mrose@TWG.COM (Marshall Rose) (02/15/89)
Forgive the cross posting, but I haven't subscribed to either list for a few years. I am interested in writing a couple of programs for my UNIX workstation which send and receive facsimile. To do this, I need a FAX modem. My requirements are simple: the modem should have three plugs: one to a wall socket for power, another to an rj11 jack, and the third a rs232 connector to connect to any random UNIX box. For outgoing calls, I would run a program that would generate a fax image for a cover sheet and each page of the file I want to send and would then talk to the modem to dial the phone and send things. On incoming calls, DTR or something should be raised so that a process hanging an open on the tty will start up, it can then store the fax image in a spool area. On a workstation with X, I could display the image, or I could send it to a laser printer. (I have programs for all these things already.) Later this year, when I get an X.400 mailer, I'll just use that to send and receive fax through the modem. On outgoing calls, the message will be addressed to a fax recipient's phone number, which will cause the fax program to fire. (Since the mailer contains a spooling system, if the number's busy, the message will be requeued and tried again later.) On incoming calls, the fax program will give it to my local X.400 mailer which will send it to the "fax receptionist" mailbox who can preview it and then forward it to the right recipient. Note that a board solution is inappropriate since I want this to run on a number of UNIX machines of different architectures. UNIX is the commonality, not the bus or processor or whatever. There are really two reasons for this project: 1) a lot of people waste a lot of time feeding stuff to a fax. While this is unavoidable for things existing only in hardcopy, it's silly for me considering that I generate everything online. 2) the X.400 thing is a reality, and having FAX integrated with my mailer would be really neat. For those interested, the software would be openly available. So, is there any info about a modem such as this? Please include my address directly in the reply as I'm not on these lists. Thanks! /mtr
jcb@loral.UUCP (Jay Bowden) (09/28/89)
I have a question for anyone who is using one of those
combination FAX & modem boxes: On an incoming call, can
the gadget differentiate between a modem calling, and a
fax machine calling?
And can it tell the PC it is hooked to which it is?
And while I am at it, can a FAX machine *originate* a
call, but then *receive* the FAX instead of sending it
(sort of the reverse of what is normal fax behavior)?
Thanks to all who respond!
- Jay
--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Jay Bowden, EE/Consultant; see also Bowden Engineering
Currently contracted at Loral Instrumentation, San Diego
{ucbvax, ittvax!dcdwest, akgua, decvax, ihnp4}!ucsd!loral!jcbsl@van-bc.UUCP (Stuart Lynne) (09/29/89)
In article <2398@loral.UUCP> jcb@loral.UUCP (Jay Bowden) writes: > > And while I am at it, can a FAX machine *originate* a > call, but then *receive* the FAX instead of sending it > (sort of the reverse of what is normal fax behavior)? > Yes. It's called polling. It must be supported at both ends. Basically the document is left in the machine being called. When the other machine calls, instead of receiving, it asks to send. And the calling machine agrees to receive instead of sending. Insecure in that any other machine that supports polling can call in and collect the document instead. So often a "password" of sorts is programmed in. Then only the machine knowing the (typically 2 digit) password can collect the document. In larger (read expensive) systems somtimes combined with user id to retrieve fax's from a "mailbox". -- Stuart.Lynne@wimsey.bc.ca uunet!van-bc!sl 604-937-7532(voice) 604-939-4768(fax)
chrisb@escargot.UUCP (Chris Bradley) (10/02/89)
> I have a question for anyone who is using one of those > combination FAX & modem boxes: On an incoming call, can > the gadget differentiate between a modem calling, and a > fax machine calling? Well, I have an Intel Connection Co-Processor in my machine at work. The way you tell the CCP to answer with the modem and not the fax is to set the "ATS0=1" register, for answering on the first ring. This takes care of it. > And can it tell the PC it is hooked to which it is? The Intel CCP has an 80188 processor on board. It shares the bus and does all of its "faxing" in the background. This includes storing it on disk as it comes in. The problem with most fax machines makes your computer become a Fax ONLY. The CCP allows you to go about your business and receives them at will. > And while I am at it, can a FAX machine *originate* a > call, but then *receive* the FAX instead of sending it > (sort of the reverse of what is normal fax behavior)? Yes. Again, the Intel CCP allows you to send out a request for a certain document to the remote fax. I only have experience with the Intel CCP because it's part of my job. -->Chris UUCP: ..tektronix!tessi!escargot!chrisb "I didn't like the Mercury Sable, Phone: (503) 644-3585 (Call anytime!) So I bought a Ford Taurus instead!"
peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) (10/03/89)
In article <3609@escargot.UUCP>, chrisb@escargot.UUCP (Chris Bradley) writes: > > On an incoming call, can the gadget differentiate between a modem > > calling, and a fax machine calling? > you tell the CCP to answer with the modem and not the fax is to set the > "ATS0=1" register, for answering on the first ring. This takes care of it. i.e., the answer is NO. > The problem with most fax machines makes your computer become a Fax ONLY. This wouldn't be a problem if you had an operating system on your computer, rather than a glorified program loader. -- Peter da Silva, *NIX support guy @ Ferranti International Controls Corporation. Biz: peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180. Fun: peter@sugar.hackercorp.com. `-_-' "That is not the Usenet tradition, but it's a solidly-entrenched U delusion now." -- brian@ucsd.Edu (Brian Kantor)
stephenc@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Stephen Chung) (04/20/91)
Hi, NetLanders, This must be a dumb question, but here it goes anyway: I have need of a 2400 baud modem with fax. MNP or V42.bis (whatever) is not important. Anybody can recommend a solid and *cheap* one? Please reply to this account since this is a relatively novice question. Thanks a lot. - Stephen
dww@stl.stc.co.uk (David Wright) (04/21/91)
In the referenced article stephenc@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Stephen Chung) writes:
#I have need of a 2400 baud modem with fax. MNP or V42.bis
#(whatever) is not important. Anybody can recommend ...
