Star and Pound Keys on a Phone Handset

Star (*)and pound keys (# ) on a phone handset are used to activate and deactivate phone calling features. These calling features could be voice mail, call forwarding, call blocking and others.  Star and pounds keys followed by numeric code are use to activate and deactivate these calling features depending on your service provider. Example, to activate voice mail you have to press *98 or #98.

Star and pound keys would work only on tone dials not on pulse dial.  What is tone dial? For easy understanding, when you press a number on the key pad of your phone handset, you will hear a long “toooot” sound.  What is pulse dial? For pulse dial you will hear clicks or sound similar to that of the old rotary dial.  I tried to search online on the difference of these two but the definition on there, confused me.

You may argue you have a push button phone handset not a rotary type of handset. That is good. For some reason it might have gotten switched to rotary dial. No worries you can switch back to tone dial by looking for a tiny slide switch at the bottom or side of your phone. The slide switch indicates a letter T and P.  T for tone and P for pulse, simply slide the switch to letter T for star and pound keys to work.

 Some push button handset phone may not have the slide switch. If you are to use star key, press 11 followed by the numeric code. Using my example *98 for voice mail, you can press 1198. If you are to use pound key, press 12 followed by the numeric code, example 1298 for #98.  If this does not work, you can refer to the user guide or manual of the manufacture of the phone handset.

 If you do not have the user guide you can download online. If you cannot follow the instruction, feel free to call the manufacturer of your phone handset. Do not call your service provider or the store where you bought the phone.  The trouble is out of their scope of support. It will only be the tech from the manufacturer of the phone handset who can help you.  So, make note of it.  If you have phone calling features, make sure star (*) and pound (#) keys work on your handset.

Your Home Phone has No Dial Tone

 It is your day off from work. You want to rest, watch tv and avoiding cooking.  You want pizza delivered right at your doorstep. You feel frustrated picking up your phone and there is silence.  You frantically dialed your service provider from your pay as you go cell phone, only to hear recording saying all calls will be attended to shortly as they are getting volumes of calls.

Do try these simple trouble shooting steps and see it you can fix your phone. Unplug phone from phone jack. Plug in back after one minute. If your phone handset is wordless, unplug the base from the power source as well. If you have, fax machine and internet modem, unplug them too. If there is a phone cord plug in at the back of a satellite receiver unplug the phone cord at the back of the receiver. Soon as one minute is up, plug back in. If you are lucky, dial tone will kick in after you plug back in phone handset.

If you have several phone handsets, plug in first the basic non cordless handset. Every time you plug in a handset to the jack listen for dial tone.  If one has dial tone, and you plug in another phone handset and lose dial tone. Unplug again the last phone you plugged in. That particular phone handset is causing the trouble. If you only have one phone handset and there is spare jack. Try plugging in the phone handset to the spare jack. If it works on the spare jack, it means it is the first jack causing the trouble.  Normally service provider charges replacement of phone jack, you can do it yourself. Or ask a friend who can fix it for you.

When you get dial tone and soon as you plug in your fax machine, and lose dial tone. It is your fax machine causing the trouble. Call then the manufacturer of the fax machine. If you plug in modem, and lose dial tone. Call your internet service provider. Same thing if you have satellite tv and you plug in back the phone cord at the back of the satellite receiver. Call your satellite service provider. Satellite service provider must replace the satellite receiver.

Before you do the trouble shooting, try calling your home phone first. If recording says not in service at this time, no need to trouble shoot. Call your service provider, check with them if bills have been paid. If paid, chances are someone must have installed phone service in your area. The installed tech might have inadvertently disconnected your phone service.