Customer has a CICS with 7.1 software. The auxillary ringer contacts are connected to a paging amp so loud ringing is heard via the page horns. This has recently stopped working.

If I connect my ohm meter across the contacts, I can see the contact closure when ringing is present. The strange thing is that before I connected my meter, the page horn ringing wasn't working. As soon as I connected my meter, with a ringing call, the horns started ringing, as they should. But the horns didn't ring until I connected my meter. If I immediately made a test call, the horns would ring. But if I waited a few minutes before calling, they wouldn't ring until I connected my meter.

Is there something my meter is doing to "kick start" the ringing? Has the relay in the CICS become weak enough that is can operate the contacts but won't operate with the amp's load on it? Why does it start when I connect an ohm meter?

Thanks.
Jim