Task:

This document is intended to help with the installation and integration of Speak Freely with ICQ.  When completed, you will be able to see when a friend is online (via ICQ), and talk to them (via Speak Freely).  I have tried other Internet phone type programs, but Speak Freely seems to have the best sound quality, plus it is free.

• sound card
• microphone
• headphones (speakers will work, but cause feedback)

• I am assuming that you already have ICQ installed.  If not, download and install it from http://www.icq.com

• Set up ICQ for Advanced mode.

Once you are connected to the Internet, click on the ICQ flower in the Windows 95 system tray.
In the ICQ window, you should see something that says to 'To Advanced Mode' or 'To Simple mode"?
If it says 'To Advance Mode', click it, and switch to 'Advanced Mode'.
If it says 'To Simple Mode', leave it, because you are in 'Advanced Mode'.
What is the difference?
Simple mode doesn't show you some of the features.
 
• Set up the ICQ alert level to see when the other user is online.

In the ICQ window you will either right click or left click the name of the user that you wish to monitor.

To be alerted when the other user is online, select:
Alert/Accept modes -> Sound Events -> Online Alert

To have the ICQ window pop up when the other user is online, select:
Alert/Accept modes -> Sound Events ->  Contact List Pop-up.

You can select any combination of these, and it will be indicated by a check mark next to the selected option.  I would recommend Online Alert.  The Contact List Pop-up is optional, as it is just as easy to click on the ICQ icon in the system tray to see the contact list.
 

Installation

If you do not already have it, download it from,  http://www.fourmilab.ch/netfone/windows/speak_freely.htm.
Extract the files, using an unzip program, and move it to c:\program files\speakfb

Create a shortcut for Speak Freely:
Drag the c:\program files\speakfb\speakfb.exe (.exe may not be there unless you have show file extensions turned on under Windows Explorer) to the [start] button and release.  You will not see anything happen, but if you click on [start], you should see a Speakfb Icon in the start menu.

Testing

Test the sound card.  Make sure that the headphones and microphone are connected to the correct ports on the sound card.  If you have not used the microphone and headphones recently, double check that they are connected to the right ports, in case gnomes switched them in the night.  If something does now work with the sound setup, this is usually the spot where people have problems

From the Speak Freely menu, choose Help -> local loopback.  This sets up a delayed connection between your computer, and your computer.  It provides a good troubleshooting tool, since it elminates the network connection as being the problem.

A box will pop up in the Speak Freely window.  It will say something like: Host:127.0.0.1 Address:127.0.0.1/2074 Protocol: Speak Freely.

Make sure your speakers are turned on.  Click on this box, and speak into the microphone.  When you release the mouse button, you should hear your delayed voice over the speakers.  If this is not working, you will have to troubleshoot your sound configuration.

Once this is working, you can close Speak Freely.

In the ICQ window, click on the lower left ICQ button, and choose preferences.
Click the Internet phone/games/chat tab.

Scroll down to where speak freely is, click it, and choose edit.

Choose browse and find the speakfb program under c:\program files\speakfb\speakfb.exe.

Click on speakfb.exe, so it shows up in the file name box, and click Open.

You should see:
    External Application Name: Speak Freely
    External Application Executable: C:\Program Files\SPEAKFB\speakfre.exe

Click OK

Click Update List, then click OK to close preferences.

Make sure that you are connected to the Internet, and right or left click the other users name in the ICQ window.

Choose Internet phone/games -> Speak Freely

It will ask you to enter subject for external program session request.  You do not have to enter anything here.  This is just informational, and it will display what you type on the other persons screen.  Just click [send] to send the Speak
Freely request to the other user.

The other user should receive a flashing message in their system tray that indicates that someone is trying to contact them.

If you get an error message like host, error 11002: Try again, you may have a problem with ICQ not being able to figure out your IP address.

If this is the case, the other user will have to perform the same steps to connect to you.

You can determine your IP address by running winipcfg from the [start] -> run command prompt.

At this point, you should be connected.

To talk, click on the box and talk into the microphone.  This is simplex mode.  Similar to a walkie-talkie.  You can switch to voice activation mode by holding the cursor over the box, and hitting the space bar.  Additional setup of voice activation is described below.

To turn on voice activation:
Choose options -> voice activation -> medium

To see what level the microphone activates at choose options -> voice activation -> medium.  Adjust this to the point just above where background noise causes the microphone to activate.