Vista 350 Telephone: Remembering when “Vista” was a good thing…
Since writing a post about the history of Vista 350 (back in 2006), we’ve been flooded with 350-related comments and requests for help. Thanks to Google, we’ve become ground zero for all things Vista350 / PowerTouch. It’s amazing that so many people still adore that device.
If you have any Vista stories, share them here – or go to vista350.com
Categories: Gadgets, Long Tail, Usability, User Experience class-phones, history-350, nortel-powertouch, Vista-350, Vista350
I recently picked up a refurbished Vista 350 to replace my old 350 which the display screen is starting to fade. After plugging the refurbished unit, the phone does not have any of the Bell Canada functions on the diplay; such as message retrieve button etc. Is this a feature programmed exclusively from Bell Canada, and if so, can this program be transferred to a refurbished phone? I purchased the refurbished phone from a non-Bell Canada dealer.
Thank you.
I have had a Vista 350 phone for years but my screen now has lines through it and I can not make out the numbers in my directory or incoming call display. can you help Thanks
there’s not much that can be done. If it’s a modular model – try cleaning the contacts…
I have a Vista 350…and now that we have to dial 10 numbers, using area codes…I have forgotten how to open the Lock on the Directory. I have to now add all the area codes….can you please help me.
Thank-you
Hi Trudy – try this to unlock the directory
press options
press hold
press # key
also, make sure you don’t have your area code in there (in the Area Code section in Options)
cheers
mitch
How do I increase the number of rings before the answering function picks up? I can only erase messages with the number pad and not the LCD buttons anymore?
Please advise.
Hello, I have a question about my BellSouth View Phone (aka the Nortel Vista 350).
I’ve managed to break one of the two tabs off the stand/base what holds the phone at a comfortable 45 degree angle. Do you know where I can purchase a new base/stand?
Also, the microphone no longer picks up my voice clearly when in the speakerphone mode. Although I’m proficient mechanically, I can’t seem to locate the microphone. Can you point to it?
Seriously, I lurv this phone, and hope that I can find a replacement base for it. Any information you might have I sincerely appreciate!
Thanks,
JD
Hello, I’ve managed to break one of the two tabs off of the base that holds my BellSouth View Phone (AKA the Nortel Vista 350) and I hope you can tell me who or where I can purchase a replacement.
Also, the microphone doesn’t pick up my voice very well anymore, when I’m using the speakerphone. Can you tell me where the mic pickup is located? I can’t find it.
Any help you have, is appreciated.
Thanks!
JD
The base tabs do have a tendency of breaking, unfortunately – easiest thing to do would be buying used 350 on eBay – some folks have found some for $20… Your mic is probably just clogged with dust – just (gently) poke through the holes to clear them…
what number do you dial for screen setup?
Hi All,
I have my original Vista 350, I’m with Bell in Ontario.
Questions:
1. visual call waiting no longer works – is this fixable?
2. what buttons do you push to increase number of rings before call answer kicks in?
3. where could I get a manual?
I’d really appreciate your help.
Thanks, Trudie
February 9th 2009
I purchased a Vista 350 when they first came out then switched to a 450 (f0r e-mail).
My screen is getting tired and I’d like to get a new 350 screen. Are there any available and if so what price range?
Thanks in Advance,
Paul L. Lewis-Watts
Hey Paul, if you’ve got a modular 350, i’d imagine they would be pretty hard to find. Many people though have found great deals on refurbished 350s (probably the later models that were not modular). prices as low as $25.
Hi there,
Is there any reason why the power adapter runs on 16 VAC? Does the phone use the AC frequency for any timing purposes? If I can run it on 16VDC that would be great, as the local ac freq here is 50.
Cheers,
A
Hi Armen – the 350 needs 16 VAC and 500 ma. At the time it was designed the microprocessor was the most powerful to go into any phone (about the same power as the original IBM PC) – so the power equirements were rather unique. The high current was due to the bright backlight.
