Thank you.
Telephones are an important part of everyday life, and installing phones yourself is easy and economical.
This tape teaches you how to install phones and phone accessories in any convenient location using these modular connections.
This modular connection is the most common type in modern phone installations,
but if your phone is old enough to use a direct wire or four-prong system, we'll show you how to convert to modular connections.
A few simple tools are all you need to do a professional job installing new telephone shacks.
The key is to plan the work in advance and have the tools you need before you start.
When you need help, your local radio shack store is there with advice on how to do the job
and with all the supplies you need to complete the installation.
As with any project, following a few basic safety tips makes the job go smoothly without unpleasant surprises.
Telephones are electrical devices. Never work on active lines while standing in the water.
Never install a telephone where it could be knocked or dropped into water like a sink or bathtub.
Use insulated tools and, if possible during the installation, take another phone off the hook to keep the line from ringing.
This allows you to connect active lines without the hazard of a shock from the ringer voltage.
If you're working on a system with only one phone, disconnect the wire at the point it enters the house to avoid electrical shock,
or have a friend call your number and leave the line open until you complete the work.
Following these simple rules helps make the installation safer and trouble-free.
One thing that makes installing your own telephone easy is the telephone wiring color coding system.
Modern systems use four wires, red, green, yellow, and black.
Each wire is individually insulated, then wrapped in an outer jacket.
Most home telephone systems are single-line systems.
In single-line systems, the only active wires are the red and the green.
They carry the telephone line signal.
The yellow and black wires carry a second telephone line signal if one is present,
or on some older phones can carry low voltage current for lighted dials or intercoms.
Radio shack wiring blocks and connectors can accommodate all four wires.
Even though you can make a complete single-line circuit by connecting just the red and green wires,
we recommend that you connect all four.
This will ensure that your new outlets are ready for expansion to a second line
or for other options that need the second pair of wires.
The cord that runs between the base of the telephone and the wall jack is called a line cord.
It can be any color.
Most telephones come with a five- to six-foot line cord,
and replacement line cord is flat so it can be connected to a modular plug.
It's sold in pre-manufactured lengths of up to 25 feet.
It's also available on spools without modular connectors up to 100 feet.
The other type of cord is usually found in house wiring inside the wall leading up to the wall jack.
This telephone cord, called cable wire, is round and has a thicker protective jacket.
Most connections require that you strip the cable wire's outer jacket back about one and a quarter inches,
and the individual wires should have about one and a half inches of conductor exposed.
This leaves enough exposed wire to complete the connection without leaving excess wire to cause short circuits.
One tool that will definitely make installation of cable wire easier is a telephone wire stripper.
It has notches that make it easy to remove the wire's protective jacket
and strip insulation from the four small individual wires inside.
To remove the outer jacket from cable wire, just place the cable wire in the notch,
close the spring clip, and press it down until it clicks in place.
Now, rotate the stripper around the wire a few times to cut through the outer jacket,
then pull the stripper toward the end of the wire.
To strip the individual color-coded wires, press them into the V-shaped notch,
then pull the stripper toward the end of the wire.
Many times, simple snap-together components can solve your telephone installation needs.
These small modular phone plugs make it easy.
Each one has a plastic locking lever.
To remove one of these plugs from an outlet, squeeze the lever in as you pull the plug out.
To install a modular plug, press the plug into the socket until the lever clicks.
This locks the plug in place.
If you plan to add an accessory, such as a telephone answering machine
or a caller ID display next to your phone, you may need two telephone outlets.
If you have only one outlet, you can install an inexpensive splitter.
Simply unplug the existing cord, insert the splitter, then plug in the telephone and the other device.
Instead of using a splitter at a wall-mounted phone, you can install a wall-mount adapter.
First, remove the modular wall phone by lifting up on the phone's base and pulling it out from the wall.
Then fit the adapter over the mounting screws on the wall plate and pull it down to lock it in place.
Plug the accessories cord into the jack at the bottom of the adapter and mount the phone on the adapter.
In modular phone systems, you can use extension cords to lengthen the line
and move a telephone to a convenient location.
These extension cords often have two jacks at one end, combining an extension cord with a splitter
so you can install two devices farther away from the original jack.
Just unplug the existing line cord and plug it into one of the jacks at the end of the extension cord.
Then plug the extension cord into the wall jack.
Another option is to replace shorter damaged cords with longer line cords.
Simply unplug the modular connectors at the wall and on the telephone itself.
