JDurand@cup.portal.com (07/31/90)
Christopher J. Pikus, Megatek Corp. writes: > Now, I have seen these phone/fax switchboxes that allegedly do >this but I'm not sure how it is done. So my question is: how does such >a critter work? My only theory is that the originating fax machine >sends a pilot tone to signal the answering machine (or switchbox) that >a fax transmission is coming in. > Does anyone know how (or if) these things work? Does anyone >use one? Will it solve my problem? If not what will? (besides getting >another line). There are two types of these switches and I have used both of them. The most common (and cheapest) switch is one which answers the phone and waits a few seconds for the beeps put out by most FAX machines (some machines (like mine) do not generate these beeps, and none generate them if you dial with the handset off hook). If the switch hears these beeps, it rings the FAX machine and sends a constant busy signal to your phone or PBX. If the switch doesn't hear anything in a few seconds, the call defaults to the phone or PBX. I am currently using this type of switch because my lines are used by a BBS at night and I need the default to go to the PBX and not the FAX. The first day three people tried to send me FAXes but only one got through (the other two were manually dialed). The other type of FAX switch answers the phone with a voice recording and requests the caller enter the digit 3 (tone or PULSE) for voice calls and to just hang on for a FAX. If no tone/pulse is heard within the timeout, the switch defaults to the FAX. I NEVER had a missed FAX, but people using my BBS had trouble sending the "3" when their call rolled over to that line. If you don't have a BBS, I would use the voice announce version. Jerry Durand, Durand Interstellar, Inc., jdurand@cup.portal.com