DS7000 will only dial if I manually pick up phone line

[captainjerky]

Hey all-

So I've surveyed the complaints about the DS7000 here.  I can get the thing to dial my cell phone with and without the area code and play the message promptly when the alarm is triggered.  There's only one catch.  I have to pick up the phone that the line is split with in order for the stupid thing to 'see' a dial tone.
It worked right the first time I used it, honest!  I was so confident I showed my wife, and then it didn't work.  I tried using a line splitter so I could place the console by our computer center, and I tried it with its' own dedicated line- same results.
The only way it will dial out now (after that first operational attempt) is to pick up the phone and have the dial tone droning in the earpiece.  I hear a click as the dialer connects and sends out the command and dials my phone. 
Any ideas why the dialer won't open the line on its' own, especially since it did in fact do it once?  I don't have VOIP, and the numbers DO work, it's just that the thing won't capture a dial tone by itself.

Thanks,
Ryan

[everydayflyer]

Do you have DSL and if so do you have a filter on the line phone is on?  My console is the PS561 and it works fine sharing the same line as the DSL modem which does have a filter on it.

Also phone lines have a limited amount of load they can support,I believe they call it ring tone. To many devices can cause them to not work correctly. Try disconnecting the other phones,answering machines,faxs etc..


One other thought. The best way for phone lines to be wired is star configuration where each phone line connects directly to the phone junction (service ) box. Many older houses are wired dasiy chainged or in series. With series wiring each phone jack is weaker and weaker signal wise as you increase the distance down the chain. 

One last thought ,some phone devices are polarity sensitive and the phone company has been known to get the lines reversed while doing repairs. Years ago I live in a rapidly growing area and I had to go out to the phone entrance box and switch the leads to get the signal right again when they were doing work on the distrubition point up the road.

[captainjerky]

Thanks for the ideas.  My house is 5 years old, and I don't use DSL or have any other filters on the line.
I'm close to sending this thing back, but my wife already thinks the thing was a waste to begin with.  If I have to send it in for a replacement (and thus the resultant downtime for the whole security system) I'll have a hard time justifying why I spent all that money in the first place. 
I just finished a month of tweaking to get my Nightwatch cameras and all the X10 switches, plugins, and Activehome Pro working, and now this console is just topping it off nicely.  I guess you get what you pay for, and this stuff was cheap, so there's my problem. 
I give it another day or two and off it goes for a replacement....

[Brian H]

Regular land line phone or Internet, Magic Jack, Cable, Vonage?

[stungagain]

Read my post.  I have a similar issue.  If i get a reply/workaround, it may work for you too.

I think my system tries to dial, but my cell phone doesn't ring.  I can vaguely hear the outgoing message with the little ear piece.  I can hear it better if I use my house phone.  I think I can hear a few dials blips using my house phone.  I can even press "0" on my house phone & make the Console stop alarming and hear via the Console mic sounds in the rooms.

[captainjerky]

Regular landline, no magic jack, VOIP, anything else.  Tomorrow I try moving the DX7000 to a different phone jack, the one we use for our fax machine.  I still don't get why it worked the first time and then, with no changes at all, never again.  Still no 'click' to get the dialtone, even though it's sending the number tones like it thinks everything's ok.  Other than that, the unit works fine, just the dialer is screwed.  Might have to just RMA the thing and take the grief from my wife for failing to procure a working security system.  Tried X10 tech support again tonight, all they did was refer me to the X10 help wiki.  Duh.

[Brian H]

Only a guess here, but it may have failed. Since it did work one time.

The relay or SSR used to seize the phone line maybe not working. So if another phone goes on line. It can then detect the dial tone and send the phone numbers programmed in it.

We do have another thread where the poster. Found the internal soldering of the phone line to the PCB was bad. Stripped to long and bare wires could touch. Along with cold solder joints.

[captainjerky]

Sorry it took so long, but here's what I did.  I gave up on the phone line I'd been using (for our fax machine) and switched to the VOIP one we have with our cable service.  Just like others said, I'd been dropping the numbers 2 and 3 when the dialer started.  Got a Google Voice number with no 2 or 3 in it, forwarded it to my cell, and all is good!
Thanks for all the suggestions!