Just remember to squeeze the locking lever on the plug to release it.
Replace the old cord with a new one.
You can even make a custom length line cord.
Just purchase a spool of four-conductor line cord, some modular connectors, and a modular connector crimping tool.
Cut the line cord to the desired length.
Then, using the modular crimping tool, strip the wire to the proper dimensions.
Hold the connector with the locking lever facing up and the open end towards you.
Notice the color-coded wires in the modular line cord.
Align the cord so that the black wire is on the right as it enters the connector on the first end that you assemble.
Using the crimping tool, install the connector by inserting the plug into the crimping tool
and squeezing until you reach the stop.
Hold it for a few seconds, then release.
Repeat this procedure at the other end, but notice one important difference.
On the first connection, you place the black wire on the right as we look down at the connector.
For the other end, you must align the black wire on the left to keep the polarity correct.
Just cut and strip the wire using the crimping tool.
Then, insert the wire into the modular connector with the wire to the left and squeeze the connector onto the wire.
Making your own custom length cords is easy and more economical than buying pre-manufactured lengths.
Even if your telephone is an older type without modular plugs,
you can convert the outlet to this newer system and purchase phones for much less than the cost of renting equipment.
After selecting the modular phone you want, purchase a modular jack with clip-on connectors.
This type of jack has simple snap-on wire connectors that let you easily convert an older wiring block to a modular jack.
If you have an additional phone in the house on the same line,
remember to take the receiver off the hook to minimize the chance of being shocked by ringer voltage.
Now you're ready to begin.
Remove the cover plate on the old wiring block and locate the two active screws inside.
You'll be able to spot them by tracing the wires from your existing telephone receiver.
We mentioned earlier that red and green are the active telephone line colors in modular wiring systems.
If your old telephone connector is old enough to use different colors or striped wires,
contact your local telephone company to find out which are the red and green equivalents for your system.
Remove the two wires from the receiver by loosening the screws on the wiring block and unwrapping the wires.
Notice that there are additional wires connected to these screws from the outside line.
These wires must remain in place.
Once you remove the wire from the old receiver, retighten the screws to hold the outside line wires in place.
Notice that the new modular jack with clip-on connectors has four color-coded wires with a clip on each end.
They are red, green, yellow, and black.
Simply match the red and green clips to the incoming wire of the same color.
Snap the connector over the wiring block screw that holds the wire of the same color.
Press the connector on firmly.
Store the unused yellow and black wires where they will not touch the active wires by wrapping them around the base of the wiring block,
then clipping them onto the other two unused screws.
Now, position the cover with the jack either to the top or side and secure it by tightening the screw in the center of the cover.
Plug in your new phone by inserting the modular plug into the jack until you hear it click into place.
Don't forget to hang up the receiver on any other phone you might have taken off the hook earlier.
Your new phone is now ready to use.
You might want to add an outlet rather than replace one.
That's just as easy.
When you want to place a jack in a more convenient location, you can use modular connections.
You might want to add an outlet in another part of the same room, say after you've rearranged the furniture and need to move the phone as well.
It's easy with a few inexpensive components and some simple tools.
You need a telephone line cord of the right length with a modular connector at one end and spade connectors at the other,
plus some insulated staples for securing the wire.
You'll also need a screwdriver with a standard blade medium width and a tack hammer to secure the staples.
If you cannot get a cable of the right length, buy a longer one and trim it off at the end with the spade connectors,
then use the wire stripper to expose the wire inside.
Start at the existing outlet.
Tape the modular plug from the new line cord to the face of the existing outlet.
This keeps it in place but lets you work on the installation without taking the phone off the hook,
since no current passes through the new line until you plug it in.
Run the line cord down the wall to the baseboard and, using the tack hammer, secure it just above the baseboard with a staple.
See the section on running telephone wire for ideas on how to install the wire in your situation.
Next, run the wire to the new location where you will mount the wiring block.
Take the cover off the combination wiring block and modular jack to expose the mounting holes.
You can mount this wiring block directly to the baseboard using the wood screws provided with the wiring block.
Use the block as a template and mark the position where the screws go.
Then, use either a drill or a nail to make small pilot holes in the marked positions.
This makes it much easier to start the wood screws while holding the wiring block in position.
After you mount the wiring block in place, locate the four color-coded screws.
They're marked R for red, G for green, Y for yellow, and B for black.
