500' POTS Line?

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jgdpsu

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Question for you all. I need to run an approx. 500' POTS line from one building on a site (with the telephone backboard) to another building. Nothing special, no PBX...just need a standard RJ-11 jack in the other building. My question is this distance doable w/o any special means? If so, what type of telephone wire would you recommend? Cat 3/5?

Thanks in advance.
 
I would think you need to get some cat 5 cable that is suitable for outdoor use. If this conduit is outside in the ground, moisture will be in the conduit so you do need either direct burial cable or something suitable for wet location. I am not sure but it may put a lot of stress on the cable pulling that distance. I would pull a #12 or #14 wire with it and tape it to the cable using the #12/14 to take the tension from the pull.
 
It will be cabled outside/underground in conduit...but I would definitely need to spec outdoor (outside plant) rated cable for sure. There will also be atleast a couple pulling points.

I guess more specifically my question is: will cat 5e work for a 500' POTS line without any special devices to boost range/signal?
 
Any (read- ANY) two conductors will work for a POTS line, even over 500' (which is quite short, POTS-line wise). However if you want it to be able to also carry DSL or digital phones, don't use barbed wire :D, get some decent OSP (outside plant) cable (at least 12 pairs, lots of spares), and pull that. You can get it with strength members for pulling. You'll also need protectors at both ends of the run.

Consider also adding maybe 6pr of fiber while you're at it for future use.
 
If it is true POTS from the Telco using -48VDC supply, there will be no problem with the distance. If you are supplying from a PBX or key system using 12 VDC, then you might have a problem.

I would suggest a good quality 6, 12, or 25 pair shielded ABAM cable with protectors at both ends where the cable leaves/enters the building.
 
Thanks for all the help...sounds like a good quality 24awg OSP cat 5e should get it done.

It is true telco (Verizon) POTS, no special telephone systems onsite...just a standard plywood backboard w/ a connector block for the incoming telco wire to the building's internal tele wiring.
 
iwire said:
Then there is absolutely no reason waste money on Cat 5, 5E or 6 etc. Those are data cables, not POT cables.
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I agree, and voice, even DSL, will not require more than CAT-3.
 
When I'm running cable for customer owned digital PBX's, and the spec calls for cat3, I normally run 5e anyhow. It's cheaper nowadays, most of the time, when compared with cat3.
 
mdshunk said:
When I'm running cable for customer owned digital PBX's, and the spec calls for cat3, I normally run 5e anyhow. It's cheaper nowadays, most of the time, when compared with cat3.
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What if your buying cat 5e OSP cable?

A few of the Voice and Data guys have pointed out that using cat 5 or better for voice slows down the termination of the cable. Personally I don't know, I am very slow terminating all V&D cables. :D
 
iwire said:
What if your buying cat 5e OSP cable?
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That's a horse of another color, then, I'd guess. I don't really know that type of cable as OSP. I've generally known it as "icky-pick", because of the Vaseline type goo inside.
 
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