Hi there,
I Have purchased Vista 350 which i beleived is refurbished from a non Bell dealer, at 40.00$, the salesperson tells me they’re new. I doubt it,anyways, there’s something about it that bugs me.The green backlight display always stays on. Is this a normal situation? I’m pretty sure not and i’m wondering how long the display’s light will last.
Thanks
Hi Anthony,
If the dealer called it refurbished, it’s not new. the 350 hasn’t been manufactured for a long time!
The backlight of the display is indeed always on. Its design uses fiber light pipes and LEDs that will likely outlast the rest of the phone!
Thanks for your comments Mitch !!
@Mike
Hi,
I’m curious to know if you found the answer to your question
I’ve had the same issue…
Let me know, thanks.
Hi guys
I’ve replaced my modular screen of the 350 with one that I bought and all the soft keys (3 left and 3 right side of the display) have no link associated. All I can see on the display is the date/time.
In order to access my voice mail and all other services I have with Bell, I have to dial the corresponding * number (i.e. *98 for voice mail).
Can anyone help me?
Thanks,
The only thing Bell had that was good and is now gone. The Vista 350 and it’s features.
Luv it. Call forwarding was a snap as it connected and unconnected with prompts.
Funny though, mine was working great until last week when I went on the web and found a Vista350 phone number that will give me the online phone book. I did not know that the # (which still worked) was old and gave me a new screen to work with and puff all was gone within a few days.
I think that there should be a class action suit as this was the phone of the futur with exchangable modules when available. I paid about $350 for this phone when it first came out expecting it to be the last phone needed until household video phones came out.
Would love to get back just the call forward feature.
can anyone help me ,, i have a vista 350 since new ,, would like to get OR buy a instruction book HELP ………..
I unplugged my vista 350 to go on vacation – big mistake. I have lost all the service soft keys. I have service with TELUS in BC. DO you know if the 800 number to progrem the services still exists? The new (very new)front line people at TELUS did not help.
Hi Mitch,
Hope you’re doing well! I wrote to you a few months back about another question and had to ask you a couple of more (hope you don’t mind!).. I have the 350 and the 480.. both do the same thing:
1) The phone numbers where I’m at are 8 digits long.. so when I dial a number these annoying dashes come up and the number 8570 2653 turns into 8-570-2653.. is there a way to turn these dashes off through some back door programming *OR* via ADSI programming? I was thinking I could create a script to run and ask for the number when you go offhook like an input string type of thing?
2) If I wanted to (again via ADSI) show on the screen “Today is Friday 3 July” are there any such variables that I can use? For example Display “Today is $weekday $day $month”? I know there’s a call buffer that stores the last caller name/num as $call1p and $call1s.. so I’m wondering if others exist?
Anyways, looking forward to your feedback. Thanks again in advance. Cheers mate!
@BILL
Hi Bill,
Give these a try.. they’re in Alberta but might work.
780-428-1171
780-428-1177
Cheers,
Armen
Hey Armen, Glad you’re still at it with your ADSI sets. You’ve got two good questions that I don’t have answers for. That goes back too far.
The set should adapt to international number standards, but those have changed lately – things like forcing local area codes. There may be codes to set the phones to a particular locale, but I’m not aware… The default I believe is anything above 11 digits remove the dashes. The display of numbers and names is different whether you have ADSI turned on or not. In the off mode, the numbers are formatted in double height. So, it may be possible to reformat using ADSI.
As for your “today” – it should be possible to program any messaging along with appropriate tokens. Various telcos used to have all sorts of diferent messages. Good luck – let us know what you come up with!!
cheers
Mitch
I got a Vista 350. It’s at least 9 years old. The screen was dying, and I was losing portions of display with vertical blank lines, eventually, the entire screen display has gone blank and all I get now is the back lighting. I cracked the LCD module open, and I see that the battery looks like it leaked, exposing chemical on the chip next to battery. The chip appears to have some black corrosion, which may have damaged the chip. I checked with a voltmeter, and I get about 1.58V on the battery . Considering I can’t really pull out/desolder that chip that looks damaged, it appears the phone is toast (at least the display is)
Any suggestions?
toast, likely. But I forgot that there was a tiny battery in those modules. Not sure why – the memory was 1st generation flash – requiring no power. It’s likely the cause of all those displays failing. i f you have a 350 that’s still working, I suggest you open the module to check on that battery, and replace it if you see any corrosion.
thanks EC!
