Proper Care for your Telephone Test Set

Tips and Tricks for Staying Data Safe

· Take a 2 Second Pause – by taking a two second pause when moving from pair to pair or switching from talk mode to monitor mode, you allow the data lockout and alerting circuit to reset.

· Go Off Hook – If you do not hear sound, try to go off hook. You will either hear a dial tone or the butt set will trigger the data alert signal which means one of two things. Either data is present or the line is imbalanced and the noise resembles data.

· Don’t Imbalance the Pair – A noise from an imbalanced pair can cause false data alerts. Any connection to a pair other than tip and ring, in either talk or monitor mode, could disrupt a data circuit or create false data detection in the butt set.

· A tone generator can mimic the type of signal found in a data transmission, causing the butt set to beep in talk mode. If using a TS22A, use in monitor mode to trace tone from a tone generator.


How to Care for your Butt-Set

· Check the Battery – in most test sets, the 9V battery powers the speaker. When you start hearing a “tinny” sound, it most likely indicates a low battery. Over 75% of repair on select test sets were speaker problems due to a worn out battery. Save time and money by keeping a good battery in your test set.

· What to do with line cords? Line cords are usually several feet long and are easily stored by wrapping around the test set. Use care when unwinding your line cord because you could do damage if you use it as a yo-yo.

· Locking Mute Switch – The TS22A and TS22 have a unique feature. A switch that will mute the transmitter momentarily or will lock for extended periods of time. To use the TS22A with a voice response system, such as SASS or the DATU, the mute switch must be locked. If your mute switch will not lock, it could be that when you changed batteries, you did not tighten the case screws enough. Check to make sure the battery case screws in your handle are tightened.

· Clipping Penalty – The teeth on your clips are sharp and will do damage to your line cord. Make sure to use the sliding rubber sleeves on the line cords instead of clipping directly on the line cord.

· Speed Dialer – Speed dialers can save you a lot of time. Two methods of entering a number into a memory location are outlined in your users manual. One is when you are off hook and decide you would like to store the number you just dialed. This method works but because the TS22ALO, TS22A and TS22 can store 18 digit numbers, sometimes unwanted numbers may inadvertently be stored at the end of your desired number. The best method is to use the on-hook method, which will clear all numbers from that memory location.

· Wet Conditions - Almost all test sets, especially the TS44, TS42, TS22A and TS22, are water-resistant and designed to be used outdoors in bad weather conditions. Electronics are coated to keep water out. The keypad, speaker, transmitter and receiver are all protected, everything except the 9V battery. Water can get to your battery terminals, shorting them out and sometimes causing speaker or dialing problems. Make certain to dry your battery off.

· Cleaning the Keypad - Daily use of your test set results in various liquids, dirt, icky-pick and other foreign material building up in your keypad. Dings in the plastic bezel and icky-pick may be carefully cleaned using an x-acto or pen knife. Dirt may be removed from the keypad by using a soft toothbrush with soap and water. Do not use any petroleum-based cleaning agent, as it will harm the polycarbonate plastic keypad.

· Shock Treatment - Most speaker amplifiers will automatically turn themselves off after five minutes of quiet on the line. If you unclip your butt-set and do not protect the two clips (tip and ring) from touching each other or grounding out on some metal, a "click" will be seen by the test set. This is loud enough to reset the time-out circuit for another five minutes. If your clips are shorting out in this way, as you travel to your next job, you will find that your batteries are always running down. Clip one (or both) of your line cord clips to the rubber sleeves that we've provided on our line cords.

· Hammer Head - Have you noticed how rugged your test sets are? They are built to withstand drops from poles and the bouncing and banging in your truck. They are not designed, however, to be used as a hammer.


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