TrueCall digital telephone recorder

trueCall





This comes in two versions - a call recorder and a complete phone call screening system. Both are absolutely brilliant.

It is dead easy to set up - plug it in and follow the voice instructions played over the built in loudspeaker. The full function version then rings you up to complete the set up and record a welcome message.

The full function version has the call recorder as an add on option which I assume is fitted in what follows.

Call recording

Call recording is just by a single press of the button altough you can configure it to automatically record all calls. However, this is not necessary with the fantastic buffer system. If you start recording a call in the middle it records the entire call, EVEN THE BIT BEFORE YOU PRESSSED THE BUTTON.

In the full function version, the name the person gave at the start of the call is also recorded.

You can pay back on the machine. Better, you can remove the memory card and plug into the USB port on the computer with a special adapter. The card also has the software to review and copy the calls. They can be stored on the computer as .wav files.

Files are date and time stamped but you have to set the time and date on the recorder using the options menu system. This is not difficult and, as for everything else on this system, you are guided through the process by spoken instructions.

Call screening

This is on the full-function system only.

When anyone calls, the system plays a welcome message and then asks them to say their name after the tone before it rings your handset.

If they don't say a name, it plays a message saying that this number doesn't accept anonymous calls and hangs up on them.

If they do give a name, it then rings the handset and tells you you have a call and gives their name. You can press '1' to accept the call or hang up. In that case they get passed to your messaging system.

There are also two other options - if you press '*' it adds them to your 'star' list. Thereafter, whenever they ring they get straight through without the message - ideal for family and friends.

If you press '#' it adds them to you 'zap' list and thereafter will never put hem through at all. These 2 options only work if you have caller ID, which you may be charged for by your phone supplier - it is free from BT. You can also 'zap' a call in the middle of the call. The other party gets a message saying you are not interested and not to call again.

There is loads of additional functionality and you can personalise all the messages rather than using the ones supplied. I haven't played with these as I wanted to see how it worked 'out of the box'.

The only problem I had was that I kept getting a message every couple of minutes that someone had rung whilst I was on the phone and then getting put through to my 1571 box. This is a signalling problem with Virgin broadband it turns out and trueCall gave me a code to turn off that function. (It would have become incredibly annoying otherwise).

There is also a service provided by the vendor to control the unit over the internet. This service also keeps a complete log of calls in and out. There is a charge for this service.

trueCall is not cheap - £100 for the full-function unit plus £25 for the memory card and software but for someone being seriously harassed it could be worth every penny.

The record only version is somewhat cheaper. TBA

 

 

By Bazooka Boo on 27th November 2008, 16:41

Re: TrueCall digital telephone recorder Having tried numerous other, somewhat inferior,and cheaper, phone call recording systems, I shelled out for the Truecall phone recorder. And I must say it really does do everything the others couldn't! I have gone from having a digital Dictaphone in the front room and a second "tape 2 way recorder" in the office (spare room) and having to remember to hit the record button each time I wanted to record a phone call, to the Rolls Royce of phone recorders. The memory card, which is like a digital cameras SD card, has to be purchased from truecall as it has the software in it to record the calls, but £25 for 70 hours of phone recordings, and up to 12 hours recording in a single phone call really is all that is needed, unless you want to pay the extra tenner for the 140 hours!! I have four handsets in the house, three of which are cordless, and as the Truecall is plugged into the only phone tap in point in the house, irrespective of which phone I use to make my calls it will still record the conversation. I have mine set up to record all calls, and not to allow calls between the hours of 11PM and 7AM unless the caller knows the "breakthrough code" which they wont unless I have told them! Once a week it synchronises itself with my computer, downloading all of the numbers that I have called or have called me, even if they hung up on hearing the message used for "shield all unrecognised callers" which is different from the "anonymous caller rejection" which I believe BT were charging me £4.50 for? And if there is a particular call I want to "archive" to the computer, I remove the memory card and plug it into the card reader sent with the Truecall and save it to my computer as a wav file, simple! For me it really was worth the money, because I now know that the only people who can call me are friends and family, anyone else is either played a message asking them their name, which I can listen into and decide whether I want to answer or let the Truecall take the message, or for telesales, banks, DCA's and those who I don't want to speak to, they can either be played a blunt message telling them not call again, or all they hear is the ringing tone. I really don't know what else to say about it, come round and have a look at it, it's bloody fantastic!     By colinbush on 21st December 2008, 13:08 Re: TrueCall digital telephone recorder I recently bought the Truecall monitoring system and having set it up via the webpage portal (very easy to use) I have had pleasant telephone conversations with those that I want to talk to. I have setup the family and friends numbers so that they get through without having to go through the screening. It works a treat. I haven'y used the recording feature as I havent yet got the card. However its a good system and no doubt will prove its worth overtime.     By gaz2954 on 7th January 2009, 13:53 Re: TrueCall digital telephone recorder i was thinking of having this but as my home number is also for my business for orders for my web sites i wondered if some people would be put off by having to give their name etc can you tun off this part of facility comments please regards Gaz     By Bazooka Boo on 9th January 2009, 00:12 Re: TrueCall digital telephone recorder Gaz, you can have it set up so you can receive calls as normal, in fact just having the system does not mean that you have to spend time telling it which numbers you want to receive. If you receive a call you wish you hadn't answered you just simply press the square (#) key on your phone, they are then played a message to say you do not wish to continue the call and they should not ring again. And if they do, your phone won't ring, they will just be played the same message each time they try to call. You can allow all calls as normal if you wish, and it allows you the option of talking to them or not, if your getting alot of oversea calls that you don't want, it will ignore them for you, if their are particular numbers which you know of that you do not wish to be connected with, you simply enter them onto your zap list (*) and they cannot get through to you! I know it is pricey but you really do pay for what you get, the internet control panel even tells you who has rang and didn't leave a message, who has rang and which part of the country they called from and who has rang and witheld their numbe, including all dates and times!! Buy one it really is peace of mind!!     By blackntan on 11th January 2009, 21:26 Re: TrueCall digital telephone recorder Does the True Call Answering machine make a beep sound when it is recording telephone calls so the other person knows they are being recorded? Personally I used to use a phone bug which I got from a shop in Leyton east London. It cost about £70 a long time ago. I used to record on to a basic cassett recorder with 3.5 mini jack, the trouble was eventually the tape recorder went wrong.No one new that they were being recorded. I only got this because of a conversation I had with a bank once that went wrong and they denied it. I recently bought an Olympus digital voice machine and found that the recording was too low on playback despite adjusting the mic levels. The True Call sounds interesting.     By steven4064 on 11th January 2009, 22:53 Re: TrueCall digital telephone recorder True call does not beep to show the otehr person they ar being recorded. Your phone bug may well work on one of these cheap digital voice recorders you can buy on ebay