Martin,

I've never heard of a caller ID box with an RS-232 port, but some phone 
companies have a feature that might help in a different way.  Verizon calls 
this feature "Privacy Manager," and it will let you build a list of numbers 
you can block.  When you receive a call from a blocked number, the caller 
hears a short message to the effect that the person they are calling is not 
accepting calls from their number.  Privacy Manager also handles numbers 
that block their caller ID by intercepting the call and giving you the 
option to connect to the call, send the caller to voice mail, or play a 
message telling the caller not to call again.  I realize that this isn't the 
solution you were looking for, but it has been quite effective for getting 
rid of unwanted callers.

Steve

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Martin McCormick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 14:11
Subject: [OT] Caller ID Boxes with RS-232 Capabilities


> Does anybody in this diverse group know if there is a caller ID
> box that outputs its data to a RS-232 port?
>
> We are getting nuisance calls from our cable provider
> trying to sell us more service plus we get this cold call from
> some company wanting to do something with our credit cards, bla bla bla
> but we just want them gone.
>
> It is my understanding that a lot of these outfits hide
> behind fake numbers, etc, but odd numbers we don't recognize are
> a pretty good indication it is somebody you don't want to talk
> to anyway.
>
> I was thinking one possibility might be a dial-up modem
> if there are some with caller ID capabilities.
>
> I just thought I would ask to see if anybody has any
> ideas as I would like to log the numbers and times by computer
> and do so automatically.
>
> By the way, we do subscribe to the "Do Not Call" list
> which helps tremendously, but companies with which one has a business
> relationship such as one's cable provider are exempt. The clowns
> who call about credit cards just don't tell you anything so it's
> kind of hard to pin the tale on the donkey but maybe we can
> never answer when he brays.
>
> 73. WB5AGZ
>