[OT] -- Anybody using Distinctive Ring?

[Tim Wescott]

I just got done with the voice line fax rigamarole with a customer.
He's a friend so I didn't have to quake in my boots when he made snide
comments.

If I were to have another phone line put in for fax service it would not
only cost a bunch of money for a seldom-used service, it would also
require the phone company to rip up my driveway. So as an alternative
I'm considering having a fax number put in my business line with
distinctive ring. Since my fax program doesn't seem to respond to
distinctive rings I'm planning on buying (hopefully) a gizmo that'll
only direct the line to the fax when that ring sounds.

I'm just assuming the existance of a gizmo that'll respond to
distinctive ring patterns. Does anybody know of such a gizmo? How
direct is your experience? How _good_ is your experience?

Thanks in advance.

-------------------------------------------
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

 

[Jim Thompson]

On Tue, 10 May 2005 12:18:32 -0700, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
wrote:

I just got done with the voice line fax rigamarole with a customer.
He's a friend so I didn't have to quake in my boots when he made snide
comments.

If I were to have another phone line put in for fax service it would not
only cost a bunch of money for a seldom-used service, it would also
require the phone company to rip up my driveway. So as an alternative
I'm considering having a fax number put in my business line with
distinctive ring. Since my fax program doesn't seem to respond to
distinctive rings I'm planning on buying (hopefully) a gizmo that'll
only direct the line to the fax when that ring sounds.

I'm just assuming the existance of a gizmo that'll respond to
distinctive ring patterns. Does anybody know of such a gizmo? How
direct is your experience? How _good_ is your experience?

Thanks in advance.

-------------------------------------------
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

There used to be a gizmo... I had one maybe 15 years ago. It could
route and ring, depending upon detection of the fax tone sequence.

But why not just buy WinFax? It has distinctive ring capabilities.

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

On Tue, 10 May 2005 12:18:32 -0700, the renowned Tim Wescott
<tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote:

I just got done with the voice line fax rigamarole with a customer.
He's a friend so I didn't have to quake in my boots when he made snide
comments.

If I were to have another phone line put in for fax service it would not
only cost a bunch of money for a seldom-used service, it would also
require the phone company to rip up my driveway. So as an alternative
I'm considering having a fax number put in my business line with
distinctive ring. Since my fax program doesn't seem to respond to
distinctive rings I'm planning on buying (hopefully) a gizmo that'll
only direct the line to the fax when that ring sounds.

I'm just assuming the existance of a gizmo that'll respond to
distinctive ring patterns. Does anybody know of such a gizmo? How
direct is your experience? How _good_ is your experience?

Thanks in advance.

That's a good choice, IMO. You might want to buy another fax that
recognizes distintive ring in order to have a one-stop solution-- they
are incredibly cheap. I have a three+-part solution (a Vive "ring
reader", a ComSwitch 5500, and the fax itself, as well as two voice
mail devices) that I cobbed together years back. It has an automated
function that calls my cellphone when I'm out to tell me something is
waiting and is wireless/multiline/multi-handset.

Next revision of my business card (due Friday) will be missing the fax
#. I use the computer to receive faxes these days (too many junk
faxes) and just use the physical fax m/c to send the occasional page
(and even that will probably go soon or be shunted off to some spare
corner). It was sure wonderful technology in 1985, but it's past its
best-before date now. I shut the incoming fax down for 3 weeks with
little effect and the junk faxes *didn't* stop.

Best regards,



Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

 

[BFoelsch]

I used such a device for many years and it worked absolutely flawlessly.
Then I moved to a different state where the distinctive ring service is not
available.

Unit I have is the "RingDirector," made by Lynx Automation, Inc., PO Box
99068, Seattle, WA 98199. Phone 206-285-1754. This unit was/is available in
2 and 4 line configurations. I have no idea if this product is still
available.


"Tim Wescott" <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote in message
news:118227egktg4v65@corp.supernews.com...

I just got done with the voice line fax rigamarole with a customer. He's a
friend so I didn't have to quake in my boots when he made snide comments.

If I were to have another phone line put in for fax service it would not
only cost a bunch of money for a seldom-used service, it would also
require the phone company to rip up my driveway. So as an alternative I'm
considering having a fax number put in my business line with distinctive
ring. Since my fax program doesn't seem to respond to distinctive rings
I'm planning on buying (hopefully) a gizmo that'll only direct the line to
the fax when that ring sounds.

I'm just assuming the existance of a gizmo that'll respond to distinctive
ring patterns. Does anybody know of such a gizmo? How direct is your
experience? How _good_ is your experience?

Thanks in advance.

-------------------------------------------
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

 

[budgie]

On Tue, 10 May 2005 12:18:32 -0700, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote:

(snip)

I'm just assuming the existance of a gizmo that'll respond to
distinctive ring patterns. Does anybody know of such a gizmo? How
direct is your experience? How _good_ is your experience?

Tim, I use one of these:

http://natcomm.com.au/america/index.cfm?page=product_details&id=45&product_id=45

with a 3Com/USR 56K Message Modem (left over from my dial-up days)

Up-side:
.. Results, very good.

Down-sides:
.. Another friggin' wallwart.
.. It "swallows" the first ring cadence. The modem and associated software can
be set to answer after 2 - 5 rings, so the A-party machine will see a pickup
after 3 - 6 rings. Not a problem, just an imperfection.

Would I do things the same way again? Very likely.