[Hidden-tech] Junk Faxes

[Jonathan Dill]

Rikk Desgres wrote:

>I have an efax number. The problem is that the fax machine is ONLY used for
>outgoing faxes. It¹s actually hitched to my home phone. So at 3AM my family
>is awaken by these sleezebags faxing me.
>  
>
Perhaps there is a way to block incoming fax calls?  With a modem, you 
can set it to just ignore incoming calls, but fax machines might not 
have that feature.  Perhaps there is some kind of electronic switch that 
normally leaves the phone line disconnected, but detects when the fax 
machine "picks up the phone" to make an outgoing call and then connects 
the phone line.  Electrically speaking, I think how it would work would 
be to stop the "ring" voltage from coming in from the phone line, but 
still allow the fax machine to complete the circuit for a call going 
out.  Whether anyone has an inexpensive device to do that, I don't know, 
perhaps I should rush out and file for a patent.  Radio Shack or Black 
Box are a couple companies that might make something like that, or maybe 
one of the "home automation" websites.

If the fax machine is light duty and doesn't hook up to a computer, one 
low tech solution might be to hook it up to some kind of light timer 
that just cuts the power at night, but that might be hard on the fax 
machine, I'd defer to others on whether that is a good idea or not.

Jonathan