scruffylg
join:2008-09-04
| Phone conundrum/mystery to solve
I'm having problem with my cordless phone that's driving me crazy, and I wondered whether any of the smart folks on this forum can help me solve it (or refer me elsewhere).
I have a 5.8 GHz digital cordless phone at my home that has an answering machine as well as multiple handsets (Panasonic model KX-TG5664).
Sometime during the past week or two, this phone just stopped receiving calls. It neither rings, nor does the answering machine kick in. For example, if I call this home phone from my cell phone, I can hear the line ringing in my cell phone speaker. If I make the same call within my house, I can hear the ringing in my cell phone speaker, but the cordless phone doesn't ring. It's as if there is no phone plugged into the wall.
I do know, however, that the cordless phone works and the phone line isn't dead. That's because I can make any calls I want *from* my home phone to the outside world. The only problem is receiving calls.
My first instinct is to think there's something amiss with the phone line. However, I tested the phone line with a brand new super-cheapo corded phone and the corded phone rings fine when called.
So I thought it was a problem with the Panasonic cordless phone. But then I plugged in my *previous* Panasonic cordless phone/answering machine (which happened to be lying around), and that phone refused to ring as well. This leads me to believe it's not a problem with my cordless phone, but something that affects all cordless phones.
At this point I'm totally stumped. Does anyone who understands telephony and cordless phones want to take a crack at this? Can anyone figure out why this is happening?
I would be most appreciative.
(And by the way I can assure you that (1) the phone base is plugged into an electrical outlet, (2) the ringer on the phone is set to ring, (3) the ringer volume is set to high, and (4) the answering machine is set to answer calls.) |
|
shortckt
Watchen Das Blinken Lights
Premium
join:2000-12-05
Tenant Hell
| If you call your landline from the cell phone, while it is ringing (although you can't hear it ring) can you pickup the call on the cordless?
Pickup the cordless and dial any digit (except zero) to cancel the dialtone -- is the line quiet or does it have background noise?
Try plugging the cordless into another phone jack? Another landline at someone else's house?
Do you have Distinctive Ring Service on the landline?
Are other phones, fax machines, DSL equipment etc. connected to this landline? Try disconnecting all other devices?
Did the older cordless phone also not answer the incoming call with it's answering machine, or just not ring the handset?
Very low on the possibilities list, but there could be something interfering with the ring signal from the base to the cordless handset, although I don't think that would prevent the built-in answering machine from taking the call. |
|
alphapointe
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-10
Columbia, MO
clubs: | Sounds like low ring voltage to me. Those little cheapo phones will ring with just about whatever is given to them, but a cordless/answerer may not. |
|
rfnut
Premium
join:2002-04-27
Fisher, IL
 ·Mediacom
| reply to scruffylg
I'll second the low voltage. Usually it is caused by corrosion accross the wires somewhere. I had teh same issue acouple of weeks ago and I checked all my phone jacks. One of them had some past water damage and the nice green fuzzy corrosion of the copper wire was the culprit. |
|
tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to shortckt
Agree with shortckt  since some phones work properly and others do not root cause is probably low ring voltage cause by a line fault OR too many ringers on the line.
/tom |
|
scruffylg
join:2008-09-04
| reply to scruffylg
Wow. Thanks to all of you for your responses.
Several of you mentioned the possibility of low voltage...is there a way for me to test this without having to call the phone company? (And run the risk of being charge big $.)
I have yet to try the cordless phone in another house. That's something I clearly need to do.
Prior to posting, I tried the cordless in another phone jack in my apartment without success. I also tried unplugging the items plugged into other jacks in my apartment (e.g., modem). That didn't help either. I do not have distinctive ring service.
There are a couple of things shortckt suggested that I will try later tonight, e.g., lifting the handset of the cordless when its receiving a call but not ringing. Also, I didn't let my backup cordless ring long enough to see whether the answering machine picked up.
[As an aside, I was somewhat familiar with the concept of "Ringer Equivalence Number." The corded phone has a high REN, above 2. The cordless phones had REN very low, like 0.1. Does that have something to do with how much voltage is required? If so, why would the cordless have a lower REN?]
Thanks again for your help. You guys/gals rock! |
|
Kringle
Dr.D
Premium
join:2004-02-27
Pierrefonds, QC
·Bell Sympatico
| said by scruffylg :As an aside, I was somewhat familiar with the concept of "Ringer Equivalence Number." The corded phone has a high REN, above 2. The cordless phones had REN very low, like 0.1. Does that have something to do with how much voltage is required? If so, why would the cordless have a lower REN? The REN has nothing to do with how much voltage is required to ring the phone. It is simply a relative indication of how much CURRENT is used by the ringer in the phone (how much of a load it puts on the phone line). The cordless has a lower REN due to the electronics that its ringer circuit employs. A REN above 2 would indicate to me that the ringer circuit in the cheapo phone was electro-mechanical (like in the good old days). |
|
Dodge
join:2002-11-27
clubs: | reply to scruffylg
Have you tried calling your cell phone from your house phone? Does the caller ID show your number? The reason I am asking is I had this with Optimum Voice where they programmed something wrong and I had a completely different number. |
|
Kringle
Dr.D
Premium
join:2004-02-27
Pierrefonds, QC | A cheap-o corded phone rings correctly on that line. |
|
Kringle
Dr.D
Premium
join:2004-02-27
Pierrefonds, QC
·Bell Sympatico
| reply to scruffylg
Have you tried pressing the "I can't find my phone(s)" button on the base station to see if the phones ring? If they don't, you might have to reprogram the phones to work with the base due to someone in a neighbouring apartment having a similar phone that's interfering with yours.
Another thing you can do is to go around to all of the phone jacks in your apartment and tighten the screws. It might help. |
|
Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
 ·T-Mobile US
·T-Mobile US
·AT&T Southeast
edit:
September 5th, @07:25AM
| reply to scruffylg
First make sure someone hasn't turned off the ringer it's worth a double check before going further if that fails I know my Panasonic will loose the handset from time to time and stop rining but all else works. I don't know why but to reset un-plug the base from power place the handset in the base wait a minute and then re-power the base leave the handset in the base and call it and see if it rings.
Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.
|
|
Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne | reply to scruffylg
As for ringing it can be read with a VOM and it should be somewhere between 70 and 130 volts ac 20 cycle.
Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.
|
|
Rash
Ouch
Premium
join:2002-09-27
Walkersville, MD
clubs: | reply to scruffylg
I have a Panasonic cordless phone that has a Do Not Disturb function, is it possible yours is set to DND?
Emmett |
|
