Support Tips for FAX LineShare
Version 3.x

If you experience problems installing or using a FAX LineShare, this page may assist you in troubleshooting. Note, however, that these support tips are not intended to serve as a substitute for the FAX LineShare manual. If you do not have a manual, please contact Call Management Products at (303) 465-0651 to obtain a replacement manual.

Installation Notes:

The FAX LineShare must control ALL of the telephone equipment on the phone line it is connected to. This means that if you have phones connected to more than one wall jack, the FAX LineShare CANNOT be installed simply by plugging it into a phone jack on the wall. Instead, the FAX LineShare needs to be installed where the phone line enters your home or office, at the Telephone Company Network Interface (i.e., BEFORE the first wall jack). Please read the Installation Section in the FAX LineShare User's Manual before attempting to use your FAX LineShare.

If desired, FAX LineShare can be used in front of any business telephone system (PBX, Hybrid, or Key System). A few older mechanical key systems (1A2) may not detect the ringing normally produced by the FAX LineShare, because they look for ringing that is referenced to ground. To enable the FAX LineShare to produce ground-referenced ringing, bring the internal ground of the FAX LineShare out on one of the outside wires of the fax port and connect the two outside wires together and to the system ground of the key system (see the FAX LineShare manual for detailed instructions on this process).

FAX LineShare Operation and Transfer Codes:

People calling your fax machine should be encouraged to use the automatic calling mode of their fax machines, as opposed to the manual calling mode. Automatic fax calls are usually made by inserting the document to send, dialing the phone number, and pressing the start button (without picking up the handset on the fax machine). Automatic fax calls will always go straight to your fax machine through the FAX LineShare, without ringing your telephones at all.

If someone attempts to send you a manual fax (usually, they have picked up the handset on their fax machine and dialed your number, and they're waiting to hear your fax machine answer before they press "start"), this call will ring to your telephones, since there is no fax tone on the line with this type of call. When you answer the call, you can transfer it to the fax port of the FAX LineShare by dialing 33 on your telephone keypad. The caller can also dial the 33, so when you are not available to answer the phone, you can have your answering machine tell callers to "dial 33 now if you are trying to send a fax."

In addition, FAX LineShare allows the transfer of an incoming call to any port any time during the call (outgoing calls cannot be transferred). This allows FAX LineShare to be used for a variety of applications. To transfer a call to the VOICE port, you would dial 88; for the FAX port, dial 33, and to transfer a call to the MODEM port on the 3-Port FAX LineShare, you would dial 66. Any port can transfer to any other port, and transfers can be made multiple times during a call, if desired. Once a call is transferred, the destination port will ring up to 6 times; if it is not answered within this time, the FAX LineShare will hang up the phone line.

Common Questions and Problems:

Why doesn't my Voice Mail service work with the FAX LineShare installed? The FAX LineShare always answers incoming calls on the first ring, so that it can listen to the line and determine if the call is a fax call or voice call (this cannot be done without answering the line). While listening to the line, the FAX LineShare provides ringback to the caller, so they think the phone is still ringing. However, from the phone company's perspective, the call has already been answered. Because of this, telephone company Voice Mail will never see enough rings to pick up a call as unanswered, so calls will only go to Voice Mail when the phone line is busy. A local answering machine should be used to answer calls when no one is available to answer them personally.

Can I use Call Waiting on the phone line my FAX LineShare is connected to? Call Waiting (a service offered by many local telephone companies) is not recommended for use on any phone line that is used for faxing, since Call Waiting beeps may interrupt fax transmissions.

Can I use Caller ID on the phone line my FAX LineShare is connected to? Caller ID information comes from the telephone company AFTER the first ring and before the second ring (in the space between rings). Normally, the FAX LineShare answers incoming calls on the first ring, before the Caller ID information arrives. However, Versions 3.01 and later of FAX LineShare can be modified easily (by removing a single diode) to answer on the second ring, thus giving the Caller ID information time to arrive. For more information on this modification, contact Call Management Products at (303) 465-0651.

