IDEA: BusyBuster -- program to redial busy phone #s using your modem

[LuckMan212]

Hi I've searched for something like this and come up more or less empty... I am looking for a small app that can just redial busy phone numbers using an attached modem.  My phone doesn't have this feature built in so it would be very helpful.  There are a few complete bloatwares out there, usually $49-59 shareware circa 1997 type apps that have an incredible feature list but are way too complicated for my simple task.  I tried a few of them and they either crashed or I just couldnt figure out how to make them do this...

All I want is a very simple (hah..easy for me to say) app that looks something like this:


I think a picture pretty much speaks 1000 words here.. you get the idea.  When you push the "start dialing" button, it should change to "stop dialing" and if the program detects the "RING" string coming back from the modem, then it will do whatever is checked off in the "when line is no longer busy" section.  Options should be stored in an .ini file so they are preserved between launches.

Is this very difficult to code?  I would imagine that perhaps easier than selecting manual COM port and having to write basic I/O routines from scratch it might be easier to use Microsofts TAPI interface in which case the COM port selector would be replaced by the "modem name" of whatever devices were installed... such as "motorola 56k v.90 ext" or whatever.

Is this too "big" for a snack? 

[LuckMan212]

nobody else needs something like this?

[mouser]

this has to exist doesnt it?
it should not be hard to make at all.

[LuckMan212]

you would think that it exists but I searched for hours and came up completely empty... if anyone knows of one, pls let me know... otherwise if anyone thinks they can code this as a snack, that would be awesome 

[superboyac]

Hey Luckman, this is kind of off-topic, but I was wondering if you could help me.  My telephone service is a VOIP (Voicepulse) and I was wondering if there was some way that I could use the addressbook software on my computer to use the modem to dial a number, and then I use the regular phone to do the talking.  Is this possible?  This way, instead of keeping numbers stored on the phone, I can just go straight from the addressbook on the computer.  I have tried it, but I can't dial or anything.  I don't even know if my modem is set up properly.  I haven't used a dial-up modem since the 90's.

[LuckMan212]

Well I'm not familiar with Voicepulse, but I do have the Vonage VOIP service here and have had it for several years.  If Voicepulse works anything like that, you just have your ATA plugged into your ethernet on one side and out the other side comes a POTS line.  I dont see any reason why you couldnt do this... just attach a little RJ-11 splitter onto the "phone" port and run a wire to your modem.  You didn't specify what addressbook software you were using but most have a "dial" function. (if you are using MS Outlook like I am, you can just right click on the contact name and select "Call Contact"). 

The command to tone-dial from any Hayes AT-compatible modem since the 80s has always been "ATDT" so if you want to code something yourself or use a VBScript or something you can just open your COM port and sent ATDT12125551212 or whatever # you are calling... then just send a [CR] (or pretty much any character) to the modem after you pick up your receiver and the modem will hang up.  And then you are talking on the phone...
hope this helps some 

edit: also you mentioned you weren't sure your modem was set up properly.. have you tried opening HyperTerminal (accessories->communications) and testing the modem?  just create a new connection and try typing something like "AT"<return> and the modem should reply "OK".  If not, you may not have the driver for your modem installed, etc.  Also, you may have to disable "Dial Tone Detection" since some ATAs generate a "fake" dialtone that the modem may not recognize therefore it wont start dialing.  The or, command for this is usually "ATX0" so you can specify this as your "init string" perhaps in your addressbook program. If it already has an init string in there it may be something like "AT&F" which is the standard, just add the X0 to it so it would be "AT&FX0" not "AT&FATX0"

[superboyac]

THanks, I will give those things a try.  Man, i don't have a clue to what you're talking about, I know absolutely nothing about modems.  If you don't mind, I may have to ask a few more questions later!

[LuckMan212]

ok I will try to help you ......... but back to the topic at hand.... does anyone think they might be able to make a snack out of this idea?

[superboyac]

OT once more...thanks Luckman.  I just rebooted my computer and the dialing works fine.  Duh.

[LuckMan212]

 

[Hirudin]

There is a "Phone Dialer" included with Windows 2000. I don't know if it has the features you're looking for, but it's probably worth checking out.

It's in:
Start > Programs > Accessories > Communucations

[LuckMan212]

can you post a screenshot of it?  I dont have that in my accessories/communications on win XP pro...

[noth(a)nk.you]

I just spent a little bit of time searching for a solution to your problem.  A freeware app like you described at the start of this thread would seem ideal.  Unfortunately, I too found nothing online.

A couple of hopefuls (both shareware):
Active Phone Server
Phone Dialer Pro

I haven't tried either of them, but they seemed to be the best from my search.

I also found the Phone Dialer in WinXP, as per these instructions.  When you get it up and running, Microsoft tells how to place a call.