Thanks all !
BEagle,
I didn't want to complicate the issue too much... but I have the same, a DECT base (with two wireless handsets) on one socket and an old conventional phone on another socket.
The problem is that the wireless setup doesn't allow conference calls using the two wireless handsets (seems the system is too ancient), but conference calls with one of the wireless set + the old phone works OK, as one would expect.
Saab Dastard,
The plot thickens, because - unlike our ancient heap - at least one recent Philips 'dual' DOES have a conference call function, as confirmed by their "chat" helpline (they've gone 21st century!) and the download of the relevant user manual.
I see no reason why two distinct and separate DECT phones with independent base stations should not work simultaneously in the desired fashion...
My idea entiirely.. I would think that at the phone line interface they look exactly like an 'ancient' phone'.
although you would need to check that they don't operate on the exact same frequency and interfere with each other
I thought of that, but that's the same issue as interference by your neighbour's wireless phone, which IIRC is 99.9% solved by a random coding scheme.
CJ