Re: Napco MA3000 - Dialer Test on both Lines?

[Nomen Nescio <nobody@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bass said:

>The subject (which you're tried to change) is how to test the second phone
>line on a Napco MA3000.  In case you're having trouble remembering, I
>suggest you read the subject line of the post.  It is necessary and good to
>automatically phone lines.  I assume we can agree on that much.  There is a
>method, using listed hardware from Napco, to accomplish the task.  The
>method does not use foreign or unlisted hardware.  Furthermore, it has been
>approved by every AHJ who has seen it done.

I openly admit I don't know anything about this particular panel, so maybe
I am missing something.  Let's go through this step by step.

As I understand it, you want to use a programmable relay to interrupt  the
primary phone line at a predetermined time.  The phone line monitor detects
the  "bad" primary phone line and sends a phone line trouble report using
the secondary phone line.

This means a good test signal consists of a phone line trouble report.

When the relay resets, the primary phone line is used to send a phone line
restore.

Therefore, a good test sequence consists of a phone line trouble (sent
using the secondary phone line) followed by a phone line restore (sent
using the primary phone line).

However, if the secondary phone line is bad, the dialer will make multiple
dialing attempts using that phone line.  When the relay resets, the dialer
will send the trouble and restore sequence using the primary phone line.
The signals will be delayed, but will look the same:  trouble, then
restore.

I'm assuming the panel will eventually report the trouble, even if the
dialer shuts down after eight dialing attempts.  If the trouble signal is
simply lost when the dialer shuts down, the system will still send a phone
line restore when that relay resets.  This means a failure to communicate
over the secondary phone line will be indicated...by a phone line restore
signal without the accompanying trouble signal.  That's not good, and I see
no way to set up the central station automation system to treat this as a
trouble signal without causing all phone line restores to show up as
troubles.

In addition, since your relay intentionally creates a phone line trouble,
the panel's trouble buzzer will sound every day during this phone line
test.  That should be a big hit with the subscribers.

I am not surprised that an AHJ approved something like this.  AHJs approve
stupid things sometimes, because their level of technical expertise is not
all that high.

So, as I understand your plan, it's not only a bad design, it fails to
achieve the desired result.

- badenov