

Hardly and suppliers of any decent handsets these days. Yeah the Big W
ones are cheap, yet the more expensive ones at DSE and the likes are not
much better. Even Telstra's standard handset is some el cheapo plastic
heap of crap nowadays.

Yeah, bring back the wooden ones!

"quietguy" <david1133@REMOVE-TO-REPLYoptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:41E4B3C6.24AE977F@REMOVE-TO-REPLYoptusnet.com.au...
Where I live in rural NSW we get lots of blackouts, and of course my
walkabout phone doesn't work when there is no power. So I can phone and
report the power outage I bought an ordinary $10 phone from BigW that is
plugged in parallel with the walkabout. Simple, but necessary.

David

googlegroups@sensation.net.au wrote:

One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure. Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

 

[Tsunami]

One method I generally use to get around this is to have a standard line
powered telephone in a common room of the house (lounge/kitchen etc) and
then a cordless in either office/bed/lounge. This way if something happens
or someone tries to ring during a power outage you can still use the
services fine.


<googlegroups@sensation.net.au> wrote in message
news:1105485954.685377.322870@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure. Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

 

[Kwyjibo]

"thegoons" <thegoons@bigpond.com> said

Yeah, and if the power went "off" because of a power surge,

The power rarely goes off because of a surge (with the exception of high
voltage lines somehow coming into contact with the 240V lines). A surge may
be *caused* by the power going off, but that's something different entirely.

it could also
very well make the UPS terminally dead.

Unlikely.


--

Kwyj.

(Remove your panties to reply by email)

 

[The Family]

Nah. Cast iron and two big clanger bells on top for me. The world went to
the dogs whet bakelite was invented.

"Lord-Data" <data@ihug.com.au> wrote in message
news:41e52427$0$3596$61c65585@un-2park-reader-02.sydney.pipenetworks.com.au...

"thegoons" <thegoons@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:34k7t6F4cl7m2U1@individual.net...
Hardly and suppliers of any decent handsets these days. Yeah the Big W
ones are cheap, yet the more expensive ones at DSE and the likes are not
much better. Even Telstra's standard handset is some el cheapo plastic
heap of crap nowadays.

Yeah, bring back the wooden ones!




"quietguy" <david1133@REMOVE-TO-REPLYoptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:41E4B3C6.24AE977F@REMOVE-TO-REPLYoptusnet.com.au...
Where I live in rural NSW we get lots of blackouts, and of course my
walkabout phone doesn't work when there is no power. So I can phone and
report the power outage I bought an ordinary $10 phone from BigW that is
plugged in parallel with the walkabout. Simple, but necessary.

David

googlegroups@sensation.net.au wrote:

One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure. Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

 

[The Family]

Pointless, we wouldnt qualify and I dont agree with that
sort of terminal stupidity anyway. I prefer to have lower
power bills when they take reasonable steps to deliver
power reliably and accept the fact that there will be
some times that they need to turn it off deliberately etc.

You would where I live.

1 hour is an extraordinarily long outage on a bright summer day. It
shouldn't be that way if your distributor is using modern technology and
live wire maintenance.

I prefer a service level guarantee and never needing to claim on it.

I guess you're anaesthetised to poor service.

 

[Rod Speed]

<googlegroups@sensation.net.au> wrote in message
news:1105532317.600594.197950@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

The Family wrote:
googlegroups@sensation.net.au> wrote in message
news:1105485954.685377.322870@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type
of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

Yep. There are several 240V systems in stores like DSE and Jaycar.
They're
relatively expensive compared with some simple DC systems that are
also
readily available.

They're also relatively bulky, not the sort of
thing you would want sitting on the kitchen bench...

The smallest ones arent much bigger than plugboards.

The lashed up SLA will be as big.

If all else fails, build one yourself. Appropriate rechargeable
batteries, wiring and a plug pack (it sounds like you already
own the latter) should do the trick.

Yeah, I was originally thinking of using a 12V SLA with a
float charger and a 9V regulator, but that's most likely overkill.

Yeah, it would be better to monster a NiMH charger.

I could probably get away with 7 NiCd batteries,
two diodes, a resistor and the existing plugpack.

Makes more sense to start with a charger.

