sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Comdial Telephones & Systems DX80 Modem Module

OK, so I installed my first modem module in a dx80 in the shop today, just to mess around with it and see if I want to start using them. Shouldn't I be able to dial the default ext. number for the modem and hear the handshake attempt? Like calling a fax number? System is new and in default. I can't test connecting because I have some modem issues to solve. I hoped to hear the right noise when I dialed the modem ext. but insead I get a "not in service". Nothing in the manual indicates that any programming is required to activate the modem. If one of you guys has a system out there with a MDM in it, could you call it and see what you hear? or maybe you know what I'm missing.
mark

When you transferring yourself to 199 you should hear the modem answer and get [Modem connect] [Connect succeed] then press F5

Did you get it to work?

no when I call 199 directly, or try to transfer to it, I get "not in service".
I checked and 199 is the correct ext. The board is properly seated. What else is there?
mark

Just for giggles due a power-up initialization and see if it comes up working.

I did that twice. There is just 1 8x16 ksu with a flash mail in it.
mark

Hmmm perhaps a bad modem.

I have another ksu here, I could pop it in that. If I knew for sure that I should be able to pick up and dial 199 and here a modem noise, I could point to the modem board. But since I've not tried this before I don't know if it should sound like that or not. I gotta think I should hear it.
mark

yes you should hear it answer

That's what I figured. Bad right out of the box new. Guess I get to spend a few hours waiting for Comdial Tech (lack of) support people to finish their coffee and crispy creams so I can get a MRA number. This is why I check this stuff at the shop and not on site.
mark

I hear ya Mark, if you put in a call now you should get someone by 10:00 am

Update. Believe it or not I just got through to tech support in like a minute. Turns out you can't just call 199 and hear the modem, it must be a transfered call. All my puters use com 3 for modem and the dos based pcdba only allows for com 1 or 2 so I have to figure out how to get a modem out on com 2. Only thing that comes to mind is an old serial modem plugged straight into the com 2 port of one these old door stop PC's around here. You have any other idea?
mark

oh by the way, the new F39 software allows more com port configs to solve this issue. Those engineers are right on the edge eh?


[This message has been edited by markk (edited December 06, 2004).]

Well I thought you were transferring yourself. That why my first post said

[When you transferring yourself to 199 you should hear the modem answer and get [Modem connect] [Connect succeed] then press F5 ]

As far as com 2, do you have a older laptop that you can use?

[This message has been edited by dtmf (edited December 06, 2004).]

transferring works, I just tested. Seems silly, why can't I just call 199? Anyway, I think I have an old think pad around here. I'll have to move the pcdba software from cd to floppy to load it. Everythings a production. I need a drink.
mark
It's all kind of useless if I can't sit at my desk and use my PC to do remote programming.

[This message has been edited by markk (edited December 06, 2004).]

Mark,
Try disabling com2 on one of the pc motherboards' bios and forcing the modem to use com 2. If the modem finds com 2 open usually it will switch to com 2.

Kerry

I don't know how to disable the com 3 modem port, short of whacking it with a hammer. But I'd have to know where to hit it. One of the guys that works for me might be able to do it. If I could get my old win 98 shop machine to push the modem out on com 2 instead of com 3 I'd be fine, but I'm a long time phone guy with only enough IT knoweledge to be dangerous.
mark

I have an internal modem (56 K) on Com 3---then I installed an external modem on Com 2 for my PCDBA. I turn it on and off manually. I have Windows 98 and set up the Com ports in Settings---Modems. That works out real good for me. I have the modem volume turned up loud, that way I can hear the AA voice and all the noise so I know I have connections. It also helps me in getting a feel for setting the pauses (commas) in PCDBA. Good Luck

Thats todays project. Thanks JW.

For sure. Setting up modems are my least favorite things to do. I love remote prgramming, but when you're starting from scratch, it's like playing golf in the dark.

I had this problem with com 3 on my laptop, but I was able to go somewhere in modem properties and choose a new com port (com2). Some allow this, some don't.

Don't forget to change your rs-232 settings in PCDBA when you use your modem, so it uses Com 2 instead of Com 1, and change to 2400 instead of 9600.

Also, as far as your question about why you can't dial the 199 dorectly, this has always been the case on the FX-series systems too. The FX also requires the call to be transferred.

OK I got it working with a zoom serial external on an old PC. Now if I could just change the internal modem on my dell to com 2 I wouldn't have to leave my office.
mark

You could go to the F39 version of PCDBA! It supports up to comms 1-5. I have used this new version on F28 systems without any ill effects.

F39 is fine when making on line changes, however it will not allow you to archive and restore due to the different file type it uses for archiving.

Comdial TS told me I could use the F39 to use com 3. I figured that would just introduce some new problem and sure enough I was right! Can't save and restore? Are you sure? You can still save and restore on site right?
mark


[This message has been edited by markk (edited December 08, 2004).]

Markk

If your modem on your laptop is one of the ones that came with it, that modem is probably a generic type modem/sound unit that uses a special driver called wmodem.
Unfortunatly it wont let you change it to com 1 or 2.

The only way to get this to work is to use an external RS-232 modem. I carry an old US Robotics 33.6 modem in my laptop case just because of this.

Unfortunatly the later makes of laptops now dont even have RS-232 ports.

You cant even use a USB to serial adapter on some of my old legacy programs as they are DOS programs that require com 1, or 2 and there arent any DOS Usb drivers.....

What ever happened to backward compatability.....

DJ

When saving and restoring with the old software you would end up saving approx. 39 files to a directory, with the F39 software it saves the whole database as one file with a .mdb extension on it. Only way to restore a database that is saved with F39 is to upgrade the chips to F39 within the KSU.

Post at
https://www.sundance-communications.com/forum/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/2/t/001141.html#000006
covers renaming com ports.
All of my legacy comm apps don't support USB port numbers over 4, so I changed my USB adapter port from 5 to 1.

Noticed one of the DX-80 publications says most USB-to-serial-adapters won't work, nevertheless, my USB PDA Adapter from Belkin, Model F5U109 works. I know the Radio Shack one worked on the DSU systems, but never tried it on a DX-80.

nevtxjustin,

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