It’s too bad I didn’t crack it open before when i had first seen signs of the LCD showing vertial missing lines, I might have saved the board from battery acid corrosion. I seen on another site that the battery seems to hold the Bell advertising/rotating messages? Oh well! it was a GREAT phone while it lasted.
I have a Vista 350 and while cleaning the keyboard a few days ago, I glided my cloth over all the keys. Afterward the message on my screen says “card present” – I cannot get rid of this message. What does it mean and how can I get rid of it?
You must have accidently hit a magic sequence of keys. I’m not sure what it means – but the 350 was also meant as a banking and transaction phone. “card present” is a typical CC company term. Not sure how to get rid of it short of resetting the entire phone. Any other ideas, V350 users?
Just bought a Vista 350 telephone, refurbish, of course, however, appears to work wonderfully well, but would like to know how do I activate the softkeys which appears to be blank; as well, what number can I call to download iSelect from Bell, if this is still available.
Thanks!
My sister has disconnected our Nortel Vista 350, all display info missing, although phone line still working (telephone is connected to an answer machine, which is connected to wall jack). I see the Nortel adapter here, but strangely, cannot locate a place on the body of the phone to plug thnis in. ANY TIPS?
Please cancel the question I sent above re. power supply cord. Found it, once I improved my lighting situation here! But I also would like to know — is there a user guide for this phone to be found on line anywhere, as ours seems to have gone out for a walk and never returned!
Hi Kay!
A pdf of the user guide is available at this site. cheeers!
http://nsegainkc1.aliant.net/knowledge/docs/Repair/PhManuals/Vista350.pdf
Can anyone tell me what the power supply voltage is for the Vista 350 telephone as I have lost the power cable, but I have a adjustable voltage power supply. Also i need to know if it is positive or negative tip. Thanks for your help!!!
16 VAC – at least 250 ma…
Thanks so much!@Mitch Brisebois
I have a vista 350. just last week the display screen started to dim. now the screen is blank. I have read above that replacing the battery might give this phone display new life. Is this true or do i have to get another display module? If i can just replace the battery, what battery do i replace it with? Any help would be really appreciated.
Hi Theo,
The battery replacement will not correct the display from missing pixels. One of our readers suggested that an old corroded battery could be the cause of the display’s impairment. If your display still works and the battery is not yet leaking, it might be worthwhile replacing it before damage is done.
The display completely dimming could be caused by the contrast control having been touched (if you’re talking about the actual text) or the power supply failing if you’re talking about the backlight. The text could also disappear if the glass has been cracked (the crack may not be visible) – this causes the “liquid” in liquid crystal display (LCD) to leak out. …a little puddle of hi-tech goo inside the electronics. if this is the case, you’ll need a new module (although hard to find). Best bet is to find inexpensive refurbished 350s on ebay or other sites.
cheers!
thanks mitch. Just have an update to the previous grief. I put a meter across the the power supply and alls good. As well I put meter across the battery and it is showing 2.02V (of course it being disconnected) No leaking electro goo (that i can see). No “liquid” in the display. Altho I did manage to get a partial display and retrieve my stored numbers (thank God) Display is there but just barely readable. What else, I cleaned the connections as much as possible and nothing else seems to be out of place. Btw dimmer switch seems ok but does not do anything when pressed. The faded display does show that the dimmer is trying to work (contrast1, contrast2 contrast3 etc.) but does not do anything for the display (when I say display, i mean the actual text. The backlight still works) Hope this clarifies things. Hope to hear back. Thanks@Mitch Brisebois
Hey Theo – great investigative work! Can’t really think of any other repairable options. Could be the LCD driver is malfunctioning or the LCD has just simply degraded (was the phone often exposed to direct sunlight, or extreme heat?)
