Re: Trouble-shooting "message waiting" light

[Brad Houser <bradDOThouser@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 19 Dec 2005 07:01:14 -0800, pitosalas@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

> I am not sure this is the right forum to be posting to; if not, is
> there a better one? Anyway, I am at my wits end with a simple little
> problem which I hope someone can help me understand.
>
> I have a 2 line telephone connected with a single (4 stranded) cable to
> the panel in the basement. I have "call answering" from Verizon -
> basically home voice mail. When there's a message waiting, the dial
> tone stutters, which is how you know to call and check your messages.
> The phone has a little light that blinks, even without picking up, to
> tell you there's a message waiting too. Somehow it must be detecting
> the stuttering itself and lighting up. So far so good.

It uses FSK to detect the message waiting when on hook.

>
> The problem? When there's a message waiting on line 2 the telephone
> detects it and lights up the message waiting light. However, when
> there's a message waiting on line 1, it doesn't detect it, which means
> that I have to constantly pick up the phone to listen for the
> stuttering dial tone. By the way this happened from the very first day
> I hooked up the phone.
>
> Here is everything I've done to trouble shoot this:
>
> - I exchanged the phone for a new one. Didn' help. Has the same problem
> - doesn't detect a message waiting on line 1.
> - I plugged the phone into the corresponding RJ11  on the panel in the
> basement, and it works correctly, it detects a message waiting on
> either line.

Usually each line will have it's own jack. Were they both connected at the
same time?

> - I reviewed the wiring hook ups (color of each strand) really
> carefully and I really believe it is correct, although I don't know a
> definitive way to prove it.

Of the 4 wires, 2-3 make the line 1 pair, 1-4 make the line 2 pair. Try
reversing 2 and 3 on one end to see if that fixes it. If not, try plugging
the wire into the "Line 2 Only" jack, if the problem is in the wiring, the
message waiting should fail on that line to.

> - I even switched around some of the colored strands in case that might
> make a difference - it doesn't.

You can only switch 1 and 4 or 2 and 3.

>
> Not knowing exactly how the detection works I can't diagnose this
> further. Can anyone help?

Sounds like a bad wire, causing attenuation, between the NIC and the
outlet. If there are any unused pairs left in the bundle, you could try
another pair. You could also unplug everything on line 1 in the house, to
make sure something else isn't causing an on-hook short or low resistance.
(When you did the test at the panel, you probably removed everything from
the line.)

>
> Thanks!


Here is some more help: http://www.sandman.com/trou-bul.html

Brad H