Application Note

TAPI Modem Trouble Shooting Checklist - 080003

Introduction:
The following is a guide for troubleshooting issues related to TAPI modems and voice calls.

Diagnostic Logging:
The first step to diagnosing and correcting any issue related to TAPI voice calls is to enable
Diagnostic Logging. To do this, open the WIN-911 Configurator then go to Tools. Select Diagnostic
Logging. Enable Diagnostic Logging for Voice by selecting the option. A checkmark will appear next to
the text.

While Diagnostic Logging is a powerful tool for diagnosing problems with your WIN-911 setup, it
is just that, a tool for diagnosing problems. It is not advisable to run your day to day operations with
Diagnostic Logging on. It increases CPU, memory and disk usage greatly. It is not uncommon for
monthly log files to extend into the gigabyte range with Diagnostic Logging on. Use it only for correcting
issues you are experiencing.

Voice calls are not received:

If voice calls are not being received, first investigate whether or not calls are being attempted.
View the history in your Alarm Monitor window by selecting the History radio button. Find an
unacknowledged alarm. Under it you should see an attempt to dial out. A successful call out is pictured
below.

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The important line is just below the active unacknowledged alarm, “Calling Tom Jones at
3261011.” If that line is not present then you have a general configuration issue.

Check the Following:

1. You must have a Contact in your Phone Book with a Voice connection that is scheduled when
the alarm came in. Open the Phone Book and edit the person you expect WIN-911 to be calling.
Their schedule will appear next to their phone number.

2. That same person must be in the Group’s Selected Name List of the current alarm. Check this by
editing the Group then viewing the Contact List tab.

3. The Delay Before processing Voice calls has elapsed before the alarm is acknowledged. If an
alarm is acknowledged before the delay has elapsed then calls for that alarm will never be
initiated. Check this by editing the Group then viewing the Contact Delays tab, Delay Before
voice calls.

4. WIN-911 has detected your TAPI modem. Check the history in the Alarm Monitor window.
When WIN-911 initializes one of its first tasks is to detect your TAPI modem. If it cannot be
found then attempting a voice call out is impossible. If that is the case one of the first lines in the
history will read “Failure registering TAPI call notifications. All voice functions will be
ignored.” This could be caused by a few things.
a. You have not configured WIN-911 to use your TAPI modem. Go to Define Voice on the
WIN-911 Configurator. Select the TAPI Voice Modem radio button and select your
TAPI modem for the drop down box.
b. Your modem is unplugged (USB) or not seated properly in its PCI slot. Turn off your
computer and reseat the modem.
c. Driver issues. Try reinstalling the drivers. This fixes most TAPI issues.
d. The modem driver or COM port has been initialized by another application.

5. Your contacts have not been overridden. Check this by right clicking the Scan and Alarm icon in
the system tray. Click Dialout Override. If a person is overridden their name will appear in the
large list box with either a date or the word Permanent on the left hand side.

6. WIN-911 should not be in Standby Mode. Check this by viewing the title bar of the Alarm
Monitor window. If you are in Standby the title bar of the Alarm Monitor window will read
“WIN911 Alarm Monitor ***STANDBY***.”
If that is the case, then navigate to your WIN-911 directory under Program Files. There you will
find a folder named Tools. In it, run Activate.EXE. This will place WIN-911 in Active Mode.
Also, open the WIN-911 Configurator, go to Options, Initialization tab, and make sure Start
Runtime in Standby is not checked.

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Sound is distorted, too quiet or does not play:

Distorted sound could come from a number of sources.

Check the Following:

1. The phone line that the TAPI modem is installed to is likely less than serviceable. Remove the
TAPI modem from the line and replace it with a phone. Make a call and listen for any static on
the line. If you hear none, this does not rule out an issue with your line. Phone line issues may
not be audible. Try another phone line to rule out the line or have a telephone technician exam the
line.

