Rotatone vs Comcast

[kdpezz]

I've posted on other threads but just putting out my own thread to see if anyone may have any further ideas ...refurbished phone with rotatone.  Not working on my Comcast system (arris modem).  Able to get dial tone but after that it won't disconnect call and then won't reset ...goes fast busy to silent until I have a dial tone again (about an hour later it seems).  If I unplug and plug in the phone jack from the modem I immediately get dial tone...though it's still giving me a hard time receiving calls but I have been able to get it to in the past.  The guy who installed internal converter said it worked fine in his shop and that removing the converter would be labor intensive.  I'm still out $200+ for a phone that doesn't work....would switching out the modem help?  Wish I never had the rotatone installed and just tried the dial gizmo.  This is a wall phone hard wired into the wall...they said we only need to use the green and red wires.  Tried the "reset" someone suggested of putting a short between the wires after making a call...doesn't help....determined to figure this out I feel like it's probably something simple I'm missing.  No one in the New England area that really works on this stuff.  Feel free to private message me or post on here of course if you have any ideas.  Thanks sorry I'm desperate!!

[Jack Ryan]

I understand your frustration but I am not the one to debug a circuit from a picture of a mass of wires. There is not even a circuit diagram or a functional description in the manual - just tab A, slot B stuff. I don't work like that.

Do you have to lift the handset before the line times out and gives fast busy? In other words, if you plug in the phone with the handset down and leave it until dialtone should have timed out, then lift the handset - what do you get? Dialtone or fast busy/silence?

The Rotatone needs a bridge rectifier so that it is not polarity dependent but it is not part of the Rotatone itself. It is possible that the bridge rectifier has bypassed the hook switch. There is also an external zener diode used to ensure the transmitter operates. It could be installed incorrectly as well.

Try to work out if the phone seizes the line even when the handset is on. If it does, the diodes are incorrectly fitted and I cannot see how the phone would have worked in anyone's workshop.

Good luck.

Jack

[kdpezz]

Jack...that's what happens...I hang up, wait, pick up and it goes fast busy to silence...(but you can still tell it's "on") then eventually it will come back to dial tone but takes a very long time.  If I call my cell from the rotary phone I hang up when the VM picks up.  When I pick up the rotary again and the VM message is still continuing...it's like it doesn't disconnect it...then goes fast busy..silence...eventually after eons a dial tone again.  Does that sound like a rectifier or diode issue? He has offered to take it back and look at it but he said he had no issues with it in his shop...so not sure what he would do and have to send to Canada for $40 and pay to get it back...I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to electronics and I truly appreciate your feedback.

[poplar1]

Another possibility is that the ringer is keeping the phone "off-hook" even when the phone is hung up. You may want to temporarily disconnect one of the two ringer wires (after making a note of where it needs to be reconnected).

The original Stromberg-Carlson ringer and network have been replaced with newer parts. Perhaps the vendor was trying to use a standard network in order to make it easier to rewire.

[Jack Ryan]

Another possibility is that the ringer is keeping the phone "off-hook" even when the phone is hung up. You may want to temporarily disconnect one of the two ringer wires (after making a note of where it needs to be reconnected).

I was assuming that it originally worked - perhaps not a good assumption. Disconnect the ringer and make sure.

It is *very* hard to debug anything in this manner and you need to make sure that you are unambiguously answering the question that was asked.

To be clear - if you plug the phone in and leave it sit for a couple of minutes with the handset on - what to you hear when you lift the handset - dialtone or fast busy/silence?

Jack

[kdpezz]

Fast busy as previously stated...I am not trying to minimize the difficulty of troubleshooting on a forum...which I wouldn't be trying to do if my options weren't very limited.  If you have Comcast I would love to send you this phone!

Fast busy...after a long time silence....hang up wait wait wait wait.....pick up after a very long time...finally abnormal dial tone

[kdpezz]

A normal dial tone

[Jack Ryan]

This is what I mean. I asked:

To be clear - if you plug the phone in and leave it sit for a couple of minutes with the handset on - what to you hear when you lift the handset - dialtone or fast busy/silence?

And you replied:

Fast busy as previously stated

Followed by:

A normal dial tone


The result is I don't know the answer to my question.

Jack

[kdpezz]

You're asking for an absolute answer and it's not it's a combination...sorry if this is confusing to you.  Thank you for your time.