Dial tone and off-hook tone

[Bing]

I had my BT line activated a week ago but only noticed this issue today. It seems the dial tone and off-hook tone have been wrongly set. When I pick up the phone, it starts a siren (one long high-pitched followed by one short low-pitched) like tone until a number is dialed or if I wait long enough, a flat tone kicks in.

I feel the flat one should be the dial tone and the other the off-hook one. There have been some intermittent noise/crackles during calls and I wonder if the wrong tones have anything to do with that?

Should I report a fault on this? I'm planning to get BB soon but if this can't be sorted out next week I may have to consider cancel the contract.

Any help is appreciated!

[DS]

Hi Bing

The "siren (one long high-pitched followed by one short low-pitched)" is used as an audible alert to warn anyone in hear shot of the phone that it has been left off the hook.

Do you have more than one phone plugged in?

If not something is not set up right What I'm not sure

[Bing]

Hi DS,

I do have to phones connected but even with only one connected the tones are the same.

[DS]

Do you have a fixed line supplied internet connection at home (sounds stupid but some members use works internet/wifi dongle)?

If so you could try unplugging the router and see if the phone then works (process of illimination).

Can you try your phone in a neighbours phone line and see if your phone works correctly?

If all else fails you could send an email to forum.moderation.team@bt.com with your name, account details and a link to this thread so they can refer to it.

[grouse · Accepted solution]

Are you sure it's a siren and not 'interrupted dial tone' from 1571 answer service.

If you have this enabled, try dialling 1571 and listen to any messages that may have been left.

If it is this, dial tone should return to normal

[Bing]

grouse,

You are absolutely right. I'm a fool.

I think deleting message is mentioned somewhere on BT website but having never used 1571 before thought this was about deleting answering machine messages.

Many thanks to all who posted to help!

[grouse]

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Bing wrote:

grouse,

You are absolutely right. I'm a fool.

I think deleting message is mentioned somewhere on BT website but having never used 1571 before thought this was about deleting answering machine messages.

Many thanks to all who posted to help!

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Not a fool, It took me a while to figure it out when I first heard it, and I was a BT engineer at the time