Visioneer 1270, 1770, 1170, 1780 owner manual About Fax Machines, Fax Tones and Handshake

2 C H A P T E R O N E

About Fax Machines

If you’re a first-time fax machine user, fax operation might seem a little mysterious. You’ll soon get used to the unusual fax tones on your phone line, and be able send and receive faxes easily.

Fax Tones and Handshake

When someone is sending a fax, the fax machine sends fax calling tones, (CNG tones) — soft, intermittent beeps at 4-second intervals. You’ll hear them when you dial and press Start , and they continue for 30 seconds after dialing. During that time, the sending machine must begin the “handshake” with the receiving machine. Each time you use automatic procedures to send a fax, you are sending CNG tones over the phone line. You’ll soon learn to listen for these soft beeps each time you answer a phone on your fax line, so you can know if you are receiving a fax message.

The receiving fax responds with fax receiving tones — loud, chirping sounds. A receiving fax chirps for 40 seconds over the phone line, and the screen displays “RECEIVE.” If your machine is set to the FAX ONLY Mode, it will answer every call automatically with fax receiving tones. Even if the other party hangs up, your fax machine continues to send the “chirps” for 40 seconds, and the screen continues to display “RECEIVE.” To cancel the receiving mode, press Stop .

When your fax machine is in FAX/TEL (F/T), it answers with a short beep. After this beep, the fax machine listens for CNG tones, and then responds with receiving tones.

The fax “handshake” is the time in which the sending machine’s CNG tones and the receiving machine’s “chirps” overlap. This must be for at least two to four seconds, so the fax machines can understand how each is sending and receiving the fax. The handshake cannot begin until the call is answered, and the CNG tones only last for 30 seconds after the number is dialed. Therefore, it’s important for the receiving machine to answer the call in as few rings as possible.

When you have an external telephone answering device (TAD) on your fax line, your TAD will determine the number of rings before the call is answered. Pay special attention to the directions in the Installation chapter for connecting a TAD to your fax machine.