I admit to living in the past, and being a bit of a technophobe, but time
was, when you wanted to shut out the outside world , you could prevent
access to your phone by leaving the phone off the hook.

These days, if you leave the phone off- hook, you get a "police siren"
wailing until you put it back. Just wondered why. Does it hurt anything in
the system if you leave the phone "engaged"? I can understand a brief
warning tone to alert that you have accidently left the phone off-hook, but
it seems that you no longer have control over your own phone.

It doesn't matter quite so much when you live in your own home,and can use
answer machines, in conjunction with caller display. However, years ago, I
lived in a hostel (bed-sits in a normal house) where there was a communal
payphone, and one of the the other residents had an abusive boyfriend (a
real nasty piece of work who knocked her about) who would ring the payphone
constantly when his girlfriend wouldn't answer her mobile. The other
residents, and I had our own phones, but we had the nuisance value of the
boyfriend ringing, and being unable to stop him by simply leaving the phone
off-hook. The phone happened to be directly outside my room, and in the end,
"I did violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way to stop
the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone off-hook? Or can I
not choose anymore?

Jennie

The orijinal wrote:
  The phone happened to be directly outside my room, and in the end,
> "I did violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way to stop
> the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone off-hook? Or can I
> not choose anymore?
> 
> Jennie
> 
> 

On some lines the siren will stop after a short period of time.

On Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:18:33 UTC, "The orijinal" 
 wrote:

> I admit to living in the past, and being a bit of a technophobe, but time
> was, when you wanted to shut out the outside world , you could prevent
> access to your phone by leaving the phone off the hook.
>  
> These days, if you leave the phone off- hook, you get a "police siren"
> wailing until you put it back. Just wondered why. Does it hurt anything in
> the system if you leave the phone "engaged"? I can understand a brief
> warning tone to alert that you have accidently left the phone off-hook, but
> it seems that you no longer have control over your own phone.

Unplug it from the wall socket.

-- 
Bob Eager
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

The orijinal wrote:
> I admit to living in the past, and being a bit of a technophobe, but
> time was, when you wanted to shut out the outside world , you could
> prevent access to your phone by leaving the phone off the hook.
>
> These days, if you leave the phone off- hook, you get a "police siren"
> wailing until you put it back. Just wondered why. Does it hurt
> anything in the system if you leave the phone "engaged"? I can
> understand a brief warning tone to alert that you have accidently
> left the phone off-hook, but it seems that you no longer have control
> over your own phone.
>
> It doesn't matter quite so much when you live in your own home,and
> can use answer machines, in conjunction with caller display. However,
> years ago, I lived in a hostel (bed-sits in a normal house) where
> there was a communal payphone, and one of the the other residents had
> an abusive boyfriend (a real nasty piece of work who knocked her
> about) who would ring the payphone constantly when his girlfriend
> wouldn't answer her mobile. The other residents, and I had our own
> phones, but we had the nuisance value of the boyfriend ringing, and
> being unable to stop him by simply leaving the phone off-hook. The
> phone happened to be directly outside my room, and in the end, "I did
> violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way to stop
> the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone off-hook? Or
> can I not choose anymore?

Unplug it at the wall socket.

Peter Crosland

g6jns@yahoo.co.uk

"Peter Crosland"  wrote in message 
news:lOOdnZj_r6VVQY_VnZ2dnUVZ8s2mnZ2d@plusnet...
> The orijinal wrote:
>> I admit to living in the past, and being a bit of a technophobe, but
>> time was, when you wanted to shut out the outside world , you could
>> prevent access to your phone by leaving the phone off the hook.
>>
>> These days, if you leave the phone off- hook, you get a "police siren"
>> wailing until you put it back. Just wondered why. Does it hurt
>> anything in the system if you leave the phone "engaged"? I can
>> understand a brief warning tone to alert that you have accidently
>> left the phone off-hook, but it seems that you no longer have control
>> over your own phone.
>>
>> It doesn't matter quite so much when you live in your own home,and
>> can use answer machines, in conjunction with caller display. However,
>> years ago, I lived in a hostel (bed-sits in a normal house) where
>> there was a communal payphone, and one of the the other residents had
>> an abusive boyfriend (a real nasty piece of work who knocked her
>> about) who would ring the payphone constantly when his girlfriend
>> wouldn't answer her mobile. The other residents, and I had our own
>> phones, but we had the nuisance value of the boyfriend ringing, and
>> being unable to stop him by simply leaving the phone off-hook. The
>> phone happened to be directly outside my room, and in the end, "I did
>> violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way to stop
>> the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone off-hook? Or
>> can I not choose anymore?
>
> Unplug it at the wall socket.
>
> Peter Crosland
>
> g6jns@yahoo.co.uk
>Then you may lose any memory you have on it ,just switch the ringer off

