Skype

[Ned-Air2Air]

Just been playing with the latest version of the instant messenger program called Skype and its an awesome program. Also seems its much more stable and reliable than the dreaded Microsoft products and its amazing how many helo industry people are using it.

If you get a chance download it at:

www.skype.com

My username on Skype is kiwined

Cheers

Ned :ok:

[NickLappos]

Ned is right, and Skype also allows "phone calls" between members absolutely free. All you need is a microphone and speakers. Must be driving the phone companies to drink!

I am rotorhead101 on skype.

[212man]

That's a pretty magnanimous username Nick!

[NickLappos]

Like the name "212man"shows us a whole 'nuther thing!! ;-)

[MCA]

It’s certainly a fantastic service; I know that some Helicopter company’s in the Yukon are using it for contacting there pilots in mining camps (satellite internet) and the savings would be quite substantial (compared with a satellite phone) although through satellite internet there is quite a delay.

[Thud_and_Blunder]

It's been a life- and marriage- saver here too. Far better service (and quality of comms) than the payservices like Dialpad.

I only wish they'd allow some other means of payment for their Skype Out/In services - credit card or similar. The current payment system they use is utterly impenetrable to all but one of us here who've tried. Can't remember offhand the name of the company they use, but I'm convinced it's losing them (Skype) customers.

Thud (aka q3inq8 on Skype)

[agentprovocateur]

I've just read a review in the Sunday Times of 'free' telephone services. The comment about Skype was that you sound as though you're in a tunnel.
Anyone care to comment?

I downloaded the programme some weeks ago but haven't yet used it.

[md 600 driver]

ned
i use sipgate with them you get a telephone number free instead of a user name
i use a phone number on the same telephone exchange as at home so when i am away from home anyone ringing my sipgate phone number just pays the local uk call price ,calls are free to all internet based voip and low cost calls to mobiles
http://www.sipgate.co.uk/user/index.php

[WhirlyGirl Sarah]

The comment about Skype was that you sound as though you're in a tunnel.
Anyone care to comment?

In my experience the quality is exceptionally good, but if you don't use a headset you can get feedback which makes it sound a bit like you're in a tunnel. Otherwise it's perfect!

If anyone wants to add me my username's HeliTorque

WhirlyGirl :cool:

[md 600 driver]

i use a headset on my laptop and at my office we have 2 sipgate lines onto our telephone switchboard [a manchester , and a newcastle number]using a voip adapter
you can also buy a voip telephone

reception is perfect

[Aesir]

I have used Skype for 9 months now and like someone said it´s a marriage saver.

The quality is very good and it certainly makes a big difference when able to call for free instead of paying US $1.- /pr min for long distance Greenland - Iceland which is more expensive than calling Australia even though Greenland is neighbour country to my home.

I also use Skype for text messaging now instead of MSN.

To pay for SkypeOut you use Paypal which is actually really easy to use after you get an account and a must if you use Ebay.

To: Thud_and_Blunder!

It actually seems that they now accept credit cards for SkypeOut services!

Go to your account page (there’s a link on the Start tab or in the Tools menu in Skype or you access it from the Store), select the amount of credit you wish to add and make the payment with any major credit card. Switch back to Skype, enter a phone number, hit the big, green phone button and start talking. That’s all there is to it. When you run out of credit it’s just a quick trip back to the account page to top up and you’re good to go again. Your Skype Credit will remain active for 180 days after your last

Aesir. Skype me - I´m "bellpilot"

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Thanks Aesir - I'll give that a try.

Quality? no experience of the "tunnel" audio, but I've had to ask my Dad (partially deaf/tinnitis from flying RCAF North Stars - DC4s with Merlins, props exactly in line with the cockpit...) to use headphones as otherwise I hear my voice booming back at me.

Also agree that it's a better form of text messaging than MSN - no limit to the amount of stuff in each message, and you can separate longer spiels into paragraphs.

[WhirlyGirl Sarah]

Well I had my first transatlantic conversation with another ppruner yesterday - I must say the quality is astounding. It is like you're in next office. I had only used it for talking to people in this country until now but it works really well - no delay, no tunnel audio.

WhirlyGirl

[NickLappos]

The tunnel audio is caused by the speakers feeding back into the mike. With a ppruner last night, we tested the audio while counting as I dropped the speaker volume, and the tunnel effect fell with the speaker volume, with a headset, it was gone.

I bought a Tandy headset for $19 which works perfectly, the mike is clear and sharp.

So far, conversations from the esat coast US (South Carolina) to UK, Kuwait and Mexico have all been virtually perfect, with no delay and sound that is like a CD's audio.

And the price is just right!

[outhouse]

Great system and as has been said great prices and access is easy. That is assuming that the internet provider allows access to the gateway and web support sites! NOT all countries allow access, as blocking the system protects its own local phone companies and maximizes the already substantial profits that they make.
outhouse

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Aesir,

Just went through the new-look subscription pages - all was going very well until it gets to the "payment options" page. Just the one option - S0dd)ng Moneybookers!! No Visa, Mastercard or whatever, just this inept organisation that blocks all attempts I've made to buy Skype services. Not happy!

