[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I haven't connected more than two handsets so I am not exceeding the > magic 4 REMs (whatever they may be).
It's actually REN not REM. Stands for Ringer Equivalence Number - and is used to calculate the loading on the line. When there is an incoming call, the exchange sends an AC signal (can't remember what voltage, but may well be in the region of 30V to 50V) down the wire. In the good old days this activated an electromagnet which caused the bell in your telephone to ring. Too many phones connected caused too much loading to the line and there wasn't enough signal left to make the phone ring reliably. One old phone had a REN of one, and the GPO set a maximum limit of four phones allowed to be connected to any one line. This is all dredged from the dusty shelf at the back of my memory, and may well be in error in places. Terry Streeter NB Arun - Brierley Hill