"Leveled"  wrote in message 
news:vKqdncy69rc_2o7VnZ2dnUVZ8ternZ2d@plusnet...
>
> "Peter Crosland"  wrote in message 
> news:lOOdnZj_r6VVQY_VnZ2dnUVZ8s2mnZ2d@plusnet...
>> The orijinal wrote:
>>> I admit to living in the past, and being a bit of a technophobe, but
>>> time was, when you wanted to shut out the outside world , you could
>>> prevent access to your phone by leaving the phone off the hook.
>>>
>>> These days, if you leave the phone off- hook, you get a "police siren"
>>> wailing until you put it back. Just wondered why. Does it hurt
>>> anything in the system if you leave the phone "engaged"? I can
>>> understand a brief warning tone to alert that you have accidently
>>> left the phone off-hook, but it seems that you no longer have control
>>> over your own phone.
>>>
>>> It doesn't matter quite so much when you live in your own home,and
>>> can use answer machines, in conjunction with caller display. However,
>>> years ago, I lived in a hostel (bed-sits in a normal house) where
>>> there was a communal payphone, and one of the the other residents had
>>> an abusive boyfriend (a real nasty piece of work who knocked her
>>> about) who would ring the payphone constantly when his girlfriend
>>> wouldn't answer her mobile. The other residents, and I had our own
>>> phones, but we had the nuisance value of the boyfriend ringing, and
>>> being unable to stop him by simply leaving the phone off-hook. The
>>> phone happened to be directly outside my room, and in the end, "I did
>>> violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way to stop
>>> the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone off-hook? Or
>>> can I not choose anymore?
>>
>> Unplug it at the wall socket.
>>
>> Peter Crosland
>>
>> g6jns@yahoo.co.uk
>>Then you may lose any memory you have on it ,just switch the ringer off


But we are talking about System X "howler" aren't we?

High level sound from the *handset*



-- 
Graham

%Profound_observation%

"Graham."  wrote in message 
news:fuvlu6$e0q$1@registered.motzarella.org...
>
> "Leveled"  wrote in message 
> news:vKqdncy69rc_2o7VnZ2dnUVZ8ternZ2d@plusnet...
>>
>> "Peter Crosland"  wrote in message 
>> news:lOOdnZj_r6VVQY_VnZ2dnUVZ8s2mnZ2d@plusnet...
>>> The orijinal wrote:
>>>> I admit to living in the past, and being a bit of a technophobe, but
>>>> time was, when you wanted to shut out the outside world , you could
>>>> prevent access to your phone by leaving the phone off the hook.
>>>>
>>>> These days, if you leave the phone off- hook, you get a "police siren"
>>>> wailing until you put it back. Just wondered why. Does it hurt
>>>> anything in the system if you leave the phone "engaged"? I can
>>>> understand a brief warning tone to alert that you have accidently
>>>> left the phone off-hook, but it seems that you no longer have control
>>>> over your own phone.
>>>>
>>>> It doesn't matter quite so much when you live in your own home,and
>>>> can use answer machines, in conjunction with caller display. However,
>>>> years ago, I lived in a hostel (bed-sits in a normal house) where
>>>> there was a communal payphone, and one of the the other residents had
>>>> an abusive boyfriend (a real nasty piece of work who knocked her
>>>> about) who would ring the payphone constantly when his girlfriend
>>>> wouldn't answer her mobile. The other residents, and I had our own
>>>> phones, but we had the nuisance value of the boyfriend ringing, and
>>>> being unable to stop him by simply leaving the phone off-hook. The
>>>> phone happened to be directly outside my room, and in the end, "I did
>>>> violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way to stop
>>>> the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone off-hook? Or
>>>> can I not choose anymore?
>>>
>>> Unplug it at the wall socket.
>>>
>>> Peter Crosland
>>>
>>> g6jns@yahoo.co.uk
>>>Then you may lose any memory you have on it ,just switch the ringer off
>
>
> But we are talking about System X "howler" aren't we?
>
> High level sound from the *handset*
>

But if the phone's on-hook with the ringer turned off....

GS

Er because you can just unplug it!

BT hasn't installed hard wired in phones for about twenty years, and AFAIK 
nobody else has.

You can also order ICB and block incoming calls (this can be switched on and 
off), fit a TAM or have 1571 to catch calls when the phone is unplugged.