The March edition of PC World - the one with "PUT IT IN WRITING!" + a
picture of GoCorp's PenPoint notebook-and-pen PC on the front - contained a
survey of "42 FAX Boards from $200 to $1500", plus ad's for some at $199 up.
I found it fairly useful in choosing a board - though I had to pay more like
#200 for the same board in the UK (almost twice as much).
I suspect most of the boards are fine - they all do about the same thing.
What you need to look out for is the software supplied with them, as that
provides the facilities you'll be using. The board I bought in the end
came with Bitfax software, which seems quite good in that it includes
facilities to merge image files with text, plus some basic format conversion
stuff, as well as the usual menus and phone book. But it doesn't appear
to support polling mode (please tell me if a version of it does!), and
although you can view or print out FAXes before you send them if you want,
there appear to be some scaling errors in fine mode - i.e. the image on my
300 dpi printer is not the same size as on the far-end FAX machine.
Regards, "None shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity"
David Wright STL, London Road, Harlow, Essex CM17 9NA, UK
dww@stl.stc.co.uk <or> ...uunet!mcsun!ukc!stl!dww <or> FAX: +44 279 432734
<or> /g=David/s=Wright/org=STC Technology Ltd/prmd=STC plc/admd=Gold 400/co=GBneal@mnopltd.UUCP (04/26/91)
->In the referenced article stephenc@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Stephen Chung) writes:
->#I have need of a 2400 baud modem with fax. MNP or V42.bis
->#(whatever) is not important. Anybody can recommend ...
->
->The March edition of PC World - the one with "PUT IT IN WRITING!" + a
->picture of GoCorp's PenPoint notebook-and-pen PC on the front - contained a
->survey of "42 FAX Boards from $200 to $1500", plus ad's for some at $199 up.
->
->I found it fairly useful in choosing a board - though I had to pay more like
->#200 for the same board in the UK (almost twice as much).
->
->I suspect most of the boards are fine - they all do about the same thing.
->What you need to look out for is the software supplied with them, as that
->provides the facilities you'll be using. The board I bought in the end
->came with Bitfax software, which seems quite good in that it includes
->facilities to merge image files with text, plus some basic format conversion
->stuff, as well as the usual menus and phone book. But it doesn't appear
->to support polling mode (please tell me if a version of it does!), and
->although you can view or print out FAXes before you send them if you want,
->there appear to be some scaling errors in fine mode - i.e. the image on my
->300 dpi printer is not the same size as on the far-end FAX machine.
Bitfax reputedly has a TSR to capture printer output and convert it to fax
format. Allegedly this knows how to deal with HP Laserjet format.
Does anyone know how smart the Bitfax capture is? Such as:
- does it recognize fonts being downloaded?
- does it recognize fonts cards?
Or does it ignore almost everything and format all your text as 10cpi
Letter Gothic no matter what?
I will confess that to date we still print everything and then feed it.
We would like to jump into the 21st century, bith with our fonts intact.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neal Rhodes MNOP Ltd (404)- 972-5430
President Lilburn (atlanta) GA 30247 Fax: 978-4741
emory!mnopltd!neal
------------------------------------------------------------------------------dww@stl.stc.co.uk (David Wright) (04/30/91)
In the referenced article gatech!stiatl!mnopltd!neal writes:
#
#Bitfax reputedly has a TSR to capture printer output and convert it to fax
#format. Allegedly this knows how to deal with HP Laserjet format.
#
#Does anyone know how smart the Bitfax capture is? Such as:
# - does it recognize fonts being downloaded?
# - does it recognize fonts cards?
#Or does it ignore almost everything and format all your text as 10cpi
#Letter Gothic no matter what?
Basically, the last. According to the documentation, it extracts the ASCII
characters from the printer feed, and replaces the printer output with its
own fonts. As this is not particularly useful to me I haven't tried it.
Several fonts are supplied, including Gothic. Unfortunately they are all
proportional fonts except for "Courier 10 (fine)", which look well on memos
but are useless for tables. Consequently I have to send anything with
tables or multiple columns in FINE mode! If anyone has a fixed pitch font
that works in NORMAL mode I'd be grateful for a copy.
As well as screen and printer capture - which I'm sure are very useful in
some circumstances - Bitfax will read directly the files of some standard
word processors, including Word Perfect. Again it uses its own fonts though.
If you want images as well as text, you can send - or merge in with text
documents - files in TIFF, IMG or PCX format as well as its own version of
"FAX" (G3). So what I'd like is something that will convert HP Laserjet
output to one of those (or almost any standard image format), so I can for
example send the result of DTP software instead of just the text. Does
such a thing exist?
Regards, "None shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity"
David Wright STL, London Road, Harlow, Essex CM17 9NA, UK
dww@stl.stc.co.uk <or> ...uunet!mcsun!ukc!stl!dww <or> FAX: +44 279 432734
<or> /g=David/s=Wright/org=STC Technology Ltd/prmd=STC plc/admd=Gold 400/co=GB