Why do some fax calls go to the phone? These calls are generally "manual" fax calls (where the caller has picked up the handset on their fax machine and dialed your number, and they're waiting to hear your fax machine answer before they press "start"). Since there is no fax tone on the line with this type of call, the call will ring to the phones. When you answer the call, you can transfer it to the fax port of the FAX LineShare by dialing 33 on your telephone keypad. The caller can also dial the 33, so when you are not available to answer the phone, you can have your answering machine tell callers to "dial 33 now if you are trying to send a fax." If you receive numerous manual fax calls from the same caller, you might want to educate the caller on how to send an automatic fax by dialing the number on the fax keypad (without lifting the handset) and pressing the "start" button.

A caller insists they're sending an automatic fax, but their fax calls always ring my phones instead of my fax machine: A few old fax machines do not emit fax tone on the line, even when a fax is sent automatically. In these rare instances, the caller will need to be transferred to the fax machine by dialing 33 from your telephone or from their fax machine (the "33" can be dialed any time after the FAX LineShare answers the call, even while it's providing ringback to the caller).

Voice calls are going to my fax machine:

1) If an incoming voice call is not answered within six (6) rings, the call will be transferred to the fax. This default setting can be changed by going off-hook (getting dial tone) on a phone that is connected to the FAX LineShare's voice port and dialing as shown next, within 4 seconds of going off-hook; after dialing, you will hear fast busy tone and can hang up:

Dial 11# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 1 time and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 22# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 2 times and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 33# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 3 times and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 44# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 4 times and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 55# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 5 times and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 66# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 6 times and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 77# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 7 times and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 88# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 8 times and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 99# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 12 times and then transfer to the Fax Port if not answered. They will ring the Fax Port 6 times and, if not answered, will be disconnected.

Dial 00# to have voice calls ring the Voice Port 10 times and then be disconnected if not answered. With this setting, the call will never be transferred to the Fax Port if not answered at the Voice Port.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This programming will be lost if the FAX LineShare loses power and will default back to 6 rings. Remember to reprogram the unit after a power failure.

2) Occasionally, strong magnetic and electric fields (commonly generated by large office equipment) can interfere with the operation of the FAX LineShare, causing all incoming calls to go to the fax port. If this is the case, relocating the FAX LineShare a few feet may solve the problem.

The phones ring once, and when I answer, I hear ringing (ringback tone): If this is occurring, the FAX LineShare is not installed properly, and there are telephones connected to extensions "in parallel" to the FAX LineShare. ALL of the telephones and telephone equipment on the line MUST be wired to the voice port of the FAX LineShare (except for the fax machine and/or modem, which should be wired to the fax and modem ports). See the Installation Section in the User's Manual to install the FAX LineShare properly.

I dial "33" to transfer a call to the fax machine, but it does not work:

1) If this occurs, the telephone you are using to dial the 33 transfer code may be polarity sensitive and is capable of generating tones with only one polarity. Reverse the tip and ring wires (the inside pair of wires) on the telephone cable going into the line port of the FAX LineShare. If you are not familiar with telephone wiring, you can purchase a small telephone cable adapter from virtually any telephone or electronics store to swap these wires.

2) The keypad on some key system phones is disabled during an incoming call. In this case, you may be able to trick the phone system by performing a hook-flash on your telephone (briefly depress the hang-up button). If this allows the keypad to begin working again, you can then dial 33 to transfer the call. If you are not able to dial at all, you may need to ask the caller to dial the 33.

FAX LineShare "locks up" on one port and I get busy tone on the other port(s):

1) This can occur if the telephone line from the phone company is not connected to the line port of the FAX LineShare.

2) Low telephone company battery voltage can cause this symptom. Nominal "on hook" telephone company voltage is 44-56 volts. If the battery is in the low 30 volt range, have the telephone company repair the circuit.

