Telephone Noise After 2nd HR21 DVR Install?

[kenmoo]

I had a 2nd HR21 installed last week and my former switch coming off the satellite was very simple. In it's place the installer put a Zenith 6/8 Switch to route the proper signals. Since around that time our cordless telephone main station and the other 3 cordless phones have had a loud hum and static. I'm an electronics dummy and was wondering if the Zenith may not be grounded correctly (if at all). Could this swap out of switching devices affect our phone line in any way? I was looking for possible solutions before an expensive phone company service call.

I also have AT&T DSL for our PC's and have swapped out the line filters to no avail. We shut the whole Wireless PC system down and it also had no change in the noise.

Thanks in advance for any help. -Ken

[Rob-NovA]

I had a 2nd HR21 installed last week and my former switch coming off the satellite was very simple. In it's place the installer put a Zenith 6/8 Switch to route the proper signals. Since around that time our cordless telephone main station and the other 3 cordless phones have had a loud hum and static. I'm an electronics dummy and was wondering if the Zenith may not be grounded correctly (if at all). Could this swap out of switching devices affect our phone line in any way? I was looking for possible solutions before an expensive phone company service call.

I also have AT&T DSL for our PC's and have swapped out the line filters to no avail. We shut the whole Wireless PC system down and it also had no change in the noise.

Thanks in advance for any help. -Ken

Are the switch and the cordless phone located near each other or plugged into the same outlet? You may want to try to plug the cordless phone base station into a different outlet (preferably on a different circuit) to see if the noise goes away.

[houskamp]

does the noise go away if you unhook the new reciever's phone line?

[kenmoo]

I didn't realize the switch was plugged into an outlet? It's outside under the deck. I'll check tomorrow morning. If so I can definitely switch circuits.

The HR21 was/is not connected to the phone lines as there is no phone outlet in the bedroom. The installer tried to go there but talked to DirecTV and they said it wasn't required.

Thanks for the ideas.

[kenmoo]

I'm not sure the HR21 install caused the problem. Could be a total coincidence. We're in a rural area and do have phone system problems. Trying to trouble shoot the obvious before I spend the big bucks on an AT&T service call.

[eakes]

It is unlikely that the new switch is powered. Remove the power from the new HR21 and see if the noise is on the phone. If it is still there, unplug the remainder of the satellite receivers. If the noise persists then there is another source of the problem.

Do you have another phone you could use to test the line? If so, unplug the cordless sets and try the other phone on the line. Is there noise on the cordless sets if the base is not connected to the phone line?

[paulman182]

Go through the ususal troublshooting steps that you use to determine whether or not to call the phone company. Begin by disconnecting the phone line from the house at the box and plug a phone directly into the line, checking for the hum.

If the hum is still there, it is a phone company problem. If not, it sounds like one side of the phone line is grounded somewhere--they are supposed to be balanced with respect to one another (neither side connected to ground.) Start disconnecting phones and receivers one at a time and see if the hum goes away.

[techrep]

When you check the multiswitch, see if it has a ground wire run to it. If it does, temporarily disconnect the ground wire and see if the hum goes away.

Sometimes, installers connect the switches to a separate or independent ground that is not connected to the house ground (the phone line is connected to the house ground) and this can result in a potential difference between the two grounds resulting in static or hum.

[kenmoo]

Finally got to the Switch and it is a Zinwell WB68. I can't find a power cord but it does seem warm to touch. There is a green wrapped copper heavy wire at the bottom that looks to be a ground. Also a very small black wrapped one at the top the runs next to one of the output cables? I disconnected both and phone still hums.

Opened the phone-input box outside and unplugged each of the two Test Jacks. First one has the hum and the 2nd has nothing. It appears I'm at the call AT&T stage based on what Paulman says unless there is some other way to test the outside phone box. Didn't seem to be any other jack there to test.

Thanks for everyone's help. Onward to more HD (different topic)!