Siemens Gigaset 2402 "Flutter" Problems
Dave A.
a separate base station that can have up to 8 handsets, but doesn't
have the wired phone or answering machine on the base station). I've
had it for less than a year, but I am plagued with this fluttering
problem I've heard other people discuss.
It almost always happens about 20 minutes into a phone call. The call
will start breaking up. It sounds like the sound is cutting out and
turning on and off several times a second; sort of a fluttering
sound. If most of your calls are less than 20 minutes, you may rarely
experience this, but I've had several long phone calls lately, and I'm
ready to throw this expensive set in the garage and buy a cheap
cordless phone (that will at least work).
I've tried unplugging the base station and handsets for 5 minutes,
then powering the handsets on one at a time after waiting at least a
minutes as has been suggested here before, but it hasn't done a bit of
good. If you ask me, that sounds like voodoo a customer service rep
might give you to get you to go away. I can't see how that would be
much different than just unplugging the whole thing for 1 second and
plugging it back in.
The last time it happened I was on hold, so I tried a test. I picked
up the line with my second Siemens handset and turned off the problem
handset. The second handset worked fine, so I think that rules out
any interference (plus I was within 20 feet of the base station when
it started happening). If I tried to reconnect with the first problem
handset, I would usually get a "Channel Not Available" error (even
after powering the handset off and on).
Eventually, I got it to connect again, but it still had the same
fluttering problem until I ended the call and waiting a few seconds.
Immediately after ending the call I tested the problem handset again,
and it still had problems until I waited a few seconds, then it
cleared up again.
It sounds like the base and the handset get out of sync after 20
minutes, and the firmware can't handle it. I don't think I could
recommend anybody else buy a Siemens Gigaset with the problems it
has...
David Emrich
"Dave A." <da...@poboxes.com> wrote in message
news:kdsg1t87jurh0jqif...@4ax.com...
> I have a Siemens Gigaset 2402 with 2 handsets (this is the model with
> a separate base station that can have up to 8 handsets, but doesn't
> have the wired phone or answering machine on the base station). I've
> had it for less than a year, but I am plagued with this fluttering
> problem I've heard other people discuss.
> It almost always happens about 20 minutes into a phone call.
[snip]
> Eventually, I got it to connect again, but it still had the same
> fluttering problem until I ended the call and waiting a few seconds.
> Immediately after ending the call I tested the problem handset again,
> and it still had problems until I waited a few seconds, then it
> cleared up again.
Looking at all those facts, and not having anything to do with these units,
just as an outside observer, I'd be thinking it's a power problem in the
handsets,... maybe the batteries "sag" after extended use, and take some
seconds to recover?? Maybe they never bothered fixing it since most phone
calls average way less than 20 minutes...??
Just a thought.
D.
rich
>It almost always happens about 20 minutes into a phone call. The call
>will start breaking up. It sounds like the sound is cutting out and
>turning on and off several times a second; sort of a fluttering
>sound. If most of your calls are less than 20 minutes, you may rarely
>experience this, but I've had several long phone calls lately, and I'm
>ready to throw this expensive set in the garage and buy a cheap
>cordless phone (that will at least work).
Hmm. I'm not a big talker... but I've been in plenty of conferences that
lasted from 2 to 3 hours. (When dealing with customers in Singapore, one
learns that you do things during THEIR prime time or not at all.) The
wife and kids have been on the handset for well over 1/2 an hour at a
clip, too.
Never had a problem with my 2402 base or handsets.
>It sounds like the base and the handset get out of sync after 20
>minutes, and the firmware can't handle it. I don't think I could
>recommend anybody else buy a Siemens Gigaset with the problems it
>has...
I'd dig further. I don't know if you can blame the entire engineering
of the phone.
--
When in doubt, just be yourself. And if that fails, su root.
David Emrich
> That is an interesting idea; I hadn't thought of that. I have been
> using 1300mah nexcell nimh batteries. I'll try switching them to some
> 1600mah nimh batteries or nicads that I have to see if that helps.
> When it happens again, I can try replacing the batteries with a fresh
> set to see if that fixes the problem.
Just removing the batteries is 50/50 likely to cure the fault condition.
Regardless of whether you replace them with different cells.
I assume you're getting this problem with both handsets?? Based on that
assumption....
Some predictions / analyses.
1. Replace the batteries in one handset with the 1600mAh units before the
next fail. If this handset survives, say 25 minutes before failing, while
the other one still fails after 20 minutes, batteries are the problem... If
not, then it's not so likely to be batteries, but you could still try 2 and
3 below.
2. Leave 1300mAh batteries in both units. If/when a handset fails, open the
battery cover, count to three and close it again (or do something else that
ensures the battery power is fully disconnected from the handset). If this
cures the fault, it's not (as likely to be) the batteries. If it doesn't
cure the fault,.. try three.
3. If/when a handset fails, remove the cells and replace with another set of
fresh cells (1300mAh or otherwise, just not a set that's been in use for the
last 20 minutes!). If that doesn't cure the fault then it's pretty certain
it's not the batteries.
If after the above test, you find it seem to indicate something other than
batteries, the next thing to try is heat dissipation inside the handset.
(You don't have sweaty paws / high metabolic rate / raging cold/flu with
temperatures do you?? :-). That could also explain why the second handset
runs immediately, but the 1st one takes a few seconds to "cool off" before
returning to normal behaviour. Moving from the ambient environment to a
cooler environment (eg. outside in the northern hemisphere this time of
year!) might make the failing unit recover quicker (although watch out for
condensation inside the handset, don't go from a humid environment to one
that's markedly colder too quickly!).
Actually, talking of humidity,... perspiration might be the problem here,
are the 20 minute phone calls "stressful"??? I'm only half joking here
(please don't take offense), I had a problem like this with a standard wired
phone where everything was fine for short duration calls, but when the guy
was talking on long calls, it was usually with irate or implacable
customers, and he'd lean over the phone base and sweat, ...
'drip',...'drip'.... crackle,... 'drip',... You should have seen the insides
of the 'phone!
Kinda reminds me of the car that didn't like vanilla icecream incident.
Some guy complained to the yard where he bought his new car that it didn't
like vanilla icecream. When queried, he said whenever he went to the local
icecream store, if he got a vanilla cone, the car would refuse to start,
sometimes for 20 minutes... If he got any other flavour, it'd start fine...
After much diagnosis (once the initial disbelief was overcome) they finally
figured it out. Turned out the fuel system had a fault, and if he drove a
certain distance (ie. to the corner store), he had to leave the ignition off
for at least a certain time before the fuel system would deliver fuel to the
engine. If he attempted to start the car during this time, it'd extend the
"fail time". Turns out that the vanilla cones were so popular there were
always a few ready in the freezer, any other flavour was
"made-while-you-wait". You guessed it, the extra 30 seconds or so to wait
for the counter-hand to scoop a couple scoops into an empty cone was just
enough time for the fuel system to recover. Needless to say, the car yard
rectified the fault and the car liked vanilla icecream from that moment
on....
Good luck finding your problem!
David.
Paul Proffitt
the "flutter" problem. It often gives me the flutter when first dialing
then goes away. Then, as mentioned in other posts, after a while in the
conversation it starts to exhibit some level of flutter that eventually
becomes unbearable. If I transfer the call the another handset the
conversation is as clear as a bell. The other two handsets I can talk on
until the battery dies and they never flutter.
I've just swapped the batteries from a "good" handset with the "bad"
handset to see if that helps. My unit is around a year old. Two of the
handsets, including the one that flutters, are around six months old.
Mine have two 600mAH NiCd batteries (the original ones).