Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa08196; 3 Aug 92 0:51 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA14749 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 2 Aug 1992 23:04:33 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA27301 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 2 Aug 1992 23:04:25 -0500 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1992 23:04:25 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208030404.AA27301@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #601 TELECOM Digest Sun, 2 Aug 92 23:04:21 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 601 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Panasonic Two-Line Phone Has Big Problem (Floyd Vest) Re: Panasonic Two-Line Phone Has Big Problem (Joe Konstan) Re: Should I Keep My Cellphone Off When Not Using it? (Aubrey Philipsz) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Bob Frankston) Re: Exploring the Telecom Archives: Archives Index, 7-31-92 (Paul Schleck) Re: NET and a Noise-Free Line: Impossible? (Kenneth Crudup) Re: Pac*Bell CLASS Features (Dave Levenson) Re: Just Saw a Neat New Modem ... (Stephen Friedl) Re: Repeat Call (Ihor J. Kinal) ISDN For Data (Roger Fajman) Telephone CPE - Architecture Alternatives (Elliott Familant) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1992 13:10 CST From: Floyd Vest Subject: Re: Panasonic Two-Line Phone Has Big Problem From: fvest@ducvax.auburn.edu Subject: Re: Panasonic Two-Line Phone Has Big Problem Date: 2 Aug 92 13:10:36 CDT [31 Jul 92 07:19:13 GMT] plains!person@uunet.UU.NET (Brett G Person) wrote: > Here's a strange one. I've got some flavor of Panasonic two-line > phone in the office. There are two of these phones; one up front, one > in a back room. The problem is that whenever I don't think that > these phones are hooked up properly. > I can make a call out on one line, hang up, get a dial tone and hang > up again. Then have the phone ring on the line that I was just on and > still be connected to the call I made previously. This is after I > flash the hook and get a dial tone. I always thought that a dial tone > meant that ypu had a clear line. Why would the phone ring again and > still be connected to the last call? It sounds as though you may have the three-way calling feature on at least one of your lines. When flash the hook for a dial-tone, you are placing the original call on hold. When you hang up the second call, the phone rings to remind you that you have a call on hold. > It looks as though the phone company installed two lines into the > phone through one physical line (RJ-11?) It hooks into a slot labled RJ-14. Same hardware, different connection. Floyd Vest Manager, Administrative Systems--Auburn University, Alabama USA Voice: +1 205 844 4512 BBS: +1 205 745 3989 FIDO: 1:3613/3 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Aug 92 16:24:25 PDT From: konstan@elmer-fudd.cs.berkeley.edu (Joe Konstan) Subject: Re: Panasonic Two-Line Phone Has Big Problem In Telecom Digest V12 #599, Brett G. Person writes: > I can make a call out on one line, hang up, get a dial tone and hang > up again. Then have the phone ring on the line that I was just on and > still be connected to the call I made previously. This is after I > flash the hook and get a dial tone. I always thought that a dial tone > meeant that ypu had a clear line. Why would the phone ring again and > still be connected to the last call? Sound as though you have three-way calling enabled on the line. First, let me show you an easy way to tell, then the explanation for your "problem." To test for three way calling: Call a friend or long-running recording Flash the switchhook (hang up for about 1/2 to 1-1/2 seconds) You should get a dial tone. Next, call another friend or long-running recording. When this call connects, flash again. Now, you should have both connections tied together. Why this caused the ring back: When you thought you hung up, you probably really flashed. To be sure, hang up for over five seconds. Also a flash generally starts the dial tone with a stutter whereas really hanging up gives you an ordinary dial tone. Since you never flashed while the second call was connected, the calls were never tied together and the first call remained on hold. When you hung up, the phone rang back to remind you that you still had a call on hold. To solve this problem: If you don't want three-way calling, and don't plan to use it, have it turned off. (*) Otherwise, get into the habit of hanging up for at least five full seconds. (*) Some workplaces have all lines with three-way enabled. It usually isn't worth the effort to try to have it turned off, since, unlike call waiting, three-way in non-intrusive. Joe Konstan konstan@cs.berkeley.edu ------------------------------ From: aub@access.digex.com (Aubrey Philipsz) Subject: Re: Should I Keep My Cellphone Off When Not Using it? Organization: Express Access Public Access UNIX, Greenbelt, Maryland USA Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1992 