Do any square key systems permit a POTS extension (Plain Old Telephone Set)to take a call off of hold? I worked on one in the 80s that did but I've never seen one since. And I am not inquiring about Call Parking, etc. but actually taking a call that was put on hold and being able to answer it.

ESI has codes to retrieve a held call from a SLT, pick up the phone dial ** and the line that's holding. Eg; **5, and you've picked up line 5 from hold.

It's going to depend on the system. A Partner can dial 6 + the Line Number.

Nortel can't unless it's been parked, OR the SLT was setup in front of the system ON THAT GIVEN LINE.

A Norstar can pick it up but it dosnt take it off of hold. The old 1A key systems could do that but they were a mechanical swich.

Should read if its ahead like dave said.

X16, but it has to be wired to the CO line(s) ahead of the KSU. You probably already knew that.

If you connect a cordless or any analog phone in front of the KSU wouldn't that cause privacy issues?

Samsung allows it. I always throw in a cordless phone, connected to an SLT port, on my big residential installations so that the owner can answer, place on hold, retrieve from hold, and transfer, calls when they out at the swimming pool.

Damn Arthur, I was sure you were going to say 1A2 with a SLT modified for A-Lead control.

Well, if you won't, I will.

Sam

Panasonic and DSX.

Iwatsu- Just dial the trunk access code...unless the user put it on "exclusive hold"....then only exclusive holding extension can pick it up.

Oh, and I forgot to mention:

Not exactly with the X16. Key sets can't pick up on the line if the SLT is using it, but it doesn't do the opposite if the key set is using the line first.

That's what I'm saying. If the system phone is using a line then the cordless wired in front of the system would be able to pick up on that line. Correct?

Sometimes there's a price to pay to get what you want...

True, Mike. Since the X16 is targeted at smaller operations, it was probably assumed that privacy is a minimal risk. Price usually dictates what happens in this market. I guess they figured that the boss would be the one using the cordless phone anyway.

Thanks guys. Using the trunk access code to take the call off of hold doesn't work with Vodavi systems but I do get requests of this nature. I'm anxious to try it the next time I play with a DSX and I will test it on my ACS R7.0 system too. Iwatsu, ESI, Samsung, Panasonic(I should have figured), I really wanted to know what all was out there that can do this. I still welcome any comments on any other systems. And again, my interest was only in having an SLT extension do this and not one ahead of the system.

Arthur, you raise another question. If you initiate a call from your POTS extension and then place that call on hold, how do you know what line you were on? Don't you do a dial 9 to initiate that call?

A-Lead control? You guys crack me up! :rofl:

Dave,

I'm guessing you are asking about the Samsung system... so I'll take a crack at an answer.

Most likely you are talking about smaller installations... so most digital keysets would have a direct trunk key for each line. When the call is placed on hold through the cordless you would just pick up the held line from the digital keyset. If there aren't direct trunk keys programmed, you can still pick up a held call using a feature code.

With a Mitel 3000, Hookflash places SLT phone on hold. Hookflash 719 retrieves the call. I think dialing a line access code will retrieve a call placed on hold by another extension.

You can do it on a Telrad.

Dave,

When you dial 9 to get an outside line, you seize one of the pool of trunks. You put the call on hold by hitting FLASH + 6.

To retrieve the call, you dial 6.

If you first were to dial 8x where x is the trunk number, you would know which trunk you were using, but you still would use FLASH + 6 to put the call on hold, and 6 to retrieve it.

In the event that another user puts a call on hold, and you, the SLT user, need to retrieve the call, you would need to know which trunk was on hold. In that scenario, you would just get icm dial tone, and dial the 8x trunk code to access the held call.

Dave -

I've still got 1A2 here at home - with some SLTs set up with A-Lead control.

I've thought about changing out the system over the last 30 years, but it works and it does (with a few add ons) everything I need and it's a conversation starter and ...I guess I'm cheap.

So I've still got A-Lead control.

Sam

that's a standard merlin legend feature

On ESI when you put a call on hold from an SLT, it will audibly tell you what line you've just placed on hold, then you hang up. I work on Panasonic and NEC DSX but I've never done that on either system.