Author Topic: Connecting to a BBS on Google Voice  (Read 2444 times)

Offline rbcp

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Connecting to a BBS on Google Voice
« on: September 16, 2010, 07:49:37 AM »
I got this idea from a post on the BinRev forums.  I want to set up an old computer and put an old DOS-based terminal program on it.  Then I'll call a BBS with it, assuming I can find a working BBS somewhere in the U.S.  I'll do this using the new Google Voice.

I haven't thought this through too much yet, but I think I would need to plug a regular home phone directly into the DOS computer's modem jack.  Then I would need to run a wire from the phone's earpiece into my laptop's mic input and a wire from the phone's mouthpiece into my laptop's earphone output.  Then I would need to power the phone line with 9 volts once I attempted to connect to the BBS with the DOS computer.

I know high baud rates are unlikely, but maybe I could get it running through Google voice at 1200 or 2400 baud.  I don't have my hopes up too much, though, since I can barely even send a fax using MagicJack.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2010, 07:52:40 AM by rbcp »

Offline immabadspellor_

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Re: Connecting to a BBS on Google Voice
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2010, 07:38:31 AM »
How about using an acoustic coupler like this one?  You could modify it to have line level ins and outs, but hooking this up to one of those computer phone handsets with the speaker/microphone jacks on it sounds like more fun to me. 

A better, but not necessarily as much fun, way would be to use an ATA.  Get a SIP number from Gizmo and Google Voice can forward to it or dial for you.  You'd then dial the number from the GV web interface and then when it rings, answer the call with the modem in your terminal program.  Actually, I have an ATA sitting around here that isn't being used.  I probably also have an unused computer and modem laying around too.  I could set up a Google Voice BBS!  I might even have the old Searchlight BBS with RIP graphics installed somewhere.

Offline afreak

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Re: Connecting to a BBS on Google Voice
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2010, 09:55:32 PM »
I once connected to a DataPAC line via a SIP service at 2400 bps. It's likely doable with Google Voice but I anticipate that you're going to run into a number of problems at the very least if the audio codec is incorrect.

If you can do fax over Google Voice then you're likely going to be in business.