Phone problem

[fiatpanda]

Landline tested by the engineer and there isn't a problem. Connect a simple handset to the junction box and it works perfectly. Tried to use a more sophisticated device with an answering machine and coudn't dial out when I plugged the device into the power socket, also the dial tone was very quiet. Telephone engineers have twice diagnosed faulty equipment but I tested the second device elsewhere and it worked perfectly. The telephone engineers were at a loss and couldn't diagnose the problem.

[chrisjp]

We need some more information.
-- Do you have an analogue phone or have you beem migrated to Digital Voice?
-- When you say "juinction box" do you mean the BT Mastersocket (the one where your phone/broadband line first comes into the house)?
-- When you plugged your answer machine phone into the power socket, did you also plug its phone line into the Mastersocket/junction box?

[iniltous]

Are BT your provider ?

[fiatpanda]

Yes

[fiatpanda]

Analogue, so far as I am aware. Master socket (I couldn't remember what it was called). Plugged the phone into both. When I unplugged it from the power socket the phone would work but not well (relying on the power over the BT line)

[iniltous]

If your  phone is mains powered obviously it needs to be plugged into the mains to work correctly , if you haven’t been migrated to DV then the phone  ( corded or presumably mains powered cordless phone ) needs to be plugged into the phone socket on the wall ( where the line from outside terminates ) it’s only if on DV the phone plugs into the router , which one gives you dialtone , socket on the wall or home hub phone socket ? 

Does your phone with incoming calls and it’s just outgoing calls that don’t work ? , check the phone doesn’t have a signalling switch that can change between LD ( loop disconnect pulses ) and MF ( tone dialing ) , if it does which one is it switched to ? , try switching it over to the other setting.

If an engineer has already been and using their own phone , outgoing calls works,  that suggests your own equipment is faulty , although you state it works ok at a different location .

A corded landline phone can be had for less than  £10 , or borrow a phone ( preferably a corded one ) from a neighbour, friend or relative and try that ….if another phone works , it’s obvious your original phone , if the new phone also cannot make calls , re report it , but at the moment the evidence is contradictory.

[chrisjp]

"Analogue, so far as I am aware. Master socket (I couldn't remember what it was called). Plugged the phone into both. When I unplugged it from the power socket the phone would work but not well (relying on the power over the BT line) "

This implies that when your phone was plugged into both (power socket and BT mastersocket) it fully worked. If it's unplugged from the power socket, of course it won't work well or, indeed, at all. And you've already said that when a simple handset is plugged into the mastersocket it works perfectly.
If that's all true, what is the fault that you are complaining about?

[fiatpanda]

If I plug a simple handset into the BT socket it can make and receive calls. Anything that requires a power plug fails. The telephone engineer couldn't solve the problem and advised using a simple handset. The problem started a few weeks ago when incoming calls on our cordless handsets suffered terrible interference.The engineer came and diagnosed faulty equipment. I replaced the phones but the problem persisted. The engineer returned and said the new phones were faulty. The manageress at Argos initially wouldn't allow a return because she tested them on her system and said they were working. However, she relented and accepted them back. I bought a corded telephone which was no better. A different engineer came and he diagnosed faulty equipment. I have tested it elsewhere and it works satisfactorily. That is the story, so far.

[rbz5416]

The only thing I can think of that fits with all you've described it a faulty mains socket. That would explain why the phones work elsewhere. Can you run an extension lead from another socket to test if the powered phone works then?

[chrisjp]

"I bought a corded telephone which was no better. "
Did that corded phone also need a power supply and you used the power supply that came with the new corded phone? If it did, then I concur with rbz5416 that the problem must be with your power socket.
If you kept using the power supply that came with your old phone that doesn't work, then maybe the fault is with this power supply. I've had that happen with my BT Decor phone/answering machine. I suffered for several months with terrible buzzing on my then analogue phone line and it was only when the power supply failed completely and I had to replace it that this interference completely stopped.