[asterisk-users] anoyingly answers already in use pstn line

[Jack Bates]

I am using Asterisk and an X101P card as a glorified answering machine.
We have a residential PSTN line with about six phones connected to it.
Like an answering machine, I want Asterisk answer the line *only* when
an incoming call is not answered after four rings.

This mostly works. My extensions.conf is at the end of this message.

The problem is that Asterisk will sometimes answer the line when someone
is already talking on one of the six phones connected to it. Sometimes
Asterisk will answer the line and start playing the greeting in the
middle of a conversation! This is especially a problem when I am talking
on the phone to an automated system, because although I hang up the
phone I am talking on, neither the automated system nor Asterisk will
hang up.

I have not yet discovered a pattern to when Asterisk answers the line.
It always answers after four rings, but it sometimes answers when
someone is already talking on one of the phones connected to the line.

In a perfect world, Asterisk would be the only thing connected to the
line, and all our phones would be Asterisk extensions. Unfortunately we
do not currently have the required VoIP phones or FXS interface...

Is there any way to make Asterisk less flaky, and answer the line *only*
when an incoming call is not answered after four rings?

---

[default]

exten => s,1,Wait(20)
exten => s,n,Answer
exten => s,n,Background(recordings/coop-greeting)
exten => s,n(instruct),Background(recordings/leave-message)
exten => s,n,Background(recordings/enter-extension)
exten => s,n,Background(recordings/dial-by-name)
exten => s,n,Background(recordings/visit-website)
exten => s,n,WaitExten

; General delivery mailbox
exten => #,1,Voicemail(6000)
exten => #,n,Goto(s,instruct)

; Dial by name
exten => a,1,Directory(default)

; Entering an invalid extension replays the instructions
exten => i,1,Playback(invalid)
exten => i,n,Goto(s,instruct)

; Timeout goes to voicemail
exten => t,1,Goto(#,1)

exten => 6003,1,Macro(stdexten,6003,SIP/cstewart)
exten => 6004,1,Macro(stdexten,6004,SIP/mhockley)
exten => 6005,1,Macro(stdexten,6005,SIP/jbates)
[...]