Regarding the suggestions by others - we both have mobiles and we
also have a good old plugin phone as well. The battery backup idea is
partly for convenience, but mainly for safety. If it's a fire that has knocked
out our power, I would much prefer that all phones are working in case
someone panics and doesn't think to use the backup ones.

Its extremely rare that a fire will produce a mains failure while
the occupants are in any state to be trying to use the phone.

With house fires it makes a lot more sense to get
out of the house before the smoke level makes that
impossible and use the neighbour's phone or the
mobile you take out of the house with you instead.

 

[Rod Speed]

thegoons <thegoons@bigpond.com> wrote in
message news:34k7p3F47mal3U1@individual.net...

Rod Speed <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote
The Family <someone@somewhere.com> wrote
Rod Speed <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote
Ed <eddie_nospam@optusnet.com> wrote

get an old gsm phone for $10 or so, you dont need a valid sim card it has
a battery, charge it up once a month or so call 112 if you need to call
emergency services

I often want to call the power company and get
some idea of how long the mains is going to be
out for if it doesnt come back in tens of minutes.

Often? Where do you live?

I obviously meant often in the sense of per mains
failure, not that the mains failures are frequent.

Nothing "obvious" about that.

Corse there is except for stupids. You two qualify.

I happened to have one yesterday, at about 11am
or so on a glorious summer day and it turned out
that they had to do some emergency maintenance
and it was out for about an hour or so. There's fuck
all I can actually do with no power, so its useful to know
if its going to be only a short time or an hour or two.

As if they would tell you it was "emergency maintenance",

Welp, they did.

particularly when you would have spoken to a monkey in Bombay.

Wrong again. It was obviously a local, and you
dont even know which power company I deal with.

Sounds like you need to complain about service quality

Best get those ears tested. I doubt we get
more than one a year or so and much less
that are out for more than a few minutes.

One a year, that's poor service quality.

Not a fucking clue, as always.

- call your State regulator to get some action and, if you have documented
evidence, a compensation payment from the distribution company.

Pointless, we wouldnt qualify

Pity about the Energy Ombudsman.

Pity that the EO would just point out that the power company had no
alternative to turning the power off for that emergency maintenance.

and I dont agree with that sort of terminal stupidity anyway.

lol, you wouldn't agree with anything.

Certainly nothing you stupid clowns run.

I prefer to have lower power bills when they take reasonable steps to deliver
power reliably

hardly "reasonable".

Not a fucking clue, as always. That sort of thing is rare here.

and accept the fact that there will be some times that they need to turn it
off deliberately etc.

If they notify you "in advance".

Not always practical with some failures, fool.

And I'm certainly not interested in paying for heroic
measures to notify of emergency maintenance.

When the emergency maintenance is necessary,
it makes a lot more sense for those who want to
know how lont it will be out for to ring and ask.

Or are you in one of those jurisdictions where the government has a monopoly
and doesn't care about reliable service?

Nope, we get a pretty reliable service.

From a monopoly government provider.

Wrong again. It aint a monopoly provider
anymore, hasnt been for quite a while now.

Hmm. I can't recall precisely when the power last went off where I live...
it was years ago.

That'd be unusual Aust wide.

Wrong again, as always.

Pathetic little turd cant even manage its own lines.

Or anything else at all eitheer.

A cheap conventional phone makes much more sense.

googlegroups@sensation.net.au> wrote in message
news:1105485954.685377.322870@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure. Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

 

[Rod Speed]

The Family <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in
message news:41e533cc$1@duster.adelaide.on.net...

Sounds like you need to complain about service quality

Best get those ears tested. I doubt we get
more than one a year or so and much less
that are out for more than a few minutes.

- call your State regulator to get some action and, if you have documented
evidence, a compensation payment from the distribution company.

Pointless, we wouldnt qualify and I dont agree with that
sort of terminal stupidity anyway. I prefer to have lower
power bills when they take reasonable steps to deliver
power reliably and accept the fact that there will be
some times that they need to turn it off deliberately etc.

You would where I live.

Irrelevant. I dont live there, fuckwit.

1 hour is an extraordinarily long outage on a bright summer day.

Yes, but we dont get that sort of emergency maintenance
very often at all, maybe once in 10 years or so.

