The Mystery of the Ghost Calls

[Dashonthedash]

Yeah, I know it sounds like some old Nancy Drew novel, but this mystery is driving me batty, and maybe some "detective" out there on the Forum can solve it.

In my home, I have 3 phones connected to one phone line: 2 cordless phones (A base unit w/ answering machine and handset #1 in the living room on the upper level, handset #2 on the lower level in the family room) and 1 corded phone in the bedroom on the upper level. I also have 2 satellite receivers, one printer/fax machine and an internet modem, all normally connected to the phone line. A few weeks ago, I started to get these "ghost" calls in the middle of the night: A single short ring, then nothing, no caller ID, no record of a "missed" call, not really a call at all, just a ring. I called the phone company, but they couldn't find a problem (not a big surprise). The phone tech told me that the problem might be with the cordless phone batteries, so I put new batteries in and, for good measure, replaced handset #2 with a corded phone and turned off the printer. I still got the rings in the middle of the night. I tried disconnecting the corded phone, got the ring on the cordless, tried disconnecting the cordless phone, got the ring on the corded, even tried disconnecting the satellite receivers from the phone line. Finally, I reconnected cordless handset #2 and turned off all the ringers: The corded phone, the two cordless handsets and the cordless base (which has a separate ringer). I confirmed the ringers were off by standing near the base unit while calling my home number with my cell phone. I could see the call being received by the home phone, but there was no sound, not from any of the phones.

Then, about 3 AM this morning, the cordless phone in the living room rings, the same single ring. I immediately confirmed the ringers were still off and confirmed there was no ring when I called. How is this possible?? I can only assume that the phone is faulty or that some glitch in the phone line or power is setting off the ringer even though it's turned off. Anyone have any ideas?

[wa8yxm]

I'm inclined to go with 1 or 2.. However there is a 4 as well. (It is really a 3B)

The outside interference was on a frequency that the fax's "phone" line, combined with other phone wires in the house, made a perfect antenna for.. And by disconnecting it your phone lines are no longer resonate on that frequency.

This is something SOME of us deal with big time.. Though since I only push 100 watts and use non-conductive guys when I guy a "tower" (ok so it's a painter's extension handle) I do not worry about it much.

[SCR]

I'm glad you caught that pesky ghost..Peace at last

[Dashonthedash]

No "ghost" calls since last Saturday, even though I have had the ringers turned on all the time for several days now. This leads me to conclude one of several things happened:

1. The fax machine is faulty and was the cause of the rings, even after turning off the power, as long as it was plugged in and connected to the phone line.

2. The jack and/or line connection the fax was plugged into is faulty. This line was added after I moved in (there were no phone connections in the family room), and just consists of the jack in the wall, and an insulated, but exposed wire leading from the outside of the house directly to the nearby phone box. The connecting wire comes very close to the power lines that feed the house. I currently have nothing plugged into that jack, as the cordless handset is connected by RF with the base upstairs.

3. The ringing was actually caused by outside interference, or by power glitches, which have gone away, at least for now. It is an indisputable fact that any RF device (phone, intercom, garage door opener, even a Fantastic Fan) can be subject to interference from another device, electrical distortion/interference or, yes, that favorite cause of Forum members everywhere, a bad ground.

So, for now, the ghost has been "busted", so long as someone doesn't disconnect the containment tank. :B

[Dashonthedash]

It's a Dell printer/fax and, yes, it does have a ringer, and it was turned off, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have caused the problem.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Clay L wrote:
This may not apply but I have had a similar situation.
Caller ID did show the number. If I dialed the number it went to an exchange in the Dominican Republic and I was charged something like $20 per minute while listening to a recorded message saying my call would be answered momentarily.

After it happened twice in a couple of days I got smart enough to Google the number and found out what was going on.

Verizon said there wasn't anything they could do because they couldn't block the area code and the scumbags changed the number often so blocking it didn't help. They did do a onetime removal of the charge. I haven't received anymore of the calls for some unknown reason.

