chapter 3 the answering machine 3.0 general 3.1 system conditions 3.2 shareware version and registration 3.3 adjusting parameter for the voice operation 3.4 time attache of the message 3.5 reception of the answering machine 3.51 record with a Zyxel modem 3.52 recording with a Creatix LC144VF 3.6 testing the answering machine 3.7 play the calls 3.8 insert remarks in the calls list 3.9 long distance requesting of answering machine 3.10 second level messages 3.0 General We will show you what the voice part of Coma can do in this part of the handbook. The computer becomes a communication happening with a relevant modem. You can then receive telephone calls and fax without any problems with one telephone line, you can even operate a mini mail box. You can store messages for certain people in the voice-mailbox which can only be called upon via a PIN. The distinction between voice and fax will be done by the modem without further hardware. No more boring and monotone recorded text, CoMA offers seven different texts in the voice part, six of those can be assigned to certain lines. For example a special text for the lunch hour etc. The voice module from CoMa can be used intuitively and is programmed user friendly. 3.1 system conditions First of all the necessary hardware: You can use as computer any Atari ST(e), TT or the Falcon from 1 MB main memory. The used modem has to have a voice module. This version supports the Zyxel 1496 )in the various formes) and the Creatix IC144VF, which is marketed by 1&1 ans Escom. The standard data transferrate of 19200 Baud between modem and computer is not always sufficient because of the amount of transported data during registration of incoming calls. The minimum DTE speed has to be 38400 Baud, otherwise the registration of the calls can only be done with less quality under Creatix or with Zyxel-Plus. To ensure faster speed you have to have the small but very efficient programme HSModem by Harun Scheutzlow installed. User with a ATARI ST or Megg St need a further hardware extension for the serial interface which can be purchased via Harun Scheutzlow (Germany). CoMa Diskette contains the necessary programmes in the AUTO file to install the interface correction. Should you not have the HSModem installed yet continue to read from chapter 2.25. 3.2 Shareware version and registration The programme CoMa contains a limited shareware version of the voice module. You can call this part of CoMa by clicking the button "Voice", configurate and use all functions. But the calls will only be recorded up to max. 10 seconds. In order to lift this restriction you will need a new registration key. This key lifts the limitations. To make the registration call up the window "info" in the main window of CoMa. Choose the entry "registration" to receive the window for entering your personal data. Please enter your date correctly here, the same way as you have done before to receive the key. Finally click on ok and that's it. 3.3 adjusting parameter for the voice operation In the faxparameter choose the entry "voice" as modemtype. This switches on the answering machine and it will be switched off by choosing "Standard". Now you have to adjust the parameter for the answering machine. If you choose the function "voice" the shown dialog box will appear. Most of the essential adjustments will be done here. Chipset CoMa is compatible to two different modem types with different controller-ICs. Choose the modem used by you. The entry "Creatix" indicates a certain Voice-Modemr. All modems which use Rockwell should really work together with this parameter in CoMa. In any case it works with Creatix ICI44VF. Quality 1. Zyxel Modem The quality of the record can be adjusted in several steps via this pop-up-menu. Please take care that an increase in quality is achieved by higher resolution of the scanner value. Higher quality means larger memory requirement of the information on the hard disk. In the adjustment ADPCM3 the registration per scanning is three Bit. For smaller hard disk it has to be considered if adjustment ADPCM2 is sufficient. Per second only 2400 Bytes are occupied. The quality is worst in adjustment CELP, but used the least space. Because only one Bit per scanning is used it needs for only one second text 1200 Bytes. CELP exists only in Zyxel-Plus Modems. From firm ware 6.13 Zyxel offers ADPCM4 as well. This resolution can only be used at interface speed of minimum 57600 Baud. The ADCPM3 has changed as well from firm ware 6.13. In order to be able to use thisaccommodation module activate the buttin "Resznc bit at ADPCM3" in the dialog box. In order for re- and backspool to function in the long distance inquiry you have to activate in any case the button "Resznc bytes". In firmware smaller than 6.11 this function does unfortunately not work. All owners of a ATARI ST or Mega St need for the very high resolutions not only the programme HSmodem, but also a hardware extension which enables the serial port to transfer data above 19200 Baud. You can purchase this extension from Harun Scheutzlow (see chapter 2.25) 2. Creatix IC 144VF A cheap alternative from Zyxel is this modem. This has got for example amongst others a reception module with a higher quality. Furthermore a microphone and a loudspeaker can be connected to the system, which makes the recording and playing of texts more comfortable than Zyxel. This modem is especially interesting for all owners of a ATARI.ST, because the voicle module can be implemented without hardware extension for the interface in the lowest qualitystep. For the use with ADPCM 2 a data transferrate of 19200 Baud is sufficient. All that is needed therefore is the HSModem and the good ald ST can be used as answering machine. Because of the large data this functions only with a hard disk. The Creatic offers the following resolutions: ADCPM2 1,8kByte/s (works with 19200 Baud) ADPCM3 2,7kByte/s (needs 38400 Baud) ADPCM4 3,6 kByte/s (needs 38400 Baud) Input, Output With these pop-up menus you can choose if the input or output of answering text should be done via telphone switched parallel to the modem or via a individual microphone-loudspeaker combination (ext Mic). This will be done