My fax machine rings with some calls but does not answer / receive faxes:

1) If this is occurring, make sure your fax machine is set to answer on fewer than 6 rings. It is best to set it to answer on 1 or 2 rings.

2) In some cases, if you are using a fax machine that has a separate telephone plugged into it, this phone may need to be disconnected from the fax machine.

3) Make sure your fax machine is set to automatically answer EVERY call. Some fax machines attempt to do their own fax detection and will not answer every time they ring. However, with the FAX LineShare connected, your fax machine will only ring with fax calls (it will never even see voice calls), so you should set it to answer every call on the first ring. If your fax machine has a choice between a "fax" mode and another setting such as "fax/voice" or "auto", select the "fax" mode.

4) Some fax machines (particularly HP/Canon plain paper machines) are designed to work with distinctive ringing services from your local telephone company. Because of this, they will only answer "regular" rings, not shorter rings, since these might be distinctive rings. Since the FAX LineShare provides "aggressive" ringing to the telephones (where the rings and the spacing between them are slightly shorter than those provided by the telephone company), these fax machines might not answer FAX LineShare's ringing by default. To correct this, go into service mode on the fax machine and set all of the distinctive ringing settings off. On HP/Canon machines, this usually involves setting 5 DRPD switches to fax mode.

Troubleshooting:

If you do not find your particular problem in the Common Questions and Problems section above, follow the steps below to troubleshoot your FAX LineShare installation:

Make sure the "IDLE" light on the FAX LineShare is lit while no one is on the line. This light will go out when the line is in use. If the light is not on when the line is idle, make sure the power transformer is plugged into the FAX LineShare and that the 120v A.C. outlet, where the transformer is plugged into the wall, is "live." Also, make sure you have the proper transformer; the FAX LineShare transformer is 20v A.C.

If Step 1 was successful, make sure any modular cords to and from the FAX LineShare are good. This can be done by substituting a known good cord for one of the suspect cords.

If Step 2 is passed, and problems still persist, connect a regular telephone directly into the fax port and another directly into the voice port. Go "off hook" with both phones. One should have fast busy tone, and the other should have dial tone.

If there is no dial tone on either phone, then unplug the FAX LineShare from the phone line and connect a telephone in its place (directly to the line). If this phone gets dial tone, then the FAX LineShare may be defective. Contact your telephone dealer or Call Management Products at (303) 465-0651 for repair information.

If there is no fast busy tone on either phone, unplug the FAX LineShare from the power outlet for 5 seconds. Then, plug it back in and try the test again. If there is still no fast busy tone, then the FAX LineShare may be defective. Contact your telephone dealer or Call Management Products at (303) 465-0651 for repair information.

If the unit works as described above with the telephones plugged directly into the FAX LineShare, but does not work with the fax machine and/or the telephones connected, then the wiring to the fax and/or phones is at fault. Recheck all wiring. Some locations may need professional installation.

Programming the Number of Rings before Default Transfer to Fax:

In normal operation, if the FAX LineShare rings an incoming call to the voice port for six (6) rings, and this call is not answered, it will automatically transfer the call to the fax port. To change the number of rings before this transfer to the fax port:

Go off hook on a phone that is connected to the voice port of the FAX LineShare. (This means lifting the handset and getting dial tone.)

Dial NN# within 4 seconds of going off hook (where NN represents digits from the following table).

You will then hear a fast busy tone and can hang up.

Programming Digits	Number Of Rings To Voice Port	Followed By
11#	1	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
22#	2	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
33#	3	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
44#	4	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
55#	5	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
66#	6	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
77#	7	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
88#	8	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
99#	12	Ring Fax Port Up to 6 Times
00#	10	Hang up without ringing Fax Port

IMPORTANT NOTE: This programming will be lost if the FAX LineShare loses power and will default back to 6 rings. Remember to reprogram the unit after a power failure.