Re: Trouble-shooting "message waiting" light

["Paul" <webster1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

With MTS (telco here in Manitoba) you have to dial a special number to
activate the message waiting indicator for each line. Perhaps you haven't
done this on both your lines.


<pitosalas@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1135002897.111619.116780@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 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.
>
> 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.
> - 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.
> - I even switched around some of the colored strands in case that might
> make a difference - it doesn't.
>
> Not knowing exactly how the detection works I can't diagnose this
> further. Can anyone help?
>
> Thanks!
>