I have a GE telephone model#29848GE2-A The phone sometimes will not ring...the line button will light up and that's the only way I know if I'm getting a call. Can you tell me what causes the phone not to ring.

Voice Mail is not a function or feature of any telephone set,
nor does the GE 29581 phone have an Answering Machine
System that might be confused with Voice Mail.

VoiceMail is an option offered by some (not all) Telephone
Service Providers. Check with your Telephone Service
Provider to learn how to go about using theirs if it's available.
The original GE 29581 phone User's Manual is available at: http://www.manualslib.com/download/59417/Ge-29581.html

Good luck!

It seems that your messages are full. This will happen if you dont delete all messages. Try that first. Then try the answer button. Sometimes we turn it on but forget to actually have it answer calls. Make sure your rings are set to 4 rings then you will know if it will answer after 4 rings. If it still won't answer after 4 rings then junk it. They are so cheap to buy a new one. They are not worth fixing these days. it is sad i know.
Good Luck

The answer to the Caller ID question:
Depend on the type of system that the phone is connected to. Late model Partner ACS equipment will display Caller ID info between the first and second rings, provided that the telephone line is plugged into a module that supports Caller ID.

The answers for the other 2 questions are taken directly out of the Partner ACS Programming Guide which is available for free download at Avaya's website.

Ther answer to the incoming call line ringing question:
Again, depends on the system. For the Partner ACS:

1) Press FEATURE 00 at extension 10 or 11.
2) Enter the number of the extension to be programmed for Line Ringing.

The green lights next to the line or pool buttons show the current Line Ringing settings for all

lines or pools assigned to the extension. (If a line or pool is not assigned to a button, the green

light next to that button is off.) The following ringing options can be shown by the green light

next to the line or pool button:

? Immediate Ring - on steady

? Delayed Ring - flashes slowly
? No Ring - flutters quickly

3) Press the line or pool button until the button light shows the correct setting (the setting for the
currently selected line or pool also appears on the display).
4) Continue programming, or exit programming mode.

Line selection:

For incoming calls, the line selection (hunt sequence) is set by the local service provider). For outgoing calls....again....it depends on the system. For the Partner ACS:

1) Press FEAURE 00, SYSTEM PROG, SYSTEM PROG, CENTRAL PROG at extension 10 or 11.
2) Enter the number of the extension to be programmed for Automatic Line Selection.
3) Press **.
4) Press the line, pool, or INTERCOM buttons in the desired order. The valid entries for Automatic
Line Selection depend upon the type of extension:

? Key Extension: Outside system lines, Left Intercom (the factory setting)

? Pooled Extension: Pool 880 button 1, button 2, Left Intercom, Right Intercom (the factory

setting), Pools 881-883, individual lines

For each button pressed, a display similar to the following appears:

Automatic Line Selection

5) To exit Automatic Line Selection, press **.
6) Press CENTRAL PROG and enter a new extension number, or exit programming mode.

Changing line ringing and line selection are tasks that are normally reserved for the Administrator of the telephone system.

Distinctive Ring basicsDistinctive Ring service is an optional service available from many telephone companies. The Distinctive Ring service permits you to assign more than one telephone number to the same telephone line. Distinctive Ring allows you to use a single phone line for both voice and fax calls. You can assign a unique phone number and ring pattern for incoming fax calls. When a fax comes in, each telephone number makes a distinctive ringing sound, such as a single ring, double ring, or triple ring.
NOTE: The Distinctive Ring Service is the name HP and others use to describe this feature. Distinctive Ring is also known as:

• Call Sign
• Custom Ring
• Ident-a-Call
• Ident-a-Ring
• Ident-a-Ring
• Multi Ring
• Personalized Ringing
• Ringmaster
• Smart Ring
• Teen-Ring

The Distinctive Ring Service allows the HP product to work similarly to a dedicated fax line. If you connect an HP fax product and a telephone to one telephone line, you can assign one telephone number for fax calls and another for voice calls.
NOTE: You cannot send or receive faxes when the phone line is in use. Even if the HP fax product has a separate telephone number, it is still sharing the same phone line. Set the Distinctive Ring Service Using the menus on the product control panel, follow these steps to set a distinctive ring pattern. Step one: Turn on Auto Answer Turn on Auto Answer by pressing the Auto Answer button on the control panel. The button light indicates when Auto Answer is on.If the button light is already on, you do not need to press the button. Step two: Set the distinctive ring patternFollow these steps to change the answer ring pattern.

1. Press the Setup button ( ) on the product control panel.
2. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select Advanced Fax Setup , and then press the OK button.
3. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select Distinctive Ring , and then press the OK button.
4. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select one of the following options:
   • All Rings
   • Single Rings
   • Double Rings
   • Triple Rings
   • Double & Triple Rings
5. Press the OK button to select the option.
6. Press the Back button ( ) to return to the main menu.

