2-line VCO calling

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RonJaxon

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Hello. This is my first post here.

I'm trying to figure out how to make 2-line VCO calls. I read about it and I understand the process. But here's where I'm having trouble. I'll list the process because it'll help explain my question.

  1. Connect to CA with AIM relay
  2. Inform CA I'm making a 2-line VCO call.
  3. Give CA my landline phone number.
  4. CA calls my phone.
  5. I put CA on hold while I call the number I want to call.
  6. When they answer I put us in a conference call and the conversation begins.

That last one is where I'm having trouble. When I call the person I want ot call how can I know that they person has answered the phone? Becuase I can't put us in conference call until they answer.

My wife is about to purchase a new land line phone. Are there phones out there that will be able to let me know when they answered the call? Maybe a light turns on or something like that?

Thanks for your time.

Ron Jaxon
 
that's a good question. I use 2-line vco at work but I can make a conference call before the last party picks up. However on my home phone I have to wait for the other line to pick up, I can hear well enough to hear the ringing, and I never thought much about it.


What we need is a device that can detect the ringback signal and flash or give us a visual signal of some kind.

I searched google for something along those lines but couldn't find anything
 
Thanks for the reply.

Here's what kind of annoys me. I use the AIM reply from time to time. Something sturck me the other day when I was using it.

AIM also has voice chat. Why would I need the other line to make a VCO type call? Here's how I wish it could work.

-I begin a discussion in AIM relay.
-I tell them I'd like to make a VCO call. Also tell them that I'm deaf so type only what the other person I'm calling says.
-I switch to voice chat and ask the CA "Can you hear me"?
-When they reply yes I either type or say the number I want to call.
-They call the number.
-The CA type what they say and I just talk into my computer mic to talk back.

Is there are reason this won't work that I don't know about? I'm looking at it like this. They are still only making one phone call so on there end it won't cost more. In fact over all it'll cost less because only one phone number is being called.

I'm not a developer or anything so maybe there isn't a reason I don't know of. But it's logical enough that it could be worked out.

While I'm here. Another I don't understand is why no one has made a way to do it with a cell phone. I use to have a PocketVCO. It works great but I don't see why I should need to carry another device around when my cell phone (I have a Verizon LGVX9800 because of the QWERT keyboard for texting. No sode kick because it doesn't get a very god signal in my area). I mean my phone has a screen to display the text. A micrphone. It just seems that someone needs to put these things together.

Ron
 
RonJaxon said:
Thanks for the reply.

Here's what kind of annoys me. I use the AIM reply from time to time. Something sturck me the other day when I was using it.

AIM also has voice chat. Why would I need the other line to make a VCO type call? Here's how I wish it could work.

-I begin a discussion in AIM relay.
-I tell them I'd like to make a VCO call. Also tell them that I'm deaf so type only what the other person I'm calling says.
-I switch to voice chat and ask the CA "Can you hear me"?
-When they reply yes I either type or say the number I want to call.
-They call the number.
-The CA type what they say and I just talk into my computer mic to talk back.

Is there are reason this won't work that I don't know about? I'm looking at it like this. They are still only making one phone call so on there end it won't cost more. In fact over all it'll cost less because only one phone number is being called.


I'm not a developer or anything so maybe there isn't a reason I don't know of. But it's logical enough that it could be worked out.
Click to expand...

The benifit of the 2-line vco call is that the person your calling hears your own voice, and the conversation is full duplex. (no GAs and SKs) With your idea there is no way for the person you are calling to hear you.

Hamilton relay for example, will allow you to make a VRS relay call with Microsoft Netmeeting or any other H.323 compatible program, this is similar to your idea however I don't think it would work for a 2-line vco call. In the case of the VRS calls, ASL is being intrepeted to voice and it's still half duplex.
 
Thanks for the reply but I still don't see why it won't work. Let me explain why.

The other day I was in an IM (AIM) and I tried this out wiht my friend. Here's what I did.

I turned the microphone on so my friend can hear me talk. That's worked just fine and I just talked to him in my computer microphone. Then to reply back to em he typed it and I read it in my IM box. So he did exactly what the CA would have to do. Just type what my friend says to me so I can read it.

On the matter of saying "GA" and "SK". No one would need to. All the CA would hav eto do is type what they say to me. They can ignore what I say. Imagine you are the CA and you're listening in to this audio IM. I told you that I'm deaf so only type what the person I'm talking to says to me. So it would work. I think they just need to understand that and do it. They need no extra programing or anything.

Here's what the CA would do:

-I IM the relay in AIM. I tell him/her I'm making an AIM - VCO call. I put the CA on Audio chat. They allow the audio chat to start. So now they can hear me when I talk to them. They can type back to me.

-I give the CA the number I wan to call and tell them to only type what they say to me.

-When my friend answered their phone the CA puts us in a 3 way IM (audio) chat.

My friend answers the phone and I read "Hello".

I talk to them in my microphone.

So, I do appreciate the reponces thus far. But still I ask why is the above not possible? In my testing it is. I obviously didn't use the CA but all features are there.

On a side note here's something I tried with my friend I mentioned above. When we where in this audio IM and he coul hear me but had to type back to reply. He eventualy turned on his "Dragon Naturally Speaking" (Speak and type voice recognition) software. So when he talked into his mic. I could read it. It was like real life closed captioning with an operator listening in. It was the first time I've had anything similar to a "normal" phone conversation since I became deaf. Just thought I'd pass that on.