The "do not call" list for telemarketers has lots of flaws.
Surveys exempt, charities exempt, anyone you have done business with exempt, etc.
Had ans machine set up for 4 rings - and would at least look at the caller's number & name (if there was one).

Easy enough to see if it's *not* a number (or area code) you're familiar with - and usually shows "unknown caller", "unknown number", "toll free call", etc.
Of course "they" never leave a message - so went to two rings.

My "ghost" - try and call this one back, LOL!

Phone indicates "unknown caller".
Number indicated is *ALL* zeros.
Have had that happen several times - thought I would answer it.
Picked it up on the 2nd ring - no sound of any kind (no click, hangup, or message).

Must be "Zero" from the Beetle Bailey comic strip I guess..

~

[MNtundraRet]

I missed pointing out that the HP e-printers (or those with FAX) actually ring when the phones ring. Both my one from 2010 and the new one that just replaced it ring.

When you turned off the phone ringers did you remember to shut off the printer. Other brands may be similar to HP printers?

[wa8yxm]

You know... This thread needs something.

And you can find it here on You Tube

[Dashonthedash]

No ghost calls in over two days. I'm still turning the ringers off at night, but leaving them on during the day. The fax machine has been unplugged from the phone line during this time. Of course, I have probably just jinxed myself.

[wa8yxm]

Gee. on my Sticks and Bricks, the phone company terminal box was on the Garage. not the house.

I ran underground from garage to house, like 10 pairs of UF (underground Feeder) in conduit.

Why drop to the garage... Well, that was a near vertical drop (Garage was just a few feet from pole) v/s about 100 feet of horizontal, This meant the ice load in the freezing rain was near zero, the odds of a tree limb dropping the drop were precisely zero, in short, an all around more reliable connection.

The only thing I had to worry about was a power line dropping onto the garage....again.

[Harvey51]

Maybe some experimenting could narrow it down. You should have a phoneco box outside the house which is the only thing connected to the phone line. There will be a single phone jack in that box (two if there are two lines). Pull the plug (from the house service panel where all your phone jacks connect) and plug in one ordinary unpowered phone. You might try a long phone cord extension to get the phone to bedside but be aware this could collect RF interference making it necessary to repeat without the extension if the problem occurs. If it does occur without the extension then it is the phonco's problem. If not, the problem is in the house and your responsibility.

In that case, I would get a new house phone service panel with an appropriate number of terminals for your phones and use that in place of the existing one. Plug it into the phoneco box and connect one of your phone jacks each night. You may find it is one particular jack line. If no problem, then it must be the panel.

In view of the other weird things mentioned, I would be checking out the house electrical grounding. Make a good ground to a water pipe going underground or a grounding rod at least four feet into the ground. Connect a long wire, use it and a voltmeter to check the safety grounds on various outlets, especially the one the phone base is plugged into. And the wide slot of the plugin which is supposed to be connected to ground. Any voltage between any of these and the known good ground is a problem that must be fixed.

[wa8yxm]

Back when I still had a sticks and bricks we did not have that problem.. But we did have a phone bill of well over 50/month.. and for what.... We both had cells that worked both in and outside of the house and for some thing (like when the tree limb took out a power line) Well. i would MUCH rather use cell than a wires are on the same poles land line.

We told AT*T to Ring off as it were, saved big bucks every month. For a while I still had a fifteen dollar a month dry line but we cut that out too.

[Dashonthedash]

Odd you mention that. The tech told me he made a change at the box up the street. He didn't tell me what he did, but that may have been it. It didn't fix the problem, though.

[Thunder_Mountai]

We went through this exact same thing. We were getting ghost rings and also getting hit with directory assistance charges. Worked with a variety of techs at Quest. They had me disconnect the dialer on the security system and everything except one old touch tone phone. Problems persisted.

They finally sent out an older experienced tech. He went to the box down the street and moved my pair from one connection to another. Solved the issue. He said the ghost rings were not uncommon and many times moving the pair fixed it.

[robsouth]

Chunk the whole mess and use a cell phone.