via the inbuilt or external speaker of the modem if you use the loudspeaker for the output. If you choose the output "DMA-sound", you can play the recorded files via a stereoamplifier that is connected to the DMA output of a STE, TT or Falcon.This works only if you use a Zyxel modem. You can not use DMA-sound output with the Creatix modem because the dataformat of this chipset is still unknown! A telephone receiver can be connected directly to the line entry of the Zyxel for the speaking of the answering text. You have to speak into the speaker then. The quality is abysmal unfortunately. It is better for the receiving if you connect a telephone parallel to the modem (line) and you speak then into the mouthpiece of the telephone. For this you have to plug the modem with a TAE-N connection into a TAE socket. The telephone then sits in the TAE-F socket. The TAE plug of the modem has got to get two wire bridges now. After the reception you have to connect the telephone properly again. (consider the instruction of Telecom). Silence (switch off threshold of the reception) In order for the answering machine to recognise when the caller has finished you have to tell the programme how many seconds silence should lay on the line. You can choose your values between 1 and 25 seconds. The field with the code dB identifies the threshold at which the modem identifies the silence. We have already entered a value which should not cause any problems even with bad connections. The higher the value, the sooner a noise (crackling) will be accepted as silence. The silence recognition unfortuantely does not function satisfactorily. The Creatix knows only three steps. 10dB, 20dB and 30 dB. Max. record time It can happen that background noise is too loud to acknowledge the end of a call correctly even at adjustment of 3l dB for background noise. In order not to fill up the hard disk with ghost noise you can maximise the recording time. This is necessary especially for the Creatix (see explanation above). Incoming-Outgoing In those two columns you have to enter the path for the folder MESS_IN and MESS_OUT. If you click on one of these lines the data selectionbox will appear and you can adjust the path. The folder MESS_IN contains later on the recorded calls. In the folder MESS_OUT the answering texts have to be located. No announces at remote If you do not want to hear the amount and the recording of the recording time during long distance request of calls you can adjust or cancel the function here. In order to hear a timerecording you have to record all answeringtexts beforehand of course. Redirect incoming message to If you wish CoMa will send incoming calls to a different telephone connection. You have to record the function here and enter a telephone No. No intro melody Perhaps a data-modem can get problems with our start melody and disconnect because it thinks the line is busy. For troubleshooting you can switch off the start melody with this button. 3.4 Time attache of the messages CoMa gives you the possiblity of two different kinds of messages.There are at first the outgoing messages (OGM), we call them 1. level messages and as a special feature the 2. level messages. The last kind of messages gives you the possibility to leave a message for special persons in your computer. If the caller wants to hear his message he has to send a PIN (personal identification number). In order to determine first and second level messages call up the entry messages in the pop-up menu "parameter". You can sort seven texts (Message 1 to Message 7) to a certain time. The text on the slot "else" will always be used if no other slot is intended for the actual time. It can happen, of course, that you want to differentiate a text from a given time. For this purpose you can put a text with the data selection box on the slot "always" and activate it with the click of the button. Now the selected text will always be used till you switch off the button "always". PIN (personal identification number, secret code) Very often one would like to know if any calls were coming in while being out. If one possesses a tone-dialer one can call oneself and after passing on the code the call will be played. The PIN No makes it impossible for others to have access to the texts as well. Certain conditions have to be considered though. The PIN always has to start with a 8. In order to make identification of the numbers possible you should not use the same two numbers consecuratively. And furthermore, no other 8 should be included in the constellation. As soon as the programme identifies a 8 it will start the input again and look at the 8 as figure 1 of the PIN. 3.5 Reception of the answering texts (OGM) The programme voice contains only two little texts as example. We are sure that you will make use of the possibility to creat individual texts. Because we do not know which kind of recording quality you prefer you have to take the trouble to create the necessary texts yourself. The next chapter shows you how to make the OutGoing Messages (OGM)! 3.51 Record with a Zyxel modem Before you can start with the recording do not forget to adjust CoMa to the Modem type "voice". Otherwise nothing goes. If you have done this press the button "Record" in the main dialogbox. If you choose this command the recording start at the moment the LED with the name RXD on the Zyxel blinks, or the recording-time- block is displayed on the monitor. Speak the text either into the telphone piece or the external connected microphone )see chapter 3.3). You finish the recording by pressing the Alternate key. The file select box will open and you can identify the name for the file. How you name the seven answering texts in the file MESS_OUT is your choice, but do not forget to record as final word for the recorded calls with the name END.MESS.ZX?. Perhaps "Thank You for Your call!" would be advisable. The following answering texts are necessary if you want to listen to the answering machine via long distance request. CoMa will build from these text blocks the answer about the number of calls and fax. There are recommendations on " " for the texts. Of course only those texts should be located by the figures. NUM_00.ZX? "Zero" NUM_01.ZX? "One" and so on... NUM_24.ZX? "twenty-four or more" THEREARE.ZX? "there are" IN_MESS.ZX? "message and" FAXES.ZX? "Faxes" DATA.ZX? "Data calls" CLOCK.ZX? "clock" ERROR.ZX? "there is an error" The third figure of the extension identifies the quality with which the recording was made and will be displayed in the file-select-box. .ZX1 CELP .ZX2 ADPCM2 .ZX3 ADPCM3 .ZX4 ADPCM4 works only with 57600 Baud) With the function "Play" you can replay the answering texts after recording. The file-select- box appears again in which you can select the text you have recorded. 