Phone Recorder FAQs

For your convenience we have collected together here some of the most common questions that we are asked, so that you can get the answers to them at any time. If you still have difficulties please contact our technical department on 01932 730890

Recent tip: When recording into the soundcard using the 157 or 650, if you cannot get any signal whichever slider in the soundcard you select, it could be that you have an unusual soundcard, that needs a stereo plug that is wired in a different way. Contact Retell for advice. Listen for yourself to the sound quality

1. Am I allowed to use it?
2. Will it work on my telephone?
3. My recorder keeps recording all the time, even when I am not on a call.
4. My recorder does not start recording. Make sure that the mains adaptor is plugged into the socket marked DC 3 V on the recorder.
5. When I am using the WatsonMike (grey tube with foam on one end and jack plug on other end) only my voice is recorded but not the far party.
6. When I am using the black modular connector (black box with two leads coming out of it) only my voice is recorded but not the far party.
7. When using the black modular connector and the recorder is recording, one side of the conversation goes dead in the handset earpiece or the other party cannot hear me.
8. When the handset is down or the telephone is on-hook the recorder still records even when on AUTO.
9. I have a white lead with a black modular attached to it. What do I do with the spare lead with a clear plug coming off the black modular?
10. When recording a conversation the two sides of the conversation are not balanced.
11. The light on the end of my standard recorder keeps flashing on and off and it does not come on when playing tapes.
12. When using an Agent-Observe phone I pick-up a lot of background noise on my recordings.
13. My recorder keeps recording all the time, even when I am not on a call.
14. I am picking-up interference on my recordings.
15. My recorder does not start recording.
16. When I move the WatsonLinc it makes the recorder start to turn.
17. When I record a conversation, only my voice is recorded with a lot of background noise.
18. When I record a conversation, only my voice is recorded with a lot of background noise.
19. The sound is strange because it makes a whipping sound and skips part of the conversation. Do you know what causes that and if there is anything I can do about it?
20. The light on the end of my standard recorder keeps flashing on and off and it does not come on when playing tapes.
21. When using an Agent-Observe phone I pick-up a lot of background noise on my recordings.
22. I am having difficulty recording from an external microphone. As soon as I plug in the microphone the unit starts recording, I can’t stop it and I can’t record manually when I want to. Consequently the unit does not make the separate recordings that I want.

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23. I want to be able to transcribe calls while the 953 simultaneously answers the phone and recording more message.
24. While transcribing calls will the 953 automatically switch over to answering calls if a call comes in.
25. Does the 953 come with a headset that can be used for transcribing
26. With this in mind, how bullet proof would a TRS recording be once it has been made and encoded? i.e. could the encoded file be tampered with, or could the date and time stamp be tampered with? If we can guarantee the security of the file once it has been encoded then they are confident that they could sell the TRS Archiver on a regular basis, as they have a large number of single line or sub 10 line clients that would be prepared to pay for this product, but are not prepared to pay for the larger solutions that are on the market.
27. We would like to be able to edit the tile: some form of export to editing programmes through MP3 for example would be extremely useful.
28. What sort of recording time can I expect per Gb?

