AboutSpencer Holcombe Expertise I have been in the telecommunications arena for several years. I've worked in traffic,installation,repair,customer service,fraud,national and major accounts. I Started with Pacific Telephone,went to American Bell, AT&T Information Systems, AT&T Communications, Pacific Bell-SBC - AT&T. I can answer most questions of a service or equipment nature-excluding cellular. From jacks, wiring, phones, to custom calling services, local to long distance.
Experience Bell System and post divesture work for AT&T and Local operating companies. Service rep-to Fraud desk.
Organizations Telephone Pioneers of America
Publications PTM mag. Connections, Update, and other company publications. Also have expert status at AskME.com
Question My home telephone service provider is Talk America but SBC is in charge of the exterior wiring. I'm really at a loss with an issue I have. I have had a 900MHz cordless Uniden phone with caller ID for about 5 years and it has and still does work fine. About 3 years ago I bought a GE cordless phone with caller ID and a digital answering machine. That worked fine up until about 2 weeks ago. At that time, the phone would not ring, the answering machine would not pick up, and yet the caller ID on the handset still showed up and you could pick up calls and make out going calls still. So, I thought that the phone might be broken so I bought a new Panasonic phone (KG-TX2357B) phone with caller ID and a digital answering machine. Well after I charged that one up I plugged it into the phone line and tried calling it with my cell phone and it did nothing at all. No caller ID, no ring, and no answering machine. But, you could still answer the call and make out going calls.
Keep in mind this is not a one phone jack problem. I have moved the Uniden phone all around the house and it works fine anywhere. I have also moved the Panasonic phone to the same jacks all over the house and it still doesn't work properly.
Therefore, I don't think this is a phone problem. I'm thinking it is a phone line problem but I can't speak intelligently with the phone company to have it fixed. Can you lend any insight into this problem at all? Whether it be voltage issues (which has been checked and i'm told the wires in the basement show a proper 48 volts and then 110 volts when ringing) or any other issue you can think of.
Thanks
Answer Mike, What ELSE is on your telephone system? alarm? computer? fax? tivo? I would be guessing, but Think it's more of a compatability problem rather than a line problem. What has changed in the last 3 weeks? Try your phones in ANOTHER location-a neighbor, friends, the office, and see if they work in those locations. Spencer