Now if you have anymore problems copy the link from below and paste it in your address bar and it will help you further with a document. Follow all the settings in the document and your fax should be setup,keep in MIND THAT THE RINGS TO ANSWER SHOULD BE 2,SO YOU CAN RECEIVE FAXES AFTER TWO RINGS

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01647469&tmp_task=solveCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3795406

Does the Phone Power Up?
1. When you pick up your GE cordless phone and press a button, the phone should beep as a confirmation that a button has been pressed. If the telephone handset does not beep, or if it does not respond to any buttons, the battery may be in need of a recharge. Verify that the cordless phone base unit is plugged in to an electrical source, then place the handset into the charging cradle. If no lights illuminate on the phone, or if charging fails to correct the issue, clean the metal charging contacts on the cordless handset and place the phone back on the charger. If it still fails to respond or to charge, the unit may need to be serviced or replaced.
Does the Battery Hold a Charge?
2. If the cordless phone charges up and appears to be ready for use but dies after only short periods of use, the internal rechargeable batteries may need to be replaced. Replacement batteries are widely available at electronics and discount retail stores. Note your phone's exact model number, as this number will be necessary when purchasing a replacement battery.
Listen for a Dial Tone
3. If the GE cordless phone powers on, and beeps when you press keys, but no dial tone is heard, one of three problems is the likely culprit. The phone's batteries may have an insufficient charge to fully power the phone, a condition that can be corrected by simply placing the phone back in the charger. If the batteries are charged, but no dial tone is heard, it is also possible that another telephone in your home or office is "off hook" or in use; verify that all telephones, fax machines and modems are securely on the hook. If there is still no dial tone, your telephone service may have been disconnected or require service by your local telephone company.
Listen for Static
4. On some GE cordless phone models, particularly older models, static may be heard if the radio signal between the handset and base unit experiences interference. Common sources of interference include unshielded electronics, appliances, and radio transmitters, as well as high-tension power lines. If your phone offers an option to change channels, try several different channels to see if the static is eliminated. If static continues to exist, or if static can be heard on wired phones sharing the same line, your telephone line may require service.
Verify Your Handset is Registered
5. Some models of GE cordless phones may display a message on the display screen that the handset needs to be registered. If this message appears, move the handset close to the base unit and press the "Prog/Mute" button near the bottom of the handset. Next, press the "Pager" button on the base unit (your handset may instruct you to perform this step). Finally, press the "Prog/Mute" button on the handset one more time to complete the registration process. Your GE cordless phone should now work correctly.The GE Cordless Phone brand is designed to deliver the conveniences of cordless home service with quality sound and features. There are many models of the GE Cordless Phone. The most current models, including the DECT 6.0, have standard features such as call waiting, caller ID, visual ring indicator, phone number memory and digital answering systems .
   
6. Before you use your GE Cordless Phone, ensure that you have all the parts. Your cordless phone package should include the phone base, a handset battery pack, a battery compartment cover, the cordless handset, a wall mount bracket, and a telephone line cord and AC power adaptor. Once you have confirmed that you have all of your parts, insert the handset battery pack into the handset and replace the battery compartment cover. Insert your telephone line cord and the AC power adapter into the phone base. The phone base identifies the telephone line as TEL LINE and the adapter as AC. Plug the phone base into the electrical socket. Place the cordless handset into the base. Allow the phone to charge for at least 16 hours before its first use. Failure to fully charge the battery before its first use will result in poor battery performance.
7. Once you have fully charged your phone, you can proceed with setting up your phone's features. If your cordless phone includes an answering system, complete this setup process first. Turn on the answering system by pressing the on/off button. The message indicator light will display. The cordless phones are defaulted to English as the selected language. To change your language preference, press the "Skip" button for two seconds. The language will change to Spanish. Next, you will set up your voice time and day stamp. While the answering system is on, press the "Answer" button on your handset for two seconds. The phone will enter the answerer mode. Press the "8" key. This will take you to the time/day setup menu. Use the number keys to set the hour and minutes. Use the volume up and down arrows to set the AM/PM. Press "#" to save. The cordless handset will also require that you give it a name. Press the "Mute" button for two seconds until the handset reads "ENTER NAME." Enter the name of the handset by using the touchtone keypad. Press the "Mute" button to save. Enter the default area code by pressing "Mute" until the phone displays "AREA CODE." Enter your three-digit area code and press the "Mute" button to save.
8. GE Cordless Phones are designed to be simple and convenient to use. To place or answer a call, press the TALK button. You can pre-dial a number by dialing the number before pressing the TALK button. When you are ready to make the call, press TALK and the phone will dial automatically. To answer a call that is waiting on the other line, press the FLASH button. If you experience call interference or bad reception while on a call, press the CHANNEL button until your line clears
9. 
   

Please help me find the manual for this GE 29438A 2-Line Telephone galons@walla.com

here is your manual.

http://157.254.235.130/public/15539530.pdf

maggie9, if you buy a phone that has satellites, you can have the main phone plugged into the modem and the satellites don't need plugged into phone lines, they will ring work without them.

disconnect all phones and just connect the GE phones.
there is only a certain amount of power transmited through a phone line to make the phone ring if you have too many phones running off the same line then the ones further away from the main connection suffer

I most cases it should not matter that you have different phones to 1 phone line. You should make sure that all the phones are running off the main feed box for your property and not off each other. Check that all the wires are connected in each port and that the phone line running between the phone itself and the feed box does not exceed 50 feet because this can cause the phone to echo or not work at all.