Telephone interviewers might have telephone numbers dialed using a modem. The name and type of modem that the interviewer has can be defined in [INSTALL_FOLDER]\IBM\SPSS\DataCollection\Interviewer Server\TAPIDeviceDescription.txt or in the ModemName key in the Phone Participants Web.config file. The value that you specify must match the modem’s device name as it appears in the Phone and Modems utility in the Control Panel. For example, in the Web.config file:

In the TAPIDeviceDescription.txt file:

Settings in TAPIDeviceDescription.txt apply to the interviewer on whose computer the file is on; settings in Web.config apply to all interviewers and might be useful if all interviewers use the same type of modem.

When an interviewer requests modem dialing, Phone Participants looks first for a TAPIDeviceDescription.txt file on the interviewer’s computer. If the file exists and contains a recognized TAPI device name, Phone Participants checks that the device has voice capabilities and, if so, uses it for dialing numbers. If the .txt file does not exist or it contains unrecognizable or unsuitable devices, Phone Participants checks for a suitable device in Web.config. If it finds nothing suitable there, the activity scans the list of TAPI devices in Control Panel and picks the first suitable one that it finds.