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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 Recorder Settings after selecting Configure from default “UpCorder” program screen). Date and time information is supplied by the clock in your PC.
        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.
        If Caller ID service is provided on the phone line, 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). This feature can be disabled from the Recorder Settings menu.

a. Setting 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.
        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 voice activated recording (VAR).

b. VAR Settings

        Recorder channels set for the VAR mode will detect the audio level on the channel (port) input 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”.

3. Configuring Hardware Settings
 
        You will use the UpCorder program in your PC to select Phone Line recording (Voltage sensing start/stop mode) or VAR mode (Voice Activated Recording), and to change and confirm these and other operating parameters.
        Using your PC with the UpCorder program running, select Configure from the main screen. This will open the Recorder Settings screen as shown here.



a. Channel/Port Setup: Each channel (also called Port) in the recorder can be set to start and stop recording using either audio activation (VAR for Voice Activated Recording) 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 checkmark 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. With 2 channel UC-02B, disregard Port 3 and Port 4 settings.

b. VAR Voltage Threshold: Set the threshold level to match the audio level on your audio source.
      0: Extra Sensitive, suitable for weak audio sources with low
          background noise level; (for example, with weak earphone
          or line-out recording).
     1: High Sensitivity, suitable for normal line level audio sources
         with low background noise levels; (normal phone handset
         earpiece audio or weak speaker of radio).
     2: 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).
     3: 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 un-plug and re-connect the TeleCorder USB cable to change the TeleCorder operating parameters that are set to the hardware inside of the TeleCorder. Changes to hardware settings should only be made when all channels are inactive. After settings have been changed, check to make sure all of the changes are functioning as expected.

c. 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. If set to 12 seconds, a recording will stop after 12 seconds of silence.

d. VAR TimeOut: If any channels have VAR selected for start/stop, set the TimeOut to one of the four choices; 20, 40, 60 or 120 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 TimeOut, that recording will end, and a new recording on that channel will begin. Click the Write Hardware button to confirm any changes. This setting is only for recordings using VAR. It does not limit length of recordings when using voltage sensing for start/stop.

e. Time and Date Setting: Date and time are supplied by the clock in your PC. Check it for accuracy.

f. Audio Recording Modes: From this sub-button you can set the quality of recordings.

Mode 0 --- Large file, good audio.
                   8bit linear PCM mode used in the 1st generation recorders.
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.

g. Caller ID Detection Settings: From this sub-button you can set
                  (turn on/off) the Caller ID detection features. In some parts
                  of Canada and England different formats of Caller ID
                  information is used. If the Caller ID is not in the Bellcore,
                  as in the USA and most other countries, the Caller ID
                  numbers will not show (some phone line providers in
                  Canada still use the older Stentor format). 
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: The hardware/firmware is designed
               to detect FSK caller ID sent between rings, if there are
              difficulties with detecting correct caller ID numbers, you
              can turn this feature on to improve Caller ID detection.

h.     Notice for PC Settings:   Some of the settings must be locked into the TeleCorder hardware by restarting the recorder. If this is the case, you will see a message to restart the recorder hardware (unplug the USB cable from the TeleCorder, wait 10 seconds, and re-connect). Any changes made that are stored in the TeleCorder should now be locked into the recorder’s internal memory.
      After the settings have been changed, check to make sure that the recorder is functioning as expected.
     1.  Notes
          a.      Settings to the TeleCorder hardware should only be made when there are no active recordings. To avoid interruption of active recordings, it is recommended that you configure operating parameters while the recorder is idle. If channels are active when you need to make hardware setting changes, unplug the input cables and wait for all channels to stop recording prior to opening the Configuration screen and making changes to the settings that are stored in the TeleCorder hardware.
          b.      The TeleCorder hardware 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, particularly in VAR mode 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 Configuration menu to disable the storing of dialed digit signaling.

4. Configuring Software Settings

        Using your PC with the UpCorder program running, select Configure from the main screen. Click to open this screen.



a.    Audio File Formats: If you select the voice data file as WAV[8bitPCM] (.wav) format, the program will use your computer’s default player for playback. This mode is not the recommended mode for either storage usage or audio quality reason. It is good for voice file compatibility, however, the amount of hard drive storage space required for each recording will be substantially larger than with UP selected.

        If you select the UP (.up) format, you should further select one of the 4 sub-modes provided by the hardware referring to the following list. The application will use a specified UpPlayer for playback of the voice file saved in this mode.

b.  Auto Refresh Recording List:   If you select the Auto Refresh option by placing a check mark in the box as shown below, the List of Recorded Calls will be automatically updated every 25 seconds. If this box is not checked, you will need to click the List Refresh button on the List of Recorded Calls window for the list to show recordings stored after the list was last opened.

c.   DAVA Settings: If the volume levels of the 2 sides of a conversation are different, or if the line quality is not well adjusted, the Digital Automatic Volume Adjustment (DAVA) function will amplify the lower or far side to more closely match the level of the stronger or near side of a recorded conversation. Since background noise will also be amplified together with the sound, there will be a compromise to permit weak voices to be played at higher levels without raising background noise levels to objectionable levels. To enable a small amount of DAVA during recording select L1 (Less). For a greater level of DAVA, select L2 (Deep). This option is available only when have selected to save Audio File Format as WAV(8bitPCM).

d. Location of Folder with Recordings “ULogFolder”: The UpCorder software must set a location on the computer’s hard drive for the UpCorder folder named ULogFolder. This is where the index files and voice files of recorded conversations will be stored. By default, it is set in the application program folder. You can change its location to a different location by clicking on the Browse button to locate another folder on the local PC hard drive that will be the location of the active ULogFolder. It is the user’s responsibility to make sure enough free space is available on the PC hard drive for the data files.

        You can set the items capacity (number of recordings) as well as space capacity (number of MB allocated on the hard drive for storing recordings) for the application. To assist in knowing when to backup or change folder operations, the application will display the ratio your recordings have reached in regard to your maximum settings. The default values are 2000 items and 500 MB. To minimize the chance of missing recordings, do not let the items or space capacities reach 100% increase item capacity. Allocate extra hard drive space, delete some calls, or select a new folder where new recordings will be saved.

e.   Index File Setting “HTML”: In addition to the binary application index file, named “UpCorderLog.ULOG”, this selection will generate a HTML index file. This name is changeable. The default name for it is “ULogTestNew.htm”.

Notice: 1. This file is a must for log viewing so never set it to off
                (always leave this box checked).
            2. With any recordings already logged, don’t change the
                name for an existing location.
            3. To view the list of recorded calls in the ULogFolder,
                you can either open this file from the UpCorder
               Configuration menu or independently use your PC file
               manager. If opened using the UpCorder Configuration
               menu, new recordings will also be stored in the selected folder.
               If opened with file manager, it will not change where active
               recordings are stored. You will be able to play recordings
               and convert individual files to WAVE files, but will not have
               access to UpCorder File Manager functions such as Search,
               Batch Conversion, and Text Editing.

f.   Save Calls Less Than 8 Seconds: For outgoing phone calls, if the phone number is less than 3 digits or the recorded duration is less than 8 seconds, the recording will be considered as not being a valid conversation and be discarded. If you click on the Save calls less than 8s box and place a check mark in it, phone line recordings of less than 8 seconds will be stored as with longer calls. Click on this box again to remove the check mark if you do not want to save short phone line recordings.

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