1. Am I allowed to use it?
   The simple answer is yes. See legal for more info
2. Will it work on my telephone?
   Our Telerecorders should be able to work on all telephones.
3. My recorder keeps recording all the time, even when I am not on a call.
   Make sure the “AUTO” switch is on 1, not 0. Experiment with position of the volume control, try putting it to a middle position or to minimum when recording. (If you put it too low, it may not start when you make a call.)
4. My recorder does not start recording. Make sure that the mains adaptor is plugged into the socket marked DC 3 V on the recorder.
   If you are using a MICRO rcassette ecorder then check that the pause has not been left on accidentally. If it has then slide the pause button towards the FF/REW buttons. If this is not the case then check that the VOLUME is turned to MAXIMUM (all the way towards the larger part of the arrow) on the recorder.
5. When I am using the WatsonMike (grey tube with foam on one end and jack plug on other end) only my voice is recorded but not the far party.
   Make sure that the WatsonMike is plugged into the recorder socket marked with a telephone symbol and NOT the socket marked with an ear symbol. Also make sure that the foam piece is in the same ear that you are using the phone with.
6. When I am using the black modular connector (black box with two leads coming out of it) only my voice is recorded but not the far party.
   Make sure that the black modular connector is plugged into the recorder socket marked with the telephone symbol and NOT the socket marked with an ear symbol.> Also make sure that the black modular is connected in between the handset curly cord and the base of the phone.> A rare problem on some telephones is that the handset can be wired in reverse to the norm. Please contact us for a reverse wired modular.
7. When using the black modular connector and the recorder is recording, one side of the conversation goes dead in the handset earpiece or the other party cannot hear me.
   Make sure that the black modular connector is plugged into the recorder socket marked with the telephone symbol and NOT the socket marked with an ear symbol.> Also make sure that the black modular is connected in between the handset curly cord and the base of the phone.> A rare problem on some telephones is that the handset can be wired in reverse to the norm. Please contact us for a reverse wired modular.
8. When the handset is down or the telephone is on-hook the recorder still records even when on AUTO.
   Play back the recording and if the background noise is from the surrounding environment this means your microphone is live all the time. You will need Retell's Intelligent Recording Interface 650 703N,957ADV which has been specifically designed to fix this problem. Listen for yourself to the sound quality
9. I have a white lead with a black modular attached to it. What do I do with the spare lead with a clear plug coming off the black modular?
   This lead is not used when you use the BT lead as a connection method.
10. When recording a conversation the two sides of the conversation are not balanced.
    Change to using Intelligent Recording Interface 650 703N,957ADV which has been specifically designed to fix this problem Intelligent Recording Interface 650 703N,957ADV which has been specifically designed to fix this problem. Listen for yourself to the sound quality
11. The light on the end of my standard recorder keeps flashing on and off and it does not come on when playing tapes.
    The light on the end of the recorder is a record light only, so consequently it will not come on when playing tapes or when the recorder is on stand-by.
12. When using an Agent-Observe phone I pick-up a lot of background noise on my recordings.
    As you record the telephone conversations on the other phone your handset is off hook and if it has not been altered then the mouthpiece will pick-up any noise in the area around it. You need to use the Intelligent Recording Interface 650 which is part of the 703N and 957ADV packages and has been specifically designed to fix this problem Listen for yourself to the sound quality
13. My recorder keeps recording all the time, even when I am not on a call.
    Make sure the “AUTO” switch is on 1, not 0.
    Experiment with position of the volume control, try putting it to a middle position or to minimum when recording. (If you put it too low, it may not start when you make a call.) Also see the question below about interference.
14. I am picking-up interference on my recordings.
    A. If you are hearing clicks and buzzing sounds then it is most likely that the phone line you have the Watsonlinc connected to is a digital one. To avoid this problem you should try connecting the WatsonLinc around the curly handset cord.
    If you are using the smaller 750 Watsonlinc, which comes with the 701 and 702, you may be picking up hum from a nearby piece of electronic equipment. This may also stop the Auto function from functioning properly. Try moving the Watsonlinc away from other electronic equipment so that you have nice sounding recordings. If you need to use the connector by computers or other electrical equipment and the connector is in good condition, it can be upgraded to a Watsonlinc pro (752). Please contact Retell for further details.
15. My recorder does not start recording.
    Make sure that the mains adaptor is plugged into the socket marked DC3V on recorder. If you are using a MICRO recorder (705 and 702 kits only) then check that the pause has not been left on accidentally. If it has then slide the pause button towards the FF/REW buttons. If this is not the case then check that the VOLUME is turned to MAXIMUM (all the way towards the larger part of the triangle) on the recorder.
16. When I move the WatsonLinc it makes the recorder start to turn.
    Try moving the WatsonLinc from the curly cable to the cable that runs between the phone and the wall to stop the WatsonLinc from moving too much.
    Contact Retell for a free piece of Velcro to hold the WatsonLinc still.
    Contact Retell to arrange to swap the WatsonLinc for a different connector free of charge.
17. When I record a conversation, only my voice is recorded with a lot of background noise.
    Check that the WatsonLinc is plugged into the socket on the recorder that is marked with a telephone symbol. By plugging the WatsonLinc into the socket with the ear symbol the recorder was using the internal microphone which would only record the noise in the room. This is why you were only picking-up your voice and background noise.
18. When recording a conversation the two sides of the conversation are not balanced.
    Try connecting the Watsonlinc around the handset or the line cord (if the line is digital then this will give interference on the recording).
    If you are using a headset with a Plantronics Vista box try connecting the Watsonlinc around the cable between the headset and the Vista box, the Vista box and the telephone base or the line cord between the phone and the wall socket.
    The best recording quality can only be found by experimenting with the Watsonlinc.
19. The sound is strange because it makes a whipping sound and skips part of the conversation. Do you know what causes that and if there is anything I can do about it?
    It sounds to me that the recorder is switching on and off when you are recording under AUTO operation because the signal that it is getting is too quiet, or because one of the parties to the call is quieter than the other.
    Try recording with the AUTO switch off (0) and the problem should go away. If you want to use AUTO, make sure that the volume is on max (towards the wide part of the triangle) when you are recording. That should also make the problem go away.
    Normally if you get a good clear recording then the AUTO will work fine. Different cables sound different and give a different volume and balance. If you are recording on the curly handset cable try recording on the cable that runs between the phone and the wall, or the other way around.
20. The light on the end of my standard recorder keeps flashing on and off and it does not come on when playing tapes.
    The light on the end of the recorder is a record light only, so consequently it will not come on when playing tapes or when the recorder is on stand-by.
21. When using an Agent-Observe phone I pick-up a lot of background noise on my recordings.
    As you record the telephone conversations on the other phone your handset is off hook and if it has not been altered then the mouthpiece will pick-up any noise in the area around it. The easiest solution is to try a modular connector on you handset cord (part number 151). If this solution does not work then contact you telephone provider to see if the mouthpiece can be disconnected when using the telephone in this way.
22. I am having difficulty recording from an external microphone. As soon as I plug in the microphone the unit starts recording, I can’t stop it and I can’t record manually when I want to. Consequently the unit does not make the separate recordings that I want.
    To record from microphone or anything else plugged into the MIC in socket, you need to set the unit to be recording from the telephone method, not from the microphone method! To set this up, press the configuration key (the half diamond with the inward pointing arrow), then keep pressing the soft key under the word change until the displays shows “Record from: Telephone”. Then press the soft key under STOP.

