Needing a telephone ring delay...

[KinberLover]

I am one of the folks that is geting numerous telephone calls from unidentified scammers.
I recently purchased a "Digitone Call Blocker" thinking it would solve my problem.
Well, it has helped, but all calls are allowed one ring before being trapped by the blocker.
I need that one ring delayed a few seconds to really nab these anoying calls.
ANYONE got any ideas?
I did a search for a "telephone ring delay and came up with this:
Skutch AS-33 Telephone Ring Delay, Problem is it is no longer made.
I sure hope I can find a circuit I can build or one I can use.

 

[ccurtis]

Caller ID information is located after the first ring, in the US, which is why the first ring comes through. (if you pick up the call immediately after the first ring, you can verify that no caller ID will be displayed). Delaying the incoming ring signal won't accomplish anything that I can think of. What could be done is to locally generate a ring triggered by reception of a wanted call as determined from the caller ID information. The built-in ringer in the phone can be disabled and the locally generated ring can serve as the audible ring.

 

[dougy83]

Idea sounds fine to me...

Here's an idea for a circuit (attached); basically when the relay is not activated, the ringer voltage is filtered out by the 2K7/220uF.

If the ringer signal is detected by the bit on the left (the neon, cap, transistor, NAND gate), it starts a pulse extender timer.. which feeds into a delayed-on timer which drives the relay and connects the phone to operate normally to ring, talk, etc.

If the phone is picked up, the transistor in the middle operates and turns on the relay also - this way the phone can be used to call out as well.

Anyway, just an idea, values & concept may be a little rough but may be something to get you started.

 

[ccurtis]

Then, too, what's wrong with the first ring supression mode featured in the Owner's Manual for your "Digitone Call Blocker"?

First Ring Suppression™ – Caller ID Pass Thru Mode (Code 70)
When a call comes in, the phone company’s Caller ID information will display on all phones connected to the telephone line but the Call Blocker will suppress the first ring to the TEL phone port to prevent it from ringing and receiving Caller ID. If the caller is an Invited caller then the Caller ID information will display on the next ring to the phones connected to the TEL phone port thereafter. This stops unwanted Caller ID information from being received by the phones connected to the Call Blocker’s TEL phone port. If you want to hear the first ring, enter programming: press and hold the Program Button for 3 seconds until you see “Program Mode”, then “Pick Up Phone”, when the prompt for “Enter Code” displays enter code 71. This code will allow all rings and all Caller ID information to be received by phones connected to the TEL phone port. To return to the (default) First Ring Suppression mode, enter programming: when the prompt for “Enter Code” displays enter code 70, display shows function.

https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2012/07/DCB20201120Manual.pdf

Edit: In the circuit, I'm thinking the ring filter will also filter out the 1200 baud tones containing the caller ID info unless the filter is switched-out immediately after the first ring completes? Good idea to suppress the first ring, somehow, rather than to delay it. The Call Blocker may rely on the first ring as a prompt to ready for the caller ID info, so if the circuit is placed before the Call Blocker, the Call Blocker may not function at intended, maybe. I don't know. If placed after the Call Blocker, then that's not an issue, except maybe the following phones won't display caller ID info.

 

[magvi]

the blocker must have some feature for it. and the circuit, does the transistor (at the middle) have too much base current at ring time?

 

[dougy83]

Then, too, what's wrong with the first ring supression mode featured in the Owner's Manual for your "Digitone Call Blocker"?

That looks like the best way to do it!

Edit: In the circuit, I'm thinking the ring filter will also filter out the 1200 baud tones containing the caller ID info unless the filter is switched-out immediately after the first ring completes? Good idea to suppress the first ring, somehow, rather than to delay it. The Call Blocker may rely on the first ring as a prompt to ready for the caller ID info, so if the circuit is placed before the Call Blocker, the Call Blocker may not function at intended, maybe. I don't know. If placed after the Call Blocker, then that's not an issue, except maybe the following phones won't display caller ID info.

