What does it mean when incoming phone call get only a half of a ring

[cantstandbush]

and no one can get through to you?

i am having this problem with my home phone and there is a lot of noise on the line and Verizon seems not to be able to locate the problem.

[Squatch]

1. No Such Agency is gumming up the works

[DawgHouse]

2. My phone line used to do that after heavy rains.

The problem ended up being found at a "switch box" (???) or something like that. The phone company eventually fixed it but kept insisting that it was a problem with our inside the house wiring before they found the problem down the road. Sorry I'm not more technically inclined but that's basically what I was told!

edited to add: I could make phone calls OUT but nobody could call in to me without getting the half ring.

[tech3149]

4. The phone line is grounding out

possibly from moisture or dirt. The ring voltage is higher and the short circuit is seen then. That signals the phone co the call was answered and it stops ringing. The short changes resistance and it may start working on it's own again. You can check to make sure the house wiring is OK by taking a phone out to the interface box where the wiring enters the house. Unplug the jack inside and plug the phone in there. If it works there, the problem is in the house somwhere.

[DawgHouse]

5. That's pretty much how it was explained to me.

tech is a good name for you! It was frustrating because once the lines dried out, the problem corrected itself. So by the time the phone company arrived to fix it, the phone worked fine.

[Canuckistanian]

6. That's what it sounds like to me

The ring voltage must be severely reduced. There could be something loading down the circuit.

A quick check with an analyzer could tell if the tip/ring voltage is OK.

Hey, cantstandbush, has the phone company actually been to your place to check the lines?

[morningglory]

3. Could be a damp spider web across the 2 sides of your line. Do you have a

little metal box outside your house where the phone company's line terminates and your house wiring is connected to it? If not "down the road" as the poster suggested, could be there.

[IDemo]

7. If you can find the gray box outside your house, take your phone to it

and you should be able to plug it in at a jack labled 'customer access'. You may need a screwdriver to open the cover on the box. By doing this, you will disconnect yourself from any electrical problems on your inside wiring or other telephone equipment. If your line sounds better, incoming callers don't get a continuous busy signal or interrupted ring, etc., the problem is on your side of the box. You can disconnect phones, answering machines, modems, one-by-one and see if the trouble goes away. If not, you will need to repair or replace the inside wiring or have it done.
If the line sounds bad with your phone plugged in at the gray 'ni' (network interface) box, the trouble is in the telephone company's lines or equipment.

[uncle ray]

8. could be a bad phone is connected too.

i had a similar problem, it turned out to be a phone that had been zapped by lightening. also, of you have DSL, try removing the DSL filters on the phones, they can short out too.