Wrap wires from the incoming line cord around the wiring block for additional strain relief and prevent short circuits later.
Match each colored wire from the line cord and the same color wire from the new jack and attach the wires to appropriate color-coded screws.
Match red to red, green to green, and so on.
If you're working with stripped wire without spade lugs, hook the wire around the screw in a clockwise direction.
This makes it easier to keep the wire in place as you tighten the screw.
When you're ready to replace the cover, position it so the mounting jack is in a convenient location,
preferably on the side to help keep out dust, and secure the cover with the screw in the center.
Return to the original outlet and plug in the modular line cord.
Your installation is complete and a telephone device connected to the new jack should now work normally.
If you want to keep an active device at the original location, just purchase a simple modular splitter and install it in the original jack.
This lets you run the modular line cord to the new jack as well as a telephone device at the original location.
The easiest way to install a flush wall mount is to install a round wall jack.
This assembly has two main parts, the mounting ring and the faceplate with wiring block and jack already mounted.
Don't forget to take a phone off the hook somewhere else in the house if possible to avoid contact with wringer voltage during the installation.
After selecting the location for the jack, cut a one and three-eighths inch diameter hole in the wall.
This hole allows for clearance for the wiring block on the back of the faceplate.
You can use the inside opening of the mounting ring as a template if you wish.
To mount the round jack on the wall board, use toggle bolts available at any hardware store to hold the mounting ring.
Use the mounting ring as a template to mark the location for each anchor and install the toggle bolt on the mounting ring.
Leave the bolts extended for installation.
Drill a hole for each one and insert the toggle bolt.
Now mount the ring by inserting the expansion toggles into the wall.
Now tighten the screws to install the mounting ring.
After mounting the ring, run cable wire from your selected source, such as an original jack or wiring junction,
to the new round jack using one of the methods suggested in the section titled running telephone wire.
Strip away one and a quarter inch of the outer jacket of the cable wire,
then strip away one half inch of the insulation from each of the color-coded wires.
Connect the color-coded wires to the wiring block screws that have the same color code, red to red, green to green, and so on.
The round faceplate fits over the mounting ring.
Secure the faceplate by inserting the screws into the holes in the bracket.
Just plug in the line cord from your telephone device and you're ready to go.
Don't forget to hang up any telephone that you might have taken off the hook during the installation.
Some telephones and accessories require AC power as well as a telephone line to operate properly.
RadioShack carries a combination outlet plate and dual phone jack that makes it easy to install telephone jacks at existing electrical outlets.
Just remember this safety rule.
Never run telephone wire into the same electrical box with AC wiring.
Short circuits could cause severe shock if the telephone wire contacted an active AC line,
so run all telephone wiring outside the electrical box.
Turn off the AC current to the outlet while you work.
Before you begin working, plug in a lamp or radio and turn it on.
Go to the fuse or circuit breaker box and either remove the fuse for that outlet or turn off the circuit breaker.
When you return to the outlet, the lamp or the radio should now be off.
Remove the outlet cover by removing the screw in the center of the outlet faceplate.
The cover plate and wiring block combination will replace the old outlet cover plate and has a double wiring block on the back side.
This double jack arrangement allows you to wire up to four incoming telephone lines in one jack.
If you want both jacks to have access to the same line,
simply connect a short piece of wire to the terminals with the same color code on the upper and lower jack.
Detailed instructions are on the package.
Run the telephone wire to the outside of the electrical box and pull it through the wall far enough to connect to the terminals of one of the wiring blocks.
If you have connected the two blocks, both jacks will now be active when you connect the wire to the source outlet.
Feed the excess wire back into the wall or cabinet as you place the cover plate and jack combination over the electrical outlet.
Tighten the screw in the center of the electrical outlet with a screwdriver.
Don't forget to turn on the circuit breaker to restore electrical current to the outlet.
If you took a telephone off the hook in another part of the house, be sure to hang it up.
Wall telephones are especially practical if you want to walk around the room while talking,
since the base of the phone is securely anchored and can't be pulled off a table or a counter.
They're a popular choice for kitchens, recreation rooms, and shops.
The wiring block for a wall phone is a bit different from the wall jack for a desk phone.
The wiring block and mount are held close to the wall to support the weight of the phone as well as making the necessary wiring connections.
Whenever possible, use a standard electrical box available from any hardware store to mount the wall phone.
This connection not only gives you a convenient way to route the wiring,
but adds excellent support for the phone, especially when you mount the phone on dry wall board.
