J-R@MTUS5.BITNET (John Russell) (07/18/89)
I have a Merlin 410 system that I'd like to use with a FAX machine. I have a few questions that I hope someone could answer for me. . . The research I've done (calling vendors) indicates that there are switches designed to "screen" FAX calls, only passing voice calls on to the connected phone system. I found a fax machine (Sharp UX350) with one of these switches built in. I was told it would do what I wanted it to do. It does, with a single phone hooked up to it. When introducing Sharp and AT&T (now be nice, boys), we had a little conflict. FAX messages are intercepted... that part works fine. Voice calls, however, get Merlin confused. When Sharp passes on the ring, (it's supposed to ring the phone for 15 seconds if it isn't a fax) Merlin doesn't recognize it as a ring. hmmm.... I've tried the fax machine with another "smart" phone system... they're too smart to be outsmarted, it seems (the other one was TIE EK612). Now, since we have so many technology junkies in one place... does anyone know of a switch that will do what I want it to do on the Merlin (or other) phone system?? PS - Sharp is the first fax I've found with this switch built in ... the others I've heard of are all external. Viking is the one that comes to mind, but it sounds like it will have the same problem with the Merlin. PPS - Anyone had any experience with the Merlin BTMI for this purpose?? (btmi - basic telephone modem interface, methinks) any insight would be *greatly* appreciated =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | John Russell (JR) |Experience is a marvelous| * * * * | | Michigan Tech (MTU) |thing that enables you to| * * * | | J-R@MTUS5.BITNET |recognize a mistake when | * * * * | | |you make it again. | * * * * | | Disc: I said what? | - F.P.Jones | * * * * * | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=