Does anyone know an economical method of monitoring/capturing/determining the touchtone digits a device dials - in this case a credit card machine?

They do make digit grabbers but if you only need it for this one occasion, it probably wouldn't be worth spending the money. For the CC machine, the service provider should be able to tell you how to get into the setup and view what # it is programmed to dial.

Why do you want to determine the touchtone digits of this credit card machine? What's the problem the user is reporting on this machine?

Be very careful when monitoring lines. It is iLlegal to monitor any line without permission. IT IS REALLY ILLEGAL TO MONITOR ATM AND CREDIT CARD LINES WHILE THE EQUIPMENT IS BEING USED FOR A TRANSACTION.

Unless you have something that can actually display the modem tone's equivelant in text, you have no problem. Such as using a butt set to listen to see if the device gets dial tone, dials sucessfuly, the other end answers, it handshakes, transmits, receives, and then disconnects. You can tell a lot by listening.

If you happen to have a Partner system, pluf the CC machine into the Aux jack on a phone and run a card. You will see the digits dialed on the LCD of the phone.

OK - here's is the whole story. My customer's CC machine has quit working. I can place a butt set across the line and it dials out OK, but the number it dials reaches a disconnect recording. The vendor says it is programmed correctly and that the problem is mine - you know the story, it is the telephone man's problem! I know it is dialing the wrong number but I just wanted a simple way to capture the digits and prove it to them. I don't even know whey they would think it is my problem - it isn't even connected through the system - the fax and CC share the same line.

JJ - I know all the legalese, I'm not trying to capture any transaction stuff, just trying to prove a point to the vendor.

Tommy - it isn't a Partner, it is a Panasonic, but that is a moot issue since the CC machine isn't connected to the system

Can you view the dialling register on the cc machine to see what is stored in it?I would think there should be a way to enter programming and see what number is stored for the dialout.

The Harris t-25 test set has a built in digit grabber, as does the Lil' Buddy Ranger test set. Both work well and have a ton more features and they are both under $200.

GO TO the mfg. website for the cc machine....all of them ex: hyperterminal and others post their manuals in .pdf.

Most have programming guides. It sounds like your customer may have at one time changes cc merchants which had a different phone number that wasnt changed in setup of machine.

I use my PDH buttset. It has a built in digit grabber. It can also test voltages on the line.

Good Luck!!

FOLLOWUP - We (me and customer) convinced the credit card vendor that when I monitored the line with my butt set that the CC machine was dialing a number that reached a recording. The vendor said that programming was correct, so they sent a new machine. All is well - works like a champ.

Appreciate the follow up Billy, glad to hear you got it fixed. Too many times we don't hear back on a subject and we never know what the end result was. We all learn more when the end resolution is posted.