953:

23. I want to be able to transcribe calls while the 953 simultaneously answers the phone and recording more message.
    No.
24. While transcribing calls will the 953 automatically switch over to answering calls if a call comes in.
    No.
25. Does the 953 come with a headset that can be used for transcribing
    Yes
26. With this in mind, how bullet proof would a TRS recording be once it has been made and encoded? i.e. could the encoded file be tampered with, or could the date and time stamp be tampered with? If we can guarantee the security of the file once it has been encoded then they are confident that they could sell the TRS Archiver on a regular basis, as they have a large number of single line or sub 10 line clients that would be prepared to pay for this product, but are not prepared to pay for the larger solutions that are on the market.
    First, nobody can give a guarantee. It is easy to just set the system clock to another date, if someone wants to deceive. Another thing is, if an employee has to make a statement as witness. Here, as a circumstantial evidence or to prove a statement, such a file could be useful.
    As I stated, on default, the .TRS files are encrypted using the filename and will not be played without the correct name, which has the start time in it.
    A code analysis attack would take some effort even for a sophisticated hacker.
    To simply try out some common encrypting algorithm will not work, since I use my personal one and nobody but me and a notary has access to the code
27. We would like to be able to edit the tile: some form of export to editing programmes through MP3 for example would be extremely useful.
    With an installed mp3 CODEC it is no problem to export to a Windows-WAV file containing the mp3 format. There are tools on the web to strip the WAV header and getting an MP3 file.
28. What sort of recording time can I expect per Gb?
    An example of one of my calls was as follows - MS-ADPCM Codec, 8000 Hz, 4 bit, mono, Encryption level 1, 26 min 11 sec call, 6.276 Mb file size. I believe this works out at roughly 13 Mb per hour with that codec, etc., which gives around 1.3 Gb per 100 hours, which is 12.5 days for one line constantly in use for 8 hours per day. Depending upon the codec and sampling rate you can get any ratio of recording quality to disk spaced used that you want. For example up to around 873 hours per Gb! We have a separate table available of some of these values.

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