Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: kgdykes@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ken Dykes)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Exclusion Modules (Reve
Message-ID: <4604@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 2 Mar 90 04:02:23 GMT
Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu
Reply-To: Ken Dykes <kgdykes@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Organization: S.D.G. UofWaterloo
Lines: 68
Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 135, Message 6 of 7


In article <4530@accuvax.nwu.edu> msa3b!kevin@gatech.edu (Kevin P. 
Kleinfelter) writes:
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 133, Message 4 of 10

>single-line phone lines coming into my house.  I want to have one
>single-line phone answer calls on both lines.  When one line is in
>use, the other line should be busied-out.

>I do NOT want a service from the phone company that sends two lines
>over one line.  I do NOT want a "ring-no-answer" on one line when the
>other is in use.

Perhaps what I did may be of use or the seed of an idea:

  When I got my 2nd line (mostly for modem) I was too cheap to fork
out $$$$ for a real 2-line phone, I saw something in Radio Shack:

  "Make one answering machine answer two lines"

Well, I reason, ans-machines are mechanical phone users, or phone users
are bioligical answer-machines... so I bought one, and put my single line
phone where the machine would go.
 
The device detects which line has a ring signal on it, and internaly
switches to that line.  The switch stays on the "last line used" until
the other line ever rings, so your outgoing calls are stuck to the
line you last answered (unless you have a bypass, or plug-unplug
motivation).

My 2nd line is also unlisted and only about 4 of my closest friends
know the number -- ie: I tend to ignore my listed line if I dont feel
like being social.  So, I have this problem of not knowing which one
is REALLY ringing...
 
I used one of those outboard "warehouse" ringers on my 2nd line too,
can't miss calls on that one now!! (You could simply plug in another
phone(s) in various combinations on your two lines and get unique
ringing sounds, assuming your phones are old fasioned enough to allow
(re)wiring to whichever line you want them on).

[I already owned the outboard ringer from years ago, even a real
two-line phone has the problem of not knowing which one is ringing
without looking at the flashing light -- perhaps there are models with
distinctive ringing but not common.]

The device lists in the RS catalog for about cdn$29.95 cdn-part# 43-383.

Hummm, looking at the catalog, I see another outboard toy:

"Hold/status Box" - "allows you to place a call on hold, LED indicator"
      
               cdn$14.95 part#43-8002

Oh yes, another trick I did when I got the 2nd line (and owned a cheap
sealed phone I couldn't rewire easily) was buy one of those RJ-14(?)
female-female adapter plugs, carefully separated the plastic halves,
carefully removed the pins on one half and reinserted them with the
logical lines reversed, *poof* instant line 1/2 adapter for cheap
phones and modems that can't be wired directly!  (I couldn't do this
with normal male-female cord because those modular ends are TOO sealed
up, the female-female device had a natural seam to it).


   - Ken Dykes, Software Development Group, UofWaterloo, Canada [43.47N 80.52W]
          kgdykes@watmath.waterloo.edu  [129.97.128.1]
          kgdykes@waterloo.csnet      kgdykes@water.bitnet     watmath!kgdykes
          postmaster@watbun.waterloo.edu           B8 s+ f+ w t e m r