GPO 706L not dialing out.

[russell_w_b]

Originally Posted by Dave Moll

The solution may be to purchase and install a [url=http://www.oldphoneworks.com/rotatone-pulse-to-tone-converter.html]

Not quite as elegant, perhaps, but there used to be a gadget available, about the size of a small calculator, that stored telephone numbers and could be placed over the mouthpiece of a telephone so providing DTMF acoustic coupling between the gadget and the mouthpiece.

The numbers would be displayed (I think about 100 numbers could be stored) and dialled at the touch of a button. Mine was made by Zeon.

[twocvbloke]

Originally Posted by xantaus

Any advance on this point?

I hear the tap tap tap on the phone but dialing out is still impossible, are there any other options or is this due to the exchange not accepting pulse dialing?

Yep, your exchange does not accept Pulse dialling, solution I can think of is one of them converters already mentioned, a tone generator (I used to have one, basically a keypad you sat on the microphone and dialled from there), an old Motorola mobile phone which plays DTMF tones when the numeric keys are pressed (Not elegant, but it does work, seriously!!!), or possibly getting an older PBX phone system that'll accept pulse dialling and transmits tone dialling...

[Dave Moll]

See below for a simpler version with no memory. You simply place the ring shown on the rear against the telephone mouthpiece an dial the number using the keypad on the front.

I would, however, give a word of caution. I have never managed to make mine work reliably with a telephone using a carbon granule transmitter. You may need to use the electronic replacement transmitter (if your 'phone doesn't already have one) if you go down this route.

[twocvbloke]

That's basically the same device I had years ago, only the one I had was BT branded...

[AndiiT]

Originally Posted by twocvbloke

...Yep, your exchange does not accept Pulse dialling,....

Although this could well be that case, I don't know of any public exchanges that are exclusively configured for tone dialling at the moment, as xantaus has already mentioned their service provider is Virgin Media and many VM legacy switches (exchanges) are very fussy about correct dial speed when accepting pulse trains instead of DTMF trains.
Also if the "tapatapa" test is done with another phone off hook (as it has to be) the pulse train will not be fed in to the digit register in the switch anyway, as the other telephone on the line has already looped the circuit and, as pulse dialling relies on the circuit being broken and remade (i.e. dial pulses), any pulses will not be seen due to the continuous loop on the line provided via the other telephone.

It's also very unlikely that every customer in the same VM franchise as xantaus is using a Tone dialling phone, the service provider may recommend use of them but cannot enforce this.

Another possibility, and one that will only manifest itself with a pulse dialling telephone is that the VDR, that is now fitted in the newer master sockets instead of a spark arrestor, has developed a fault and is snubbing the dial pulses.

Regards
Andrew

[twocvbloke]

The only problem with Cable exchanges is they don't have to offer Pulse dial services, they're not bound like BT are to maintain the use of the Loop-Disconnect standard...

I suppose one other way to test is if there is another phone in the house (or to hand) which is electronical that can be switched from MF to LD, then try that, given how electronic dialling phones can provide a more uniform pulse over an older mechanical phone, then this could define whether or not the line is able to support the LD standard...

If there's no phone to hand, then a phone that can be switched between MF and LD can be had for pennies...

[Dave Moll]

Posts discussing pulse-to-tone converters have been move to a separate thread.