[HELP] outbound call send/receive information from caller/ee

I am trying to figure out how to send and receive information from the caller/callee during an outbound call without interrupting the call for either the caller or the callee. When I say outbound call here, I am referring to a call made using the Dial() application command to an outside number (e.g. the land line at my friend’s house). So far I have made several attempts with no success.

The first thing that I tried was to use the macro options parameter M(x) that is available from the Dial() application command. In this setup, I both dial the outbound number and call the macro from the Dial() command. The line in the dial plan looks something like:

exten => s,1,Dial(${MyConnectionString}/${MyPhoneNumber}||M(MyMacro))

Whenever I run a macro, there is silence on both ends of the line until the macro exits. I would have expected (and liked) the macro to run in the background while the caller and the callee continued their conversation.

The second thing that I attempted was to connect the caller and the callee in a MeetMe conference and run an agi script in the background. In order to connect the caller and the callee in a MeetMe conference, I transferred them both to a new extension after executing the Dial() application command, and from that extension sent them both to the same MeetMe conference room. The caller and the callee were transferred to a new extension using the G(context^exten^priority) options parameter available from the Dial() application command. The line in the dial plan looks something like:

exten => s,1,Set(MEETME_AGI_BACKGROUND=/etc/asterisk/conference.agi|g)

exten => s,2,Dial(${MyConnectionString}/${MyPhoneNumber}||G(SetupMeetMeConference^s^1))


[SetupMeetMeConference]

exten => s,1,MeetMe(1|b)
exten => s,2,MeetMe(1) ; this line is to take care of a bug that sends the callee to this extension

Whenever I attempt to run the AGI script in the background, there is silence on both ends of the line until the AGI script exits. I know that both callers are being transferred to the same MeetMe conference because if I remove the AGI script options parameter b, then I hear the announcement “You are the only one in this conference room” after which I can have a normal conversation with the person I am trying to call.

I was going to make another attempt using the AGI() application command, but I saw this statement

“If the AGI application dials outward, the script returns execution to the dial plan and loses contact with the asterisk server.”

on the voip-info wiki (voip-info.org/wiki/index.php … terisk+AGI).

If you have any suggestions on how I can make this work, please contact me.

Regards,

Dave