Patrick_A_Townson@cup.portal.COM (06/02/88)
Steve Elias discussed Intellidial, an offering available in New York which adds several features to residence phone lines. We have had the same service here in Chicago now for about two years. Here it is called STARLINE. We get the same features he discusses, and a few more -- Distinctive ringing (two short or one long) to distinquish intercom call from outside call. Distinctive call waiting tones for the same reason. The speed dial capability is 30 numbers (*21 through *40). The intercom speed dial capability is 6 numbers (#2 through #8) Cancel call waiting (which turns on 'forward on busy') is *70. The cost here is about $5.50 per line/month in addition to normal line charges. If you have only two lines, in a relativly small space, then STARLINE or Intellidial is an overkill. Where it comes in very handy is in a large house where there are phones in several rooms. Under Intellidial or STARLINE, all phones get their own number, provided the phones in each room are wired like a star from the central block in the basement or wherever. If the phones are all wired in series one to another, then of course there is no way to get distinct and separate central office service to each one. A company out in the Seattle area (Melco) makes an *excellent* small EPBX for home use. You mount the controller next to the place where the lines come into your home. The Melco Model 212 EPBX can handle 2 outside lines and up to 12 internal extensions. It runs on house current through a step down transformer you plug into a wall outlet near the control box. The extensions are numbered 21 to 32. 0 (as in Operator) defaults to 21. The two outside lines default to extensions 21-22 in the event of power failure shutting down the system. By using 'call forwarding', either/both outside lines can be set to ring on the extension of choice. By defualt they ring on 21 (line 1) and 22 (line 2). Call forwarding is implemented by dialing 51xx (line 1) or 52xx (line 2), where xx is the extension you wish to ring on incoming calls. Regardless of which extensions actually ring on incoming calls, a common audible lead on the control unit allows an incoming call to be noted in any range of hearing. Pick up the incoming call from any extension (if not the one the call is being automatically routed to) by dialing 7 for Universal Pickup. Flash and hang up to put a call on hold. Pick up from any other extension by dialing 60xx. Pick up from holding extension by lifting receiver and flashing. Calls left on hold more than one minute ring back holding extension as a reminder. After 12 rings, held call is abandoned if not retrieved by some extension somewhere. Extensions dial each other with two digits. A long single ring indicates an extension to extension call. Two short rings, a pause and two more short rings indicate an outside call, either by virtue of an outside line being forwarded there or by virtue of call being picked up elsewhere and transferred to your extension. To transfer an outside call, flash, dial desired extension number, announce call and hang up. To conference, flash, announce conference, and flash again. Dial 4 to terminate on a connection on the control unit which can be used for paging. A contact on the unit can be wired normally open (closing when 4 is dialed to key a microphone) or it can be wired normally closed (opening when 4 is dialed to cut off background music while an announcement is made.) Dial 9 for an outside line. One of the two lines can be designated as first choice, the other as second choice in a rotary. Force a connection to a given outside line by dialing 81 or 82. Do not disturb an extension is implemented by the extension dialing 35. Any further *internal* calls to the extension will be busied out until the next time the extension goes off hook. Incoming calls from outside will still ring through, overriding do not disturb. Do not disturb from a given outside line is implemented by any extension dialing 61 or 62 for the desired outside line. Incoming calls from that line will not ring through, nor will the common audible be sounded. Calling party hears ringing with no answer. Dial 63 to disable the common audible only. Calls will ring through to extension designated. Dial 64 to cancel any/all prior suspensions. Dip switches in the control unit allow the proprietor to set certain conditions: Disallow 9 for outside calls, all extensions. Disallow the use of 61-62-63-64 to suspend incoming calls. Disallow outgoing calls forced onto the first/second line by dialing 81/82. The control unit is about the size of an Apple II computer, or one of the small Epson MX-80 printers. Existing house pair wiring works fine. Since the Melco 212 is insensitive to polarity, to disallow outgoing calls period from any given extension, simply reverse the polarity on the wires of that given extension. It will be able to dial 9, but not break dial tone on either outside line. The control unit weighs about ten pounds and is mounted easily on a wall. I hooked one up for a neighbor and it took me about one hour total to bring up 8 extensions to it from around his house and put in three common audibles (second floor, garage, basement), using spare pairs I found around house. The Melco generates it own dial tone, ringing tone and busy signal. Its limitations are it has only one internal talk path, and only one dial tone generator. If two extensions go off hook at the same time, one will get dial tone, the other will get nothing until the first one has completed dialing. Likewise, the total number of extensions that can be used at one time is 4 (2 on outside calls, and 2 talking to each other on the internal link.) I think Melco is asking about $600 for the unit; they are (or were) in stock and can be shipped out air frieght for arrival in a day or two at an extra charge. For you folks with larger applications, they also offer the 424 (4 trunks; 24 extensions) and 824 (8 trunks; 24 extensions). These latter two are considerably more money, but have several internal talk paths, call restriction and a variety of additional features suitable for a small office.)