[comp.dcom.telecom] Ring Director Comments

Jack.Winslade@iugate.unomaha.edu (Jack Winslade) (01/14/91)

I know I have made these comments to some in private mail, but I'll
comment here since they seem to be coming up again and again.

I have used the Ring Director (four line version) from Lynx Automation
for several months without any problem.  It's on a 5 ESS office with
the Selective Ringing <tm> and it quickly switches upon a valid ring
code and does not false.

It does have an exclusion switch.  If this is off, any device going
off hook will 'step on' an existing connection.  If this is on, a
connection on any one line will lock out all others, except for what
appears to be a volt or so of battery.

One thing I thought of checking for but did not was to see how it
operates on a PBX.  I use it on a normal Selective Ringing line with
the normal two on, four off cadence.  On the PBX at work, (S/85) we
have a 1 on, two off cadence with normal ringing for on-campus calls,
two short for outside calls, and short- short-long for priority calls.
I guess I should take it in and see what it does there.

Hello Direct lists only the two-line box.  I phoned Lynx directly and
ordered the four-line one.

As an aside, for a while, I was actually able to use two modems, a HST
Dual and an older silver Hayes 1200 on two separate ring codes simply
by connecting them in parallel to the jack.  At the time, the HST
counted the two short as two rings, and the Hayes counted it as one.
I set the S0 register of the Hayes to three and the S0 of the HST to
four.  Normal ringing would cause the Hayes to pick up on three while
the HST waited for the fourth.  Two short would cause the HST to pick
up on the second burst of two rings while the Hayes waited for the
third.  The only major problem was that if I was on the 1200 and the
HST would grabe the line and attempt to dial out, it would generate
all kinds of line trash.  This 'feature' disappeared when the HST was
upgraded to V.42, and it now responds like the Hayes, showing each
burst of two short as one ring.


Good Day!        JSW