atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Nortel Telephones & Systems Mysterious Fax/Modem Sound

I took over a pharmacy as a client a couple of months ago, added several phones, upgraded the CICS to add a 5th line, changed the line cards for CLID and sold them a Maintenance Agreement.

The system is a CICS (5x16), 4.1, with the 1st 4 lines cascading and the 5th is a separate line.

This 4th line is also bypassing the system to use as a backup POTS line for a modem in case the cable high speed fails for their Lab computers which are linked to Quebec city for perscriptions.

What is now Line 5 was only a backup for the DSL line which feeds their credit card machines at the front counter.

I suggested they could put this on the system for the office staff to use only if the other 4 are busy, which would now be more likely due to the additional phones & staff. (Appear/No Ring)

There are 2 other POTS lines for other purposes and not connected to the system.

The Boss had my contact call me complaining that she tried to call into the main line (Line 1) from home and received either a fax or modem sound. On site today, I busied out the 4 lines and when I called, all I got was a busy signal, even after several attempts. Even tried just busying out L1, then L1&L2, L1,L2&L3. She (The Boss) claims that it has happened twice. I (& her staff) think she's losing it or miss-dialed.

I fail to see how this modem on Line 4 could be answering. The dialup modem is a US Robotics 56K, which is connected to one of the ports on the Cisco router, and of course the router is connected to the cable modem. This is nothing new, as it's been like that for a few years.

the only two things that i can think of is:
-the boss' phone at home? or
- an intermittent CO problem in the cascading. I've seen that before, where the call was actually going several hundred miles away at times.

Any other ideas?

Is their first line shared with the Burglar alarm? Have had several sites that the first line would intermittently be answered by the alarm. Alarm techs were always able to fix it. JUst a thought.

Good question. I don't have that in my notes, so I'll check it out tomorrow.

Alarm panels are set to answer if you call hang up and call back immediately. That will produce your modem squeal. Try to change the alarm to the fax line.

You did say this was a CICS? Do you have the Irad enabled?

I'm with jwooten, the auto answer in the irad got me a couple of times.

I'm with them. I had that bite me once too.

UPDATE: The IRAD is disabled. The Alarm line of course goes straight into the panel without a CA38A.

Too many alarm lines in that building to know which one is which so I told the client to get them on site and install the CA38A with me there at the same time so I can change the line if necessary.

Thanks for the replies.

I have run in to that many times. When our IVR device gets installed, the pharmacy no longer answers their calls live, we become the primary answering device.

When an alarm system uses one of the voice lines and is set for a "ring once, hang-up, call-back to ring again, THEN alarm modem answers, it creates problems. Our device answers on 1st ring, and of course, ringing ceases. Next call to that same telephone number causes the ring after the ring-stop-pause-ring again, and the alarm modem will answer.

You did mention this was a pharmacy location. All pharmacies have a connection to the internet for billing insurance etc, and have a dial-up line for backup if the high speed is broken. If this dial-tone line has been put into voice service, it is possible a ring signal gets to the back-up modem. Low probability, but a possibility.

Happy hunting, screeech-SCREEEEEECH.......

Has it only happened from the boss when she originated the call to the office ?

If so, you know the answer.