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Comcast Digital and Rotary Phones

Started by Doug Rose, January 03, 2010, 12:22:31 PM

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Doug Rose

I have had Comcast Digital for our Land Line for over two years with no issues with my old phones. They still ring and conversation is clear. Lately I have noticed my #6 dial Western Electric phones work as they always had, no issues. But my #4 and #5 dials, while they do break dial tone, do not dial out accurately. Anyone seen this? It is a royal pain. Comcast thinks I am nuts....Kidphone
Kidphone

Dennis Markham

Doug, I have Comcast service but do NOT have the telephone service.  They have tried to get me to bundle everything for some time and I have avoided it strictly because of my old telephones.  I strictly have rotary phones in the house except for one 2500 that I use when I have to have touch-tone service.  However I have been told by a couple of friends of mine that their Comcast telephone service does support their rotary phones.  But now that you mention that the older dials do not work, I'm going to have to take one over to my friend's home to give it a try.  I could get more for my money if I bundle my service, but I have been holding on to my POTS line.  I'll report back after experimenting with a #4 and #5 dial on my local Comcast line.

Phonesrfun

I have the same problem with Vonage.  Older dials using older subsets don't seem to work.  I think when someone with a degree in engineering and little experience was told to go and design and program the ATA's someone forgot to tell them to program in some tolerance.

My solution was to put all my antique phones behind a Panasonic 616 PBX.  It is quite tolerant, and sends DTMF out to the line.  Plus, with the 616 come other side benefits of being able to call and ring your various phones, and test them out, having hold, and all those things.

-Bill Geurts
-Bill G

Dennis Markham

One of our members, BDM (haven't seen him on here in a while) told me that the VoiP systems are much more sensitive to the dial pps speed.  He said he had some success when slowing down the dial---with his older phones.

Doug Rose

Bill....I have a 616 that has been siting in my workshop for 4 years. i guess its time to break it out.....thanks....

Dennis....I have just noticed the older dials not working in the past three months.....


Doug
Kidphone

bellsystemproperty

I think the problem may be that the Comcast modem is picky about how many pulses per second there is. It may only take 10-12pps for example. Comcast officially says that the modems do not work with rotary phones, but that's only so they don't have to provide tech support for those people. I have att, but I have set up 500s at my friends houses with Comcast, one even Vonage, but those phones use #7 dials. The 616 would solve all these problems though, and they're a lot of fun.

BTW, if you can, I'd switch back to POTS with att, Verizon, or whoever serves your area. The battery backup on those modems are small. I used to have it and the modem should have had two batteries, but they only installed one. POTS could go for days in a blackout. Comcast and I are not friends.  :)

Greg G.

#6
I had a problem one time when a phone quit dialing out.  I was informed that my problem was I had too many phones plugged in at the same time (I have Comcast phone service).

Another funny thing is when I first had the service installed about a year ago, I was able to navigate phone menus by dialing the number they said to "press".  It worked with my work phone menus, and at least one or two credit card customer service numbers, I was even able to dial my cc# when they asked for it.  Then for reasons unknown, it quit working and I can't do that anymore.  I have no idea what changed.  Time to set up that PBX I got from Phonesrfun. 
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

bwanna

 :o ??? :o ::) ??? :'(.......VoIP...... >:( :( :o :'( ::) :o

.........where's my soapbox...........
donna

bingster

It's not much help for Comcast customers, but I have the bundled service from Cox cable, and all my rotary phones work just fine with it.  My main phone has a #4 dial, and it's never failed to make a call on this system.

I've also heard that some similar systems won't ring a mechanical ringer, but mine all ring.  Internal phone ringers, subset ringers, all of 'em.
= DARRIN =



AET

My family has Verizon and I am very happy with it.  We used to have charter bundle, but I had no rotaries then.  I will highly reccomend Verizon to anybody who wants to put their rotaries to use, it's never failed me.
- Tom

Jim Stettler

House of telephones offers a rotary to tone converter that is supposed to work with your old phones and digital lines.
I personally like copper because you need a court order to tap copper. With IP you don't. I don't do anything illegal, it is just the principle. There are rumours that the phone companies are trying to get the FCC to do away with copper. This  has to do with access to copper for competing companies. Fiber isn't required to provide access to the fiber plant.

Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

bellsystemproperty

Quote from: AtomicEraTom on January 04, 2010, 03:07:24 AM
My family has Verizon and I am very happy with it.  We used to have charter bundle, but I had no rotaries then.  I will highly reccomend Verizon to anybody who wants to put their rotaries to use, it's never failed me.
The problem is that in most place there is only one "real" phone company. By real I mean copper POTS and not VOIP. In Petaluma we have att, in Palm Springs there is Verizon, and in some places there's Quest. There's not much of a choice, it's all where you live, but both att and Verizon are excellent choices. I have VOIP as second line to play with, but I wouldn't replace att. Voip still has a ways to go (and needs to work with rotary phones!)

BDM

--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI