sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Inter-Tel Telephones & Systems 911 calls from SL phones

We have a location that is having problems with single line phones in unoccupied areas calling 911 or calling the operator ext and playing the on hold music. It is not always the same ext or SLC port or card. Or the same time of day. But it is always the same building. This is an axxess 8.201 512 system and CPS. The 911 calls have some times been overnight and the local cops have responded. They are not happy. I have replaced the phones, changed ports, changed cards, changed pairs of wires. Things work fine for a few days and then they get another call or two. ANY IDEAS?????
:db: :db:

First, how do you know which extensions are making the call? Is it showing up on SMDR? Also, can you clarify what you mean by dialing the operator and playing hold music? Are you saying that when the operator answers she hears hold music?

On the 911 calls, there is an anomaly called Phantom 911. If the problem is not related to your switch, phantom 911 has to do with capacitance problems in the phone company's cable. Here's a good thread on the issue:

https://www.line-man.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10643&hl=phantom+911

If it's showing on SMDR or if it is actually coming from your station that won't apply however.

Give us some additional info and we'll try to help.

Hope this further explains the problem. If a call is made to 911 it will show up on the operator console phone with the number of the ext that made the call, as an alarm. She then must clear that alarm. As far as the calls to the operator station, she will get an intercom call from the SL station and hear a click and then the on hold music.

There is an customer owned underground cable between these buildings. I have changed pairs on that cable.

That pretty much eliminates phantom 911.

I've seen some failing CPU cards do some wild things so you might frog that card if you have an extra. You might also check the ground on the cabinet. Inter-Tel products can do some crazy things when they're not grounded properly but I'm just thinking out loud at this point.

I'll ask one of my techs who has been at this longer than I have. In the meantime maybe RCA or Bullcube will get by and have an answer.

You say it's always the same building, I'd bet that your having a issue with your exterior cable.

There should be a constant and I'm thinking its the other building or the path to it.

Are they always S/L that do this?
How many different extensions are doing this?
Do you have dialtone or paging going over this cable?
Is there anything except digital or S/L telephones on the cable?
Are any of the S/L being used by UPS/FedEx devices, modems, alarms ...etc.?

Have you downloaded the error logs? Does it show anything?

I had a weird problem like this a few years ago. It turned out to be the power and the ground to the power. Although we had requested a dedicated, isolated outlet for the system and it did have the orange receptacle, it wasn't either. I had an electrian go to my customer site and put one in and it fixed the problem. I have seen the Inter-tel do weird things due to power and grounding issues.

Good Luck!

Amen! I run a #12 wire straight from the cabinet to a 4' copper Earth ground. I also try to make sure the run is shorter than the run to the breaker box. As for power issues, don't even get me started about brown outs and Inter-Tel systems.

BTW, back to the original issue. Until you get this resolved, you might try disabling the 911 option. The stations will still be able to dial 911, they'll just need to grab an outgoing line first. Maybe that'll calm the local P.D.

I was wondering if this is an SLC or an SLC-16. As you know the SLC-16 has its own power supply that connects directly to the card. If I remember correctly I think the cabinet power supply has a ring generator or something on it that supplies power logic to the SLC. I've had some 4 & 9 amp power supplies send me in circles because you never would have thought that could be the problem. Just a thought. If it is weird and it is Inter-tel, I always look at the power and grounding.

Good Luck!

BC...> very good point on the power supplies.