Should I be concerned

[Kenny C]

Here recently we bought some new telephones, I mean new ones not new old ones. and I went to dial with my rotary while my sister was on the other line and it wouldn't break dial tone. Is this a problem because i never noticed this with our other cordless. Is it a problem with my wiring or just one that cant be fixed.

[Dan/Panther]

I have had that happen sometimes, if two phones are going to be used in a common conversation, with a third party,  only one can be off the hook until the third parties phone starts to ring. I don't know why but it happens,.
D/P

[Kenny C]

so nothing is wrong

[paul-f]

How is your house wired for two line service?

Check to make sure the two lines are electrically seperated and that each phone you use only has two conductors connected in the line cord.  Some older phones used 3 and need to be rewired.

For many years, we had 2 lines wired using standard 4 conductor inside wire and had no problems with a wide range of phones and modems connected to both lines.

[Kenny C]

the phone guy said that we could wire as many cords off of the box as we needed

[Dan/Panther]

It was not a matter of how many phones you had, but you couldn't have two off the hook at the same time and dial a number, in my case it wouldn't dial.
Just try it. I just tried it on thew two phones on my desk, with both off of the hook, I could not break dial tone, when I hung one up, it worked fine. That has been the norm for as long as I can remember. I wish I had a dime for each time I said; "Please hang up the phone, until I tell dial the number."
D/P

[Kenny C]

It was not a matter of how many phones you had, but you couldn't have two off the hook at the same time and dial a number, in my case it wouldn't dial.
Just try it. I just tried it on thew two phones on my desk, with both off of the hook, I could not break dial tone, when I hung one up, it worked fine. That has been the norm for as long as I can remember. I wish I had a dime for each time I said; "Please hang up the phone, until I tell dial the number."
D/P

if I had a dime for every time i said that i would have enough to buy everyone a set of colored 302's

[Phonesrfun]

Kenny:

Nothing is wrong.  Rotary dials break the line with every pulse.  When someone else is on the line, that other phone holds the line from being pulsed.

Back before there was touch tone, this was always the case.  Now, with touch tone, the tones determine the number dialed and they can dial right through when another phone is off hook.

You just aren't old enough to have experienced rotary-only dialing.

[paul-f]

Here recently we bought some new telephones, I mean new ones not new old ones. and I went to dial with my rotary while my sister was on the other line and it wouldn't break dial tone. Is this a problem because i never noticed this with our other cordless. Is it a problem with my wiring or just one that cant be fixed.

Ah.  You have one party service, not two seperate lines.  Your sister was on another phone on the same line.  I believe that situation has been well covered.

[LarryInMichigan]

The solution clearly is to prohibit your sister for using the phone line

[Jim Stettler]

The solution clearly is to prohibit your sister for using the phone line

I leased a spare 500 to my older sister for $10.00. Mom made me loan one to my
little sister tho.
Jim

[DANIELPHONEFREAK]

how a rotary phone works is when the connection
is open and closed so many times depending on what
digit you dialed the phone co.counts those pulses
and decodes them as a digit.but if a other phone
is of the hook,it sort-of makes a short and in result,
the phone co.can not count the digit you dialed
so it dose not break dial tone.

[Kenny C]

thanks that is simpler