sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Inter-Tel Telephones & Systems Echo problem with SLC card and cordless phone

I'm currently testing an EnGenius Durafon 4x cordless phone system. I've got one base and two handsets. I've got 2 ports on the SLC card hooked up the Engenius base. The Durafon is hooked up to a SLC card in an Axxess 5.36 phone system.

I'm currently experiencing an echo problem when I am speaking with the cordless phone.

Here's the situation:

1. I can make intra-office calls no problem. The sound quality is nice and clear when I make or receive a call from/to an extension within the company.
2. If I try and make an outside call I can hear the other person just fine but when I speak I get a nasty echo of myself or background noise around me.
3. If I receive an outside call I have the same problem as stated in #2.
4. If I bypass the SLC card and hook the Engenius base up to a CO port (bypassing the Axxess system) I don't have any issues. Similar sound qualites as #1.

Engenius tech support told me how I can adjust gain levels on the phone itself, but it doesn't really make any difference. There was one or two calls yesterday that came through the Axxess phone system and were just fine. 99% of the calls involving outside lines have this echo issue when I'm speaking.

Any ideas? Can I adjust any db levels on the SLC card?

Thanks for the help,
-Scott

Check your wiring it sounds like you may have the phone connecting across two ports

Also, try only running one port on the phone at first instead of two. If that doesn't help let's get some off hook voltage readings at the jack when you're running the phone NOT through the Axxess and then a reading at the port when you are.

Also, are these POTS lines coming in or are you coming across an IAD device/router from a T1?

Initially I had the EnGenius base hooked up to only one port on the SLC card. I was (and still am) having an echo problem on that port and the second port. I can try a third or fourth port but I have a feeling the same issue will occur.

At this time the incoming lines are POTS lines that feed the Axxess system. An upcoming project is to increase Internet bandwidth so I may switch the phone lines over to a T1 line at the same time.

Hmm....I think I can do this. Can you explain a few details about this voltage reading test?

Do I use my multi-meter and measure voltage at the CO jack with the phone off hook and then also measure voltage on the SLC card port with the phone off hook?

Thanks again for the help. I'm sooo glad I found this forum!
-Scott

What I was thinking about was getting an off hook DC voltage reading along with a True RMS reading. I really don't think that's the issue, I'm just trying to rule out a few things.

First off, have you tried the call over different trunks or do they always go out over the same trunk? We'd like to try different ones just to rule out the trunk. Next, do you have another SLC card? If so let's frog the card. If it still is happening with the second card we'll assume for now that it's not a card issue.

Next, have you tried another cordless phone on the port? If so did you have the same issue with it? If so have you tried using a standard corded single line phone or test set on the port? If not, please try one and see if the same issue occurs.

Let's get through these questions and if we need to we can check voltages from there.

Ok...let me jump back to newbie mode for a minute...I'm not exactly sure what a 'trunk' is. Within the db programming I tried all 3 trunks that we have in the Axxess database with this station (the EnGenius base) and tried every single extension that made up the three trunks within the Axxess system.

Tomorrow I'll check each POTS line with the phone and see if any of the lines cause an echo.

I did hook up a standard corded phone to the ports I'm using on the SLC card. I do hear some 'junk' when I'm talking with the corded phone. It seems that the cordless phone is amplifing the 'junk' that I also hear (but much quieter) with the corded phone. Junk meaning slight background noise and slight echo of my voice, but nothing like the echo on the cordless phone. Again, the 'junk' wasn't there on intra-office calls or if I hooked up the corded phone to the CO port.

I don't currently have an extra SLC card, but perhaps I can get my local Inter-tel vendor to stop by and swap one in to see if anything changes (we have a total lease program...for now).

Man it would be nice to get this all figured out. I'd be considered Superman at this company if I can get these cordless phones straightend out!
-Scott

We'll have to find you a Superman Avtar to use :>)

A trunk is the POTS tip and ring wire pair for lack of a easier answer. If you have 4 phone numbers, 555-1111, 1112, 1113, & 1114, we want to try a call on each of those numbers just to make sure it's not a problem isolated to one phone line. If it is, then we start looking at the line or perhaps even a line card issue. If the problem is equal on all lines, we'll keep going down the station route.

Have you tried a different cordless phone? You could be on the right track thinking that the cordless phone might be amplifying the noise.

You also might want to take the station cabling out of the equation. It would be good to attach right at the 66 block. Next we start looking at what could cause noise across wiring. Things as small as CO cabling crossing the plane of of station cabling can cause issues.

MacGyver, somehow I missed your reply to this thread...

Done. I did this through the Axxess system and at the 66 block from the CO. Echo on all lines through the Axxess system and no echo on all lines at the CO 66 block.

I grabbed my home cordless phone and threw it in my truck this morning, then somehow talked myself into driving my toy to work. When I went to hook up my home cordless phone to the SLC card I realized it's at home sitting in my truck. This test will happen tomorrow. Keep in mind though that I do hear 'noise' on a regular corded analog phone, but no echo.

Also done. Most of my testing has been done at the 66 blocks, both for the SLC card and the CO lines. The only thing I haven't done is removed the wiring that goes to the station from the 66 block when I've been testing. I guess I could (and should) do this tomorrow to make sure there's nothing being 'backfed' into the SLC card from the station (or other stations).



Inter-tel is scheduled to come out and swap SLC cards sometime in the near future.

Thanks again for the help,
-Scott

Hey Kaefer:

Maybe it's the antihistamines I've been on for four days, but I think I may have overlooked something here. (Maybe it wasn't the drugs, but hey. I've been up for 26 hours so I'm gonna blame something!)

First of all, did we discuss moving your SLC to a different slot? That should really be the first move before having Inter-Tel roll a truck.

Next, and this is where I REALLY should have throught to ask you critical question. Is your cabinet grouded? Inter-Tel products can get really screwy problems when you don't ground the cabinet, and I don't mean just a building ground. I mean a real honest to God Earth Ground. Whenever I can I take a 10-12 guage wire straight out the wall from the cabinet to a 4' ground rod.

In this situation that could really be the issue. Often this echo is produced by current riding on the ground side. Also make sure your power outlet is wired correctly! Hot current to the hot side of the plug, neutral to the large blade and a ground to the ground.

If running an Earth Ground is going to require major renovations then at least try a temporary line. Go to the cabinet, run the wire out the front door and go to a rod just to see if it cleans up. But make the wiring run a SHORT AS POSSIBLE.

Wow. Now I see why your screen name is MacGyver!

No, I we hadn't discussed moving the SLC card to another slot. I can try that on Monday.

I know the cabinet is grounded but it sure ain't grounded to Earth with a ground rod. I can rig up a test for this as well. Also on Monday.

Stay tuned,
-Scott