atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Nitsuko-Tie Telephones & Systems 124i questions, please ?

I am setting up a very small office for a friend and will be changing from an absolutely ancient Comdial system to a nicely less ancient Nitsuko 124i.

It is already running (breadboarded) so I can learn & program it.
It came with an NVM2000 with NVM2002 v5 s/w, and that is also running with 2 ports connected.
I found and got and printed the voluminous docs for it too...

In the NVM2000 there are 2 ISA cards, 1 full-length Rhetorix and the other 1/2 length unbranded.
I got some help from a man more familiar with these than I and the ports on the 1/2 card weren't fully working, so it has been shut off in the s/w and is no longer used.

Since this system is really a perfect match for this tiny office with the need for only a single voicemail box, my one worry is how many times I've seen the old/ISA based NVM2000 written about as prone to fail and expensive to replace.

My questions:
1)
Is there an easy/cheaper way to get the single VM box needed via PC - single box - or even via using a simple answering machine on an analog port ?
2)
I've read what posts as I can find here and seen mention of using Asterisk for VM only as well as vague mention of other software-> would anyone please point me to what may be usable, PC based and would have inexpensive cards I could put into an ordinary PC for the VM s/w ?

Thanks !

Depending on the size of your office why not just buy a new system? I mean a new NEC DSX or ESI 50L or whatever in that size range you could get something with a warranty. You are installing a system that's been discontinued for a decade and I would bet after you add up all the time and effort being put into this you could get a small key system installed with warranty for very little a month if you lease it. Just a suggestion. Of course you could always get voice mail from the phone company too for the lines as well.

We considered installing a brand new 100% VOIP system, phones and all.

The truth is that the 124i was doggone near free, and that the uber-ancient Comdial system is meeting their meager needs completely EXCEPT that the phones are falling apart and they are not worth replacing for a 2nd time.
(Besides - this dinosaur of a new-to-us system has about 2000 more features than there will ever be any use for here !)

I respectfully submit as an idea:
Alot of folks these days seem to come across like a salesman representing the "NEW! IS! BETTER! co."

By way of contrast:
Some of us actually ENJOY getting incredibly long use out of already old stuff that was built to last and actually do not mind taking the time to do things like re-insulating the cracked wires on the PSU by hand, with great care.

Here in the boondocks there actually are quite a number of very successful businesses which are still using and have zero complaints about these 124i systems -EXCEPT- that the expensive NVMs died and could not be fixed; and I have it straight from the former Nitsuko tech I spoke with that he would be bankrupt by now if he hadn't switched to Samsung systems because these 124i systems...just ...last... forever !!!

(Please pardon my country boy ways, I mean no offense !)

No offense at all. If you have the time and patience to spend on something by all means do so.

Here is a thought from where I come from:
In my neck of the woods time=money. Time is something you can't get back..no matter what, so by all accounts, probably the most important thing in life (IMHO).

I also grew up in a farming community.

The 124i's do last pretty well. But, like all systems things with moving parts can and do wear out (voice mails especially). I wouldn't say new is always better, but I would say that depending on how important phone service is to you..and only you can gauge that, sometimes you have to invest in infrastructure to keep things running and not have down time. You can, depending on company size you can eat up a few grand in an hour in lost wages for people being idle.

No offense taken nor given.

talk about the wrong product for the application .

any business no matter where its located or its size needs reliable communications . I agree its time to upgrade to a more more reliable platform .
thee is a reason the 124i was free , the last one I replaced was scrapped

like coral tech said , time is money and what if your solution winds up dropping some messages and they lose the business as a result then where is the saving .

I would second VM from the Telco for this Application

The I-series had "engineering oversights".

When the Aspire series was released it came with a few "engineering oversights" and a few it inherited from it's predecessor.

Finally the NEC UX5000 has been released...yes with the same 'engineering oversights" from the original platform the i-series.

Guess what? The manual never got smaller...kind of like Microsoft Windows version whatever.

Good Heavens !
I already have the 124i running quite satisfactorily and unless some glaring problem shows up it will be staying; this is not a question.

It seems as if NOBODY has paid attention to what I said right at the start of this thread:

->The ancient Comdial KSU is enough EXCEPT that it's phones have been replaced too many times and THAT isn't happening again.

Think - please - if a REALLY, incredibly ancient Comdial system is sufficient, the 124i is WAY ahead of THAT !!!

The system choice is already settled - so please quit bashing it now.
(Perhaps you'd like to come visit and take not ONE, but TWO whole Comdial systems WITH phones home with you - they'll be FREE !!!)

I asked these questions and STILL would like some usable info in direct response to what I asked, please - if anyone knows:

1)
Is there an easy/cheaper way to get the single VM box needed via PC ?

2)
I've read what posts as I can find here and seen mention of using Asterisk for VM only as well as vague mention of other software-> would anyone please point me to what may be usable, PC based and would have inexpensive cards I could put into an ordinary PC for the VM s/w to gain analog access through ?

(Yes, I know we can use the telco's VM system-> that is also NOT what I asked...)

Thanks for any USABLE INFO !

PS: The documentation IS truly awful !!!

not to a trained Nitusko tech , Its not meant for a DIY novice

No chepo PC solution that I'm aware of .

Losing your attitude will go a long way to getting help here

I am not a DIY novice - and also not specifically a Nitsuko tech - but my PBX work did start 1/2 my lifetime ago with PBXs programmed with dumb-terms and even THAT documentation was noplace near as cryptic and useless as the Nitsuko/NEC stuff.

And seems to me that someone else up there ^ has also said the docs were a bit silly.

I only asked here because this place has a separate Nitsuko-Tie forum, and I have been unfailingly polite, but it seems as if nobody here who's visited lately has the answers I need and those who have replied would do the Nitsuko folks a service if they'd just quit discouraging folks who WANT to use this stuff.

If a person reads what I wrote an imagines it as being meant/said with a smile (as that IS the case...), then the mention of ott-ee-tyude would not come into play.

With or without pointers I will muddle through somehow - it's just a different sort of tech gear after all, and I AM a career tech !

Thanks.