How to switch the fly to tone mode. What is dial tone on a landline phone?
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Often, in order to communicate with a company's customer support answering machine, we need to figure out how to put the phone on tone. When the robot at the other end of the line asks us to switch its device to tone dialing mode, then we must switch the dialing mode from pulse to tone. There is no difficulty in this; we can make such a switch without leaving home.
What is tone mode
Exist two types of dialing modes from telephones:- Pulse, an already outdated dial, which is characterized by the appearance of clicks when dialing a number (you can hear them by turning the dial of the device, if you still have such a model).
- Tonal (tonal)– when you press a number, a certain sound signal is heard. Moreover, each number corresponds to its own sound, different from the others.
Let's assume that you have a disk machine and want to figure out how to turn the machine into tone mode. Then know that without a special set-top box that will generate tone signals to the network, this is impossible to do if it is an old disk drive.
Switch to tone mode
So, during a conversation with the answering machine, when it asks you to switch the device to tone dialing mode, press the " * " while holding her about two seconds(on a mobile phone - a little longer - about 5 seconds). In most cases, telephone numbers are translated this way.If this button does not switch your machine from pulse mode, it may other actions required:
- Sometimes the phone switches with the " # ».
- There may be a switch key on the device body (bottom or side), on which you will see “ tone" or " T" Switch it to the desired position.
- Perhaps your device switches in a completely different way as provided by its manufacturer. In this case, refer to the instructions, which show which buttons are used to switch it to the mode you need.
Landline (wired, home) telephones for their intended purpose are now used less and less, giving way to radio-based mobile devices. Since the latter, in most tariffs, does not require a monthly subscription fee, the cost of using them is even lower than that of their stationary counterparts. At first glance, it may seem that no problems can arise when using wired phones, since the technology is old and well-studied. But this is true for the developer, and not for the average user of such a phone.
For example, sometimes companies and banking institutions indicate a toll-free telephone number in their contact information, by calling which many issues can be resolved. Usually, an answering machine on the other side of the line picks up the phone, asking the subscriber to press certain numbers (turn the dial) during the conversation. Unfortunately, for many, the call ends here, since the answering machine does not react in any way to actions on the phone, ignoring button presses. Why?
The reason is simple - there is a pulse and tone mode of the phone. Surely, everyone has heard strange clicks or beeps that accompany pressing numbers or dialing a number using a dial. The beeps are tone mode and the clicks are pulse mode. Let's look at how dialing occurs in old rotary phones.
When the dial is rotated to the required distance and automatically returns to its original position, special electrical contacts are closed: each closure forms a click-pulse; by counting their number, you can determine the digit being dialed and, accordingly, the number. This “counting” is carried out by the equipment at the station (ATS). Simple and effective. In newer phone models, the contacts are replaced with a special pulse generator, which, by the way, can also be switched to tone mode.
Subsequently, pulse dialing was replaced by a more technologically advanced one. In it, dialing is carried out not by digits, but by modulating alternating current with the desired frequency. Each number (button) has its own signal tone. Then everything is the same: the PBX perceives a combination of tones and converts them into a dialed telephone number. The tone mode is more noise-resistant (errors in dialing are now entirely dependent on the attentiveness of the owner, and not on the state of the network), and also allows you to connect with the subscriber more quickly. All modern phones are tone phones; they may not have a pulse mode at all.
By the way, it is believed that the tone mode provides higher sound quality. This is only half true. To work in tone mode, both the telephone and the PBX must support it. Trying to use a new phone on a pulse PBX will not give any advantages (if, at all, the device works). Stations designed for tone mode are digital (or mixed), as opposed to analog pulse. Hence the improvement in sound.
Programmable allows you to switch the phone to tone mode and operate both pulse and tone communication networks. Let's assume that the subscriber is served by an analogue telephone exchange. To put your phone into pulse dialing mode, you usually need to press and hold the “*” (asterisk) button for a few seconds. If this does not help, then turn the device over and examine the bottom cover - often there is a small toggle switch for selecting a mode. Switching to tone dialing is performed in the same way.
Now let's return to the example given at the beginning of the article. Owners connected to analog stations may forget about communicating with an answering machine that requires pressing any buttons, since this is impossible without additional equipment. Of course, there is a way out - this is a special set-top box that generates tone signals into the network, but you will have to forget about convenience.
Instructions
Press the “*” button on your telephone - this is the easiest way to switch the device to tone mode, provided that your phone is in this way.
Find the “P” and “T” buttons on yours; they can be on the side of the device or on the bottom. If there are such buttons, it means that the phone is switched to tone mode with their help. Press the "T" button to switch to the desired mode.
If both methods do not work for you, please refer to the instructions included with the device. Some models of devices are switched to tone mode using completely different keys.
Video on the topic
note
If you are not sure of the correct combination to dial to switch the phone to tone mode, use the instructions, otherwise, by careless actions you can enable completely different functions or render the telephone unusable.
