Ok, I received the USR 5638 pci-e fax modem and installed it and the driver. I can fax out using it with no problem. But I can't get the modem to answer all calls. The modem will answer a phone call as long as it does not know it is a fax machine calling. If I dial the modem from a fax machine and let the modem answer first, then hit the send button on the sending machine, I can receive the fax. But if I scan the fax into the sending machine's memory (I'll call this a background job) and let the machine then dial the modem, the modem won't answer the call. The only difference in the two methods is that the background job has that fax guard tone, that short beep about every three seconds, while the phone is ringing. This tone identifies the call as a fax call. Yet it seems to be inhibiting the modem from answering the call. Without the fax guard tone, the modem answers. With the fax guard tone, the modem will not answer.
I've been working with USR technical support via email. Here is their last response.
"Dear Mark,
Thank you for choosing USRobotics.
The beep sound you mention is the fax guard tone which pretty much identifies the call as a fax call.
Based on all the details about the issue the modem does not seem to be defective. Modems don't go half bad, they either work or don't work. Since the the modem works when the fax is sent manually we beleive the root cause of the issue is something else.
From our perspective, the only thing we can offer is to exchange the product with another unit. Please be aware that we can't guarantee this will resolve the issue, but at least would allow us to isolate the problem a little more."
So I've got a fax modem which will only answer a call if it knows it isn't being called by another fax machine.
What decides whether the fax modem answers the phone? Is it something on the card or is it the driver software? What's listening to the phone line and decides it's time to pick up? It seems that if it hears the fax tone, it decides it is not a call at all.
I guess I could let them replace the card, but likely it won't change the situation.
Any suggestions would be helpful.
Mark