18:19:13 GMT > I've noticed that my Uniden cell phone sends out some sort of inquiry > a few seconds after being swtiched on. That inquiry is something in > addition to sensing of SERVICE AVAILABLE condition. Detaching the > antenna makes the SERVICE indicator turn off immediately. Reattaching > the antenna makes the SERVICE indicator turn on immediately. > You are correct that the mobile unit does periodically talk to the > system. My unit makes some sore of inquiry every five minutes while > it is switched on. > I'm not sure what the period inquiry is doing. Well, one of the things that it is doing is telling anyone who wants to know badly enough exactly where you are located. Whenever you have that phone powered up, and in communications with a cell, that cell knows that you are there, and the management system for all of the cells knows that you are there. It needs to track you so that it can get your calls to you, but if there is anyone else interested in your whereabouts, they can know where you are too. For example, if you drive from home to work with it on, there can easily be a log made of when you cross from cell to cell. If every Thursday you "take the long way home" and stop by someplace off your usual path (i.e. using a different cell) that can be logged too. Interesting, no? Another point; if you get the book that describes what exact frequencies each of the segments of the cell is working on, and then get something like a nice AOR scanner with the data interface, even someone who is not able to access the cell management data can sit there and not only listen to cell calls, but can do basic DFing (Direction Finding) on them by knowing what the local cells look like, and seeing what frequencies you are on. So, if this doesn't bother you, leave your cell phone on. Aub ------------------------------ From: Bob_Frankston@frankston.com Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Date: Sun 2 Aug 1992 14:34 -0400 Why upgrade all phones to read "calling cards" when one can simply have the calling cards generate DTMF tones? Of course, this would be too advanced a concept for telcos. I recently requested three cards from NET in response to their promotion. They did indeed send me three cards. Of course, since we don't want to waste precious natural resouces (integers), they all had the same number. And in order not to upset any one who wants to "borrow" the card, the PINS are, as per tradition, imprinted along with the number. ------------------------------ From: pschleck@cwis.unomaha.edu (Paul W Schleck KD3FU) Subject: Re: Exploring the Telecom Archives: Archives Index, 7-31-92 Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1992 17:14:29 GMT TELECOM Moderator (telecom@eecs.nwu.edu) writes: > Anonymous FTP is limited of course to Internet sites, and that is a > pity since so many readers of the Digest and comp.dcom.telecom are at > UUCP sites or entirely different networks. Those folks will need to > use an email <==> ftp server ... and although we've had these around > from time to time, I don't know the address of any at present. > == Can anyone provide us with a good reliable email <==> ftp link? == > If so, you'd be doing a big favor for all the Compuserve, MCI/ATT Mail, > and UUCP sites reading the Digest ... please write me with details. Wasn't there a mail-server archive for this newsgroup at lonestar.org? Did it go away for some reason or another? The problem with the ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com server is that it gets so many requests (and has to queue them up whenever some sites are unreachable) that turnaround time is rather slow. In fact, untenable delays to Scandinavian sites has caused decwrl to reject requests to files from those countries (a sore-spot for readers of rec.radio.short- wave who want to access the newsgroup archives at unic.funet.fi). Nevertheless, if you use the command-syntax properly and can live with the three file-per-day limit, it's probably the only way to go for those without direct Internet connections. Another approach (used with great success by Rusty Carruth's Callsign Project or Kent Landfield's NetNews/CD project) is to dump the whole thing to CD-ROM or mag-tape (taking advantage of the fiber-optic-like bandwidth capability of a UPS truck full of magnetic media). Naturally, I'm only in a position to suggest this, as opposed to leading the effort. Nevertheless, I find it hard to believe that there isn't someone out in net-land who wouldn't be interested in this project (considering similar successful efforts with Simtel20 and the Amiga archives at ab20.larc.nasa.gov). Another partial solution is to register the TELECOM Digest FAQ and Intro articles with Jon Kamens (news-answers-request@mit.edu) in his Index of Periodic Information Postings. When these articles appear, they are automatically archived at pit-manager.mit.edu (which has an E-mail file retrieval capability via mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu). News.answers cross-posting of these documents would be another