disconnections / strong winds?

[#1]

All together now,
Happy days are here again --

[#2]

Quote from: Bob

The 'machine' referred to is a megger. They still do exist. The high voltage used breaks down the high resistance (h/r in the jargon) joints which are commonly encountered in aluminium conductor cables. It is of course only a temporary cure. If there is a fault of this nature on a circuit it is possible that it may also be temporarily broken down by the ringing current. The voltage of which is 75v, it is a 17 cycle AC signal. This is why that if an automated line test is used, it may result in a temporary clear when the customer is rung to be advised of the test result.

Aluminium wire is not common in telephone circuits - they are either copper, or copper-clad-steel. Although a megger may as a side-effect break-down oxidisation at bad joints, that's not what it was designed to do - it is for testing insulation resistance. Anyone who can get hold of a modern Megger could easily send 5kV back down the line to the exchange - I'm sure BT would be well impressed with the attempt to test their overvoltage protection, but it wouldn't stop them landing you in court!
In the UK, the ringing voltage is not 75v - the open circuit voltage is 100v, and the frequency is not 17 Hz - it's 25Hz

[#3]

notheruser,
When you said,

Quote

In the UK, the ringing voltage is not 75v - the open circuit voltage is 100v, and the frequency is not 17 Hz - it's 25Hz

it just shows that some things do change, doesn't it.
but when you say,

Quote

Aluminium wire is not common in telephone circuits - they are either copper, or copper-clad-steel.

there is still a great deal of alumininium conductor cable in use in the BT local cable network. It was installed a long time ago when copper became very expensive.
The copper covered steel conductors were used in overhead 'drop-wires'. They have probably been replaced by now. Where they were installed, say in coastal districts, they were not long lasting. Ask anyone who was a lineman at Seaford, East Sussex, for instance. If you don't know one, I could put you in touch. We still meet about once a month ( and the beer's not bad either).There are still a few about, and their comments used to be along the lines, --- 'whoever thought they were a good idea, wants his head testing'. Some of their comments used to be a bit earthier, but they were fine chaps anyway, with quite a bit of experience. As a co-incidence, when we met on the 4th March, one splendid fellow laughingly commented on the habit of using a megger to clear a noise fault. If you want to buy him a pint he drinks Guinness.
You say,

Quote

Although a megger may as a side-effect break-down oxidisation at bad joints, that's not what it was designed to do - it is for testing insulation resistance

I didn't say that a megger was designed to do that old chap (or chappess?). I was only trying to explain something to a previous contributor (Mad Moggie). If you click on the link I provided it will take you to a short description of a megger as an insulation tester. To make it easier this is what it says,

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A megger (or sometimes meggar) is often used as an alternate term for an insulation tester - a circuit tester which puts a very high voltage at a very low current across two conductors to make sure that they are properly insulated. The word is short for megohm-meter.

[#4]

Quote from: Bob

I didn't say that a megger was designed to do that old chap (or chappess?). I was only trying to explain something to a previous contributor (Mad Moggie). If you click on the link I provided it will take you to a short description of a megger as an insulation tester.

Presumably then, BT don't let their people use them to cure faults these days because they weren't designed for that purpose. As an 'expert' on these things, Bob, do you think that's the reason?

[#5]

Mad Moggie,

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Presumably then, BT don't let their people use them to cure faults these days because they weren't designed for that purpose. As an 'expert' on these things, Bob, do you think that's the reason?

When you said the above you were kind,
but, ----
I was a lineman nearly sixty years ago, I left BT just over 20 years ago, as I have quoted elsewhere one of my colleagues once said -- "We are all experts in an outdated technology", or words like that.
Having set the position right,
meggers were used by the EL&P groups (Electric Light and Power) in buildings etc, and also cable testers on trunk and junction cables. There were instructions concerning their use and the staff had to attend courses, before they were allowed to use meggers etc. Well that was the idea.
My experience with meggers was in testing trunk and junction cables, (I spent some years in a repeater station on line transmission duties).
If I put it this way, the use of meggers to clear faults was not common. It was known that if a high testing voltage or the application of ringing voltage to a line would as a side effect temporarily clear a fault. It was regarded sometimes as an undesirable method of testing, because the cause of a fault was not found. It was then likely to re-occur. This is why I beleive that automatic line testers have the drawback of applying ringing current to a line to advise the result of a test. The test desks used manual procedures where alternative methods can be used.
I'm sorry if I've gone on a bit. What you have to remember is that there are, and have always been 'old Spanish customs'.

[#6]

I thought the Ities had more odd customs than the Spanish, like more reverse tears than forward