Mind you, since Ned started this post I've had text chats with people in UK, Monaco, Kabul and Oz (the last 3 in a conference call), have caught up with people I used to work with many years ago and even spoke on a beaut line to S Carolina. Yup - technology really can be wonderful sometimes!

[headsethair]

The tunnel effect disappears with the simple use of earpieces - if your computer has a mini jack you can use a walkman-style or single earpiece and still speak using your built-in mic.

[the wizard of auz]

Well, I downloaded and loaded it up all fine. just gotta find someone to talk to now.
loaded up as wiz310.

[donut king]

Cyber GEEKS....all of you!!!

HA HA!!!


Just kidding! I use it too. Great tool!

DK

[SASless]

Is this the way of death for pprune rotorheads forum.....we will all be on line chatting verbally rather than typing away on the keyboards?

Granted ol' Nick will be using the old tried and true GaTech method....two fore fingers as he lip synchs the words.;)

[Ned-Air2Air]

Come on everyone, there must be more of you out there on Skype, if not how about downloading it and getting it going. Its a great way to keep in touch with people.

Heck just tonight I have been messaging with people in Sth Africa, Italy, Dubai and Afghanistan.

File transfer is great also, just been sending photos back and forth to Dubai with not one single problem. Great work tool as well as a business tool.

If you are interested drop me an instant message to KiwiNed

Cheers

Ned :ok:

[Thomas coupling]

Reference the above - wouldnt it have been easier to have spoken to your colleagues on Sype, rather than message them?

Isn't that the beauty of Skype?

Enlighten me?

[leee]

I find that its great, even done a few conference calls with one person in Tenerife using the skype out credits and another in San Fran.

Cheers Lee...

[NickLappos]

Thomas,

Ned hasn't bought a microphone yet. Let's buy a subscription so he can afford one!

[WhirlyGirl Sarah]

I'll go out to the pound shop and get him one! lol! Mine was a quid and it works perfectly :-)

WhirlyGirl

[Milt]

Skype in Oz and around the planet is great except that at peak times on the overloaded net here we have the odd interupt and occasional drop out. Indecernable delays in the Skype conversations unlike VoipBusters when the audio seems to bounce back and forth through Switzerland.

Audio is better quality than telephone when using a Voip (Voice on Internet Protocol) USB handset. They sell for about A$50.

Had no trouble paying Skype/out one Euro by credit card about a month ago. Calls to hard wired telephones are costing about 3 Oz cents per minute.

Often one sees more than 3 million on line using Skype. Many ISPs are beginning to offer Voip services.

Ebay has bought Skype for multi billions so maybe there is an inherent threat to claw back some revenue. Ebay does say though that their intention is to recoup through the use of Skype linkage between sellers and buyers within Ebay leaving us to the joys of enhanced almost free communications.

Hope we don't overload the net!

[Updraught]

It works!!! Talk to the otherhalf daily from Texas to South Africa and son in NZ. Really a marraige saver. Skype me on cecilsteph.:ok:

[Steve76]

Moi: Boyce-Wilde

Go ahead, SKYPE me...

[SASless]

Oh Blast....technology is leaving me in the dust....off to buy a headset today....then I guess one can say I am a Skyper.

Reckon I will cling to the old Sasless moniker.....

[BigMike]

Just make sure your connection is fast enough. You can do it on dial-up, but need to have a good connection.

[outhouse]

Any computer nerds with ideas on how to bypass an internet providers firewall so that systems like this will work!!! A list of available active Primary and Alternate Gateway addresses with active Port numbers would help. This would allow the Gateway to be set manually and bypass the blocked gateways presently set.
The ones shown on the FAQ web page are no good and have been blocked by the fire wall.
PM me if you don’t want to advertise your expertise in this black art.
outhouse
:ok:

[BlenderPilot]

Mine is BlenderPilot,

so go ahead and Skype me when you want and don't be intimidated if you hear Mariachis in the background, its just me and my fellow pilots at our part time job we have to make ends meet.

[SASless]

Chatted with Rattler 27 for an hour and a half yesterday....him near Munich and me in Tarheel Land. It sure beats e-mail and messaging. Laughter is a wonderful thing!:ok:

Retired Air Force Biker Lady in Oregon now chats with her Twit of a Fighter Pilot brother in the Sandbox using Skype.

This is catching on......

[wishtobflying]

wish2bflying - generally online

[Genghis the Engineer]

firstnamesecondname (no spaces or capitals).

If you don't know my real name - you probably don't need to phone me :cool:

Brilliant tool isn't it!

G

[rattle]

You've got me at it now. I am boring everybody I meet now with the beauty of Skype. Working in Covent Garden yesterday, so off to TCR to splash £12 on a headset. Back to the place I was working for the day, onto their open wireless network and sat with laptop talking to sister-in-law in New York. Amazing. Email search brought up a guy that works for me in Spain who has no landline (too remote) but does have satellite internet. Two minutes later we were chatting for free. Amazing.

Oh yes, and if you want to sneak off abroad for a long time, you can get an 020 7 number and appear to still be in the centre of the City. Teeeee heeee.......

If you are on Orange, 330 gives free redirection to a landline, so hop on that plane, 330 to your Skype landline, and leave your laptop connected wherever you may land. Can't be bad. Beats having a Blackberry!