Thanks for the replies. My router is the WNR854T. The ip address is 192.168.1.1, same as the old router. And I do have a DSL filter at my phone jack into which I plug both the phone and DSL router. Setup is the same as before, except a different Netgear router. The speed is awesome, the lost connections, not so.
I lose the connection when my phone connects to another phone (when the person I'm calling picks up, or when I pick up the phone) not when I start dialing.
I'll try a different phone into the DSL filter - maybe a cord phone.