It shouldn't be that way if your distributor is using modern technology and
live wire maintenance.

Not a fucking clue, as always. You dont even know what they did change.

I prefer a service level guarantee

You aint even established that that particular
fault would qualify for a compensation payment.

And I'm not interested in paying for that anyway.

We happened to have the lowest power costs
in the entire state until they started to merge
them into what is now about 5 for the entire state.

and never needing to claim on it.

I guess you're anaesthetised to poor service.

Guess again. You aint gotta fucking clue about
the detail of the distribution network involved.

Or anything else at all either.

 

[Rod Speed]

thegoons <thegoons@bigpond.com> wrote in
message news:34k7qoF4bi0iiU1@individual.net...

Yeah, and if the power went "off" because of a power surge, it could also very
well make the UPS terminally dead.

Not if its a decent UPS.

"Don McKenzie" <look@mysig.com> wrote in message
news:34jh4tF4c65k2U1@individual.net...
googlegroups@sensation.net.au wrote:

One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure. Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

If you run a PC UPS, plug it into that permanently. Or get one, they are
cheap anyway. (Rod said that somewhere.)

Mind you, I always have an old 50V line standard phone for emergencies.

 

[Rod Speed]

Tsunami <glen dot oriley at gocconline dot com> wrote in message
news:41e52795$0$2869$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...

One method I generally use to get around this is to have a standard line
powered telephone in a common room of the house (lounge/kitchen etc) and then
a cordless in either office/bed/lounge. This way if something happens or
someone tries to ring during a power outage you can still use the services
fine.

I have multiple cordless phones and a conventional
line powered phone that only ever gets used when
the mains is out. Its actually the handset on the fax.

googlegroups@sensation.net.au> wrote in message
news:1105485954.685377.322870@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
One of the first things I noticed about our Uniden DECT phones is that
the base station dies completely if there is a power failure. Obviously
the communication with handsets is out the window, but there is not
even a basic dial-talk-listen service available via the speakerphone.

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

It's ironic that the handsets have battery power, but the base doesn't.
Has anyone come up with a simple mini-UPS solution for this type of
situation? The plugpack puts out 9VDC @350mA.

 

[Dyna Soar]

Rod Speed wrote:

I have multiple cordless phones and a conventional
line powered phone that only ever gets used when
the mains is out. Its actually the handset on the fax.

My old fax machine's handset would operate OK if the power was off, but the
new one's handset doesn't operate if the fax machine is not powered up.

--
Dyna

..

 

[quietguy]

A good point - especially if the power goes out because of a bushfire

David

Phil Allison wrote

** Yes, you do need to be able to be called on the usual number during
such an emergency - what if a neighbour, friend or relative needed your
help ??

 

[Rod Speed]

Dyna Soar <dynasoarREMOVE.THIS@ozdebate.com>
wrote in message news:34lo87F49eoebU1@individual.net...

Rod Speed wrote:

I have multiple cordless phones and a conventional
line powered phone that only ever gets used when
the mains is out. Its actually the handset on the fax.

My old fax machine's handset would operate OK if the power was off, but the
new one's handset doesn't operate if the fax machine is not powered up.

Yeah, this one aint no spring chicken, a Canon B200.

If it wasnt for that one, I'd just leave one of the
T400s that I no longer use plugged in all the time.

 

[Tsunami]

My fax machine is like that. I think it is still capable of picking the
handset up and pulsing the cradle if need be but it looses all other
control, an old Sanfax 200 by memory.


"Dyna Soar" <dynasoarREMOVE.THIS@ozdebate.com> wrote in message
news:34lo87F49eoebU1@individual.net...

Rod Speed wrote:

I have multiple cordless phones and a conventional
line powered phone that only ever gets used when
the mains is out. Its actually the handset on the fax.

My old fax machine's handset would operate OK if the power was off, but
the new one's handset doesn't operate if the fax machine is not powered
up.

--
Dyna

.

 

[Michael]

I seem to remember some requirement that Australian phones must be able
to dial 000 at all times, is my memory failing, or outdated?

Outdated.

The documentation will state quite clearly that it is not to be relied upon
as your only phone

YOU SHOULD NEVER RELY ON A RADIO BASED SERVICE AS YOUR *ONLY* EMERGENCY
CONTACT