2. If you are using Text-to-Speech Wav Files or Wav Files Only then your wav files may be
corrupted. Try replacing them. By default your sound files are stored in the Sound Files folder of
your WIN-911 V7 directory. Rename the folder to Sound Files Old then create a new folder
labeled Sound Files. Go to Define Common Sounds in the WIN-911 Configurator and view
the Controls tab. Click the Sound Build button.

3. Your sound files may format errors. This is a common issue for users who have recorded sound
files on their own. Use the Sound Check button on the Controls tab of the Define Common
Sounds dialog in the WIN-911 Configurator. This will generate a file called TeleDAC Sound
Check.txt in your WIN-911 V7 folder. Look for “Format Errors” in it. Sound files are best
played on a TAPI card if they have an 11 kHz sample rate, and they must have an 8 bit sample
size and be in mono. If you have several sound files of different formats then they will not play
properly over a TAPI modem. If you aren’t using custom sound files then ensure that you have 11
kHz 8 bit mono selected for Wave Format on the Control tab of the Define Common Sounds
dialog and follow the directions in the second item in this list.

4. The volume for voice calls may be set too high or too low. Go to Define Voice on the WIN-911
Configurator and then open the Controls tab. Change the volume by clicking up or down on the
Volume setting. By default it is set to +0 decibels. A positive number increases the volume and
a negative number decreases the volume.

5. Your TAPI modem may be running at the wrong speed. Go to Phone and Modem Options on
your Windows Control Panel. Select the Modems tab then select your TAPI modem. Click
Properties. Click the Modem tab. Change the Maximum Port Speed to 57600. Click OK and
then restart WIN-911.

6. Your TAPI driver may have been installed incorrectly or a file they use may have been corrupted.
Reinstall your TAPI driver.

7. If you are using remote desktop, under your Remote Desktop Session settings select “Leave
Sound at Remote Computer.”

8. If you are using one of the Cepstral Premium Voices, they may have been damaged. Regenerate
your sound files using one of the Microsoft voices to see if the issue clears up. If so, reinstall
your Cepstral voices.

9. If none of the above has worked, then reinstall WIN-911. Backup your configuration using the
WIN-911 User File Backup utility. Run it from the WIN-911 Tools folder of your Windows Start
Menu. After you’ve reinstalled run the WIN-911 User File Restore utility.

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Modem Dials then Hangs Up:

If your modem dials out for a voice call and then hangs up when answered, this is likely because
of a sound source issue.

Check the Following:

1. Your TAPI driver may have been installed incorrectly or a file they use may have been corrupted.
Reinstall your TAPI driver.

2. Ensure that you are using a .wav format compatible with TAPI. Change your .wav format to
11kHz 8bit mono. If you are using Text-to-Speech Wav Files or Wav Files Only as your sound
source, then you will need to regenerate your sound files. By default your sound files are stored in
the Sound Files folder of your WIN-911 V7 directory. Rename the folder Sound Files Old then
create a new folder labeled Sound Files. Go to Define Common Sounds in the WIN-911
Configurator and view the Controls tab. Click the Sound Build button.

3. If none of the above has worked, then reinstall WIN-911. Backup your configuration using the
WIN-911 User File Backup utility. Run it from the WIN-911 Tools folder of your Windows
Start Menu. After you’ve reinstalled run the WIN-911 User File Restore utility.

WIN-911 Locks Up When Dialing:

This problem is caused when Wait For Dial-Tone is selected in your TAPI modem’s settings and
your TAPI modem is not detecting a dial-tone.

Check the Following:

1. Ensure that your phone line is functioning properly. Attach a phone to the line and attempt to
make a phone call. If you do not hear a dial-tone, then you need to have your line repaired.

2. Deselect the Wait for dial-tone before dialing option in your modem’s settings. Open the
Windows Control Panel. Select the Modems tab then select your TAPI modem. Click
Properties. View the Modem tab. Deselect Wait for dial-tone before dialing. Click OK and
then restart WIN-911.

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