.11 Polling (Receive & Send)

ATTENTION!
The poll-receive function is encluded in all CoMa versions, to install a poll sender you have to have CoMa Professional!

It is possible to test this function in every CoMa version, but CoMa sends only 500 lines.

   Polling (Receive)

For this function it is best to have a modem class 2.0. The new modells with Rockwell-chipset (especialy from Creatix)  have this function too.

All other modems class 2 can only poll from fax appliances which work only as polling station. In this case it is not necessary to send a polling request to force the called fax machine into send mode. You have to find out yourself in each case if it is a permanent fax-sender.

You can poll fax pages from radio stations, public services etc with this function. You can poll the actual weather chart, some radio stations let you poll the "Top 2o list" etc. More companies will offer this service in the future. You do not have to send your customer advertisement fax each week but you can install a special telephone number and interested customers can call up the list themselves. This saves a lot of money and mountains of fax paper.

If your modem has not got class 2.0 but has got its own command to produce a "poll-request" (look at the instructions of your modem) you have to enter the relevant dial command for "Polling" in Preferences "Fax".

   Polling (Send)

CoMa Professional is able to reverse the service as well. You can produce a folder with one or more fax pages (up to 100) for polling. It is also possible to send PICCT-files within this folder. The path for your own "faxmailbox" is set in the field "Send Poll" of the dialogue box "Preferences Fax". This function must be served by a class 2.0 modem because it has to recognise and evaluate the "poll request" sent by the calling modem. The new modem with Rockwell-chipset work too as we know. If you are in doubt, try out.

Make shure that the faxpages have the right extension. CoMa expects a extension .F00 till .F99! This makes up to 100 pages possible. If you use PICT-files make shure the first two digits show the number in witch the files shall be send. For example:
01Pictfile
02Pictfil.e...and so on!

CoMa Professional can only transmite the pages in the Poll-folder, if the calling modem is sending the poll-request as well!

How to install a permanent poll-sender

With CoMa Professional you can make it possible to sent fax pages to every caller even without receiving the poll-request by using the First Level Messages.

But this works only together with a modem with voice mode. As you know it is unpossible to get a modem to send fax pages if it is the answering modem. Therefore we use a little workaround (new word for tricky)!

Make shure CoMa works in voice mode at first. Record a short message (min. 10 seconds long!) and place this message in a folder maybe called "PERMANENT POLL". 
The text could be " Please make your fax machine ready to receive XY pages. Press the receive button...now".

Go to Preferences "Voice Messages" and choose this folder for "always", because it makes no sense having different folder for different times! Place the fax pages into this folder and give them the right extension like we showed you above (.F00....F99)!

Now everybody who has a fax machine with a receive button can poll from your poll sender without sending a poll-request!

     permanent poll-sender with ISDN

If you use ISDN there can be up to 10 permanent poll-sender with CoMa. So MSN 3 sends the price-list, MSN 4 the opening time and so on!

   Convertion of Text- files

If you want to use a text- file in your Poll-folder, you first have to converte it into a fax file! This is very easy done by CoMa. At first load the desired file in a fax window by using the button "Load Text" from the main dialoque box and use the "Save as" function from the "File" menue to create a fax file in your poll-folder. Remember the right extension (.F00...F99).