How to Fix not possible error on BT Freestyle 3200?

You absolute star Jim I've just done the registration thing on my rather old BT Freestyle 3500 and it's working thankyou so much. 5yrs on and your post still helps people! Thankyou!

Sieusie
October 2013

Thanks! That was a great help Jim

Simon
January 2013

when i ring out the other person can't hear me but if they ring me they can hear me

douglas
June 2012

Fantastic -worked for me too. Thanks

lesley
September 2010

thanx so much, i was going insane trying to make a call....2 of my units were displaying not possible....a million thanx....u saved me money having to replace them

pam
September 2010

worked a treat

keith
June 2010

i just unplugged the base removed batteries from the phone waited a minute replaced batteries plugged it back in pressed search on base and it is fixed!!!!!!! fantastic

rina
February 2010

Jim solution worked a treat thanks

kam
January 2010

Just found this as another solution but travel with this initially as the symbols described WILL NOT BE DISPLAYED on the screen.

1. Fit charged batteries ( if not already done so)
The screen MAY display "Searching"

( be prepared to see a low charged symbol on the screen as this was the case on my handsets each time I fitted newly charged batteries)

2. Press MENU - The screen will display "Redial" but IGNORE this and go to steps 3 - 8.

(WARNING - THE FOLLOWING WILL not be displayed on the screen but travel with me on this.)

3. Press *
4. Press * again
5. Press #
6. Press *
7. Press #
8. Press # again

9. "Registration" should appear now on the screen

10. Press MENU

11. REGISTER will show on the screen

12. Press MENU again

13. "Enter PIN" will show on the screen,

(If you have NOT changed your PIN then try 0000 else enter the PIN you have used from the DEFAULT 0000 as described in your handbook).

14. Handset will show "SEARCHING" on the screen

15. Press and HOLD "FIND" button on the BASE handset. ( You MUST keep this "FIND" button pressed. - Should take a few moments only).

16. The handset will search and then show "REGISTERED" on the screen for the next available handset.
( Look for the aerial symbol to prove this has happened ).
- Depending on how old the handset is that you are using it may then show the time followed by -#-
(where # is the next available handset.e.g. 12:15 -3- BUT NOTE that the MAXIMUM ON THE 3200 IS ONLY 4 UNITS).

- You may need to correct the time later. or wait until a call comes in as this will do it automatically.

NB if you are using older batteries rather than NEW ones, then the life of these may have degraded over time. It is wiser to change these every 3 years at the latest.
(You may be lucky if you have had a longer life from your existing batteries).

Hope that this helps
kind regards

Jim
November 2009

Thank you so much!

Lina
November 2009

Unplug main phone, plug back in, bingo all working, brilliant! Love simple solutions!

GB
November 2009

many thanks - sorted my phone out just as I was about to assign it to the bin

andy
May 2009

fixed mine too!! well done.. itwas driving me uts

frankwoof
March 2009

Maxwell's da maan... We had almost written of our phone as being dead, until I read this. "Reset" - god, we should have done this 2 years back!!

UV
March 2009

thank goodness for that. damn thing was drving me insane!

thanks very much :D

kriztov
March 2009

What I said below works, but BT Helpdesk/VTech Helpline says "What you need to do is take all the batteries out of the handsets and disconnect the power cable and the telephone line from the main base unit for 30 minutes. Then reconnect all the new cables that came with the new phones and put the batteries back in the handsets." Perhaps that works too.

Desmond Banks
January 2009

I have telephoned the BT Freestyle helpline, and they say that you should hold down the Find button on the base station and (with the button still pressed down) switch the power off and then back on. The display will then read ‘Searching’ and the phones will be reset.

Desmond Banks
January 2009

Worked for me !!!

garyy
January 2009

Unplugging the MAIN base worked for me, nothing else.

Yoyo
January 2009

Fixed mine too, thanks.
:-)

Mike
January 2009

This fixed my problem too - thanks Maxwell.
(Jan 2009)

KT
January 2009

Thank you all, I just un-plugged the base station and re-plugged and the annoying not possible message is gone and our phones are now all working, thank you everybody.

David Graham.
November 2008

I have had this problem a couple of times and fixed it.

It is NOT necessary to do a re-set of the problem handset. You will lose all of your stored numbers if you do this!

1. Remove the batteries from the faulty handset.
2. Switch off the MAIN docking station at the plug for a minute.
3. Replace the batteries in faulty handset and hold it near the MAIN docking station.
4. Switch on the MAIN docking station.
5. Faulty handset will show "searching" and will then lock into the set up when found.

It should then work fine and will still hold the stored numbers.

Kev Marshall
November 2008

thanks this worked for my phone aswell

jan
September 2008

Thanks This worked for our handset too Sep 2008

Colin
September 2008

Thanks to this web site I have fixed the 1 phone that kept coming up "not possible" and was giving a "line engaged" signal. Did as was suggested and disconnected and then reconneccted the base station. Would suggest however that you should make sure the batteries are in a good state and that you put the offending handset as near as possible to the base station.

Don
September 2008

ive had the same problem with my phone to followed the instructions given by maxwell newton worked a treat thanks x

ladybug
June 2008

Thank you for very valuable answer.
But there is an amazing situation. The solution has worked at one of the set at my home. But it did not worked for the one at my family's home. While I was trying to "reset" base, it continued to give the message "not possible". Do you have any extra solution? Thanks.

Tony Hammami
April 2008

I had the identical problem today and tried the solution given above by Maxswell Newton. Worked wonderfully and the problem was resolved. Thank you, Maxwell!

Andy Odell
April 2008

If all else fails, as it did with mine, take the batteries out of the handset, wait a couple of minutes, put them back in and hopefully all your problems should be solved!

Daniela Turner
January 2008

I have this problem which is fixed with a reset of the handset and then turning the base station off until "searching" is displayed on the handsets and then turn the base back on again.
This fixes the problem.....for a few weeks and then it happens again. Appears to me to be something wrong with the phones design or software it's running.

Robert Sturgeon
December 2007

I am having the same problem I tried following the guide line given by Mr Maxwell Newton by placing the phone on its own base. But I could not locate the menu "Reset Handset" Instead I have on the menu the " Reset " label.

I followed the rest of the guide line using “Reset” but I still get engaged tone on this handset when I try to answer and incoming call or originate a call. All other handsets are working fine

Kanti

Kanti Gunawardana
October 2007

I had the identical problem today and tried the solution given above by Maxswell Newton. Worked wonderfully and the problem was resolved. Thank you, Maxwell!

C Dias
March 2007

I had this problem, i found that simply putting the handset into the base, going through the menus of the phone and selecting "Reset Handset" then pulling the power out of the base set waiting a couple of seconds and then replacing it worked a treat. Hope this helps.
-Make today the best day of your life. When tomorrow comes, make that the best day of your life!-

Maxwell Newton
January 2007