Well, it’s a new year and we have new things happening. At the top of the list we now officially support the Polycom VVX410 model phone. At the end of last year we added a few more supported endpoints as well and we are always looking to add more models to our supported endpoint lineup.
Next, some of you may have seen the new 84xxx extension numbers that are now being assigned to a new release of RF devices, called “Arduino”. Before Arduino we only had the capability to add AllStar nodes to our RF lineup, as they were Asterisk based systems and merged into our PBX system very gracefully.
To understand Arduino, think of it more like running an EchoLink node, where you have a computer with an internet connection running the EchoLink software, and some sort of radio control box, like maybe a Rig-Blaster. Hooked to one side of the Rig-Blaster box was a cable running to the computer, and on the other side was a cable running to the transmitter mic & audio ports.
With Arduino, you can use a standard ATA VOIP unit, like a Cisco SPA-112, or SPA-2102 and do the same thing. The Arduino controller box would wire into the transmitter, and also plug into the ATA’s RJ-11 phone port. When a user calls the RF extension number of the ATA device, the Arduino unit can pull the line “off hook” and answer the call.
One of the more exciting features of the Arduino setup, is that depending on certain model radios, you can also use DTMF to change channels in the radio. So if your radio supported different bands, using DTMF, you could select one channel that might be a two-meter repeater channel or select a different channel that was a 70-centimeter channel. And if your radio had 50 channels programmed into it, callers now can use any of those 50 channels. Amazing to say the least.
We also have some new support staff coming on board to help ensure we can handle support tickets as fast as possible. We know a bunch of you must have gotten new voip phones for Christmas and can’t wait to get your new extension number!
As we introduce more and more features to the system, look for them to be announced here. We look forward to hearing from each of you soon.
73, de Bill, KG6BAJ