solution (although I don't know if making the newsgroup even *MORE* popular is an ideal situation). There are at least two or three extremely easy ways of doing this (and only security-through-obscurity precludes me from mentioning them here). If the moderator or the FAQ author want to contact me, I'd be more than happy to provide the gory details. Paul W. Schleck pschleck@unomaha.edu [Moderator's Note: Yes, there was such a service at lonestar.org for awhile, but I have heard nothing from that fellow lately. I've also had various people suggest (and a couple even start working on) WAIS (wide area information server) for the archives, but nothing has come of that. If someone wants to put togther a simple, very limited mail server for telecom stuff, I would even try to maintain it myself in my spare (??) time ... but that would be problematic. Perhaps some site would give me an account for the purpose of an ftp <=> email daemon, and an account from which I could administer it. I hate to impose further on eecs.nwu.edu, being one of (if not the) largest mail-user at this site. PAT] ------------------------------ From: kenny@osf.org (Kenneth Crudup) Subject: Re: NET and a Noise-Free Line: Impossible? Organization: Open Software Foundation Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1992 19:07:08 GMT Our esteemed (BTW- what *are* you so steamed at, anyway) Moderator writes: > [Moderator's Note: When you mentioned you had the same problem with > the modem on one of the other lines, it occurred to me that perhaps > your modem is at fault. Try the modem on different lines, then try a > different modem on the original line and let us know what happens. PAT] I already did. In article I wrote: > Thankfully, the problem showed while the tech was there. I used a different > modem, and a different terminal, to prove it wasn't the equipment. I've already gotten some reponses, and the most prevalent answer was "bitch to the PUC". I've already started drafting a letter. Kenneth R. Crudup, Contractor, OSF DCE QA OSF, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142 +1 617 621 7306 kenny@osf.osf.org OSF has nothing to do with this post. ------------------------------ From: dave@westmark.com (Dave Levenson) Subject: Re: Pac*Bell CLASS Features Organization: Westmark, Inc. Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1992 23:41:05 GMT In article , varney@ihlpf.att.com (Alan L Varney) writes: > Maybe someone will come up with a better method for the > mass calling case someday; if so, it probably won't rely on "ring > back". They already have. It's called ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) and it usually provides a recorded messages advising the queued callers that they will be connected to the next available agent. It may be implemented by PBX equipment at the destination customer's site, or it may be provided as part of a Centrex package by the destination central office. Dave Levenson Internet: dave@westmark.com Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857 ------------------------------ From: friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US (Stephen Friedl) Subject: Re: Just Saw a Neat New Modem ... Date: 1 Aug 92 15:22:04 GMT Organization: Steve's Personal machine / Tustin, CA David Ptasnik writes: > ... called the Q Blazer. It is a 2" x 2" black cube. 9600 baud > (v.32 I think), has space for a nine volt battery in it that can > provide about two hoursof power for you laptopers out there. Our > computer people are wild about it, I haven't tried it yet. Very nice modem. QBlazer (probably a pun on "cube-blazer") is from Telebit (quality!) and it is packed with the tiniest little circuit boards I've ever seen -- loaded with DSPs and stuff. It supports V.32, MNP5, V.42, V.42bis but no V.32bis or PEP. I use mine on the road all the time and have never had any troubles. It comes with tiny power brick and cables for PC or Mac and a little case that can take a Velco(tm) ride on your laptop carrying strap. Really cute little unit -- I won mine at the Telebit dinner at Comdex :-). For info, call them at 1-800-TEL-EBIT (1-800-835-3248). P.S. - Traditional "highly satisfied customer only" disclaimer. Stephen J Friedl | Software Consultant | Tustin, CA | +1 714 544-6561 3b2-kind-of-guy | I speak for me ONLY | KA8CMY | uunet!mtndew!friedl ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Aug 92 14:50:11 EDT From: ijk@violin.att.com (Ihor J Kinal) Subject: Re: Repeat Call Organization: AT&T In article , jean@hrcce.att.com (Nancy J Airey) writes: > Actually, (at least according to our experiments here in our ISDN lab) > the called party's phone doesn't ring until you pick up on a "stutter > ring" generated at your phone. Something that makes sense if you want > to be sure that the caller is still around to "make" the call. Hmmm, I wonder if the stutter ring will trigger my answering machine [especially if it's on minimum-ring mode]? Then the other end gets the tail end of my answering machine message, or a load BEEP, and hangs up in