We opened a new clinic a few months ago. I'm the IT guy, so I get to deal with the phones.
For budget reasons, I put in a used Nortel MICS system I bought on ebay from a highly rated seller. Seemed a better choice than to use the old Merlin system that came with the building.
It has two 4-line analog cards and we're using maybe 15 handsets. I have 8 phone lines serviced through Suddenlink cable - they essentially put a modem of sorts on the cable and that device provides all the lines.
So the office opens. Everything works fine at first until patients start calling in volume. I get complaints that our staff can't hear the patients, patients can't hear the staff. Patients hanging up in frustration. This only occurs when more than three lines are in use, and it affects the original lines as well. In other words, call comes in on line 1 and it's OK. While line 1's still active, call comes in on line 2. Still fine. When the call comes in on line 3 with lines 1 and 2 still active, call quality (volume) on all the lines deteriorates. This also happens if the calls are outgoing rather than incoming.
As a short term solution, the office manager only connects two lines and they're able to function.
Shortly after, we open a pharmacy that uses lines 7 and 8. Problem is back with 4 lines now in concurrent use.
Cold and hard booting the device has no effect. I read about the loss package and set all the lines to long distance to CO. Problem persists.
Service call to Suddenlink. Tech comes out and checks everything, including going up on the pole in the snow. Everything checks out to their specs.
Replace both analog cards with new models that have higher revision numbers. As a test, I cross call the lines - call line 2 on line 1, call line 4 on line 3, etc. so six of the lines are active with the handsets off hook (rather than being on hold). Everything seems fine when I call my cell on line 7. Next day, when the staff arrive and make live calls, the problem returns.
So I find this forum and Sandman's site. Did some measuring.
VDC on hook ranges from 47.4 to 50.2. VDC off hook ranges from 11.3 to 12.25. DC polarity checks out on all lines. VAC on hook registers zero on my meter. Loop DC current ranges from 39.12 to 39.73mA.
Looking at the loop current, the last thing I did today was set the Loss Package to short CO, thinking the current is a bit on the high side and maybe the phone system circuits are getting over driven. They're going to plug all the lines in tomorrow and let me know how it goes.
If setting the loss package today doesn't address the problem, I'll probably order a butt set to see if I can hear the poor call quality outside the phone system.
To make things even more interesting, I was told today that often the poor sound quality comes with conversation latency. I don't know yet if the two are related or are separate problems.
I have verified the volume is on set and not system. Problem isn't tied to any particular handset or any particular line according to what the staff tell me.
I'm more of a networking guy, although I've had to support small business phones before. I've read up a lot, but so far, I'm not sure I'm getting anywhere.
Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
For budget reasons, I put in a used Nortel MICS system I bought on ebay from a highly rated seller. Seemed a better choice than to use the old Merlin system that came with the building.
It has two 4-line analog cards and we're using maybe 15 handsets. I have 8 phone lines serviced through Suddenlink cable - they essentially put a modem of sorts on the cable and that device provides all the lines.
So the office opens. Everything works fine at first until patients start calling in volume. I get complaints that our staff can't hear the patients, patients can't hear the staff. Patients hanging up in frustration. This only occurs when more than three lines are in use, and it affects the original lines as well. In other words, call comes in on line 1 and it's OK. While line 1's still active, call comes in on line 2. Still fine. When the call comes in on line 3 with lines 1 and 2 still active, call quality (volume) on all the lines deteriorates. This also happens if the calls are outgoing rather than incoming.
As a short term solution, the office manager only connects two lines and they're able to function.
Shortly after, we open a pharmacy that uses lines 7 and 8. Problem is back with 4 lines now in concurrent use.
Cold and hard booting the device has no effect. I read about the loss package and set all the lines to long distance to CO. Problem persists.
Service call to Suddenlink. Tech comes out and checks everything, including going up on the pole in the snow. Everything checks out to their specs.
Replace both analog cards with new models that have higher revision numbers. As a test, I cross call the lines - call line 2 on line 1, call line 4 on line 3, etc. so six of the lines are active with the handsets off hook (rather than being on hold). Everything seems fine when I call my cell on line 7. Next day, when the staff arrive and make live calls, the problem returns.
So I find this forum and Sandman's site. Did some measuring.
VDC on hook ranges from 47.4 to 50.2. VDC off hook ranges from 11.3 to 12.25. DC polarity checks out on all lines. VAC on hook registers zero on my meter. Loop DC current ranges from 39.12 to 39.73mA.
Looking at the loop current, the last thing I did today was set the Loss Package to short CO, thinking the current is a bit on the high side and maybe the phone system circuits are getting over driven. They're going to plug all the lines in tomorrow and let me know how it goes.
If setting the loss package today doesn't address the problem, I'll probably order a butt set to see if I can hear the poor call quality outside the phone system.
To make things even more interesting, I was told today that often the poor sound quality comes with conversation latency. I don't know yet if the two are related or are separate problems.
I have verified the volume is on set and not system. Problem isn't tied to any particular handset or any particular line according to what the staff tell me.
I'm more of a networking guy, although I've had to support small business phones before. I've read up a lot, but so far, I'm not sure I'm getting anywhere.
Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
