Landline Phone Call Recorders

GnarlyKnuckles on 10/09/2017 - 21:24
Last edited 11/09/2017 - 09:21 by 1 other user

Hi OzBers, I'd like some advice on what would be a good unit to buy to record landline phone calls. Sadly, it seems these are not sold in any actual bricks-n-mortar store in Melbourne (including Jaycar, which was a surprise!), so my only option is to 'chance it' online. I bought one from China via ebay.au for about $30 including $6 postage, and it was dead-on-arrival. So now I am seeking personal recommendation/s. The 'specs' I need are:

  1. It is not an actual phone that can record calls, rather it is a unit that can be used with any landline with a standard Australian phone-line cord (so it is an intermediary device 'patched in' between the phone and the phone-line socket in the wall).

  2. It must be powered by an actual adapter that plugs into a 'mains' power-point in the wall, not batteries.

  3. It must have an 'auto start' feature, i.e. it must have the ability to be set to start recording automatically, any time a phone call is received or initiated by me.

  4. It must have the capacity to save the audio data it records to an SD card or the like (USB stick, MMC/XD/mini SD card etc. are all fine, as long as the unit itself is good).

Any advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Please don't suggest any 'workarounds' involving a laptop/ mic/speakerphone/dictaphone/etc… I've tried some of those methods and while they do work, they are not what I want. What I want is described in the specs above.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • WreckTangle on 10/09/2017 - 21:32
    +1

    Um…do you work for ASIO?

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/09/2017 - 21:50
      +2

      Nah, nothing sinister here, it's purely for 'home use'… I'm not after a 'bugging system' that can be concealed on OTHER PEOPLE'S phones, I just want to be able to record my own. I'm wrangling with a lot of government departments lately, and they often contradict each other. They also begin every call with 'please be advised that this call is being recorded … (etc.), and I also want to have a recorded copy of these calls (to 'level the playing field', as it were!). One reason is in case they try to use 'selective parts' of one (or multiple?) conversations, I want to have a recording that clearly demonstrates that they are utilising such tactics (or 'quoting me out of context', to put it another way). I'm starting to sound a bit paranoid/like a fruit-loop, but I can assure you I am not, I just want an easy way to record important phone calls I make or receive via my landline.

      There are squillions of apps out there for recording mobile phone calls/it's not an 'odd' concept, it's just that I don't like making/receiving calls from mobiles much (I hate the associated reception issues, power/charge issues, call costs/lack-of-credit issues, etc. that can occur on either side), so I much prefer to conduct all phone calls I possibly can via a landline.

      • whooah1979 on 10/09/2017 - 22:55

        I'm not after a 'bugging system' that can be concealed on OTHER PEOPLE'S phones, I just want to be able to record my own. I'm wrangling with a lot of government departments lately, and they often contradict each other.

        you may want do some research before you go ahead and do this. your profile shows that you're in vic. it may not be an offence in vic to record calls without the consent of all parties, but it is for the act, nsw, sa, tas and wa.

        https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/09/is-it-legal-to-record-…

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/09/2017 - 23:12

          Thanks for the advice, but I have done the relevant research that pertains to my particular situation, and (in accordance with your allusion) in Victoria what I intend to use this device for is completely legal.

        • whooah1979 on 10/09/2017 - 23:17

          @GnarlyKnuckles:

          Victoria what I intend to use this device for is completely legal.

          so which government departments are you targeting? are they local, state or federal?

      • altomic on 10/09/2017 - 23:07

        I'm starting to sound a bit paranoid/like a fruit-loop

        You don't sound paranoid enough.

        • 87percent on 11/09/2017 - 07:25
          +1

          He probably didn't hear you as his tin foil hat was blocking his ears

  • Sage on 10/09/2017 - 21:37
    +2

    This seems suspicious.

    • Savas on 10/09/2017 - 22:00
      +1

      Is it even legal?

      • Bluberry on 10/09/2017 - 23:01
        +1

        It is if you inform the other party that their call is recorded and they consent to that. Otherwise, in some states (not all) it is illegal to record a private phone conversation.

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/09/2017 - 23:21

          'Otherwise, in some states (not all) …'

          The 'not all' renders your 'information'/advice irrelevant/completely uninformative. The 'rules' vary from state-to-state, and they are somewhat different in subtle ways. In some states, in some circumstances, you do not need to inform the other party at all. Also, it depends on the intent/purpose. For example, some peeps nowadays have 'nanny cams', and they also use a 'speaker-phone' function when using their landline. So in a very real sense, they are quite literally 'recording' every phone-call they make via speaker-phone, in any room within earshot of their 'nanny-cam' (or 'baby-monitor', or in their car which may have a 'dash-cam', etc.). No court in the land would suggest that these peeps are 'ACCIDENTALLY' committing a criminal offense in such situations. They may well deem that such recordings cannot be used in court, but that is another matter entirely. I have not alluded to that.

        • Bluberry on 11/09/2017 - 00:03
          +2

          @GnarlyKnuckles: you have issues I see.

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 11/09/2017 - 00:16

          @Hoobi:
          Everyone has issues Hoobs… it would just be great for me/help me resolve some of the ones I have with a couple of govt. departments if I can level the playing-field by acquiring some simple/objective proof that their policies/advice (and even sometimes their directives) are sometimes blatantly contradictory. Maybe it's one of those things that you cannot understand, until you are actually in such a position.

