TeleCorder
Voice Logging Recorder
Model # TCwL-B4
3. Setup
via USB Connection to PC
3.1
Open Software
and run the TeleCorder
program by clicking on
the icon on your
PC desktop that
was
created
when
the
program
was
installed
or
from
the
programs
list
if
the icon is not on your
desktop. If more than one TCwL-B4
is
found,
select which one to access
(maximum
of
four, one at a
time).
3.2
Recording Process
When connected to
standard telephone lines, the TeleCorder
will automatically record the telephone number
called
in or dialed out, time duration
of the call and the voices of the conversation.
You don’t need to change your procedure for making or receiving your calls.
Nevertheless, the following points should be considered.
When
connected
to
phone
lines,
channels
should
be set to start/stop
recording using the voltage sensing mode, not the VAR mode (hardware set-up
from Hardware
screen using a PC via USB connection).
If Caller ID
numbers are not displayed, confirm with your telephone company that your
phone lines have the caller ID feature enabled. Otherwise, there will not be
caller phone numbers recorded and displayed when managing the recordings. If
you are connected to telephone handset audio, the recorder will not show
caller numbers and will only show dialed out numbers if the handset has
standard DTMF tones when dialing. Also check to be sure phone line channels
are set for voltage sensing, not for VAR start/stop.
Always wait to answer a call until after the second ring so that the
phone number from the calling party can be received and stored with the
recording.
When channels are set to start and stop recording using voltage
sensing, outgoing calls will not be saved unless they are longer than 8
seconds and contain a minimum of 3 dialed digits (DTMF tones). This feature
minimizes false recordings and does not apply when using Voice Activated
Recording (VAR).
3.3
Setting up for
Phone Line or Voice Activated
Recording
(VAR)
When you first
connect a new TeleCorder,
default settings for all channels will be for Voice Activated Recording
(VAR). Channels connected to phone lines should have their start/stop mode
changed to the voltage sensing start/stop mode. In this mode, instead of
monitoring audio levels, the recorder will monitor for DC voltages on the
selected inputs to indicate on-hook and off-hook status. The phone line
voltage is high when the circuit is not in use and will drop to a lower
voltage when it is being used. Any channels set for on-hook/off-hook voltage
sensing that are not connected to a phone line will not show any recordings
due to the lack of the DC voltage changes that are required to initiate a
recording in this mode.
If you connect any of the TeleCorder
inputs to audio
sources that do not have standard on-hook/off-hook voltages, these channels
must be set for audio or voice activated recording (VAR).
3.4 VAR Settings
(Voice
Activated Recording)
Recorder channels set
for the VAR mode will detect the voice level on the line to start a
recording. It will start recording when a preset audio level is reached
(normal conversation levels), and stop after the audio drops below this
threshold (no sound other than weak background noise) for a preset period of
time. The length of quiet required for the recording to end is called
“turn-off-delay”.
|
|
Phone
Line Recording |
Voice
Activated Recording (VAR) |
|
Requirement to
Start |
Phone Line DC
voltage lower than the threshold (<20v DC) |
Audio level on input
is loud enough or louder than preset threshold
required to start recording |
|
Requirement to
Stop |
Phone Line DC
voltage higher than the threshold (>20v DC) |
Audio level is lower
than preset level required to continue recording for the selected
turn-off-delay |
|
Suggested
Uses |
Recording from standard Analog phone lines
|
1．
Radio recording, broadcast
or two-way
2．
Amplified microphone
3．
Audio picked up from handset or headset of analog or digital
telephone set (single or multi-line phone)
4．
Analog phone line recording where DC voltage sensing cannot be
used |
|
Parameters |
DC Voltage
Threshold: (This threshold is preset in the
TeleCorder through hardware
components and cannot be
changed via software). |
1．
VAR or Off-Hook Mode for each channel
2．
Threshold in 4 levels
3．
Turn-off-delay/VAR
space:
(4, 12, 32, or 100 seconds)
4．
VAR Time-Out to limit long recordings and start a new recording:
(20, 40, 60, or 80 minutes) |
3.5 Setting Channels for Operation in VAR Mode
Use your PC to
configure the TeleCorder
to select Phone Line recording or VAR mode, and to change and confirm these
and other operating
parameters.
3.6 Configuring TeleCorder using a PC
Using
your PC with the TeleCorder
program running, select Info &
Settings
from the main screen. You will open the
Hardware Information & Settings
screen as shown
below. From
this
screen,
you
can
change
hardware
settings
that
will
be
stored
in
the
recorder
and,
by
selecting
Hardware Information,
view additional information about the recorder including version number,
capacity, media usage, recorded call items, deleted call items, etc.
3.6.1
Hardware Information:
Click on
this box to show information about your TeleCorder:
hardware version, model type, number of calls recorded, number of calls
deleted, total length of all recordings (in hours, minutes and seconds),
total length of deleted recordings, and percentage of storage space used.
Information displayed for number of files and duration is for files shown on
the current list
on the PC.
3.6.2
Date/Time Setting:
Click on
this box to copy the date/time setting from your PC to the TeleCorder.
3.6.3
Set
Channels to VAR mode instead of voltage sensing mode used for phone line:
Each
channel
(Port)
in
the
recorder
can
be
set
to
start
and stop
recording using either audio activation (VAR) or voltage sensing. Channels
showing a check mark in the boxes labeled
Port 1,
Port 2,
Port 3,
or Port 4,
are set for VAR recording. Channels with no check mark indicate they are set
for phone line recording. For any channel you want to start/stop recording
using the phone line voltage sensing mode, click on the box for that channel
to remove the check mark, then click the
Write Hardware
button to confirm any changes.
