Amazon.com Review

Reporters and other professionals who regularly record telephone interviews know what a pain it is to rig up a phone recording device. Many people attach special equipment to their regular tape recorders, a less-than-ideal solution that leaves a tangle of cords around your desk. If you're having these sorts of problems, it may be time to step up to something like Bell Sonecor's Microcassette Tele-Recorder.

Like most recorders, this device has a microphone jack and headphone jack, but what sets it apart is the telephone handset jack. You use the included telephone cord to connect the recorder to the handset (or headset) jack on your telephone's base unit, and then connect the handset to the recorder. This is a great boon to those with multiline telephones, because most recording equipment can interface with only one of the lines. The Tele-Recorder records whichever line is in use at the time.

The unit runs on a pair of AA batteries and also accepts 3-volt DC power although an AC adapter (which is not included). There are two selectable recording speeds that let you either get double the amount of time from your tapes or achieve better recording quality. A switch on the side lets you choose whether you want to record calls or play recordings back through the telephone. The unit includes voice-activated recording circuitry that can cut down on the amount of tape used and conserve battery power, but like all voice-activated technology, it tends to slightly clip off the first word that triggers it. The only thing we really didn't like about this device was the switch used to fast-forward and rewind tapes. It's important to be able to quickly rewind a few seconds of tape while transcribing, but this switch is stiff and locks into place too easily. Simple fast-forward and rewind cue buttons that don't lock down would be preferable. But, if you can live with that, then the Tele-Recorder provides one of the easiest and most convenient ways to add a recorder to your telephone. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Has no problem recording all of the lines of a multiline phone
• Has all the input and output features you'd find in a normal minirecorder, plus a handset jack

Cons:

• Larger than many minirecorders we've tested
• Doesn't come with an AC adapter
• Fast-forward/rewind switch is stiff, making it difficult to cue just a few seconds of tape

Features

• 2-speed microcassette recorder with line-in telephone jack; includes phone cord
• Records all conversations on single or multiple-line telephone systems
• Perfect for recording phone interviews
• Voice-activated start and stop
• Built-in condenser microphone; also includes microphone and earphone jacks

Reviews (3)

CANNOT BE USED WITH CORDLESS PHONES ~
for a home based business w/a cordless phone-- cant use it.Has very good clarity @ close range.

Bell Sonecor Micro-Cassette Tele-Recorder
So far, the Bell Sonecor performs OK. It came with the spring
detached from the Cassette door, which keeps the door from being held firmly shut. Better 'quality control' would have prevented this.

It is difficult to remount the spring because of possible damage to the unit in the process and components are mostly plastic.
I am using it as is.

Returning it for exchange is not worth the expense involved.

Great for transcribing notes of multi-party conference calls
The device NEEDS a dedicated AC adapter.
I am a salesperson and as such I coordinate meetings with various customer/prospect personnel and technical personnel at my company. I usually set up these conference calls and normally keep the notes of the calls. There are many questions and action items that need to be followed up on as a result of these meetings. This recorder allows me to fully participate in the call without worrying about keeping notes and when the call is over, I can go back and retrieve the entire contents of the call. I can then create notes of the call and send to all parties involved to verify that everyone is in agreement as to the action items from the call and who made what committments.
I have 1 or 2 conference calls a day and this device allows me to make those calls as well as my normal call load and have a life.
The sound quality is very good.
It also has the ability to play the recording back into the handset if you want to allow a third party to hear the call. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Attaching via a 2.5-millimeter jack (the standard for most cordless and corded phones), this headset allows you to talk on the phone with your hands free so you can work on projects while talking. Lightweight, the headset features a flexible, easily adjustable boom mic so you can make sure to be heard. The LCD is compatible with caller ID services, and is easy to read when the headset is clipped to your belt. Certainly not a top-of-the-line product, this accessibly priced headset is low on frills but high on value. ... Read more

Features

• Flexible lightweight headset
• For use with most cordless and cellular telephones
• Includes caller ID capabilities
• Connects with 2.5-millimeter jacks
• Adjustable boom mic

Reviews (8)

headsets keep breaking
bought three within 6 months 2 of the headsets were broken

It's Worth The Price
I use to have the Bell Sonecore BE-100HT until I dropped it one two many times and pulled the cord out of the headset. Just got the BE200HT today. Seems to work just fine. I am happy with it. Minor cons. Display contrast is low and hard to read straight on. It seems to be made to read at a low viewing angle. The volume control range is limited. It can be adjusted to between loud and near loud. It just does not have the range from low to high that my previous BE100HT did. The "belt clip" on the back is still the cheap plastic design that broke on my last one. I expect it will not last long on this one either. The write up on Amazon at the time I posted this still mentions cordless/cell/2.5mm jacks. All wrong. The picture is correct though. It is basically a hands free headset that connects with the phone cord and needs 4 AAA batteries. It is worth the ...price though. I am happy with it.

I wish it was cordless
I really enjoy using this phone. It is really durable and the batteries seem to last forever, I just wish it was cordless.

I liked it until it broke
I liked this phone a lot, but the headset broke within a week of use...I'm not a violent or frequent phone user! I substituted a regular handset on it for now. The description DID formerly say that it was cordless, you weren't imagining things. I still like the base of the phone: the caller ID, the call timer, the non-obnoxious ring, the adjustable volume, etc. Maybe I can buy or construct a new headset for it.

It broke in one month of light use.
The construction quality of this phone was very poor. I should have suspected that because it cost so little, but occasionally you can get a good buy. Not here, however. The headset broke after I'd had the phone for one month, and the part that broke was not easily fixable -- the joint between the microphone and earpiece. (I had also misunderstood an earlier version of the product description on here that suggested that the phone might be cordless, but I don't factor that into my criticism of the phone itself.) Recently, I gathered the courage to buy a Plantronics cordless, and it is in an entirely different class. I can't speak to other low-end phones, but after seeing what the extra money buys, you should think seriously about whether you want to skimp on a headset phone. The way that you use the phone -- putting on a headset, adjusting a microphone, perhaps walking around -- puts lots of stress on the construction, and a broken phone isn't worth what you paid for it. ... Read more