We'll outline the steps for installing an electrical box in the section on running telephone wire.
For light usage areas or where it's impractical to mount an electrical box,
secure a surface wall mount with wall anchors or toggle bolts available at any hardware store.
To connect a wall mount, bring the telephone wire through the slot in the mount,
then strip away one and a half inches of the outer jacket.
After stripping the individual wires,
match the telephone wire to the same color on the wall mount and make the connections.
Now screw in the hanger screws. These screws will support the weight of the wall phone.
Attach the wall mount to the electrical box and snap on the faceplate.
Traditional wall phones have a modular plug with a floating mount on the back
and two keyholes to hook over the hanging screws on the wall mount.
To hang a traditional wall phone, line up the plug on the telephone with the wall mount jack,
then raise the telephone until you feel the phone's mounting holes fit over the hanging screws.
Now slide the phone down until it's locked in place.
Many telephones not only let you use them as a table model, but you can wall mount them as well.
On most models, you'll remove the regular line cord
and replace it with a short modular cord available at your local Radio Shack store.
Plug the cord into the telephone, then plug the other end into the wall mount jack.
Hang the phone by sliding the phone's mounting holes down over the hanging screws.
This device is a handset cord untangler.
The handset cord on any phone stays tangle free if you plug the untangler into the handset of the phone,
then plug the handset cord into the untangler.
A handset cord untangler is especially useful on wall phones with long handset cords.
You can get one at Radio Shack to complete your installation.
One of the simplest methods of installing telephone wire is to run it along the top of the baseboard.
Tack the wire down with insulated staples at frequent intervals to keep it taut and flat.
You can use this method to run the wire around door or window frames.
You can use cabinets to help conceal wiring by running the wire inside the cabinets.
Simply run the wire to a corner of the cabinet and drill a small hole where the wire will enter the cabinet.
If you run the wire inside cabinets, fasten the wire into place with insulated staples
or use adhesive tabs to hold the wire along the cabinet wall to avoid snagging it as you store items in that cabinet.
Running a wire under a suspended cabinet is easy, and you can fasten the wire with insulated staples.
If you want to conceal the wire in a room with wall-to-wall carpet,
you can use a pair of long-nose pliers to remove a small section of the carpet from the carpet tack strip next to the baseboard.
Grab the carpet with the pliers and push the carpet toward the wall as you lift.
Tuck the wire under the carpet and replace the carpet with the pliers.
Stretch the carpet slightly past the point where you want it to stay since the nails on the tack strip are angled with their points toward the wall.
If you prefer the look of a flush-mounted telephone jack and have access to the wall from an attic or basement,
you can run wire inside an existing interior wall.
For standard flush-mount jacks, you need to install an electrical outlet box to support the wall plate and jack.
These boxes are available from any hardware or electrical supply store.
There are many different mounting types.
One of the most common attaches to a two-by-four-inch wood support piece that runs vertically inside the wall.
The wood support is called a stud.
Once you've chosen a convenient section of wall where you want to install the jack, locate the nearest wall stud.
RadioJack sells an electronic stud finder that's ideal for the job.
If a stud finder isn't available, tap the wall with a solid object and listen closely.
A hollow sound means that there's no stud at that location.
A solid sound indicates you've found the stud.
You can confirm it by locating more than one stud.
Studs are spaced either 16 or 24 inches apart inside a wall.
Watch for electrical outlets as you choose a stud.
Since you'll be cutting a hole, you want to avoid the possibility of contacting electrical wire.
If you plan to run the wire down the inside of the wall from an attic, it's a good idea to check above the place where you want the new outlet for an interior wall support called a fire block.
A fire block is a short piece of two-by-four that connects two studs.
It obstructs the wire as it's run down the wall.
If you locate one above the position you chose earlier, just move the jack to the other side of the same stud.
Once you locate the stud where you want the box, measure the distance from the closest corner of the room.
In the attic or basement, locate the same corner and measure the same distance from the proposed outlet to locate the same stud.
The board that runs across the ends of the studs is called a plate.
Drill a 1 quarter to 3 eighths inch hole in the plate.
Now attach a plumb bob or a large screw or nail to a heavy piece of string.
It's helpful if you have another person listen in the room where the outlet will be located.
Lower this weighted string down the wall.
You'll be able to hear if the weight strikes an obstruction or when the weight strikes the floor.