BTW – although designed by us, that display was engineered and manufactured by Seiko. At the time, it was considered huge (and risky) for a consumer product. As a first generation component, I’m somewhat surprised they lasted so long – esp. surviving the harsh environments where phones are usually placed.
To SM readers: Has anyone else experienced this with their 350s?
Although this forum is focused on the Vista/PowerTouch 350, some visitors may have its successor, the Vista 390. Or be considering getting a 390 as a replacement for a dead/dying 350. Here is a useful link to a PDF file that explains how to erase the old Bell iSelect ADSI scripts (or presumably ADSI programming of any kind) and restore the set to factory defaults:
http://www.aastra.com/cps/rde/xbcr/SID-3D8CCB6A-C15BBA82/04/Remove_iSelect_Ads_from_390_Screen_Phone.pdf
The PDF file contains a link to a page on the Aastra web site that allows one to program the softkeys on the 390:
http://adsi.aastra.com/webconfig1/InstructionsSimple.htm
/04/Remove_iSelect_Ads_from_390_Screen_Phone.pdf
It’s pretty slick – you fill out a pair of web forms to configure two pages of Vista softkeys and labels, and then phone up an ADSI server at Aastra. The server downloads the requisite ADSI script into your phone. Automagically, your phone’s softkeys get configured just as you like them.
I don’t know if it works with a Vista 350.
No warranty expressed or implied.
Correction — a bug crept in to my previous post. The second paragraph should read:
The PDF file contains a link to a page on the Aastra web site that allows one to program the softkeys on the 390:
http://adsi.aastra.com/webconfig1/InstructionsSimple.htm
that’s awesome Dave!! This deserves a front row seat. I’m now tempted to get a Vista390.
http://sensorymetrics.com/2009/09/27/vista-390-diy-apps/
the message waiting light will not turn off even when it says it has been turned off. I have an 18 yr. old vista 350
Hi Nancy – have you tried going off hook and dialing *93? If that doesn’t work, call your telco – as the signal is coming from their voice mail service. Good luck!
I had a kid spill juice over my Vista 350 keys some time ago. So, I opened up the phone, took all the keys out, washed them and cleaned them and put the phone back. To do this, I had to remove the Display Module as well and then put it back. All the keys are working great now but the display is not very clear. I get broken digits on the Directory Entries and any other message that appears anywhere on the display. When I was cleaning the Keys, I also cleaned the Display Module at that time. I might have pressed too hard on the screen while cleaning. It could also be just a matter of coincidence the Display problem appeared after I solved the keys stickiness.
Is there anything I can do to fix the display. It works fine but I can’t read it clearly. If I rub in the display, then it becomes clear at spots where it blanks but blanks out the area where it was fine. I read in another post here that pressing too hard on the screen could cause the the liquid from the LCD to leak out causing display problems.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Is there anywhere I can get a plexi glass cover for the Vista 350 phone?
Just where the numbers show up, there are yellow lines going through the plexi glass. Thanks.
L.E. Dennis
Does anyone have an updated list of the download numbers? I believe Aastra had something at one time but when I spoke to a representative, she only provided one for Bell Canada. I know BellSouth is 1 888 527-5297. Keep in mind, I just mentioned “BellSouth,” not AT&T Southeast as this would now be the proper name of the company. The reason why I’m bringing this up is to point out that the recording says “Welcome to BellSouth screenphone programming service,…” The bottom line is that ths service is no longer supported. Its a real shame – this was (and still is) a great phone – especially when you can add an incoming caller to an existing conversation. Very few reps at various telcos are even aware such numbers exist. And forget about CLEC’s (including Cable companies) – they don’t seem to support the ASDL type technology.