We are currently using a Nortel Modular ICS + CallPilot at a temporary school site. We'd like to integrate a Windows-based school bell software system with our Nortel phone system. The goal is to use the speakers on our phones for our school bell system and announcements. This would likely "override" the "Background Music" function. Any suggestions for software and or hardware? Thank you.
Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations IamaSherpa on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
Nortel -- Tie-in for S/W based School Bell System 2
- Thread starter PLSKolbe
- Start date
-
1
- #2
ringjenny
Vendor
- Jan 20, 2004
- 40
will School Bell app run on pc/ server?
will you be allowing constant BGM on Norstar?
will there be a source for BGM or silence?
MOH/BGM---School Bell PC----Norstar---N* sets with BGM
enabled
If you are using a MOH/BGM source, you would have to run it through School Bell PC which would have to be able to cut it out when making an announcement or sending tones over spkrs in sets. Or you would have to use a manual override switch between MOH/BGM source and School Bell PC.
If you allow consant BGM on sets, but don't provide a MOH/BGM source, you may encounter constant low level "white noise-ish" sound coming out of spkrs.
If you use MOH/BGM source, and BCM is allowed on sets, you will get to enjoy constant source at every set. Do you want that in class rooms?
It won't take long for set users to discover F#86. Thus turning off BGM.
random thoughts on the day after holiday....!!!!
will you be allowing constant BGM on Norstar?
will there be a source for BGM or silence?
MOH/BGM---School Bell PC----Norstar---N* sets with BGM
enabled
If you are using a MOH/BGM source, you would have to run it through School Bell PC which would have to be able to cut it out when making an announcement or sending tones over spkrs in sets. Or you would have to use a manual override switch between MOH/BGM source and School Bell PC.
If you allow consant BGM on sets, but don't provide a MOH/BGM source, you may encounter constant low level "white noise-ish" sound coming out of spkrs.
If you use MOH/BGM source, and BCM is allowed on sets, you will get to enjoy constant source at every set. Do you want that in class rooms?
It won't take long for set users to discover F#86. Thus turning off BGM.
random thoughts on the day after holiday....!!!!
-
1
- #3
I don't know anything about school bell pc systems, but I don't think it should be all that complicated.
Here's how you would do it.
First, connect the bell PC's sound output to your BGM pair on the MICS. Radio Shack makes a cable with a headphone-type plug on one end and UHF-style lugs on the other end that makes this part super easy. I hooked those to an old-style screw-terminal phone jack and punched down a cable from that to the other end down to the 66 block. The bell system, i assume, will output silence when it's not outputting bell sounds. So that should take care of the "white noise coming out of the phones" problem.
Second, go into Config, System Programming -> Feature Settings -> Backgrnd music:Y and On hold:Tones, or Silence. I'd prefer tones since with silence callers may fear you hung up.
Now go to each phone and press F86. The previous commenter may be right about the users turning off BGM with F#86. However in my experience nontechnical users are more likely to turn the volume switch on the phone all the way down than to discover F#86. Either one is not good for you. F#86 would mute the bells but still let them get announcements; if they just turn down the volume all the way they won't get either. You will have to consider this before deciding to cut this particular corner. Obviously in a school you'd be better off with a dedicated speaker in each room (which you would also connect to your "external paging speaker" output on the MICS for announcements and paging!) but since this is temporary maybe you can get by without that expense.
I would use the Nortel system for announcements, i.e. pick up a phone and hit Feature 610, that way it will automatically cut off the "BGM" (which will be just the bell system) and be of best sound quality.
If your bells sound like crap through the phones, maybe make sure your school bell pc has a good sound card. My experience with BGM was that using a computer for the music source resulted in poor-sounding music, but an iPod sounded great. Has to do with impedance, I'm told.
Here's how you would do it.
First, connect the bell PC's sound output to your BGM pair on the MICS. Radio Shack makes a cable with a headphone-type plug on one end and UHF-style lugs on the other end that makes this part super easy. I hooked those to an old-style screw-terminal phone jack and punched down a cable from that to the other end down to the 66 block. The bell system, i assume, will output silence when it's not outputting bell sounds. So that should take care of the "white noise coming out of the phones" problem.
Second, go into Config, System Programming -> Feature Settings -> Backgrnd music:Y and On hold:Tones, or Silence. I'd prefer tones since with silence callers may fear you hung up.
Now go to each phone and press F86. The previous commenter may be right about the users turning off BGM with F#86. However in my experience nontechnical users are more likely to turn the volume switch on the phone all the way down than to discover F#86. Either one is not good for you. F#86 would mute the bells but still let them get announcements; if they just turn down the volume all the way they won't get either. You will have to consider this before deciding to cut this particular corner. Obviously in a school you'd be better off with a dedicated speaker in each room (which you would also connect to your "external paging speaker" output on the MICS for announcements and paging!) but since this is temporary maybe you can get by without that expense.
I would use the Nortel system for announcements, i.e. pick up a phone and hit Feature 610, that way it will automatically cut off the "BGM" (which will be just the bell system) and be of best sound quality.
If your bells sound like crap through the phones, maybe make sure your school bell pc has a good sound card. My experience with BGM was that using a computer for the music source resulted in poor-sounding music, but an iPod sounded great. Has to do with impedance, I'm told.
- Thread starter
- #4
- Thread starter
- #6
. . . third party hardware that would serve the function of the sound card, would not require the BGM to be "on" all the time, and elimate the white noise issue. Don't know if such an animal exists. Otherwise it sounds the temporary solution without the external paging speaker might not be viable. Does the external paging speaker use the BGM signal, or does it have its own? Thanks again.
The external paging speaker won't factor in to the discussion here unless you put a speaker (not just a phone) in each room. In order to activate a page you have to physically hit the feature button on a phone. So you can't use it for your bells.
FYI though the external paging speaker is not related to BGM. It only gets used whenever you make use of the page external feature from a phone (Feature 62 or 63+Zone).
So your ideal setup would involve putting speakers in rooms and other areas such as halls, etc., hooking those speakers all up to an amp, and into the input of the amp you'd connect both your bell computer's output and your Norstar's "external paging speaker" output. Then, both bells from the PC, and announcements and pages from the norstar would go out over those same speakers.
Using your bell pc's output as the BGM source as I described in my earlier post, though kind of a hack, is the only way I know of to do what you want using only phones for speakers.
I don't think white noise will be a problem. You can always try it and see if it is.
FYI though the external paging speaker is not related to BGM. It only gets used whenever you make use of the page external feature from a phone (Feature 62 or 63+Zone).
So your ideal setup would involve putting speakers in rooms and other areas such as halls, etc., hooking those speakers all up to an amp, and into the input of the amp you'd connect both your bell computer's output and your Norstar's "external paging speaker" output. Then, both bells from the PC, and announcements and pages from the norstar would go out over those same speakers.
Using your bell pc's output as the BGM source as I described in my earlier post, though kind of a hack, is the only way I know of to do what you want using only phones for speakers.
I don't think white noise will be a problem. You can always try it and see if it is.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Question
- Locked
- Question