How to hook up field phones
It's really easy. Phones muse be of the same general kind. There are three kinds which are commonly found on the surplus market. You must have two phones of the same kind to communcate.
two-wire analog phones
four-wire analog phones
four-wire digital phones (NON-SECURE DIGITAL VOICE TERMINAL)
Two-wire analog phones are generally compatible with other two-wire phones. The user merely connects them together with a 2-conductor wire, which can be actual field wire, or anything from speaker wire, lamp cord to CAT5 computer wire, or regular old telephone wire.
"2-conductor" means that the cable has two wires in it, which are insulated from each other. Polarity of the wires is not important. The phones have a switch on them for the kind of hookup. The easiest way to set them up is to set the switch to the "local battery" or "LB" position. In this position, each phone will use its own batteries.
Lift the handset and crank the handle. The other phone will 'clack' or ring as long as you crank. When the other phone is answered, the operators may speak.
For 4-wire analog phones, two pairs of wire are needed. Four-wire phones are generally compatible with other four-wire phones. The user merely connects them together with a 4-conductor wire, which can be actual field wire, or CAT5 computer wire, or regular old telephone wire.
"4-conductor" means that the cable has two wires in it, which are insulated from each other.
Connect the "TX" terminals of phone #1 to the "RX" terminals of phone #2.
Connect the "TX" terminals of phone #2 to the "RX" terminals of phone #1.
Polarity of the wires is not important. The phones have a switch on them for the kind of hookup. The easiest way to set them up is to set the switch to the "local battery" or "LB" position. In this position, each phone will use its own batteries.
Lift the handset. The other phone will ring. When the other phone is answered, the operators may speak.
For 4-wire digital phones, two pairs of wire are needed. Four-wire phones are generally compatible with other four-wire phones. The user merely connects them together with a 4-conductor wire, which can be actual field wire, or CAT5 computer wire, or regular old telephone wire.
"4-conductor" means that the cable has two wires in it, which are insulated from each other.
Connect the "TX" terminals of phone #1 to the "RX" terminals of phone #2.
Connect the "TX" terminals of phone #2 to the "RX" terminals of phone #1.
Polarity of the wires is not important. The phones have a switch on them for the kind of hookup. The easiest way to set them up is to set the switch to the "local battery" or "LB" position. In this position, each phone will use its own batteries or in some cases a power supply. If the remote phone requires an external power supply, and you have power locally, just use a 6-wire cable, or CAT5 computer cable which has 8 wires.
The digital phones have baud rate settings. supposedly, the higher the setting, the better the quality. Lower baud rates are more reliable. both phones must be set to the same baud rate. Common baud rates are 16KbpS and 32KbpS. These are often merely labeled "16" or "32". Sometimes the battery switch is incorporated into the baud rate switch, adding more positions. Set the phone to 16LB for example, for 16 Kb operation.
Digital phones sometimes have unusual power requirements. Some take batteries. Some take up to 56VDC. Be sure to use the correct power supply and polarity with respect to power!
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