F*ck yes. Awesome.

Fight the power!

sold out

hell mother farking yeah....

If you're stealing, you're really just stealing from yourself.

/not serious
//pretty cool actually

Better idea - cell phone charger. (don't know if it would actually work, but the irony is worth giving it a shot)

Link (new window)

This site has been around for several years, I think he sells a phone line powered cell phone charger.

The phone company will shut off your service if they catch you using one of these. And if it draws as much current as I suspect it does, it will take the line off-hook, giving any callers a busy signal.

Hongcouver: Link (new window)

This site has been around for several years, I think he sells a phone line powered cell phone charger.

They also offer this:

h2ogate: The phone company will shut off your service if they catch you using one of these. And if it draws as much current as I suspect it does, it will take the line off-hook, giving any callers a busy signal.

You could probably get away with it if you only use it during power outages.

h2ogate And if it draws as much current as I suspect it does, it will take the line off-hook, giving any callers a busy signal.

/hmmm....
**blows off dusty old user guide from land-line phones circa 1992**

Yeah, line off-hook is no problem for anyone living in the current decade...

calculator13: h2ogate And if it draws as much current as I suspect it does, it will take the line off-hook, giving any callers a busy signal.

/hmmm....
**blows off dusty old user guide from land-line phones circa 1992**

Yeah, line off-hook is no problem for anyone living in the current decade...

those 100 million plus land lines still out there...bah..who needs that?

/even folks with cell phones still keep a land line
//cell coverage isn't what it should be in all areas

Do I have to have phone service, or is the jack always hot?

This takes me back to the days of hacking a Radio Shack auto dialer to make the correct tone for inserting a quarter into the pay phone.

This was of course when you could get cool stuff at Radio Shack and the guy working behind the counter would help you with projects.

The technology behind Telco Powered Products™ is covered under US Patent No. 4773863, and other worldwide patents.

Anyone want to file a lawsuit?

Why not plug in this nifty lamp that steals power from the phone company?

Because it's stealing?

tricycleracer: Do I have to have phone service, or is the jack always hot?

I was told that any jack has to be able to dial 911. If that's true, I would guess that any phone jack will work regardless of whether it has paid-for service or not.

Tom_Slick: This takes me back to the days of hacking a Radio Shack auto dialer to make the correct tone for inserting a quarter into the pay phone.

This was of course when you could get cool stuff at Radio Shack and the guy working behind the counter would help you with projects.

Radio shack used to be the place to go for all your cool electronics project needs. When I was a teen I was fascinated with electronics and spent hundreds of hours dis-assembling things to build new things. You could go to the Shack and the guy behind the counter would tell you which IC you should use, etc. Nowadays, go in and ask for a resistor - the kid behind the counter will look at you like you have 3 heads.

\get off my lawn

Gather around kids, and learn what makes things work on a starship..

I mean...

The phone line provides enough power for this because of the popularity of the ancient Princess Phone! Which had *gasp* a light in it. Early models of the Princess required a separate transformer, but later... well, let me tell you, it was *re gasp* powered directly from the phone line. And they sold millions of them. And we liked it!

FiOS and other FTTP users, Vonage and most cable co telephone users are just stealing from themselves.

Only a traditional 2-wire pots line leading back to the central office is remotely powered.

If you have a plugged-in box from your telephone provider, the loop current is coming from your own electrical outlet.

I used to have an RCN phone line that was powered remotely but it would fail every time the power went out because they didn't maintain their batteries.

flaming99: Radio shack used to be the place to go for all your cool electronics project needs. When I was a teen I was fascinated with electronics and spent hundreds of hours dis-assembling things to build new things. You could go to the Shack and the guy behind the counter would tell you which IC you should use, etc. Nowadays, go in and ask for a resistor - the kid behind the counter will look at you like you have 3 heads.

They also had the parts and know how to help you build antennas for you shortwave radio, plus you could get crystals for your police and fire scanner to tune in other towns and counties.

/Yes lived in a small town in the middle of the Maine woods we had to get our entertainment somewhere.
//Plus you could bribe your brother when you heard his name over the police scanner.

I have a cell phone and no land line. Sounds like fun, ihatedumbpeople: calculator13: h2ogate And if it draws as much current as I suspect it does, it will take the line off-hook, giving any callers a busy signal.

/hmmm....
**blows off dusty old user guide from land-line phones circa 1992**

Yeah, line off-hook is no problem for anyone living in the current decade...

those 100 million plus land lines still out there...bah..who needs that?

/even folks with cell phones still keep a land line
//cell coverage isn't what it should be in all areas

I don't have a land line.

Also, I was that guy behind the counter at Radio Shack.
If you were a halfway competent RS employee you were fully capable of moving on to much bigger and better things - or you just didn't care.

They made everyone sign a paper assigning all ideas and inventions to Tandy Corp when I worked there. I wonder if they still do.

tricycleracer:

I believe the jack is always hot, whether or not you pay for the phone line. The idea behind it is that a person should have a way to call essential emergency services (911), regardless of ability to pay for phone service.

GilRuiz1: Why not plug in this nifty lamp that steals power from the phone company?

Because it's stealing?

Why not kill Gilruiz1 for questioning subby?