Re: Modems with Speaker/Mic Jacks?

"George" <george@nomail.com> wrote in message
news:k04ek19a2neeprurn6s8te8e6eu32937s7@4ax.com...
> Hi,
>
> I've been looking at some Windows caller ID modem programs. The one
> thing I didn't care for was the way that the audio (SAPI speech) was
> routed to the same wave output as everything else. It also wouldn't
> merge the voice signals with the running audio if there was an open
> application already using the device (Creative 1370 Ensoniq AudioPCI
> under Win2K).
>
> What exactly are the audio jacks on some modems for and would they
> solve this problem? Do they become available as an additional Windows
> audio output to anything which might need them, and play simul-
> taneously with no effect on the main outs? If so, I'll try to dig one
> up. I'd like to get the caller ID on it's own speaker.
>
> Please reply within the group - and Thanks!
> George
The modems which have these jacks are what is known as Speakerphone Voice
capable and what they are intended for is to plug in a headset mic and to
use telephony software with the modem to make and receive voice calls. This
means you could effectively go without a phone and use your
computer/modem/headset instead (as long as it was all up and running
whenever a call in or out will occur). The caller id information you are
talking about comes as a result of the software verbalising the CID number
which is passed to it from the modem (in numerical not audio form). The spk
and mic jacks have nothing to do with that and this will be purely a
function of the CID software used as well as the soundcard and drivers
installed - as Kony pointed out many soundcards wont allow 2 wav files to be
played at once.

The audio capability on Speakerphone Voice capable modems is only useful
when the modem is running in speakerphone mode and even then, only with
audio down the phone line - they are not another form of general purpose
soundcard. There are a (very small) number of combined modem and soundcard
devices, one of the most well known being the Conexant Riptide as fitted to
many HP/Compaq PCs. I have one of these and it actually works pretty well
but it will not allow you to have the CID number announced over a separate
speaker. The only consumer solution I know of that will permit this are
certain specialised modems such as the Pace Solo here:
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h7.htm which have the electronics and
speaker built into them to do all this in a fully self-contained way. I also
have one of these and its brilliant - it only does this with UK CID through
a BT (British Telecom) line however. I'm unsure if you have anything
comparable in the US.

Paul