[Rod Fearnley]

Just wondering how many members of this great web site are using Skype? For those who don't know what Skype is, it is a free internet phone service. Very easy to download and set up. I have had it for about three years. I have family and friends in the States and Australia so it comes in very handy. I was also able to place an order with Trainworld using Skype from England.
Stan and I were able to chat recently sorting out my dealing with MRC.
Take a look guys, it's a money saver......................

Rod

 

[Semper Vaporo]

I figure Skype is good for long distance calls if you make many of them. But I access the internet via a phone line (DSL) so putting Skype on top of that kinda seems silly... I don't make many LD calls and my cell phone is free for that. (Having Wired and Cell phones is silly enough.)

 

[Greg Vocks]

I like Skype because of the video capabilities. I keep in touch with friends I used to work with in Austria.

 

[Clive Elesmore]

I use skype all the time. Internet, landline and mobile. It has significantly reduced my phone charges. A very useful system.

 

[ralphbrades]

For Obvious Reasons I personally do not use Skype. But I have had to restrict its use within our house hold. We have two telephone lines into the building and a 20Mb broadband connection. the idea behind his was that My wife could have one line, my son the other leaving me with a nice fat DSL line.... HOWEVER!!!! Legal faxes pour out on a regular basis, on-line games abound, UTube and other things eat up my bandwidth, and my wife has hour long telephone calls with her clients and her family... I need Skype like a hole in the head!!! It is very useful and allows my son to attempt to speak to his father when I am at work in other offices and for me to leave messages and fond thoughts for him and his mother.

I do however have to wonder what all this ICT is going to do to the humble prospect of chatting up potential partners? My late elder brother successfully wooed a girl from another telephone exchange via the 300 baud teleprinter. I wonder if she would have even paid him any attention if she knew the person she was reading was actually: covered in "killer acne" with no front teeth and a broken nose???

regards

ralph

 

[peter bunce]

Hi Rod,

I use Skype just like you, and fully endorse what you say, also it is very useful for 'chat' (written, NOT voice) calls ( with my daughter at her shop, and generally by my wife with quick music orders) as well as telephone calls. I call both the USA & Australia ; I have just changed the version to the latest and it totally altered the telephone ring tone to Australia - it quite 'threw me' at first!

Free calls are Skype to Skype users (like Stan Cedarleaf who I use it with), otherwise there is a small charge which is cheaper than normal phone calls - you can 'buy' credit on line. It is also very good for sending 'files' and large ones can be sent (in excess of what is allowed by e-mail), though Broadband is needed & NOT dial up for doing it.

 

[Great Western]

I use Skype daily. I use in to 'phone friends in the Sates and Indonesia. The ' national' phone system asks 66pence per minute to Indonesia. my ISP (from whom I use the normal phone system) wants 23 pence. Skype asks for only 9 pence. Same phone line at each end!!!

Most UK calls are evenings when they are FREE using my ISP.

I have spoken a few times with Peter and once with Stan. For those who read the UK Garden Rail magazine they might like to know that the Editor uses Skype and with his web cam.


It doesn't replace a house phone or cell phone - mainly as it doesn't support the 911 or 999 emergency systems, but it indeed very useful.

 

[aceinspp]

Ah just you the cell phone for all my free calls within the US. Later RJD

 

[TonyWalsham]

I don't use Skype but I do have a VOIP service provided with a Company in Australia called Engin.
I pay a flat rate of A$20 per month for the service and all local and long distance calls in Australia nare free, as all the overseas calls I make, and I make a lot. Usually 8 - 10 hours per month.
I do have to pay for calls to mobiles (cell phones) in Australia but not to overseas cell phones.
I also have to pay a small fee for service numbers like 1 800 etc.

I use use OPTUS cable broadband and find my VOIP calls use very little of the bandwiidth I pay for.

I am very satisfied with the service and it has saved me a lot of money since I have had it.

 

[Schlosser]

My wife had a one year assignment in Beijing China from July 2006 through June 2007. Even though there was some 13 hours difference in time, we were able to talk to each other without outrageous phone expense all because of SKYPE. Even our daughters, one in PA and the other in Dallas would talk to her. I even had a gadget that would ring an attached phone (separate from the house line) so I didn't need to be at the computer when she wanted to talk.

In short, fantastic.

Our TWC cable phone costs us although its nationwide. But it can't call Germany nor China.


Art

 

[stanman]

I've used Skype for several years. It's great for contacting friends outside the US.

I use video with a few friends. I've tried -unsuccessuflly - to get my grown children to use it so that I can more easily watch my grandkids grow.

 

[TonyWalsham]

As a follow up to what Art says about notbeing near the computer.
My VOIP service is completely independent of the computer.
I use a Linksys Broadband router that isolates the computer from the telphone and stopps the annoying echos and drop outs I suffered when the first VOIP service was in parallel to the computer. I feed the telephone line into a regular Panasonic 5.8Ghz walkaround telephone with four handpieces distributed around the house.

 

[Robert]

Ditto, I spent considerable time in China and used Skype to communicate almost daily with my family. The sound quality was quite good. I never did set up a video feed however. We generally talked Skype to phone for a very inexpensive rate. Occasionally we went computer to computer which was free.

Robert

 

[xo18thfa]

We use Skype and like it a lot. Wife calls Japan all the time. If fact it is our only long distance service. We put in $25 and it seems to last forever.

Take care, Bob