Once you're certain that the wire will reach the new outlet unobstructed, mark the wall with the outline of the electrical box using the box as a template.
Inside this outline, drill holes in opposite corners.
Insert a small saw into the hole and cut out the opening.
If you don't have a small saw, you can drill holes close together and punch out the area.
Just keep the outer edges of the drilled holes inside the area to be covered by the wall plate.
Straighten the wire clothes hanger and bend it so it has a hook at the end to snag the string run from the attic.
Fasten the attic end of the string to the telephone wire and pull it through the opening.
The electrical box has holes that you can punch out to let the telephone wire run into the box.
Be sure to punch out the one that you plan to use and run the telephone wire through the hole before installing the box.
When you have run the wire, install the box by fastening it to the stud with nails or screws.
Some modification of the box or mount may be necessary for an easy installation.
Wire the jack as shown earlier and mount it to the box.
If you need more detailed instructions on running wire through walls or installing outlet boxes, we suggest the book Installing Telephones.
You can get a copy at your nearest Radio Shack store.
When a telephone fails to operate properly, there are several things that you can do to help track down the problem.
The first step is to locate the source of the problem.
If you have a telephone that is not working properly, first try another phone in the house if there's another extension.
If it's working properly, move it to the original location and plug it in.
If the new phone works properly, the problem is probably in the telephone unit or in the line cord.
Most Radio Shack stores can test your telephone and line cord right at the store at no charge.
Just bring the telephone and line cord to the Radio Shack tester in the store and in a few minutes it can be determined if the phone or the cord is defective.
In every phone you try if the jack fails to work, you need to test the jack.
You can test the wiring of telephone jacks with an inexpensive line tester from Radio Shack.
Plug it into the phone jack to tell if the outlet is properly wired.
If the jack is faulty, remove the cover and check the wiring to make sure that no internal connection has come uncoupled.
Remember, all the wires should be color matched on every screw, red with red, green with green, and so on.
Make sure that no stray strands of wire are in contact with a different color.
This is called a short circuit.
Remember, it's wise to take a telephone at another location off the hook if possible to guard against an electrical shock from ringer voltage.
If long strands of wire trail off from the screw, clip them back to prevent a short circuit.
If there are unused yellow and black wires that have no convenient mounting point,
consider trimming them back until the insulation covers all the conductor in the wire and taping the ends with electrical tape to prevent short circuits.
Many recent telephone installations have a central disconnect either inside or outside the house.
Locate the point where the telephone line first comes into the building.
Outside disconnects typically are fastened with a screw.
Just open the front cover and you'll see the modular connector inside.
Unplug the modular connector for the wire leading into the house and plug a working telephone into the jack.
If you receive a dial tone, you know the problem is with the house wiring.
Under the terms of most telephone service, you are responsible for the repairs to wiring in the house.
Failure to get a dial tone or a signal means the problem lies with the incoming telephone company equipment
and you should notify your local phone company repair service listed in the front of your local telephone directory.
Sometimes too many devices on the line can cause problems.
Failure of phones to ring can often occur when you have too many telephone devices on the line.
Every phone device requires a minimum amount of current for the phone to ring or for a device like an answering machine to activate.
This minimum current is called the ringer equivalence number.
You can find the ringer equivalence number somewhere on the telephone device.
If your phones fail to ring, first try unplugging one or more telephone devices.
Then have a friend call you back to check the ring.
If that solves the problem, you know that the ringer capacity for the line has been exceeded when all devices are connected.
First, write down the ringer equivalence number from every telephone device connected to the line, then total them up.
Your telephone company only guarantees a limited amount of power to trigger telephone ringers,
usually enough for five telephones with the older mechanical type bells.
Since newer electronic phones need less power, you can usually connect more to the line.
If the total of the ringer equivalence numbers exceeds five,
try reducing the number of devices or turn off some of the ringers on the phones.
If the number is less than five, check with your local telephone company service department for the ringer equivalence that they guarantee to deliver.
And if it's adequate for the phones you have connected, ask them to check the amount of ringer current on the incoming line.
For more information and detailed drawings on installing telephones at your home or office or for more information on planning your telephone installation or troubleshooting,
we recommend the book Installing Telephones.
You can get a copy at your local Radio Shack store.
There are many types of telephones and telephone devices to make life a little easier and convenient, and installing them can be easy and fun.
Visit your nearest Radio Shack store before you start your next telephone installation project,
and when you have questions, we have answers at Radio Shack.
Thank you.