Thanks PL!  That's one more piece of the puzzle, as I see it.  So the good news is: my answering system may not be malfunctioning; the bad news is: I need a hard to find item (or need to duplicate its function, somehow)!

Perhaps someone else may have more clues for me?

Cheers!

A very kind offer!  Not knowing what may be involved in opening the splitter to view, I wouldn't ask you to risk damaging it simply for my sake, though.

It did occur to me, however, that the splitter may simply re-route the connection from one of the main pair of conductors (the middle two) of the handset into the answering unit where a switch would either return the phone signal to the handset, through another conductor, or engage connection between the two for message transfer.  Perhaps you could just make  continuity tests for each of the contacts of the sockets and plug (this would take more of your time than I should ask for!)?  Resistance checks might indicate if there was any componentry within.

Another issue I should check on, even before you consider testing or opening your splitter, is the correct sequence of the wire pairs at the modular plugs.  On the Beocom 1401, the handset, the colour sequence is (when viewed from the side with the retainer clip, cable down, left to right): red, blue, white,(last contact unused).  This matches the sequence in the plug of a newer Beocom 1401 set I have (purchased new, this year; it's never been changed), and must be correct as it works fine.  The plug from the Beotalk 1401 (answering) unit has four wires in the sequence of: red, blue, green, white.

I simply don't know enough about the system to guess at, or try random configurations with any risk of damage to a circuit as a possibility.

Thank you, again, for your input!

Rich 

Dave:

Sorry to hear you parted with your Beotalk.  I had looked at the dialogue from your quest for help while I was trying to find answers (or just figuring out what the questions were) to my problems.  The Montreal Beostore has helped, in supplying a new power supply (and feet), but, probably because the system has been out of production for so long, they were not absolutely familiar with it and even they were unsure of the requirement for a specially configured phone line adapter.

Were you able to set up your standard base with your Beocom 1401?  As I recall you had inadvertanltly removed the note pad door spring . . .

best regards,

Rich

TEL   1 2 3 4
ANS   1 2 3 4
OUT   1 2 3 4

TEL 1 > OUT 4
TEL 2 > ANS 1 > OUT 4
TEL 3 > ANS 4 
TEL 4 > OUT 1

ANS 1 > TEL 2 > OUT 4
ANS 2 > OUT 3
ANS 3 > OUT 2
ANS 4 > TEL 3

OUT 1 > TEL 4
OUT 2 > ANS 3
OUT 3 > ANS 2
OUT 4 > ANS 1 > TEL 2