Ron Jaxon
 
RonJaxon said:
Here's what the CA would do:

-I IM the relay in AIM. I tell him/her I'm making an AIM - VCO call. I put the CA on Audio chat. They allow the audio chat to start. So now they can hear me when I talk to them. They can type back to me.

-I give the CA the number I wan to call and tell them to only type what they say to me.

-When my friend answered their phone the CA puts us in a 3 way IM (audio) chat.

My friend answers the phone and I read "Hello".

I talk to them in my microphone.

So, I do appreciate the reponces thus far. But still I ask why is the above not possible? In my testing it is. I obviously didn't use the CA but all features are there.
Click to expand...

You need the person you are calling to be able to hear you, (it dosn't matter if the operator can hear you but that's a bit beside the point)

There is no way for the operator to bridge the aim voice chat with a telephone call.
That is the number one reason why it won't work.

Though now that I've thought about it again for a bit, There may be a solution:

You mention using AIM voice chat to call the relay, what about using a more sophisticated VoIP technology like Skype or Packet8.

On a side note here's something I tried with my friend I mentioned above. When we where in this audio IM and he coul hear me but had to type back to reply. He eventualy turned on his "Dragon Naturally Speaking" (Speak and type voice recognition) software. So when he talked into his mic. I could read it. It was like real life closed captioning with an operator listening in. It was the first time I've had anything similar to a "normal" phone conversation since I became deaf. Just thought I'd pass that on.

Ron Jaxon
Click to expand...
Thats the way that CapTel works. programs like Dragon Naturally speaking require extencive training to work correctly. When you make or recieve a CapTel call the hearing person's voice is heard by the relay person, the relay person repeats everything the hearing person says into their headset and (heavily trained) voice recognition software passes text to your captel phone device.

I bet if you used something like the old Telnet chat sessions (where you can see everything typed as it's typed) the conversation would be even more smooth.. with AIM you have to wait for the person to hit "send"
 
I've thought about it more but I'm still not quite at a working solution yet.

Here's what i have so far:
You could use SkypeOut and make a conference call.
First you'd call the relay, then you'd call the person you want to talk to.
That should take care of the ringback / flash button problem.
Skype Help


However there's a new problem.
If you call your favorite relay provider, (just pick up a regular phone and dial 711 for example) I don't think there is any way to have the operator type back to you via aim.

If you contact the relay via AIM however you can have the relay operator call you, or some one else..

Now that i think about it,.. I think I remember reading about a way to use relay and AIM, a hearing person can call the relay, and tell the operator they want to make a relay call and give the operator the person's AIM screen name.

If that is the case then it's problem solved!
You'd call the relay, tell them you want to use AIM, and give them your screen name. Then start the conference call.

If you use something like SkypeOut or a similar VoIP soft phone all you need is your computer, a good mic and a decent internet connection.

I don't use skype so I'll have to have some one I know test a conference call, but I think I've found a way to do what you want to do.
 
Thanks so much for putting some thought into it. If you find out it'll work I'd love to know about it.

I don't know much about Skype other then it's a way to make phone calls with a computer. I saw them at a store and though about picking it up for my girlfriend to use. Maybe it'll be useful to me too. So thanks so much for putting on your thinking cap with me on this.

I hope I don't come off as someone who complains all the time. :)

Back when I could hear a cell phone was a huge thing about the size of a brick and very expensive. So right when I went deaf all this technology came. I don't expect to be "hearing" again. But I'd like to be able to make use off all this technology too.

I have many ideas that would help the deaf. I only wish I had learned how to create my own software and things like that to make these ideas a reality. It's hard to find someone you can truct to even share them with. For example one of my ideas is basically taking existing technolog and craming them together in one device. The technology is already there. Someone just needs to put it together.

Since you seem like the type that might put some thought into things like that. If you want me to share my idea that I think is most likely to succedd with you. Feel free to Email me and I'll let you in on it.

I hope to find someone to make it then find a way to get it out there to those who would benifit from it.

Thanks again.

Ron Jaxon
 
This is an old post but I thought I'd bring it back because the solution now exists. I'm sure many of you know about it already but just in case it's called WebCapTel.

Ron Jaxon
 
This is interesting thread. I Do have VP-200 and been wonder how VCO works and i found out that you have to get a phone line which I think it is silly because you gonna to pay which I don't want to do that since I got a cell phone and don't need two lines for it. Also I been trying out on AIM but been told you have to get a phone line. SO what the hell can I do? I hate it cuz I used do well on phone but since I got older and spend alot of my time with deaf people to use ASL, I rarely use my phone. I know it's bad because all my family are hearing.
 
kula23 said:
This is interesting thread. I Do have VP-200 and been wonder how VCO works and i found out that you have to get a phone line which I think it is silly because you gonna to pay which I don't want to do that since I got a cell phone and don't need two lines for it. Also I been trying out on AIM but been told you have to get a phone line. SO what the hell can I do? I hate it cuz I used do well on phone but since I got older and spend alot of my time with deaf people to use ASL, I rarely use my phone. I know it's bad because all my family are hearing.
Click to expand...

use cell phone nubmer for call back for vco with vp200
 
Really? That's great! How that works? I mean do I have to said ga or sk if I call hearing person and also will hearing person hear operator tell them that I am on line? I think that is kinda annoy if they do that. LOL
 
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