Triplett WireMaster XR5 – PN: 3260 - Manual (Page 12)

Many telephone cables with RJ-11 plugs / jacks are wired
in reverse. The XR-5 will show that a cable like this is
Crossed. A cable like this reverses the polarity of the
telephone line. Most regular telephones made in the last
20 years are not polarity sensitive. So, even though the
cable is wired in reverse (crossed), it may work OK.
Early touch tone telephones and answering machines
were polarity sensitive. If connected in reverse polarity,
the touch tone phone may not dial out (no touch tone),
and the answering machine may not answer when the
line rings.
7.6.4 The WireMaster XR-5 says my RJ-11 phone cable is
good, but my phone doesn't work.
First, make sure the telephone line is hooked up and
"live" by using a tester like the Triplett Line Bug or Line
Bug 2. This simple tester will verify the presence of loop
current, and will test the polarity of the line.
The "good" cable may result in a reversed line. The Line
Bug will show reversed if this is the case. The line is not
actually being reversed in the good cable......its been
reversed somewhere else along the wire. Either the
reversed cable can be located and corrected, or, an often
used simpler approach is to replace the good cable with a
reversed cable, making the polarity come out correctly. It
is also worth knowing that some female/female couplers
reverse the polarity of the phone line.
Analog telephones will usually work, regardless of line
polarity. Digital phones are often polarity sensitive, and
may not work with reversed line polarity.
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