3.52 Recording with Creatix LC144VF The recording of the answering texts is more elegant with the Creatix LC144VF if you buy the recording-play set belonging to the voice part. You receive a speaker and a microphone which have to be plugged into the relevant socket. You can then talk into the microphone directy. You start recording by pressing the button "record". By pressing the Alternate key the recording will be interrupted and a file-select-box appears. Enter the name of the recording. You will need the same texts as mentioned in chapter 3.41, only the extension changes. It has to be for Creatix LC144VF .RO? The resolutions are sorted to following end of files: .RO2 ADPCM2 .RO3 ADCPM3 .RO4 ADPCM4 In order for everything to function you have to tell CoMa in the Voice Parameter the chipset "Creatix". 3.6 Testing the answering machine To ensure that the answering machine functions properly you do not have to buy a telephone card and ring up from the public telephone box. This is much more simple with CoMa. You will find in the main dialog box the entry "takeoff". CoMa simulates a call to the modem and will let the modem answer. You will hear your answering text and you can record a message yourself. Afterwards you can replay the text via function "Calls", just the same as if you had a proper call. Dial a 0 with the telephone beforehand in order to eliminate the ringing sign. 3.7 Play of calls After you have finished all the adjustments your communication Manager can start his business. The first call will be recorded some time and you would like to listen what important message has been left. For this the calls list is responsible. You can access this list by clicking the button "Calls" in the main dialog window. Here you will find all calls and faxes. You can identify if it was a call or a fax with the relevant entry in the list. All entries without a tick are new. With the order "play all new" you can listen to all new calls. Afterwards those calls will be provided with a tick. Calls you do not want to acknowledge are marked by a click and deleted with the order delete in the pop-up menu. This will not only remove the entry in the list but also the data from the hard disk! If you want to playback 10 seconds press the button 2. With the button 3 you can go 10 second forward. This works the same as if you use CoMa from a remote phone! 1 hole message again 2 10 second back 3 10 seconds forward * cancel the message # play the last message 3.8 Insert remarks in the calls list Normally the calls list shows only the time and the date of the call. If you want to store a call it would be nice to add a remark, like name etc. . For this you have to activate the entry by clicking the left mouse buttion. You can select the enter "Edit" in the pop-up menu. A window to enter text will appear then. Of course you can also enter a remark for a fax. It makes sense especially there. You can enter the name of the sender. 3.9 long distance requesting of answering machine As with many other answering machines you can listen to your calls whilst away. all you need for this is a sound impulse input device or a telephone which can switch to the sound selction process. CoMa offers also the possibility to change the answering text whilst away. Call your telephone No and and wait till the machine starts with the answering text. Enter your PIN. Press the keys for each number approx. 1 second. The answering machine will then tell you the number of calls and faxes and replay the calls. If you have de-activated the button "No timeannounce" in the parameter box every call will be replayed with the recording time. Only the full hours will be mentioned though. All calls from 17.00 hours till 17.59 will become 17.00 h. Take care that your PIN No starts with 8. No figure can be used consecutively. Follwoing functions are available : key function * discontinue recording, start the next call 1 back to the beginning of the playing 2 play back 10 seconds 3 play forward 10 seconds 4 go back one call 7 record a new answering text (OGM) 8 finish recording and play the new call 0 reset "always" button # play the last message The answering text entered via long distance request will always be entered with the name NEW-OGMXXX and is entered in the slot "allways". This text will be used as answering text till you re-select the button "allways". This can also be done whilst away. (DTMF-key 0) When you have recorded a new outgoing message (OGM) by remote phone you stop the recording by pressing the button 8. You will hear now the message. If you want to start recording again, just press the key 7 again. 3.10 Second level messages As already explained in chapter 3.4 CoMA contains a small voice mailbox. You can record small messages for friends and relatives which can be called upon by the rightful receiver, guarded by a PIN. The same method for selection of PIN No as describted in chapter 3.9 applies. You can of course make second level message accessible generally. For this use only one figure as PIN. You are allowed to use any figure. We use the Communication Manager in this way to transfer messages to the caller. If key 1 is pressed the caller will have an oversight into the available messages in our voice-mailbox. With key 2 you can for example enquire our actual prices for our products. We are sure this new function will find a lot of friends and we are lacking honestly imagination at the moment what other possibilities with this programme are to be opened. But we are sure we will hear a lot of suggestions from you, the user, and we will look into all of them.