# Outgoing Call Answer Limit

This parameter determines the maximum number of seconds the RTU will wait before considering an outgoing call attempt as an unanswered call. In determining an appropriate setting for this parameter, it may be helpful to relate the Outgoing Call Answer Limit time to the number of rings that occur during that time. In North America, for example, phone systems use a ring cadence of 2 seconds ON (ring signal asserted), followed by 2 seconds OFF (silence). Therefore, the duration for one ring cycle is 6 seconds. Thus, if the Outgoing Call Answer Limit is set to 30 seconds, 5 rings can occur during that time. If you want to allow the called party 5 rings in which to answer the call then a 30 second setting would be generally good.

Note, however, that you can never rely on the audible ringing signals commencing precisely when the phone system connects to the called line. (This is true for both the "ringing" phone being called and for the audible ringback signal heard at the calling phone.) Thus, dividing the Outgoing Call Answer Limit time by the ring cycle time (6 seconds in the above example) is only an approximate indication of the number of rings that will occur at the called phone.