Dear Treggers, It has always been German practice to install analog telephone equipment in series; never in parallel. However, the BAPT 223 ZV 5 Standard "Approval Regulation for Terminal Equipment to be Connected to Analog Dial-up Terminals in the PSTN/ISDN of Deutsche Bundespost Telekom", appears not to stipulate that all terminal equipment be connected in series.
The requirement (if it exists) that the modem disconnect any downstream equipment when the modem is active, considerably adds to the cost of the interface circuit. However, many low-cost data modems used in other parts of the world do not disconnect downstream equipment because of the expense involved. Joe Randolph's treatise entitled: "German Telecom Requirements", published most recently in his excellent series of articles about European requirements in Compliance Engineering's 1996 Reference Guide, states: "In ZV5, all TEs are considered to be two wire devices. This means that modems and answering machines may now use the same simple two-wire A/B connection that telephones use. Unfortunately, this leaves a gap in the present regulations for Germany. Since parallel connections is still not allowed in that country, a modem with a two-wire interface and a phone with a two-wire interface cannot be connected in parallel on the same phone line." I am aware of the DIN 44015 addressing this particular issue; however, my understanding is that compliance with DIN 44015 is purely on a voluntary basis. Can anyone tell me whether there is a compulsory German Standard that requires a data modem to disconnect other equipment, and point out the relevant paragraph? If I implement a least-cost design that allows for the user to share the line between his telephone set and data modem, and I am prepared to permit modem communications to be disrupted if the handset is lifted during a data call, would this actually violate any Standard, and/or prevent the modem from being sold on the German market for one reason or another? Thanks in advance for all answers received. Best regards, David Drori --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ Novarex Enterprises Ltd., POB 2833, Jerusalem 91028, Israel. Tel: +972 2 581 0995 Fax: +972 2 581 3750 Mobile: +972 5 067 8686 E-mail: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------
