Telephone line monitor

Circuit diagram

If you feel that somebody is tampering with your telephone line you might find this little circuit useful. It detects if there is another telephone connected to the line, if there is a short or an open line. Sound and a flashing light will tell you which is the current situation. The speaker is practically cut out during a normal conversation thus preserving privacy, only the LED will flash occasionally. The circuit does not require any battery and takes the supply from the telephone line itself. The transistors used are wired in a reversed biased fashion thus behaving as oscillators. You might try the 2N2222A as an alternative (not tested). This monitor is, of course, suitable only for analogue lines. Watch the polarity of the input line: the circuit will not be damaged by a polarity reversal but it will not operate correctly.