My home phone has three handsets. Picking up any one of the three disables the other two, so only one person at home can join in the conversation.

It used to be the case that all three handsets could be used at once, allowing three people at home to join in the conversation. Picking up one handset didn’t disable either of the others. Anyone still have that system?

This problem has driven Mrs m and me into our biggest fight ever.

mollwollfumble said:

My home phone has three handsets. Picking up any one of the three disables the other two, so only one person at home can join in the conversation.

It used to be the case that all three handsets could be used at once, allowing three people at home to join in the conversation. Picking up one handset didn’t disable either of the others. Anyone still have that system?

This problem has driven Mrs m and me into our biggest fight ever.

Still able to use multiple handsets here.

Might be worthwhile delving into the instructions, might have been an option that has been disabled.

Or maybe just buy a new set.

AwesomeO said:

Might be worthwhile delving into the instructions, might have been an option that has been disabled.

RTFM

Analogue phones still had the party line facet enabled within the home in that your wife could listen in to you chatting with your girlfriend but digital phones with base stations don’t do it. If say the battery is flat and the person on the other end callsed then you are able to hang the one in your hand up and pick up another to continue the conversation.

My new digital phone system with base shares the connection.. Bluetooth to mobiles, intercom, answering machine..

Ian said:

My new digital phone system with base shares the connection.. Bluetooth to mobiles, intercom, answering machine..

Well then maybe I should get a new phone.

Each handset should have registered with the base station with a separate ID. Maybe the handsets have somehow registered with the same ID. This could cause this type of problem where only a single handset could be used at any one time.

Or maybe there is a setting that controls this behavior (I have never come across this type of setting).

Or maybe the base station is faulty.

Try turning the base station off and then on again.

Try de-registering the handsets and then register them again.

Witty Rejoinder said:

mollwollfumble said:

My home phone has three handsets. Picking up any one of the three disables the other two, so only one person at home can join in the conversation.

It used to be the case that all three handsets could be used at once, allowing three people at home to join in the conversation. Picking up one handset didn’t disable either of the others. Anyone still have that system?

This problem has driven Mrs m and me into our biggest fight ever.

Still able to use multiple handsets here.

What system to you use? eg. Separate telephone jack for each handset? Single telephone jack with radio connection to handsets? Or handsets connected to computer modem? What handset manufacturer?

> RTFM

Can’t find one. None on the web. Manual for a similar phone by the same manufacturer on the web didn’t mention it.

> Analogue phones still had the party line facet enabled within the home in that your wife could listen in to you chatting with your girlfriend but digital phones with base stations don’t do it. If say the battery is flat and the person on the other end called then you are able to hang the one in your hand up and pick up another to continue the conversation.

That’s what I feared. Will google search for “party line”.

> Each handset should have registered with the base station with a separate ID. Maybe the handsets have somehow registered with the same ID. This could cause this type of problem where only a single handset could be used at any one time. Or maybe there is a setting that controls this behavior (I have never come across this type of setting). Or maybe the base station is faulty. Try turning the base station off and then on again. Try de-registering the handsets and then register them again.

Define “base station”. Do you mean like this?

mollwollfumble said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

mollwollfumble said:

My home phone has three handsets. Picking up any one of the three disables the other two, so only one person at home can join in the conversation.

It used to be the case that all three handsets could be used at once, allowing three people at home to join in the conversation. Picking up one handset didn’t disable either of the others. Anyone still have that system?

This problem has driven Mrs m and me into our biggest fight ever.

Still able to use multiple handsets here.

What system to you use? eg. Separate telephone jack for each handset? Single telephone jack with radio connection to handsets? Or handsets connected to computer modem? What handset manufacturer?

> RTFM

Can’t find one. None on the web. Manual for a similar phone by the same manufacturer on the web didn’t mention it.

> Analogue phones still had the party line facet enabled within the home in that your wife could listen in to you chatting with your girlfriend but digital phones with base stations don’t do it. If say the battery is flat and the person on the other end called then you are able to hang the one in your hand up and pick up another to continue the conversation.

That’s what I feared. Will google search for “party line”.

> Each handset should have registered with the base station with a separate ID. Maybe the handsets have somehow registered with the same ID. This could cause this type of problem where only a single handset could be used at any one time. Or maybe there is a setting that controls this behavior (I have never come across this type of setting). Or maybe the base station is faulty. Try turning the base station off and then on again. Try de-registering the handsets and then register them again.

Define “base station”. Do you mean like this?

I have panasonic three hand sets and one base station. The other two handsets merely stay charged. The base statio is the one tha does all the thinking and not realy much of that..

A `partyline’ option on all but the very oldest (am) handsets would only be available on the very most expensive handsets, but is available on the newer `true’ digital handsets

Most still rely on fm handsets, and these cant be `partylined’ without having a separate base station for each, or a basestation with multiple receivers on separate channels- some had a sorta partyline feature with the base station being used as one handset and the handset a second point

`true’ digital handsets are available and some can partyline, but the sound quality decreases for each handset added to the conversation as each handset added cuts the channel bandwidth available for data (I have used a (very) expensive business phone that had the ability to partyline digital handsets, by the time you added 4 or 5 handsets, the audio became audibly choppy)

I may or may not have it. Manual for a different model of phone by the same manufacturer (Telstra). Unfortunately all the buttons are different but perhaps by pressing them at random I can work it out. There doesn’t seen to be a button on my phone corresponding to Step 5.