How a Cordless Phone Base Works
Used primarily with home land lines, a cordless phone works like a traditional phone, except with a two-way radio built between the base and the battery-powered handset. When someone dials the land line phone number, the telephone network sends an electrical pulse pattern through the telephone jack to the base, signaling an incoming call. Once the base receives this signal, it uses a built-in antenna to broadcast an encoded digital signal on a specific radio wave frequency.
How a Cordless Phone Handset Works
Attached to an internal radio receiver, the handset's circuitry is calibrated to only sense radio signals sent on the base's broadcasting frequency. After the handset receives the encoded signal, its circuit directs an electrical component to make the "ringing" sound that indicates an incoming call.
When you press the "Talk" button on the ringing handset, the handset broadcasts an encoded digital signal on a different radio wave frequency. The base, which is calibrated to receive signals on the handset's broadcast frequency, reads this confirmation signal and begins broadcasting the incoming caller's voice continuously. Meanwhile, pressing "Talk" causes the handset to start continuously broadcasting your voice.
How the Handset Finder Works
When you push the "Handset Finder" button on the cordless phone base, the base broadcasts the same type of encoded digital signal used for an incoming call. The signal itself is broadcast from the base's antenna in all directions, spreading outward like an ever-expanding, invisible sphere. Unless there are metal obstructions like steel I-beams, steel-reinforced concrete walls, metal-coated surfaces or metal furniture, the radio wave signal will easily penetrate the surrounding structures to reach the misplaced handset (and the receiver therein).
Upon receiving the encoded signal, the handset will ring normally until you can locate it by ear. When you pick up the handset and press "Talk," the handset broadcasts its response signal back to the base. With no incoming call to broadcast, the base instead sends a final signal back to the handset that causes the handset to stop broadcasting its microphone input. Thus, the handset resumes its normal "standby" mode.
Tags: incoming call, digital signal, encoded digital, encoded digital signal, Handset Finder, radio wave