[ale] Voice Modems

[Brian D. Pitts]

Hi,
	I've been asked to set up a computer-based answering machine for three phone
lines. After a certain number of rings, the computer should answer the phone,
record any audio to a file, then email that file. It looks like vgetty provides
the basic capability I need to do this (described here
http://linuxindia.virtualave.net/lamhowto.html). If I want something fancier,
VOCP can build on that.
	My problem is that I need to do this on the cheap; $100 max. The computer this
will be running on (PowerMac G4, Fedora) has 4 unused PCI slots. I expect that
my best bet is to buy several pci cards with serial ports and three external
modems. Would anyone pursue a hardware strategy?
	I can find 2-port cards
(http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Dual-Two-2-Serial-RS232-Ports-PCI-Expansion-Card_W0QQitemZ300037861915QQihZ020QQcategoryZ3666QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
that claim linux support for $15 on ebay. These are based on a Netmos 9820
chip; does anyone have experience with this? I've found references
(http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/linux-parport/2005-March/000277.html)
that suggest it should work with the 8250_pci driver.
	My next question is what modems should I look for? There are plenty of new $20
Actiontecs
(http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Actiontec-USB-Serial-56K-V92-90External-Fax-Modem_W0QQitemZ230038411946QQihZ013QQcategoryZ14920QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem),
but they don't mention voice capability. Has anyone tried them? Are there any
specific brands or models that anyone would recommend I look for used on ebay?

Thanks,
Brian

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