The one on eBay doesn’t even mention software. I’ve been looking at ways of doing what this product claims and from what others on various websites have said, there’s no cheap way of doing this, so this cheap item seems too good to be true. Here’s an item selling for much more:
Bogus? Anyone know of any relatively cheap alternatives to record phone calls to PC without analog tape? I’m thinking the above item will work with a digital recorder as described here, so I sent for the cheap one in the first eBay link just to try it out, but if anyone has any better ideas, I’m all ears.
I have never tried it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. All it is designed to do is split the telephone signal so that part of it goes to your phone handset and the other part goes into an audio line in jack on your computer. It is a pretty simple concept although the audio quality may or may not be not be great. I don’t know how good the software will work either but you could start a recording yourself with free audio software if you wanted.
There are potential legal issues with this as well. I am not sure why you want it but many states don’t allow one party to unilaterally record phone calls without the notice or consent of the other. Businesses do it for quality control purposes but they give the caller notice before they do.
I can’t vouch for those products or sellers, but they look something like what I use. I have this: Personal logger. They also have a USB version. It consists of the hardware (which looks something like what’s depicted in your links) and software that runs on the PC.
I can recommend the Personal Logger software. I’ve used it for years, and it’s very easy to use and effective. It’s $89 ($99 for USB), right between the expensive product you found and your suspect product.
But on the other hand, the stuff you found is so cheap, you wouldn’t be out much if you buy it and it turns out to be complete junk.
I can’t say whether these devices will work as advertised or not, but there’s nothing special about what they’re doing and no reason why such a device couldn’t sell for around $5.00.
Phone calls are analog signals and are easy to decode. Open up a 1960s era bell phone, and you’ll see very little circuitry involved. You use to be able to buy speakers you could plug into your phone jack that turned your regular Ma Bell phone into a speaker phone.
The only concern you should have is what the local and national laws state about recording devices on telephones. The laws vary from state to state, so you’ll have to check with your state to see if it allows for single party consent or not.
Well, as I said, it’s too cheap to be true as many on the internet have been looking for cheap solutions to digitally record calls and the one on eBay doesn’t even mention software. I don’t see how it could work without software. No transformer; it just goes from a 3.5mm jack to a telephone jack. My last link sells what looks like is the same thing but it requires a voice recorder. Now that I believe, but if it would work without one I’m sure the seller would have mentioned it and there would be more info on the internet regarding that cheap solution.
Thanks for the links, commasense. I’m thinking about going with the voice recorder route because it can be done cheaper and I’ll get to have a voice recorder that could be used for other tasks, but if it doesn’t work with the item I sent for on eBay, I’ll probably go for it.
The thing is, this sort of thing is (or at least was) included in most computers: the modem will output to the sound card, and you can use any recording software to record it. Heck, there are programs that can allow you to have electronic call box.
I agree with BigT: If they’re only selling you the hardware with no software, they expect you to use your own audio recording software. That’s certainly feasible, you could use Audacity, for instance, but the Personal Logger software I use includes nice features like voice activation, caller ID logging, and the ability to add brief notes to identify the recordings, etc.
You obviously won’t get all those with a product that records to a personal voice recorder.
You can get a simple device at Radio Shack which will convert the phone line into an audio jack which can be plugged into a computer. I could see that the ebay one would work fine. One problem I have with these types of devices is that they are very sensitive to interference. I had to move the cables far away from my monitor cable or else I got a lot of static.
But in addition to this device, you probably want some sort of software which will only record when the line is active. Typical sound programs will work fine if you want to press record/stop.
To find great listings of software which will do voice activated recording, look for ham radio hobby sites that talk about recording. They’ll list free or paid software that does voice recording from the audio input.
Anything that outputs to a tape recorder can output to a computer’s sound card. It’s the same kind of signal, and just the connectors need to be matched.
A computer’s sound card controlled with any recording software performs the same functionality as a standalone tape recorder.
These are exactly what you want whether your destination is a PC’s sound card input or a tape recorder (or any other audio recording device). Just remember that it will be up to you to start and stop each recording session – it’s a simple manual setup.
Okay, I already have a Radio Shack telephone device that’s marketed for use with tape recorders. I just tried plugging the Mic end into every jack in my PC and pressing Record on Audacity and then picked up the phone, got a dial tone and spoke into it and I’m not getting any recording.
The first two links claim the products start and stop automatically when the phone is picked and hanged up.
Never mind, it worked with Audacity (voice is very weak, though). Apparently I have to click on the pop-up box that asks me what jack I plugged something into before it works.
Unless they have a USB connection or some other non-audio one to your computer, or a software program that detects audio input, there’s no way that gadget will start & stop a PC recording. The devices might start/stop, but I think that means they are benign when there is no active call in use.
You need to verify that you are connecting to the mic or line input (not speaker out) on the PC sound card. Next, verify that Audacity is set for the desired input device, and you may have to boost the record level. Once all these things are working, your telephone audio should work.
Do you have any other audio output device you could use to test your PC, like a hifi, TV, MP3 player or radio? You might need an adapter to match the connectors, but those are available at Radio Shack cheap.
ETA: I see you have it working, sort of (I wrote my post long ago, but didn’t send it). Try boosting the level in Audacity.
Thanks for all the help everyone. One more question: I’m getting FiOS for phone, internet and TV later in the week. Since there phone service is digital (I think), will this technique still work?
It will work. There are still regular analog phone jacks on Verizon Fios installations and you use regular phones with it. It would not work on digital telephone systems like those found in many office buildings.
I noticed that Google voice has a record button. It automatically puts out a message that it is recording. It also logs the call with date and time and the number you were talking to. Not bad for free. You aren’t even paying for the call if it is domestic. It might be handy if someone is giving you driving directions or something over the phone.
One of my friends calls me on my Google number a lot because she said the sound quality is better than my cell phone. I found out about the record function mostly by accident, because I’m usually not inclined to press buttons if I don’t know what they do, especially red buttons.