Answering Machine Question

This is not about cellphones, but rather home phones.
What happens if more than one answering machine is connected to the
same phone line? Will they all answer at once? I've been tempted to
try it, but I have a business line and I am always expecting important
calls, so I cant risk losing calls. I have a phone with built in
answering machine, but I still use the old machine that I am used to,
because I know how to work it, and never find the time to read the
manual on the phone one. The phone allows it to be shut off, so it's
off and the old machine does the job.

Jim

jamesbarry@nospam.com wrote:
> This is not about cellphones, but rather home phones.
> What happens if more than one answering machine is connected to the
> same phone line? Will they all answer at once?

Possibly, but chances are one will be quicker than the other. In which
case the slower one will never get to answer.

If they do answer at the same time then the person will hear two
messages at the same time and will get very confused.


--
The views I present are that of my own and NOT of any organisation I may
belong to.

73 de Simon, VK3XEM.
<http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/client_search.client_lookup?pCLIENT_NO=157452>

On Oct 14, 7:22 am, Evan Platt <e...@theobvious.espphotography.com>
wrote:
> On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 02:38:34 -0500, jamesba...@nospam.com wrote:
> >This is not about cellphones, but rather home phones.
> >What happens if more than one answering machine is connected to the
> >same phone line? Will they all answer at once? I've been tempted to
> >try it, but I have a business line and I am always expecting important
> >calls, so I cant risk losing calls. I have a phone with built in
> >answering machine, but I still use the old machine that I am used to,
> >because I know how to work it, and never find the time to read the
> >manual on the phone one. The phone allows it to be shut off, so it's
> >off and the old machine does the job.
>
> As Simon said, you'll likely have one machine that picks up before
> another.
>
> But - most machines sense when another 'extension' is picked up, so if
> one machine picks up, then a second later another picks up, the first
> one will likely 'drop'.
>
> --
> To reply via e-mail, remove The Obvious from my e-mail address.

I would also just use one at a time. I am using one that is a two full
sized cassette machine, that I prefer over the new phones with both
built in. As a matter of fact, I would like to buy a new cordless
phone, to replace one of the two we use, a very very old (Ovver 15
yrs. old) Southwest Bell analog cordless. But most new ones have the
built in answerer which I do not want. If I want to replace my phone,
I want that. If I want a new answerer and like my phone, I want to be
able to by just the stand alone answerer, which I did not too long ago
putting it away, in my electronic junk box, as a spare. BECAUSE, I
needed a new INCOMING tape cassette, which are different from regular
music cassettes, being how answering machine cassettes do not have a
tape leader. They need to be able to record of the beginning. Anyway,
you just can no longer find those, even at Radio Shack. So I took a
couple of music cassettes, taking them apart, for parts, removing the
leaders on one, taking out the take up reel spool clips (Must be the
removable type,) and re-terminating everything leaderless, back into a
new unit. So that, at the time my 15 yr., old machine has a new lease
on electronic life :-).