The circuit I posted is to go between the call blocker and the phone.

and the circuit, does the transistor (at the middle) have too much base current at ring time?

No.

 

[magvi]

but its a 230 vac or something nah?

 

[ccurtis]

It occurs to me that the OP may have phones connected before the Call Blocker, in which case the "first ring suppression mode" is useless. Those phones would ring once, but only once, after which the Call Blocker picks up the line upon receipt of an unwanted call. A solution then is to connect all the phones to the output jack on the "Call Blocker" and enable the "first ring suppression mode".

 

[dougy83]

but its a 230 vac or something nah?

and??

 

[KinberLover]

ccurtis hit the nail on the head...

I called the Digitone folks and they told me the same thing CCurtis wrote.
I have read those instruction a dozen time and somehow missed the "Code 70" info for a one ring delay.
It works now.
I cannot tell you guys how much I appreciate your replies.
Where I'm coming from:
In the seventies I was a young electrician in a large industrial plant.
We were changing our machines to electronics from relay circuitry.
The first IC that I saw was three inches long, one inch wide and 3/4 inches deep.
Made in England.
There were only three to a board.
Everything sky rocketed from there.
I have been retired for many a year now and have forgotten all of the uses for the gates.
Seems computers have taken over and I have lost that part of the controls.
Thank all of you for your help.

 

[attoe]

Idea sounds fine to me...

Here's an idea for a circuit (attached); basically when the relay is not activated, the ringer voltage is filtered out by the 2K7/220uF.

If the ringer signal is detected by the bit on the left (the neon, cap, transistor, NAND gate), it starts a pulse extender timer.. which feeds into a delayed-on timer which drives the relay and connects the phone to operate normally to ring, talk, etc.

If the phone is picked up, the transistor in the middle operates and turns on the relay also - this way the phone can be used to call out as well.

Anyway, just an idea, values & concept may be a little rough but may be something to get you started.

Hi, sorry to resurrect an old thread but I'm interested in seeing the circuit idea. The post says it is attached but I'm not seeing a icon/button I can click on to view or download the attachments. Can anyone help?

 

[JimB]

The post says it is attached but I'm not seeing a icon/button I can click on to view or download the attachments.

The attachment was probably lost in a server crash a few years ago.
Many attachments to other posts were lost at the same time.

Dougy83 is still active in the forum, there is a small chance that he will still have the circuit stored somewhere.

JimB

 

[audioguru]

On TV they showed a marketing center in Pakistan where there are THOUSANDS of people phoning homes in Canada to sell "Duck Cleaning". Their Engrish is pretty bad and they probably have never seen furnace or air conditioner ducts in their life.
Maybe they are told that we all have pet ducks here that are filthy.

 

[dougy83]

I don't have a copy of the old schem, nor can I remember what it was. Here's a circuit based on parts of the description above which may (or may not) do the trick.



The circuit is powered from a battery but doesn't use [virtually] any battery power when idle. You could connect a high-value resistor between the positive of the line and the positive battery terminal to allow a rechargeable battery to be recharged from the line between calls.

You shouldn't use a mains adapter to provide power to the circuit.

I take no responsibility for how this circuit is used or misused or any damages caused. Use at own risk.

 

[Gerry_D]

Hey Dougy83,
Good circuit.
Now as to the possible uses, check out nomorobo.com
The thing is we that use nomorobo.com have the problem that it allows the one ring. BUT, if one uses Comcast/Xfinity we use Advanced Call Forwarding to EXTERNALLY, (at the CO level), call nomorobo and we need to shut off the first ring locally.
Now if one has a separate caller ID box, one can bypass the the circuit for that box as it does not ring.
If one has a telephone that has the ID circuit in it, well all bets are off.
But get the idea?
The single ring does get on one's nerves. If it is someone that one wants to get a call from, waiting through an extra ring won't kill them.
Cordially,
Gerry
(retired)

 

[unclejed613]

this is a very old thread... since then robocall tactics have changed and they spoof pools of disconnected phone numbers, so the incoming phone number is meaningless. i prefer to play "crash the bot", and it seems to work quite well.

