call-in show needs a telephone system

The quickest and easiest is to get an inexpensive cordless phone with a headphone jack. Run the earpiece wires to the input of your mixer. You can either run a reduced level mix back into the microphone input or just use the headset's microphone.

Likewise if you can use the headphone adapter for many cellular phones in the same way. That's especially good for remote locations or if you want to take advantage of long distance benefits of your cell phone. We adapted a Nokia headset directly into an XLR connector for a mixer and had no problems. We were able to power two headsets with the Nokia which allowed talk-back from the station to the remote.

We used both of these for football remotes.

That's some awesome info that you shared. Do you have any documentation or schematic like a step by step procedure to do this?

I think most of us would find this helpful for our stations on a budget.

Thanks!

Radio Shack phone recorder link

The above link is to a device that you plug your telephone handset into and then use a standard 1/8 inch mic out for recording. You could plug that into your mixer

You'd have to talk into the handset, rather than use your studio mic.

Another way might be to use an computer based online phone service like Skype or Net2Phone. You could use whatever mic you plug into your computer while you dial out.

Let us know what sort of solution you devise.

Regards,

Scott

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Robin Valley Community Radio
Omaha, Nebraska
AM 1690
http://robinvalley.org/

The quickest and easiest is to get an inexpensive cordless phone with a headphone jack. Run the earpiece wires to the input of your mixer. You can either run a reduced level mix back into the microphone input or just use the headset's microphone.

The more I think about this solution the more I like it. One could make a custom connector easily enough, I think.

For about $10 at Wal-Mart I bought a wired desk telephone that came with a non-standard headset. It behaves like a standard cordless/cellular phone headset, but the connector is the 1/8 inch type that you find on stereo headphones. The 1/8 inch connector might be easier to work with, plus even a cheap $10 desk phone may sound better on the air than a cordless phone.

Regards,

Scott
http://robinvalley.org/

Another way might be to use an computer based online phone service like Skype or Net2Phone. You could use whatever mic you plug into your computer while you dial out.

Check out the Gizmo project too. you can get a dedicated phone number for people to dial in with and unlike Skype, its standard SIP so you can get a SIP to telephone adapter and maybe rig up something that would hook to a soundboard, etc. heh, maybe even promote gizmo to your callers so they can call your show for free.

website:
http://gizmoproject.com/

some SIP adapters:
http://store.sipphonestore.com/
(i'd get the $49 one and rig up something)

Thanks to all the feedbacks. Anyway, i did purchased the Radio Shack telephone recording control (about $26). I'm disappointed with the results because of the noise from i believe coming from telephone line. Despite connecting to mixer, i can't seem to eliminate the noise.

Anyway, two days ago i reactivate my Skype account and found out that it has a plugin called "Pamela" that cound input/record calls with suprior quality.

Later,

PNOI
about my radio: occasionally broadcasting at am1700 /am1670 (filipino music) in vallejo cali
also streaming through audiorealm, live365, shoutcast

Thanks to all the feedbacks. Anyway, i did purchased the Radio Shack telephone recording control (about $26). I'm disappointed with the results because of the noise from i believe coming from telephone line. Despite connecting to mixer, i can't seem to eliminate the noise.

Anyway, two days ago i reactivate my Skype account and found out that it has a plugin called "Pamela" that cound input/record calls with suprior quality.

Later,

PNOI
about my radio: occasionally broadcasting at am1700 /am1670 (filipino music) in vallejo cali
also streaming through audiorealm, live365, shoutcast

Thanks for the report. These kinds of notes help us all out.

I do have the RS phone recorder, and I tested it once to see if it would work for recording calls to my PC mic. It seemed to work OK, but I don't recall how noisy it was.

I use an Internet Phone Wizard USB device for connectng my phone to my PC for Skype and assorted Internet telephony applications.

I use a Windows program called TotalRecorder for much of my PC recording tasks (line-in, software, etc). I think it works well with the Internet Phone Wizard for recording Skype calls.

Does Pamela let you route input/input in real time?

Regards,

Scott

Hi!

The advantage to using a cordless or wireless phone is that that you have full duplex operation. A transmitter and receiver is on both at the phone base and receiver unit. This means much of the received audio and transmitted audio are kept separate (in most cases) until they get to the base unit. Otherwise you might have feedback when you send your mix back through the phone to the caller or callee. Sometimes it's a delicate balance but it worked much better for us than any other method for live calls and remote broadcasts. The absolute best audio quality on remotes was by going cell phone to cell phone (both digital).

We've been using a two line V-tech digital cordless phone with great results. Like many others we can conference or place either line on hold right at the handset.

Most of the headset connections are standard. You can use an ohm meter to determine proper connections. I do have a pictoral guide, but I haven't figured out how to attach a picture to a post (!). If you need it send me a message with your email address and I'll send it to you. Just about every cell phone has an adapter that converts any proprietary connector to a standard headset jack (even the Nokia 5100's, etc.). Some of the Nokias are using a 4 conductor headset plug which is harder to find.

By the way, for those of you doing remotes a cheap and effective way to send audio over a phone line is using one of the music on hold devices you can find online. Look for one with a standard earphone plug so you can input your own audio. then just dial, place the line on hold using the device and start sending your audio. I found one on an auction for just a few dollars.

to record interviews or conversation using Pamela, there's an adjustable record levels for your microphone and incoming skype calls. you could also adjust quality to 128kbps/44hz++ ... MP3,PCM or CD Quality. Of course phone sound stills sounds phone calls.

as you know, in order to receive regular land lines calls, you need to sign-up for SkypeIn, which i did, (3 months for 10euros with own telephone number).

i'm using Pamela 30 day trial release pro version, available here http://www.pamela-systems.com/

Thanks to all the feedbacks. Anyway, i did purchased the Radio Shack telephone recording control (about $26). I'm disappointed with the results because of the noise from i believe coming from telephone line. Despite connecting to mixer, i can't seem to eliminate the noise.

Anyway, two days ago i reactivate my Skype account and found out that it has a plugin called "Pamela" that cound input/record calls with suprior quality.

Later,

PNOI
about my radio: occasionally broadcasting at am1700 /am1670 (filipino music) in vallejo cali
also streaming through audiorealm, live365, shoutcast

Thanks for the report. These kinds of notes help us all out.

I do have the RS phone recorder, and I tested it once to see if it would work for recording calls to my PC mic. It seemed to work OK, but I don't recall how noisy it was.

I use an Internet Phone Wizard USB device for connectng my phone to my PC for Skype and assorted Internet telephony applications.

I use a Windows program called TotalRecorder for much of my PC recording tasks (line-in, software, etc). I think it works well with the Internet Phone Wizard for recording Skype calls.

Does Pamela let you route input/input in real time?

Regards,

Scott

BTW: It would be a good idea to use a seperate computer for Skype conversations, than the one your playing your audio from.

Example: Say your playing an MP3 from your PC "on the air" and you scheduled a phone-in guest for your program, as you call the person or they call you, and you're setting up when they'll be cued in like.."Hey john, glad you called....how's everything?.....You'll be coming in after this song..." That audio will also carry on the air over the MP3 you're playing.

I used Skype once when I was DJ'ing at this internet station and the Pre convo audio carried over the music file I was playing, so just a little FYI.