Hi
I hope someone out there can help me with what, I guess, is a simple question for most but one that has me stumped!
I have an old Panasonic phone/fax/ answering machine in the office which we use for faxing out.
I also have another system comprising a base station with answering machine and some remote handsets which is broken.
I also have another standalone Panasonic phone/fax/answering machine which we use for answering calls if we are out, but the digital recorder is so fuzzy I can't understand the message!!!
If we are in and pick up the phone when the incoming call is a fax, we just put the phone down and wait for a re-dial! CLEAR AS MUD?!?
What I want to do is ditch the base station set and the fuzzy Panasonic answering machine, leaving one standalone Panasonic fax/answer/ telephone machine in the office. Then I want to buy a new base station / remote sets system to replace the broken one.
NOW - still with me? - what I want to be able to do is use the base station to act as an answer machine and the Panasonic to act as a fax. Is it possible to set things up so that the answer phone detects an incomming fax and sends it to the Panasonic, or if the call is a voice call, answers if we are out?
I know this is very muddled but hope someone out there with a bit of patience can help me
IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED!
tonyt

Jesus!

I have a solution which is going to cost you £1.50 a month.

Subscribe to callsign from BT (there's the £1.50 a month bit)
They give you another phone number to go with your existing one. The new number comes in on your existing line but rings differently.

Buy a callsign adaptor ( plugs into your socket and has 2 sockets on the front. One marked standard and one marked callsign)

When the line rings, the unit detects which number the caller phoned (by listening to the ringing pattern) and then routes the call to the correct socket on the front.

No more fax calls to your 'talk' line and vice versa.

I have one of those units here, PM me with ur email and i'll send you a pic of it if you want.
It cost less than a tenner if you're thinking of buying one.



Edit........http://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-Call-Sign.../dp/B000NJO7RU

There's one, although it's out of stock at the moment.

The (in stock) alternative would appear to be THESE.

Many thanks guys - does this solution mean the answer machine and fax machine have to be in the same room. Sorry to be a pain, but I really have no idea about this sort of stuff!

Yeah, that would do it - a lot more than a paid for the thing I have though. eBay might be an option.


Well, yes, both of the sockets (for line 1 and 2) are effectively in the same place but an extension could be run? Or (and I haven't tried this) more than one unit could be plugged in and you then use the appropriate socket as with the single unit setup.

I am sure this will work ok but just be a bit wary as not all fax machines (and in fact cordless phones) recognise the ringing cadence of the callsign line.
Nearly all corded phones will work ok.

Just an example of ring cadence is:
Normal number rings like:
ring ring (pause) ring ring (pause) ring ring etc etc.

whereas the callsign number will ring:
riiiiiiinnnnggg (pause) riiiiiiinnnnggg (pause), best described as the same as the american phone system or just like an internal call on uk phone system

Hope this has not put you off callsign.
I had it for years and worked well with kids in the house, ie different ring, it aint for us must be for the kids (they get their own number!!)