Date: Tue, 28 Jul 92 11:08:42 EDT
From: pedregal%unreal@cs.umass.edu
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: How Use Answering Machine in Argentina? 
Reply-To: pedregal@cs.umass.edu
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 594, Message 7 of 9

Regarding (vol. 12, issue 589, message 11):

> Can anyone advise if it's practical to use a North American answering
> machine in Argentina?  What differences (power, signalling, connec-
> tors, etc?)  would cause problems?  

The answer is a qualified yes.  You need to adapt connectors and power
supply.  I've looked at prices for this kind of things when I was
there last March and you will be well advised to take not only your
machine but your favorite telephone along.  The cheap phone that sells
for $15 in the US costs above $50 there.

Household electrical mains is 220V/50Hz (as opposed to 110V/60Hz in
USA- Canada).  You can buy a 220V/110V transformer to put between line
and your machine's plug (frequency shouldn't be a problem; most
machines convert line power to DC).  If your AM's power supply is one
of the external, plug in, you are better off buying a power supply
that does 220V-whatever (e.g.  9V DC) directly.  Either the 220/110 or
the power supply you can buy easily in Buenos Aires and other major
cities in Argentina (and you are sure to be getting the appropriate
plugs, which are skinnier than some european 220 plugs).

Connectors are not very homogeneous. If you are just a bit inclined to
do this yourself, I'd suggest that you buy here a couple of wall
plates and screw-on modular connectors, and install them wherever you
want to put your telephone instruments (as my RBOC calls them).  These
usually are ridiculously expensive there.  Or you can just strip one
of the ends of your modular cable and put one of the horrible, bulky
connectors that don't require special tools to assemble.

Signals et al.: some switches have the annoying habit of returning a
fast busy quickly after your caller hangs up. That may induce your
machine to keep on rolling and not hang up for a while.  This is taken
care of by setting the CPC switch appropriately or putting the machine
in a fixed recording time (as opposed to voice actuated, "vox").

Miscellaneous:

 - dialing is pulse only, no DTMF.  Which means no touch-tone only
phones, and if you have a "remote-less" remote-controlled machine
you may want to buy one of those pocket tone diallers.

 - short power outages are frequent. If your machine stores the 
outgoing message on a chip, make sure it can retrieve it from
tape after a powerdown.

 - long distance calls are very expensive, compared to the US *and*
Canada's.  Find out about plans like USA-Direct (available dialing
001-800-200-1111) from many phones before you leave.

 - some (many) COs still don't have direct dialing abroad. This
includes otherwise desirable residential areas, so inquire. The above
001 ... number is not accessible in those areas either.


Hope this helps ...


Cristobal Pedregal Martin     pedregal@cs.umass.edu (internet)
Computer Science Department   UMass / Amherst, MA 01003