 

[attoe]

There's a seller on Amazon that makes a device to suppress the first ring: FRS22100 First Ring Suppressor Silencer for Robocall blocking services

I'm not associated with the seller, I'm just a happy customer of the device.

 

[Gerry_D]

this is a very old thread... since then robocall tactics have changed and they spoof pools of disconnected phone numbers, so the incoming phone number is meaningless. i prefer to play "crash the bot", and it seems to work quite well.

Thanks Uncle Jed, but for the most part the nuisance ones are regular weekly happenings. Lately, Yes, they have been spoofing local numbers, they spoofed Pennsylvania Power and Light companies 800 number a few week back trying to get me to switch power companies, and probably the call from my local government office was a spoof at tax time. But for the most part, where I'm at, NoMoRoBo catches the majority of them, Maybe 90 to 95%. So it would have an application for me.

The ultimate variation would be a combination of this and device that would block numbers not on my safe list.

On my cell, I have the SIT tones as my message, don't recognize the number, swipe it to the voice mail. Some still recognize those tones. Wife won't let me put it on out answering machine.


As to "crash the bot".... Drop me a PM as to what you are getting at.

There's a seller on Amazon that makes a device to suppress the first ring: FRS22100 First Ring Suppressor Silencer for Robocall blocking services

I'm not associated with the seller, I'm just a happy customer of the device.

Thanks Attoe, I'll check it out! Always easier to buy a device rather than build it if it works as expected!

 

[sympletonne]

I see this is an older thread, but it is close to home for me.

I have nothing to do with the product other than being a very satisfied end user, but there is a service that catches incoming spam calls upstream and sends them to a group of bots, artificial voices powered by IBM Watson. The bots pretend to be human, keeping spammers talking in circles for as long as possible. When the call ends, the system emails you a MP3 of the conversation. It is often absolutely hilarious. The bots pretend to be interested, but after a while they start saying things like "Shhh, there is a bee on my arm" or "...so I was just making homemade bathtub cleaner out of ammonia and bleach, have you ever tried that?" etcetc.

It uses TrueCNAM to detect spam calls, and lets you select a weighted score, so you can set your own level of sensitivity. You can also manually whitelist and blacklist, both by direct number, and by wildcard. You can build a whitelist by exporting your contacts to a .CSV then importing it into the system.

Personally I have a wildcard filter set up, because the weight system favors specific numbers. With a "blacklist *" set up, only your whitelist can ring your phone.

It works with LL, SIP/VOIP, cell and Google Voice. It uses either conditional call forwarding or simultaneous ring.

Best IMHO is to port your number to GV for $10, and either use an Obi device if it is a home phone, or use GV on your cell (configured to "use my normal phone app to make/receive calls with GV"). Just never give your new cell number to anyone, and all your outgoing CLID will reflect the GV number. It is transparent.

With a cellphone, the issue of a single ring leaking through is easy to fix, just use a custom ring tone that begins with 7-8 seconds of silence. With the Obi device, you can set a string to delay the ring, but you do so at the cost of seeing the incoming caller ID. But either way, if using a wildcard blacklist, you can be sure that if your phone rings, it is a call you want.

I set this up for my wife's parents who live in an assisted living home, because they received a ton of spam calls from the typical con artists. Now only family members and close friends can call them. It makes us feel safer.

Again, I don't mean to pitch a service - I just love it, and scammers are a big pet peeve of mine. I don't want to even leave a link, but if you google jolly roger spam or something like that, you will find them. It cost $7/year when I first signed up, but I think it is about $12/year now. Bonus points - find their YouTube channel and listen to some of the calls. Even if you have a spam solution you are happy with, you will laugh your a$$ off.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

The bots pretend to be human, keeping spammers talking in circles for as long as possible.

That sounds like a variation / update of the old "Telemarketer torture" script for Asterisk & FreePBX; that uses voice menus to endlessly redirect telemarketers transferred to it..
https://pbxinaflash.com/community/threads/telemarketer-torture.986/