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Why is there no dial tone on my S200?

What you'll usually see

  • Nothing when the hook button is pressed, or only white noise that gets louder.
  • The PTA-12 shows "Searching", or its LNK and SYS lights stay off.
  • Dial tone on some flights but not others, or only after the breaker is reset.

First, check your part number

The part number on the unit label decides which interfaces your S200 has, and advice for one variant can be wrong for another. Please have the part number, serial number and modification status ready when you contact us.

S200 part number Dialers it works with
S200-021 PTA-12 dialer, or another phone-style (POTS) dialer or handset
S200-011 RC6000/A remote control unit, or DPL handset
S200-012 Control display unit, or RC6000/A(S) safety voice dialer
S200-001 DPL handset only

Only the S200-021 has a phone (POTS) interface. A PTA-12 won't work with an S200-011, and an RC6000/A won't work with an S200-021. If an S200 has come from another aircraft, check that its part number suits the dialer fitted.

Checks you can do from your desk

1. Has anything changed recently? Most cases start with a change. Tell us about any of these:

  • The S200 was swapped or replaced. The replacement has to be activated for voice and assigned to your aircraft before it will work. It also has a different phone number, because the number belongs to the SIM in the S200, not to the aircraft. Calls to the old number go to voicemail.
  • The SIM card was changed. Voice service is tied to the SIM, so a new SIM has to be activated.
  • Satellite voice was cancelled, suspended or changed.
  • The S200 came from another aircraft. Check that its part number suits the dialer fitted (see the table above).
  • Maintenance was done near the S200, the dialer or their wiring. See check 5.

2. Contact us early. If you send us the aircraft registration and the S200 serial number, we can confirm:

  • that voice service is active on the SIM in the unit
  • that the unit fitted is the one on our records for your aircraft
  • whether your call attempts are reaching the satellite network
  • when the unit last connected, and its recent signal quality

Many cases are fixed this way without anyone going to the aircraft.

Checks at the aircraft

3. Power up outside and give it time.

  • Move the aircraft outside, at least 10 m from hangars and other buildings, with a clear view of the sky.
  • Wait at least 2 minutes after power-up before taking the phone off hook.
  • If there's still no dial tone, leave the S200 powered for at least 5 minutes and read its status light. Two blinks every 3 seconds means the S200 isn't connected to the satellite network. Follow the antenna checks in the article "My S200 is active but isn't showing up or has stopped reporting".

4. Read the PTA-12 display.

What you see What it means
"Searching" The S200 isn't connected to the satellite network. Check the view of the sky and the antenna cabling.
LNK and SYS lights off The dialer's data link to the S200 isn't working. Check the serial wiring (check 5).
A system error This is a known condition with a documented action. Contact us with the aircraft registration and both serial numbers.
Frozen or blank display, or buttons that don't respond Switch the S200 off and on. If the dialer recovers, the S200 is the likely cause. If it stays frozen, the dialer is. Send us the S200's firmware version, because a firmware update fixed dialer freezing on aircraft that also have an IONode.

5. Check the wiring.

  • The call audio and dial tone use the two-wire phone connection on the S200's main connector: tip on J100 pin 18 and ring on pin 24. These pins carry the phone signal on the S200-021 only.
  • The dialer's data connection goes to the S200's auxiliary serial port, not the front panel port. The front panel port is for firmware loading and diagnostics, and a dialer connected there won't work.
  • Ring out the wiring against the installation manual, and check the connectors at both ends.
  • If more than one dialer is fitted, tell us, and try with only one connected.

6. Check the dialer's firmware.

  • PTA-12s supplied by SKYTRAC run our firmware, and the part number on the label reads PTA-12-x00MSG.
  • A PTA-12 from another source may run the manufacturer's firmware, which can cause dial tone and freezing problems with the S200. Contact us to have our firmware loaded.

7. Find out whether it's the dialer or the S200.

  • On the ground, connect a standard telephone to the S200's phone connection in place of the dialer. If you get dial tone, the S200's phone interface is working, and the cause is the dialer or its wiring.
  • Or swap in a known-good dialer, or a known-good S200-021. Tell us before swapping the S200, so the aircraft record matches the unit fitted.

8. Dial tone that comes and goes.

  • Switch the S200 off, then on, wait 2 minutes and check for dial tone. Repeat this a few times.
  • If there's no dial tone at all, or it only works the first time, the S200's phone interface is the likely cause and the unit will need to come back to us. Older units often need their phone interface board replaced.

If you have dial tone but calls don't go through

  • Ask us to confirm that voice service is active for the unit.
  • From the aircraft, dial 00, then the country code, then the number. For the US and Canada, dial 001, then the area code and number.
  • Calls need a strong satellite signal, so make sure the aircraft has a clear view of the sky.
S200-011 with an RC6000/A
  • If the RC6000/A shows "SEARCHING FOR SkyNode", it can't communicate with the S200.
  • Check that the S200 is an S200-011. An S200-021 won't work with an RC6000/A.
  • Check the RC6000/A's serial wiring to the S200's auxiliary serial port.
S200-012 (safety voice): can't place a call

The S200-012 has no phone interface, so there's no dial tone to listen for. Calls are placed from the control display unit or the RC6000/A(S).

  • The option to place a call appears when the status line shows ready, so if you can't see it, check the status first.
  • Read the status screen on your display:
    • If no SIM card identifier appears, the card is missing or not seated properly.
    • If the identifier appears but the network status shows not registered, the card isn't activated. This is an account matter we can resolve.
    • If the identifier appears and the status shows registered, the signal itself is low. Check the antenna cabling and confirm the antenna has a clear view of the sky.
  • If the dialer shows "FAULT" or "not ready", or a SATCOM FAIL caution appears, the safety voice service is usually not active, or the SIM fitted isn't the one on the safety voice contract. Contact us.
  • If you want to dial ordinary telephone numbers instead of short codes, the unit can be configured for it. This is a change we make, so contact us and describe how you want to dial.

Before returning the unit

Have the part number, serial number, modification status and loaded firmware version ready. Tell us what the fault did and anything you swapped while investigating. Several S200 problems are fixed by a setting or firmware change rather than a repair, so the firmware version matters.

Contact us

Email support@skytrac.ca or call +1 250 765 2393. Please include:

  • the aircraft registration, and the S200 part number, serial number and modification status
  • the dialer model and serial number, and how many dialers are fitted
  • what you hear and see: no dial tone or white noise, plus the dialer display and the S200 status light
  • whether the problem is constant or comes and goes
  • any recent changes: a unit swap, a SIM change, a change to voice service, or maintenance
  • the loaded firmware version, if you know it
  • the wiring diagram for the satellite phone installation, if you can share it