"The orijinal"  wrote in message 
news:HPudnffvrMCSMI_VnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@plusnet...
>I admit to living in the past, and being a bit of a technophobe, but time
> was, when you wanted to shut out the outside world , you could prevent
> access to your phone by leaving the phone off the hook.
>
> These days, if you leave the phone off- hook, you get a "police siren"
> wailing until you put it back. Just wondered why. Does it hurt anything in
> the system if you leave the phone "engaged"? I can understand a brief
> warning tone to alert that you have accidently left the phone off-hook, 
> but
> it seems that you no longer have control over your own phone.
>
> It doesn't matter quite so much when you live in your own home,and can use
> answer machines, in conjunction with caller display. However, years ago, I
> lived in a hostel (bed-sits in a normal house) where there was a communal
> payphone, and one of the the other residents had an abusive boyfriend (a
> real nasty piece of work who knocked her about) who would ring the 
> payphone
> constantly when his girlfriend wouldn't answer her mobile. The other
> residents, and I had our own phones, but we had the nuisance value of the
> boyfriend ringing, and being unable to stop him by simply leaving the 
> phone
> off-hook. The phone happened to be directly outside my room, and in the 
> end,
> "I did violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way to stop
> the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone off-hook? Or can 
> I
> not choose anymore?
>
> Jennie
>
>

"GS"  wrote in message 
news:iMOdnRwc_uOUwI7VnZ2dnUVZ8tmhnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> "Graham."  wrote in message 
> news:fuvlu6$e0q$1@registered.motzarella.org...

>>>>Then you may lose any memory you have on it ,just switch the ringer off
>>
>>
>> But we are talking about System X "howler" aren't we?
>>
>> High level sound from the *handset*
>>

System X does it automatically.  In the old days, if a number was 
persistently engaged you could ask the operator to 'verify speech', and if 
it was absent to initiate "howl round".

>
> But if the phone's on-hook with the ringer turned off....

Tough, but it won't be engaged!

>
> GS
>

Leveled  wrote 

> > Unplug it at the wall socket.

 >Then you may lose any memory you have on it ,just switch the ringer
off 

I have never had a wired phone that had such a facility, only HI & LO.

Call Minder and set to answer after 0 rings perhaps.

But ISTR that at least two days unplugged was needed to lose memory
contents.

-- 
Mike D

Michael R N Dolbear wrote:
> Leveled  wrote 
> 
>>> Unplug it at the wall socket.
> 
>  >Then you may lose any memory you have on it ,just switch the ringer
> off 
> 
> I have never had a wired phone that had such a facility, only HI & LO.
> 
> Call Minder and set to answer after 0 rings perhaps.
> 
> But ISTR that at least two days unplugged was needed to lose memory
> contents.

Unless you forget it's not connected, and lift the handset. In that instance 
the memory gets wiped IME.


-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

"Leveled"  wrote in message 
news:vKqdncy69rc_2o7VnZ2dnUVZ8ternZ2d@plusnet...
> "Peter Crosland"  wrote in message 
> news:lOOdnZj_r6VVQY_VnZ2dnUVZ8s2mnZ2d@plusnet...
<snip>
>> Then you may lose any memory you have on it,
>> just switch the ringer off
>
Some phones have their own battery back up
which would solve that problem

Steve Terry

In news:FYzQj.15487$yD2.10648@text.news.virginmedia.com,
BC  typed, for some strange, unexplained 
reason:
: The orijinal wrote:
:   The phone happened to be directly outside my room, and in the end,
: > "I did violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way
: > to stop the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone
: > off-hook? Or can I not choose anymore?
: >
: > Jennie
: >
: >
:
: On some lines the siren will stop after a short period of time.

Assuming you don't still have a hardwired phone, just unplug it. That's 
why master sockets have a resistor in them.

Ivor

On 26 Apr, 05:18, "The orijinal"  wrote:

> "I did violence to it". Ok Illegal -probably, but is there any way to stop
> the "police siren" if I were to choose to leave my phone off-hook? Or can I
> not choose anymore?

a.) Get your landlord to get BT to disable the howler

or, do one of the following, depending on how much of the phone is
hardwired, and/or how old it is.

b.) Unplug the phone from the wall
c.) Unplug the handset from the phone
d.) Unscrew the earpiece cap from the receiver (it would have to be
really old to have one of these)
e.) Leave the handset on-hook but disable the ringer.
f.) Plug the receiver earpiece up with blu tak
g.) Find where the wires go and unscrew the little plastic box and
wires inside.

Richard [in SG1]