Pulse Dial Or Tone Dial On Telephone

[Giggsie]

My phones have stopped responding to having to press option numbers( which seems to be a few now) I phoned BT and they say it has to do with pulse or tone dial. They also say it should be on phone that you can set either. I said sorry can't see this on mine so he told me to contact phone makers Panasonic. Strange had these phones for a few years and always worked up to now. I receive and make calls no problem only numbers with options that they don't respond to. Any one out ther had this problem?

[Jackdaw33]

Do pulse dial phones still exist?

[Buenchico]

Model name/number for your Panasonic phone, please?

[Giggsie]

Buenchico right now I can't put my hand on the book it does not say on the phone model number. I will look tomorrow so please look I'm tomorrow night. I have not changed anything and they always worked before. Time for new phones?

[Giggsie]

Jackdaw33 thanks for answering I don't even know what pulse and tone dialling is.

[Jackdaw33]

Pulse dialling goes back to the days of dial phones when you had to spin the dial. Each number emitted a series of pulses. Tone dialling just emits a single tone for each digit.

[Buenchico]

Is there a switch on the side (or base) of your phone labelled 'P - T'?

If there is and it's in the 'P' position your phone will emulate the pulse dialling used by old-fashioned phones, like these:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/New_Zealand_Rotary_Telephone.jpg

Because BT's telephone exchanges still work with such phones, you'll be able to make calls without any problems. However phone systems which ask you to "Press button one to speak to Customer Services' (for example) require your phone to use tone dialling. So it's imperative that the 'P - T' switch is set to the 'T' position.

[Giggsie]

Can't see anything that's what BT asked me if there was a switch checked them all.

[Giggsie]

Thanks jackdaw33.

[Peter Pedant]

try turning it upside down
there should be a few things like lugs to hang it up
wire in
wire out
and a slider with P-T on it

try the side....

[Hopkirk]

If it was set to pulse dialling then you couldn't make any calls at all fall, so it's not that.

[Tuvok]

I'm assuming your phones are cordless.

If so try this (these are for some models of Panasonic cordless phone)

...tone to pulse can be found in the owner's manual for the main base unit. Press the [MENU] button then choose "Set tel line". Then choose "Set dial mode", then choose Pulse or Tone and press [OK]. ...


or


how do i change from tone to pulse on panasonic kx- tg6511 cordless phone Try this.....Press menu....enter (# 1 2 0). Now select up or down key to get tone or pulse. Then select Save then off.


There should be a sticker on the base of the phones saying the model of phone. Different base units may use the same model of phone.

[Old_Geezer]

Just a thought but, when you are listening to the handset and press a digit button what do you actually hear ? A series of clicks or a beep ?

[Giggsie]

Make of phones Panasonic model number KX -TG 7301 E.
I have tried another phone today but it does not work either. Can receive and make normal calls just this problem with options.

[Buenchico]

A quick look at the manual (here: https://myfile.org/A0K8N6b5ba/TG7321E_PNQX1034YA.pdf ) confirms that your Panasonic phone only uses tone dialling.

The fact that the BT exchange can 'hear' the tones, but other systems can't, suggests to me that the 'volume' on your line is too low, with BT's highly-sensitive equipment able to 'hear' the tones but other equipment not able to do so. However, as you're using a cordless phone, it could be that the signal strength from the handset is inadequate for all systems to pick up on.

Try borrowing a few more phones, ensuring that they're NOT cordless. If the problem persists then it must be due to inadequate 'gain' ( = 'volume) on your line for outgoing calls, which you'll need a BT OpenReach engineer to fix. If the problem disappears then either the handset of your cordless phone isn't sending a strong enough signal or there's some nearby equipment (such as a printer) which is producing interference that's partially blocking the signal. [Many electronic devices which appear to be 'off' are actually only on 'standby' and emitting radio interference. Simply place a portable radio next to an 'off' printer to see what I mean!]

[Giggsie]

Thanks all for answers. Tuvok tried this no joy. Definitely no switch with p-t . Yes cordless phones but have also tried a corded phone today and it does not work. So can't be phone problem but BT don't want to know keep saying sort phones out.

[Buenchico]

To be fair to BT, they do everything possible to prevent people calling their engineers out when the fault lies with the customer's own equipment (as such call-outs result in the customer receiving a bil for over £140). If you're confident that the fault lies with their equipment you need to be persistent to get them to act.

Try with at least one more (non-cordless) phone and, assuming that doesn't work either, tell BT that you're concerned that the gain on your line is insufficient for third-party tone-operated automatic services to respond to.

[Old_Geezer]

I reckon they do that so the customer daren't complain if legitimate faults. I think that's abominable​ and BT should be obliged to physically check the line to the house (not some auto remote test that fails to pick out many faults) for free, and since the customer is their customer and they are making money out if that, check for obvious stuff for gratis.

[Old_Geezer]

...OF legitimate...

[Giggsie]

Old-geezer my thoughts too. They take your money I think they could come check things out. Suppose they would if I pay the fee. But very strange they all worked before. Now feel like I am paying for a service I am not getting.

[Giggsie]

Buenchico thanks for your detailed help. Just struggling as to why phones have changed as worked before. That's what makes me think fault lies with BT. Will try yet another phone.