> Can anyone give me the correct name to look for? I'm trying to
> find the specs for those last-100m-or-so outdoor phone cables,
> which are flat, single pair, but with a center support wire.

> They have a very tough (black) plastic (very difficult to make knots). 

Assuming you are talking about overhead phone service --

I've always known them as "drop cable" (since they provide the
drop from the telephone pole to the premises).  It comes in both
1 pair and 2 pair versions with or without the carrier wire.
The conductors, particularly in the version without a carrier
wire, are steel.  About 20-22 gauge.

I tried "steel wire drop cable" in Google and got a number of
hits that seemed promising.

If underground service, I believe standard UTP is used.  It used
to be category 3 for phone service but it is likely to be cat 5
now (just due to economy of scale).


> I'm particularly interested in velocity factor (my ADSL is failing,
> and the phone techs can't seem to locate the fault - or they don't
> want to).

Could be both!  (Incompetant & lazy are not mutually exclusive.)

						Lee Jones

-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist