Gunner's Blog

I interrupt the CHINFO/FHTNC/USAFNS debacle installments to announce the  beginning of a pilot project to bring "Free Telephone Service to Our Troops."  The system will allow our deployed troops to use an internet telephone, to dial a six digit number, and get a second dial tone on a local telephone line in my house located in New Bern, NC.  After they get the second dial tone, they can dial local numbers free of charge, or, use domestic calling cards to call their families.  Once operational, the hardware in my home can be moved to a Family Support Unit at a nearby military base. Hopefully, that will be MCAS Cherry Point, NC.

 

Almost a year ago, I embarked on a project to setup a free telephone service for our troops.  I learned of the Voice over IP (Voice over Internet Protocol  - See http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/V/VoIP.html for a complete definition), and immediately realized that this could potentially be a great thing for our troops deployed at far flung posts all over the globe.  I studied the state of the art, and ordered one of the phones through Free World Dialup (FWD - Owned by the founder of Vonage).  The phone arrived, and I set it up, and called a special FWD (http://www.freeworldialup.com) number that is manned by volunteers all over the earth.  To my utter amazement, I found myself talking to a man in Argentina.  We had a little difficulty communicating due to my inability to speak anything but Americanized English and my contact being able to speak very little English.  I did learn that he was in Argentina, and that he used the VoIP phone frequently.

 

The clarity was remarkable.  It sounded as if he was in the room with me.  As a matter of fact,  I turned on one of the features that creates a "background noise" that simulates the standard telephone background sounds.  The clarity is absolutely astonishing.

 

I then went to work locating a device that could automatically answer a VOIP telephone, and connect to  a standard PTSN (Public Switched Telephone Network ) telephone line - also referred to as POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service).  I had a false start, bought some equipment that I couldn't use, but then I found another device, ordered it, and in about three sleepless days and nights, I found out how to set it up.  I could dial a FWD number, and automatically get a dial tone on my home telephone line.  I tested it by calling my wife's cell phone number - AND IT WORKED! 

 

I was ready except for one small problem.  My cable modem service wasn't reliable enough to support the service.  I contacted our local telephone company (Sprint), and they told me that I couldn't have a DSL line for at least three months.  I was told that they were in the process of installing equipment to support DSL for my area.  Well, 7 months later, I finally got DSL service August 11.  On August 12, I packaged up the VoIP phone, and shipped it to a friend that is deployed to Iraq, a Major, USMC.

 

The Major received the package on Sunday 21 August.  He turned it over to a MSgt, USMC and he has been trying to get the phone to connect properly - without success to this date.  As time permits, MSgt has been working on setting up the phone.  As of this writing, he hasn't been successful, but, I know that it can and will work. 

 

I will make postings as the project progresses, and when it works, I will place that report in a posting using the largest font available.

 

~G - More to come on the Telephone Project!