Helpful advice
Perhaps your phone initially works in tone mode, and you should not waste time searching for combinations, just listen to the sounds the phone makes when dialing a number.
Sources:
- how to switch your phone from touch tone mode
Even if your telephone exchange only works in pulse mode, autoinformers installed in some organizations accept only tone commands. To interact with them, you have to switch the telephone to the appropriate mode.
Instructions
If you called the automatic informant number using a mobile phone, then it already works in tone mode. If it turns out that the autoinformer does not respond to commands, find in the device menu an item corresponding to the DTMF signal transmission mode (it is called differently in different phones). Allow the transmission of such signals.
Find out if your telephone exchange supports touch tone mode. If it turns out that the PBX has been upgraded and is now capable of being controlled in this way, switch your home telephone to tone mode, and dialing numbers will speed up significantly. To do this, find a switch on its bottom or one of the side walls, marked P-T or Pulse-Tone. Switch it to T or Tone mode. Then check whether the PBX responds to tone commands, and if not, switch the phone back to pulse mode.
In some wired devices (mostly equipped with radio tubes), switching to tone mode is carried out not by a mechanical switch, but through a menu. Find the location of the corresponding menu item in the instructions or yourself.
If the PBX does not support tone mode, it is inconvenient to use a switch or menu every time you need to use an automatic informant. Leaving the device switched to pulse mode, after dialing the number, press the asterisk key. The device will switch to tone mode and will remain in it until you hang up.
Rotary and early push-button telephones do not support tone mode at all. After calling from such a device to the answering machine, wait for the secretary’s response, and then ask him to manually connect you to the desired subscriber. If communication with the secretary is not provided, use a special autonomous device - a beeper. Bring it to the microphone and press the buttons with the desired numbers.
In ordinary city telephones, there are two types of dialing: the so-called pulse, known since the days of rotary telephones, and tone. Currently, it is generally accepted that pulse dialing (when the number of pulses and interruptions corresponds to a particular dialed digit of a number) is a relic of the past. Nowadays, tone dialing (in which a number is dialed using special tone messages) is increasingly used. However, quite often telephone exchanges do not support tone dialing.
Instructions
Some phone models do not natively support touch tone mode. For example, rotary telephones are designed only for pulse dialing. If you have a similar device, you can safely use its functions.
Many of us at least sometimes have to call multi-line phones to various hotlines. It’s easier to do this from a mobile phone, but sometimes more expensive, because the operator begins to read money from the beginning of the connection. First, you listen to an answering machine message that asks you to choose which specialist to connect with, and then in some cases you will have to spend more than one minute on the line waiting for the operator to respond. In this case, it is more profitable to use a landline device, but in this case you need to decide how to transfer the phone to
Phone operating modes
There are two options for telephone operation - pulse and tone. Talking over is possible if you turn on the tone mode. and PBXs support pulse dialing by default. Modern digital PBXs and more advanced telephone models are tone-on-tone. You can determine how your phone is configured by default by holding the handset to your ear and listening to the sounds it makes as you dial a number:
- On a phone set to pulse mode by default, you will hear characteristic clicks, the number of which corresponds to the dialed digit.
- In tone mode, a characteristic sound signal will be heard in the speaker.
If you heard the sounds described in the first case, to call the hotline you need to find out how to switch the phone to tone mode. However, it is worth noting that owners will not be able to do this without purchasing additional equipment.
How to find instructions for your telephone
First of all, when we need to learn a new function of something, we turn to the instructions. It comes complete with any equipment. In it you can find a lot of very useful tips, including how to switch your phone to tone mode. If the user manual is lost along with the box or was not there initially, you should use the tips offered later in our article.
The easiest way to put your phone into tone mode
Sometimes, for objective reasons, it is impossible to find a user manual, or it may contain only a technical description of the model, and the functions are described very poorly. In this case, use a simple and proven method of switching to tone mode.
Once you have dialed the number and are connected to the answering machine, press and hold the star (*) for a couple of seconds. Usually this is enough to immediately switch to the required mode. If the transition does not work, then you should try again. If the transition procedure is successful, you can enter any extension numbers. However, you will need to go through this procedure every time you call.
Tone mode and its features
Panasonic specialists thought about introducing tone mode in their devices before other companies. It is no secret that its spread everywhere remains only a matter of time; an increasing number of PBXs are using digital technologies, and organizations are creating multi-channel numbers for convenience. Before you put your Panasonic phone into tone mode, examine the device carefully. On some models you may see a "tone" key or a "pulse-tone" switch. The switch must be set to “tone” mode, and the key just needs to be pressed.
Modern radiotelephones of this brand are programmed by default for tone dialing mode, and most often there is no need to enter additional settings. If the program is broken, then using the instructions it is easy to fix it.