3.6.4 VAR
Voltage Threshold: Set the
threshold level to match the audio level on your audio source.
L0: Extra Sensitive, suitable for weak audio sources with low
background noise level: (for example, with weak earphone or line-out
recording).
L1: High Sensitivity, suitable for normal line level audio sources
with low background noise levels: (normal phone handset earpiece audio or
weak speaker of radio).
L2: Mid Sensitivity, suitable for higher than normal audio levels
and/or higher background noise levels: (for recording from a noisy phone
line when voltage sensing cannot be used due to non-standard voltages or
with normal speaker audio from a radio).
L3: Low Sensitivity, suitable for very high audio levels, and high
background noise levels. Recording may stop if audio levels are too weak:
(phone recording with non-standard and very noisy DC voltages, or extra loud
radio audio).
After making changes, click the button labeled
Write Hardware
to confirm any changes. You may be asked to quit the program and try again.
You may also need to un-plug and re-connect the TeleCorder
power or USB cable to successfully change the TeleCorder
operating parameters.
3.6.5
VAR Turn-Off-Delay:
If any
channels have VAR selected for recording start/stop, also select one of the
four turn-off-delay options (VAR
Turn Off Delay):
4, 12, 32 or 100 seconds. This setting will help to prevent recordings from
ending during quiet periods. Click the
Write Hardware
button to confirm any changes.
3.6.6
VAR
Time Out:
If any channels have
VAR selected for start/stop, set the time out to one of the four choices:
20, 40, 60 or 80 minutes. This setting will limit the maximum length of a
recording for easier management of long conversations or for when recording
from broadcast radio where pauses may not be long enough to separate
individual recordings using VAR for start/stop. If a recording reaches the
maximum length of time that you select for
VAR Time Out,
that recording will end, and a new recording on that channel will begin.
Click the Write Hardware
button to confirm any changes.
3.6.7
Save VAR and Outgoing Calls Less than 8s or Outgoing
Calls with Less than 3 DTMF Codes:
Click on
this option to place a check mark in its box if you want to save recordings
that are less than 8 seconds long. If this box is not checked, VAR
recordings shorter than 8 seconds, and outgoing telephone calls (using
voltage sensing for start/stop) with less than 3 DTMF digits, will not be
saved.
This setting is normally used if external noise
causes frequent
and unwanted false audio activated recordings,
or
if
telephone
line
testing
produces
short
off-hook
conditions
that
are
not
associated
with
actual phone
line
usage.
It
is
normal
to
record
all
activity
on
the
monitored
circuits.
Use
care
when
setting
to
delete short
recordings.
3.6.8
Audio Recording Mode:
From this sub-button
you can set the quality of recordings.
Mode 0 --- Large file, good audio.
8bit linear PCM mode.
Mode 1 --- Tiny file, poor audio.
2bit ADPCM mode.
Mode 2 --- Small file, good audio.
3bit ADPCM mode. Default mode set from factory.
Mode 3 --- Large file, best audio.
8bit nonlinear PCM mode.
3.6.9
Limitation for List Displaying:
From this sub-button,
you can set the list display features to speed up the list refresh process
or to have more items displayed in the lists of recordings shown on your PC
in the main TeleCorder
program screen. The default setting is
2000
for fastest speed. You can select a different number, such as
10000,
32768
or 65536,
respectively. This selection is saved in software, not as a hardware setting
and will be reset to 2000
when the software is closed and reopened.
3.6.10
Caller ID Detection Settings:
From this sub-button you can set (turn on/off) the caller ID detection
features.
Pre-Ring
DTMF Detection:
If the local caller ID mode is DTMF and sent before the ring, you must turn
this feature on. Otherwise, if erroneous caller numbers are sometimes
received, you should turn this feature off.
Pre-Ring
FSK Detection:
If the local caller ID mode is FSK and sent before the ring, you must turn
this feature on. Otherwise, if erroneous caller numbers are sometimes
received, you should turn this feature off.
Forced FSK Between Rings:
If
your
caller
ID
signaling
is
FSK and sent between the
rings, you must turn this feature on. This is the normal setting for North
America.
3.6.11
About TeleCorder
PC S/W:
From this sub-button, you can
see additional
information about the software supplied with the
TCwL-B4
recorder.
3.6.12
QUIT:
Use this sub-button to
exit the
Hardware Information & Settings
window.
3.6.13 Set-up Notes
1. The
above settings must be locked into the TeleCorder
hardware by restarting the recorder. After any of the above settings are
changed, they will not take effect until the recorder is restarted by
turning off or disconnecting AC power to the TeleCorder,
waiting a minimum of ten seconds, and powering the TeleCorder
back on.
Any changes made in software should now be locked into the recorder’s
internal memory.
2.
To avoid
interruption of active recordings, you should only set the above items while
the recorder
is
idle. Wait
until no channels are active or unplug inputs prior to changing settings.
3.
After the settings have been changed, check to make sure that the recorder
is functioning as expected.
4. The
recorder
listens
for
outgoing
numbers
dialed
using
DTMF/touch-tone
signaling
and
stores them
with the recording. It is possible for it to document and record false phone
numbers when the recorder is in the VAR mode (particularly when recording
broadcast radio music where the audio can mimic sounds of dialing). To avoid
collecting and recording these erroneous numbers, you can use the PC
interface to disable storing of dialed digit signaling.
[