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Connect modem after manually dialing phone System
While clicking on the dialup connection button in the menubar, hold down Option and click on the phone icon, and a new hidden option appears. This enables you to dial up manually and then let the modem kick in afterwards. I can't personally see a big use for this, but it's a feature and i've not seen it documented before!

[robg adds: I can't test this one, and I don't know if it's 10.3 specific or not...]
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Connect modem after manually dialing phone | 10 comments | Create New Account
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Related but slightly OT: dialing fax
Authored by: terceiro on Nov 13, '03 11:52:39AM

That's fine, but can it work for faxes? I'm stymied trying to send a fax to a number that requires me to "hit 1 to send a fax, otherwise stay on the line and leave a messate". The standard comma-for-pause doesn't work, because the fax driver interprets the comma as a separator for another number to dial...

Ideas, anyone? A manual dial would work, perhaps.



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Related but slightly OT: dialing fax
Authored by: club60.org on Nov 14, '03 02:51:43AM

Why not using "p" instead of "," ?
Or "w" if you need to wait for dial-tone.



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Related but slightly OT: dialing fax
Authored by: encro on Nov 14, '03 08:40:20AM

I was looking at my mobile phone and thinking the exact same thing :-)



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Related but slightly OT: dialing fax
Authored by: monfray on Nov 14, '04 08:41:28PM

I have same problem with Powerbook G4 on Mac OS x 10.3.6: comma-for-pause doesn't work, because the fax driver interprets the comma as a separator for another number to dial...

Have you solve this problem? Many thanks in advance



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It works in 10.2
Authored by: jecwobble on Nov 13, '03 12:26:06PM

Just tried it.



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Could Be Useful...
Authored by: pxlated on Nov 13, '03 12:33:17PM

Unless I'm missing something...
I could see where this could be useful. When traveling, a lot of hotels have special dialing requirements (some dial 9, others dial 8, etc). This would allow you to leave your main location and dialing configuration intact. No need to set up a new location.



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Why this is useful & answer to the faxing problem
Authored by: hamarkus on Nov 13, '03 02:58:17PM

I've used it mainly when I am behind a telephone system requiring a nine (or something else) as the first number. Using a comma or other separators never worked for me (the computer did not manage to dial). For it to work you need a dual connection or a distributer to have both the computer and the phone from which you are dialing plugged in at the same time.

But I have found out that is even easier to start a standard connection from the computer, and while it is getting ready to dial, dial the nine (or whatever) with your phone. As soon as the computer starts dial (its standard number) you can put down the phone again. Works fine and you don't have to dial the whole number.

For faxing there are essentially two options, for both you need the phone and the computer plugged in at the same time. The easiest would be to send the fax from the computer using the normal fax number, when you are asked to enter a 'one', you pick up the phone enter 'one' and put it down again. The other way would be to dial the fax number with the phone and when you are asked for the 'one' send the fax with a simple 'one' as the fax number from your computer. This could require good timing.

BTW, putting down the phone again is recommended because you are creating additional noise in the connection just with the background noise in your room. However, putting down the phone itself creates a short splash of noise, which can ruin your connection if you are unlucky.



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Why this is useful & answer to the faxing problem
Authored by: bobsager on Nov 13, '03 05:36:56PM

When I'm travelling and in a hotel I've always used the Internet Connect application to connect back to my home ISP. But to avoid the exorbitant charges of the hotel longdistance, I first dial on the hotel phone with GlobalCall or some other cheap long distance card, enter my account and PIN numbers, then I hit the connect button on the Internet Connect and when I hear the click of the modem connecting I hang up the phone. The modem dials then to my ISP and I pay the low charges of my GlobalCall card. You have to turn off the modem preference for waiting for dial tone to make this work. And you have to carefully check how the dataport of the hotel phone works - sometimes they use 2 separate lines and you must know which line you are on or this technique fails. Most newer hotels use two line phones and the dataport is always on line 2. Some still use a phone that has one line for the dialing and the data port is on a second line you cannot access for dialing from the phone.



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Why this is useful & answer to the faxing problem
Authored by: hamarkus on Nov 13, '03 07:19:50PM

To get around this 2 separate lines problem, you can buy a small connector which splits up at telephone line into two connections, to use it you also need one or two (depending on the connector) telephone cables.



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It can be useful
Authored by: deling_ren on Nov 13, '03 06:56:37PM

Occasionally I travel and have to dial my ISP back using a phone card.



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