        • Bluberry on 11/09/2017 - 00:32
          +3

          @GnarlyKnuckles:

          When dealing with government departments and conflicting advice, the best way is to get everything in writing. It is sometimes slower than a phone call but you have proof. Email also works well.

          Try writing a letter to the relevent departments clearly listing the issues. If you are not sure, ask them to clarify their position.

          Recording calls is not how i would go about it especially if you are not informing the other party (seems wrong to me even if legal in certain states). People also get very defensive when you do that instead of trying to resolve the issue.

          If you still want a recorder, what you need is a good inline recorder like this. Good ones are expensive.

          http://m.ebay.com/itm/SD-Phone-Call-Recorder-Telephone-Recor…

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 11/09/2017 - 00:58

          @Hoobi:
          Great, an actual useful suggestion! That unit looks pretty good Hoober, and I don't mind paying 80 clams for it as long as it WORKS. It is listed as 'used'/2nd hand though, so I guess I will ask the seller about that first (or maybe I should just buy it and hope for the best…).

          I have tried the 'letter writing' route numerous times. One of the main problems with it is, as you have accurately nailed, it tends to be used to delay things for anything from a couple of weeks to three months. For no reason other than they hope that if they can delay things for as long as possible, perhaps I will simply 'lose patience'/'write it off'/concede to their ridiculous/ill-informed demands.

          Also, with letter-writing they always just employ the 'rebound' tactic, which essentially equates to them claiming that because they cannot verify that what I am stating that I was advised of is true, they can only assume that it is not (even on occasions where I have it in writing, they have stated that they have no record that such a letter was issued!). Hence this new course of action I have decided to take, as I am at my wit's end.

          Unless anyone actually suggests a better unit/product, I will buy/try the one you have pointed me to. I am a bit worried about the fact that it is being sold as 'used' though… thus I am assuming some of the standard guarantees will not apply.

          Anyways, thank you kindly for directing me to an actual product, it's much appreciated.

        • Bluberry on 11/09/2017 - 01:19

          @GnarlyKnuckles: Sorry didn't realize it was used. The same seller sells new ones as well. See the other listings - about $127 i think.

          Also on amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Assistant-Digital-Recorder-Landline-R…

          You can buy it locally but it is expensive http://spycity.com.au/sd-telephone-call-recorder.aspx

          This device is not perfect (only 3 stars on amazon) mostly because of lack of documentation. Make sure you read the reviews so you know what you are getting and comfortable with the purchase.

          Perhaps you may also want to consider posting about the actual issue. People may be able to give you more useful advise if they know what the problem you are trying to solve.

        • Scrooge McDuck on 11/09/2017 - 08:26
          +1

          @Hoobi:

          People also get very defensive when you do that instead of trying to resolve the issue.

          On the contrary, when I used this tactic with an insurance company they started to take me seriously and expedited a resolution.

      • GnarlyKnuckles on 10/09/2017 - 23:13
        +1

        Yes, in Victoria it is completely legal with a few provisos (which I am 'across'/aware of).

  • cockneylondoner on 11/09/2017 - 05:42

    I sympathise with your frustration at having to deal with your government departments whom I have found to be secretive and restrictive to the individual by their words and actions, who act outside of the bounds of accountability, and with staff that are totally incompetent save from making statements 'on the hoof' which very often inaccurate and conflict with what is written on the government websites. As has been said to me about Centrelink ' ask the same question to five employees and you'll get five different answers'. I am sure that there are other departments that act the same way. I am also sure that there are people in your government departments who are actually capable of providing accurate answers to your questions but these are not on the 'front line' and getting to them will be extremely difficult, if at all.

    Personally, I feel that you'd be wasting your money buying a piece of equipment in an attempt to justify what was said in a telephone conversation which in any event would likely be denied or rejected. I have always favoured putting things into writing, as suggested by Hoobi above, but the problem I have found with writing to your government departments is that often I've had to write twice before getting a reply with them always advising me to telephone the department!!! Even after getting nowhere for over 3 months and writing to the Senator did I get a noncommittal written reply suggesting I should write to some minion or other.

    But on the plus side if you do put things into writing you would at least have a record of what was said.

    Good luck in your quest, because I think you'll need it.

  • doowhydiddi on 11/09/2017 - 08:58

    Anything here look appropriate?

    telephone recording

  • HardQuiz on 11/09/2017 - 09:44

    Some of the new/digital dictaphones come with a cable/connection to be plugged for phone calls.

    I know researchers doing a mix of face to face and phone interviews use them and they are not expensive.

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 13/09/2017 - 01:29

      Can you elaborate on this a bit, i.e. supply the name of a specific actual product please?

  • azonki on 11/09/2017 - 10:54

    I've tried a few.
    These guys are professional and reputable - no sleazy "spy" inferences.
    Also, most reliable hardware and software:

    Trillium

    Used to record standard PSTN and also voip routed through PSTN outputs on router.
    Highly recommended.

    And it is legal to record phone calls in Australia as long as you follow the rules.
    If you record without announcing that the call is being recorded, you can only use the information to make notes.
    For example, getting Granny to recite to you her recipe for her best apple pie.

    And besides, we all record unanswered phone calls. It's then called a message.

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