I have what was a rather expensive BellSouth cordless phone (model EXT1865). I no longer have BellSouth, so they won't help me.
Suddenly, I can't get a dialtone. The "talk" button lights up on the LED screen but doesn't engage a dialtone. If it didn't light up, I'd think it's dead, but the fact that it lights up and "looks" like it's supposed to, I'm afraid something has been pressed that shouldn't be. I can't get a dialtone, so pressing channel select isn't an option. The menu button and other buttons seem to all work correct (oh, by the way, when I do press these other buttons and press the "talk" button to select whatever option I'm scrolling through, it works fine).
Any suggestions as to what may be going on? Many many thanks in advance. :)
It could be a bunch of things, but lets try to reset everything.
Unplug the base unit from the electrical outlet and the phone line, then unplug the battery from the cordless handset. Make sure the phone cable is good, and hasn't been yanked out of the wall.
Plug everything back in and retest. Post back with your results.
Thanks. I did all you suggested and no such luck. The ringer definitely doesn't work on the phone part either (the base it does).
I wonder if I can get a new phone yet keep the old base if there are no more suggestions as to what may be wrong?
Thanks very much for your help. It's appreciated.
Well, here's an odd development.
I left the phone off the base - I figured it wasn't working anyway, so I just left it by the computer where I had it to get model number, etc.
I put it back on the base this morning and it worked! Let's see how long it lasts. Does this solve any mystery that would enable me to avoid it not working again in the near future?
Thanks again. :)
Many cordless phones need to be paired with the base unit. I'd say resetting everything solved the problem you were having, but it looks like the base needed to be reintroduced the handset. On many systems, putting the handset on the base does the trick.
Or, it's a strange fluke, and it may go bad again. Sometimes gadgets just do unexplained things.
Best of luck! Keep us informed!