atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Panasonic Telephones & Systems Panasonic VB 43050 compatible

I'm the part time computer guy for Montessori In Redlands, and they've asked me to help upgrade their phone system.

They currently have a Panasonic DBS VB-43050 and they have Active Voice Repartee software running under OS/2.

They were quoted a Nortel system that's about twice as much as they have budgeted, so we're looking at upgrading the software to a Windows version and perhaps finding some more modern compatible phones.

My questions are

1) is it possible to get just the software upgraded? Active Voice referred me to their dealer list which is out of date (disconnected phone#s) and the dealers I talked to don't sell software separately.

2) are there compatible phones out there or are we stuck with the older Panasonic phones (VB-42210B and a single VB-43233B).

3) where's a good place to learn more about this stuff? i.e. phone systems in general, terminology, etc.

Do a panasonic KX-TDA system the DBS has not been
made new for some time!!

Unfortunately the whole DBS product line has been discontinued as of 2000. As far as an upgrade for the software, the best you could do is get them updated to a 1999-2000 version with the current cabinet. No new releases since.

Also, the DBS line of telephones (VB-42000, 43000, and 44000 series) will only work with the S-DBS 616, DBS 32, 40,72,96 systems. They are also compatible with the Panasonic 576 and 576 HD systems. They are not compatible with any other system.

No windows version of software for this system ever existed. There was DBS manager that offered a direct or dial-up connection for programming via hyperterminal.

QUOTE: They were quoted a Nortel system that's about twice as much as they have budgeted

If it is a brand new Nortel equipment with current software of course it's going to cost money. Did they go cheap on the IT side? Do they have fast PC's, Laser printer's, Laptop's, switches, and such? Are they still using Windows 95 for their OS still, or are they on a current version of windows? How about the cost of software licences for all of their machines? I imagine they have a lot of $$$ in keeping the IT side current and up to date.

If they want the same performance and reliabilty out of a phone system, especially from company with the name recognition that Nortel has, and they are going thru an authorized Nortel channel partner, it won't be cheap.

QUOTE: 3) where's a good place to learn more about this stuff? i.e. phone systems in general, terminology, etc.

It's best to learn by experience. There is no better teacher. Reading manuals will get you familiar with teminology for a particular system.

I wasn't trying to bust your chops here, just looking at it from a different point of view. I Hope the Panasonic info was helpful.


:thumb:

What's a comparable KX-TDA system? We need about 4 lines and 32 extensions.

How does the Panasonic compare to the Nortel?

Edited for pricing. Posting prices is not allowed on the open forum.

are you asking us to quote a system in open forum?

most of us now use 110 blocks much
higher density in a a 3rd the area!

Not a price quote, no. Just features. I'm still getting used to terminology, so when looking at ads for equipment, it's difficult to be sure if "port" is the same as "extension", etc. What is "Caller ID ANI and CNIP", "ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) with QSIG", "Uniform Call Distribution (UCD)", etc. Do I need them? Are they in the VB43050 we currently have?

go to www.panasonic.com/csd and buy a newton's telecom dictionary a to z breakdown of telecom terms if you decide to do proper RFP request for proposal

"Not a price quote, no. Just features. I'm still getting used to terminology, so when looking at ads for equipment, it's difficult to be sure if "port" is the same as "extension", etc. What is "Caller ID ANI and CNIP", "ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) with QSIG", "Uniform Call Distribution (UCD)", etc. Do I need them? Are they in the VB43050 we currently have? "

are they available on your present system unlikely
pri is a 23 phone numbers from one pair of wires
ucd is uniform call distribution
voip trunks voip exts great voicemail
tapi screenpops yes you may need them some day

Peter, pricing is not allowed on the open forum.

Is this company supposed to sell this equipment to your customer at cost with no mark up? How about the installation labor and training? How about all the classes and courses that this company pays for to keep their techs up to speed on these systems and the software releases?

QUOTE: Oh, another question -- on these newer systems, are the connections to extensions done with punch-down blocks (or whatever they're called) or RJ11 connectors? In other words, given that the wiring is already in place, how hard is it to install a new system?

You are going to have a few problems. How hard is it to install a new system for someone with absolutely no experience? Let me come to your house, dismantle your car engine, leave all the parts in a box, leave you a manual, and have you put it back together. Could you do it? Sure you could probably figure it out eventually. But, could you figure it out before you needed it to go to work tomorrow? That's what position you are putting this customer in. What happens at 8:00 in the morning and they expect phone service and you can't get things to work? Are they just going to wait around for 2-3 days with no phones while they wait for you to figure it out?

Have you been honest with this customer and told them that you don't even have the knowledge of the basics of telephony?