Merlin can't dial out

[ciware]

Hello,

We have recently installed an old Merlin 410 for a small warehouse. All cabling is brand new, and the system seems to work fine (intercom, set features, etc).

Most of the time, the sets will not dial out (it seems to be a random problem)! Dial tone can be drawn, and the lines sound clean, but the touch-tones are ignored and the dial tone just keeps going.

The lines coming into this facility are very old, and I suspect a line voltage problem, but has anyone else had this issue?

The old Toshiba system they had worked fine until it died last week.

Thank you all!!

 

[merlinman]

Are all lines Touch tone from the CO?

 

[ciware]

Yes, they are. We have four line on the system. The interesting thing is that sometimes it dials fine, other times it will not.

 

[Dexman]

If you can pin the problem down to a specific phone line or two, try making a few test calls from the Bell demarc. If RJ-11X jacks are used, you can plug in a single line telephone. If RJ-21X block is used, you can use a lineman's test set.

If dialtone cannot be broken at the demarc, have the test telephone send out rotary pulse instead of touchtone. Rotary pulse will work on a touchtone line, but touchtone won't work on a rotary pulse line.

 

[Dexman]

I didn't see the post about the touchtone before I posted my response. Sorry

 

[Dexman]

Does this problem affect all 4 lines, or a specific line?

 

[ciware]

I did attach my test set right on the demarc. It works fine, but I did detect a slight hum in the line. The lines are standard touch tone POTS lines. Nothing special and no features.

 

[ciware]

All four lines, but at random. Sometimes line 2 will work for an hour, then stop. But line 1 may start working by then. Very strange!

 

[Dexman]

The hum at the demarc would indicate a cable pair issue.

The LEC could run a test on the 4 lines to see if the wiring is really bad, and then fix any problems accordingly. While this may or may not solve the main problem, it's one less variable to take into account.

 

[tdaugirdas]

I have had this issue with a used Merlin 410 that just turned out to be a "bad" unit or whatever reason. The unit seemed to test out OK - all programming worked, but more often than not - when you tried to dial a call from any line - all you got was dial tone - and no entered "touch tones" were recognized. You may also just have a bad 410 unit. I could not resolve the problem until I replaced the 410 unit - then the problem was gone.

 

[ciware]

I agree. As I stated, the lines are VERY old... probably about 30 years. I'm sure they are full of water and who knows what else.

I find it interesting that the old system they had would dial fine, and the Merlin is giving me trouble. But, every system is different. It is possible that the entire problem lies within the Merlin itself.

I will report my findings back here.

 

[merlinman]

Well, for what it's worth from an Old Guy who also used to Splice Cable in the Bell system, it could be that the lines are Short, Crossed or Grounded, (to the extent that it would not allow the Touch Tones from the old 410 to be "heard") but the Service Provider should be able to figure that out.

The TEST SET has the ability to deliver TOUCH TONES at a LOUDER LEVEL than the Touch Tone maker in the old 410, so that could explain some of this.

Perhaps the TOSHIBA could do that too...

OR, maybe the 410 is just not "up to snuff".

Difficult to tell without some TONE MEASUREMENT equipment.

 

[Pepperz]

When Line X fails, put on a regular K-Mart phone on that line, ahead of the switch, and see if you can get it to work. If you find a situation where it works with the K-Mart "test" set, and not the Merlin, then you have found the problem.

Pepperz at newper dot net