Re: Modem --> Answering machine

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

In article <C061597150109.12778@darkcastle.ecore.fnet.org>,
Dark_Dude <Dark_Dude@darkcastle.ecore.fnet.org> wrote:
>I wonder if you can use a specif modem and your GS as an answering machine.
>Not that I need it, but it would be fun. I think my SupraFaxModem would be
>capable answering the phone on a Mac.

   Pretty much all modems can "answer" the phone and talk in a
sequence of tones and pulses that bear little resemblance to human
speech. [There's no difference between the modem on your computer and
the one you dial into except for possibly quality and not residing in
a rack]

>So how exactly does such a thing work? Both the Mac and the GS have the same
>serial port, so there wouldn't be a problem with the port. Can someone explain
>the principles to me?

   Major problem with using a phone as an answering machine: most
modems (except for the DSVD-- digital simultaneous voice and data
that's popped up recently) don't do voice input or output. You'd
probably have to connect another set of wires to your sound card on
the computer before it could give a message to the other person that
they could deal with, and also digitize whatever they say for playback
later.

Nathan Mates


--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/      <*>
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