I've just added a new capability on the signup server on a trial basis.

One of the frustrations some Spacer-Aers have: "How can I sign up for travel from Base "x" if they only take faxes and I don't have a fax machine?"

Well, for some terminals, the answer is now "just use the signup server and it will send them an internet fax". Locations which don't take e-mails or have e-mail problems will be listed as "i-FAX" next to their name on the signup server. Everything will work like it always has, except that a fax will be created for that terminal, instead of an e-mail. The user (you) will get an e-mail back, as always.

Two reasons I'm making it trial:

Trial Reason #1 - Not sure how it will go over with everyone not having an actual fax confirmation in their hands. My recommendation is to ALWAYS call afterward and verify that the i-FAX arrived properly. (Keep in mind, it takes at least two minutes for a fax to be sent (10 minutes if the terminal's line is busy), so don't call them 5 seconds after issuing the request )

Trial Reason #2 - The i-FAX arrangement has additional backend costs associated with it (about 6 cents per page) that I get billed for. So, someone who signs up for 5 i-FAX locations in a single request will generate an extra cost of 30 cents, above and beyond the normal costs associated with server maintenance. This is not a plea for money, it's a plea to not waste the i-FAX signups and to use them reasonably and we'll be able to keep the feature available.

Thanks, everyone!

To provide a little update, the trial is running very smoothly so far. It's going so well that I don't even really consider it much of a trial anymore.

The only, very minor bump in the road: some passenger terminal locations have fax outages for hours at a time (a couple of days in one case), which results in me having to manually re-send faxes from time to time. I watch the logs and do what's needed--a minor issue for me to deal with.

My recommendation remains: after sending an i-FAX, wait 15 minutes or so, then ALWAYS call the base afterward and verify that it arrived properly. Your copy only proves that you sent an e-mail to takeahop, and not that the terminal received a fax from anyone.

i-FAX Plans for the Future:

I'm hoping to add an international fax capability (faxes could be sent to pax terminals outside the U.S. who don't acept e-mail), but I'm waiting on my telecom provider to finish an upgrade of their fax system. It's more important that it works well from the start, so patience is the key.

And thanks for using Takeahop and believing in the concept.

I've now added the iFax locations to all Takeahop servers.

i-FAX Plan for the Future remains: to add an international fax capability (faxes could be sent to pax terminals outside the U.S. who don't accept e-mail)


Endless thanks to everyone for using, believing in, and supporting Takeahop.