Orchid V4, V4+ Programing Tool Support

flingit

Hi Kevin,

I have been using an Orchid V4 box for routing my home phone calls for over 5 years, but have recently started getting delays in connecting calls. Last few days some calls could not be placed at all via the Orchid box.

It appears the product is no longer supported by the original supplier. Am I now waisting my time trying to keep it in use and what alternative strategies are there?

Cheers, Mike

Heinz

If your delay problems are on calls the Orchid is routing via 18185, that can occur occasionally due to system delays with 18185's network rather than being a fault with the Orchid or its programmng.

Victor_Delta

flingit wrote: »

I have been using an Orchid V4 box for routing my home phone calls for over 5 years, but have recently started getting delays in connecting calls. Last few days some calls could not be placed at all via the Orchid box.

When this happens, try dialling the number manually ie 18185 01xxx xxxxxxx, or whatever, and compare the outcome. This may help to determine whether it's an Orchid or 18185 problem.

seanhodges

After long period where my modem didn't work, I changed jobs and was issued with a Windows 7 laptop. Now all is working again and I need to update my table.

The motivation is that I caught a burglar climbing into my garden last Saturday (police came very quickly and he was taken away in handcuffs) and my wife wanted to dial 999 - but the phone wouldn't let her. In the end she found my mobile and used that, but now she understandably wants it fixed!!!

I have the standard arrangement in my table; E for exception, and the carrier set to 0 for morning, afternoon and evening.

My home phone is with O2, so there shouldn't be any problem with dialling 999.

I have re-sent the table, just in case it had become corrupted, but how on earth do I check 999 is working without making an emergency call?

Anyone else had this problem?

seanhodges

seanhodges wrote: »

After long period where my modem didn't work, I changed jobs and was issued with a Windows 7 laptop. Now all is working again and I need to update my table.

The motivation is that I caught a burglar climbing into my garden last Saturday (police came very quickly and he was taken away in handcuffs) and my wife wanted to dial 999 - but the phone wouldn't let her. In the end she found my mobile and used that, but now she understandably wants it fixed!!!

I have the standard arrangement in my table; E for exception, and the carrier set to 0 for morning, afternoon and evening.

My home phone is with O2, so there shouldn't be any problem with dialling 999.

I have re-sent the table, just in case it had become corrupted, but how on earth do I check 999 is working without making an emergency call?

Anyone else had this problem?

I should have looked more carefully before posting. Somehow I had managed to get the last two items writing to the same memory, so the last one over-wrote the 999 line.

Would still like to know how to test it without getting a visit from the police!

Heinz

In the early days of push button telephones, it was not uncommon for people dusting their phones to get answered by the BT emergency operator.

In the unlikely event that you ever get to that position, profuse apologies about over-enthusiatic dusting are generally accepted.

I have never believed the excuse about the cat treading on the keypad, but I suppose it could happen.

seanhodges

Heinz wrote: »

In the early days of push button telephones, it was not uncommon for people dusting their phones to get answered by the BT emergency operator.

In the unlikely event that you ever get to that position, profuse apologies about over-enthusiatic dusting are generally accepted.

I have never believed the excuse about the cat treading on the keypad, but I suppose it could happen.

I like your style Heinz, but I'd rather not disturb the emergency service operator unnecessarily.
I think my best option is to replace "999" with some other more harmless number and see if that works, then change it back to 999 and hope it's the same. What would be a good choice to test it?

Heinz

You could add a temporary Carrier Code of your own mobile number and then set up a temporary Routing Rule to Translate the dialling of 999 to dial that 'Carrier'.

I'm not sure what it'd prove though - except that your telephone's 9 button works.

GTG

Hi folks,

It's been a long time since I reviewed the financial efficiency of my landline arrangements in my home. I think I was one of the first to get the Orchid dialler once it became available and Heinz kindly took it upon himself to oversee the correct programming of it in conjunction with Orchid. I don't recall seeing Kevin on the forums then. Hello Kevin and apologies if you were around at that time and I missed you.

Shortly after installing the dialler my telephone usage went down to a neglible level so I was n't motivated to update the original table. I installed a dialler for the in laws at around about the same time and their usage was always low up until recently. My father in law was diagnosed with dementia and now he has a habit of phoning the 09 numbers he gets from the tabliod newspapers, my mother in law cannot watch him 24/7. You know the ones... offering thousands of pounds of prize money if you call the number. The mother in law has asked if there is a way she can stop him doing this without hiding the phone as he tends to get aggressive if she does this. This has prompted me to look at my own and their situation with regard to updating the tables and to include a block on 09 numbers in their case.

I now have a new-ish laptop which does n't have an internal dial up modem and was wondering if it would be possible to update the tables through our handsets. I guess that may be difficult dependant upon the number of adjustments to be made since the first table. We have the V4 boxes with the additional power supply.

What would be the best solution?

Thanks.

Heinz

GTG wrote: »

Shortly after installing the dialler my telephone usage went down to a neglible level so I was n't motivated to update the original table. I installed a dialler for the in laws at around about the same time and their usage was always low up until recently. My father in law was diagnosed with dementia and now he has a habit of phoning the 09 numbers he gets from the tabliod newspapers, my mother in law cannot watch him 24/7. You know the ones... offering thousands of pounds of prize money if you call the number. The mother in law has asked if there is a way she can stop him doing this without hiding the phone as he tends to get aggressive if she does this. This has prompted me to look at my own and their situation with regard to updating the tables and to include a block on 09 numbers in their case.

I now have a new-ish laptop which does n't have an internal dial up modem and was wondering if it would be possible to update the tables through our handsets. I guess that may be difficult dependant upon the number of adjustments to be made since the first table. We have the V4 boxes with the additional power supply.

What would be the best solution?

Manual programming (using a DTMF telephone keypad) is viable. After you have formulated your program (see below), it may take 20 minutes or so initially but, because subsequent alterations are likely to be minimal, that won't be a problem (in that respect, keeping a hard copy of what you program is the key IMHO).

If you have MS Excel, I'd suggest you download Kevin's spreadsheet and use that to auto-generate the character strings you'll need to program your diallers. If you don't have Excel, you can use Open Office to view his spreadsheet and working out the strings is not that difficult (most people have no difficulty in viewing the 'base' program Kevin prepared and being able to 'see' what is happening and what they need to do).

It's probable that you won't know exactly how your V4s are programmed at the moment (although you'll have a general idea). I would therefore suggest that, after you've worked out your programs, you use the 2 'clear all' strings (**#0000*2222*6 and **#0000*1111*6) before you start entering your programming strings.

If you get stuck, come back.

BTW, for the FIL and his 09 calls, I'd suggest that, instead of barring them (not getting through can be very annoying for the elderly), you use a Translate string so dialing of any number starting with 09 sends the call via a special Carrier Code (I use 08000192190 - on which there is a "Sorry, the number you have dialled is not in service. Please check the number you have dialled and try again" announcement).