Eeeps you have just given by far the worst advice I've heard on hear since joining in 2008. Please tell me you do not have masters all over the place?

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by Eeeps:

One fix is to just supply A & B to all extension sockets and fit masters at each.

Ye Gods!

Might be fine as long as you have no intention of wanting broadband or happy with substandard broadband. As for the FTTC level of broadband, forget it!

I can't really see the problem. Each master socket presents an additional impedance between the legs of 470k. Are you saying that this is the problem?

This arrangement also means the two legs are properly balanced rather than having the imbalance caused by the ring wire hanging off the b leg.

The key aspect of this arrangement is that the ring wire must not be used and left disconnected.
Indeed for the OP, if he only has one phone that uses the ring wire then this is the only extension that needs to have master circuitry (i.e. the 1.8uF capacitor and the 470K resistor).

In reply to a post by ukhardy07:

Eeeps you have just given by far the worst advice I've heard on hear since joining in 2008. Please tell me you do not have masters all over the place?

Why 'worst advice' - please explain your reasoning?

Please see my other post for mine.

Do you have a Masters?

Indeed for the OP, if he only has one phone that uses the ring wire then this is the only extension that needs to have master circuitry (i.e. the 1.8uF capacitor and the 470K resistor).

Answered correctly by MHC yesterday.

One way round it is to get a dangly filter and use that with the phone - some work and some do not. Or just reconnect the ring wire.

Or install a filtered extension socket, which will provide a ring facility without a ring wire, as it contains the XF-1e dangly filter circuitry.

In reply to a post by Eeeps:

I can't really see the problem. Each master socket presents an additional impedance between the legs of 470k. Are you saying that this is the problem?

WRONG. I suggest you go back to basics and do the calculations.

The corded phones are five or six years old. They are BT Duet and the box proclaims they are Proudly Designed in England. Slight disappointment to find the Made in China label on the phone itself ...

MHC named the problem straight away as there is no ring wire connected from the master which has (I think) filtered faceplate in both houses. I took the cover off and found the corded phone worked from the test socket, then refitted the cover and found the outer phone socket worked too. It's just the extension that will not ring although the corded phone will make outgoing calls from it, and the cordless base stations work fine.

Given that the corded phone is only for mains power outage, there's no problem in using only the master when the lights go out. Thank you again for your advice.