Los Angeles Telephone Repair

Having worked as a telephone systems repairman for Pacific telephone in the 1980’s, needless to say I’ve been in the trade for a good number of years. I spent a lot of time working with many of the older digital telephone systems and can claim in to have worked with electronic (EK) telephone systems as well. Since, I’m still working in the trade it’s safe to believe I’m now working with VOIP and Server based Business telephone systems.

Make no mistake new technology is a good thing, as long as no one allow the features of today’s phones become a constant distraction as to the purpose of having a telephone in the first place. If you’re old enough to remember business telephones before Voice Mail, than maybe you also remember a time when you could dial a business and actually talk with someone. So long ago, yes young ones live conversations over the telephone, Once, actually happen. Today’s telephones can allow callers to leave a Voice Mail and allow the message to be delivered by email. A person has to really think these days, to find a true reason to speak to a customer. At times, I think the only people that places phone call, with a true belief that someone has time to talk to them are telemarketers.    

Our the years as telephone technology changes, one aspect of telephone systems technology stays constant. The simple fact that the equipment does malfunction.

From a telephone technician point of view, there really hasn’t been that much change as most major changes in technology has to do with the method in which communication signals are passed between points on a network. A telephone repairman for the most part has to be able to understand how the equipment should function and what parts are not performing. Basic principles of telecommunications still consist of transmitting sounds based on pitch and length and than interpreted. Either Voice or Data transmitted over Wires or Wireless is dependent on sound. If a sound reaches a certain pitch and remains for a certain period of time it has a certain meaning. To say that modern telecommunications has a lot in common with smoke signals and drums isn’t really an untrue statement. Much of the detail would be left out, however no one could claim it, not to be based in fact.

Back to the telephone systems repairman

The term telephone systems repairman vs telephone systems repair technician is used as a reference of than and now. Two terms that mean the same and yet one invokes someone older and less in style, the latter a more modern and wiser person. Business telephone systems of yesterday is more in step with a telephone system repairman, with the more modern VOIP or Server based business telephone systems being the domain of telephone repair technicians, who in most instances is the IT technician that is trained to repair Computer Systems. Of course since most computer technicians are out of work due to the majority of businesses being able to maintain their own networks, these Computer technicians are happy to accept the job. Of course after accepting they subcontract the actual work out to the telephone systems repairman at twice the cost, to the customer. Although I say this tongue and cheek, however the facts are what they are.

The job of a telephone systems repairman or repair technician isn’t to create technology, nor do we write programs for any telephone systems devices. Take a look at the equipment that make up a server based phone system, a few boxes which are connected together with Patch Cables. Other Patch Cables are connected to a patch panel where cables extend out to Phone Jacks enabling telephone terminals and other devices to connect to a network.

Programming of the system consist of connecting a computer, and opening a Web Browser or a proprietary software package  that the manufacturer of the telephone system has created. Entering a password and answering yes or no questions to reach the desired configuration of the system. IP addresses allow different units of the system the ability to communicate among the various components. When I was called a telephone system repairman I can still remember taking hours entering strings of hexadecimal code, just to enable business telephone extensions to ring.

Phone system repair in Los Angeles as old as the Merlin Plus