Exec-PC BBS

Sean, Once again thanks for all the info. While this definitely sound cool it also seems to be a pretty time heavy project. With all I have on my plate I think I may have to pass (or at least put it on a bucket list) for now. Thanks again. -Ali -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Sean Caron Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2014 1:45 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts; Sean Caron Subject: Re: Exec-PC BBS Hi Ali, It depends.... If you know a little bit about Cisco, you can find old MC3810s or C2600/C3600 multiservice routers very inexpensively, add a few voice WICs/NMs, you could probably be up and running for less than $100. I know MC3810s have gotten very inexpensive. Setting up basic dialplan in IOS is pretty straightforward. I have always considered IOS pretty easy to use. Lots of tutorials out there if you're new to it. Using Asterisk, you'd need something like a TDM400P card for your PC or a clone thereof; TDM400Ps are a little more expensive; clones less so... Setting up a basic Asterisk dialplan isn't too horrible either, especially if you're just doing internal, station-to-station type calls. Old PBXes are fun and you can really ratchet up the density (and "realism") but they're a project in and of themselves to figure out :) Basically you need one "FXS" analog port per station that you want to serve (modem, phone, FAX, etc). Anything else is mostly just for trunk lines of one sort or another. I bet these days you could get started for less than $100. This used to be a very expensive sort of thing to do, but given the march of technology it is now pretty cheap. If this sort of things sounds interesting to you, join up with the VoIP list and introduce yourself. There may be some fellows there willing to help you get up and running for cheap. Best, Sean