disgust? #standard disclaimers apply Ihor Kinal att!trumpet!ijk ------------------------------ From: Roger Fajman Date: Sat, 01 Aug 92 01:26:15 EDT Subject: ISDN For Data I'm interested in information on ISDN terminal interfaces. We are getting a AT&T 5ESS which will be essentially a private PBX for us, but will be operated by C&P Telephone. They want to sell us ISDN for data, both async and sync. For async, they started out pitching X.25 connections over the 16 kbps D channel on a Basic Rate Interface. It seems to me that this is going to be slower than a V.32bis modem, especially one with V.42bis compression. Then there's V.fast to think about. Today they demonstrated some ISDN terminal interfaces that send data over a 64 kbps B channel. There was an AT&T ISDN phone set with a 19200 bps RS232 interface, a Hayes unit with a 38400 bps interface, and a UDS unit whose interface speed I don't recall. While 38400 bps seems more in the ballpark, at least today, why is the rest of the bandwidth being wasted? Why do none of these units implement something like V.42bis compression? There was also an interesting unit (I've forgotten the brand) that could do 128 kbps sync over two B channels. The Hayes unit could do 64 kbps sync on one B channel. This, at least, is a step up from 14400 bps in V.32bis. Anyway, given the relative prices of ISDN terminal interfaces and V.32bis modems, I wonder if we shouldn't just continue to run analog modems, at least for async data. Then there is no need to worry about the difference between off-switch and on-switch users. Roger Fajman Telephone: +1 301 402 1246 National Institutes of Health BITNET: RAF@NIHCU Bethesda, Maryland, USA Internet: RAF@CU.NIH.GOV ------------------------------ From: efam@rigel.cc.bellcore.com (familant,m e) Subject: Telephone CPE - Architecture Alternatives Organization: Bell Communications Research, Red Bank, NJ Date: Sat, 1 Aug 92 14:35:22 GMT Hi all, I am looking for pointers to articles or papers that discuss possible future architectures for telephone sets. I am particularly interested in reading anything that discusses the possibility of an open telephone set architecture (analgous to a computer open architecture). However, any general discussion about future directions in CPE would also be helpful. Thanks, Elliott Familant (908) 758-2404 efam@rigel.cc.bellcore.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #601 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa16752; 3 Aug 92 4:26 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA21496 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 3 Aug 1992 02:30:38 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19706 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 3 Aug 1992 02:30:27 -0500 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1992 02:30:27 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208030730.AA19706@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #602 TELECOM Digest Mon, 3 Aug 92 02:30:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 602 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: An Open Letter to PAT and John Higdon (John Higdon) Re: An Open Letter to PAT and John Higdon (TELECOM Moderator) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows From: zygot!john@apple.com (John Higdon) Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1992 02:33:12 GMT Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: An Open Letter to PAT and John Higdon acg@hermes.dlogics.com writes: > We were wondering if the two of you would take a few minutes from > your busy schedules of doing whatever it is you do, and tell us > all about whatever it is you do. Well, OK. But, as Art Baker used to say on television before many of the readers were born, "You Asked For It". My interest in telephony began when I was taught as a toddler how to use the phone to summon emergency help. The next thing my mother knew was that I had found her address book and was calling all of her friends. I was three years old. I have always been fascinated by the telephone and its switching systems. Thoughout my public school years, I would spend my free time concocting devices that would attach (in complete violation of tariff) to the line and provide value added services (for me, anyway). These things included dialers, bridges, various extension phones for my convenience around the house, etc. This activity led to the parental units decreeing that I was to no longer have access to the family phone. A phone in my name would be co-signed for, but I would be responsible for the bill and under no circumstances would ever be allowed to use the family phone again. I was thirteen years old. By this time, I had cultivated many friends in the telephone company (Pacific Telephone) who were delighted with the notion that "some kid" would be so interested in what many thought was a very boring topic. I gleaned all sorts of information about the switches (mostly #5 crossbar) and was given a lot of gadgetry that was otherwise destined for the crusher. By the time I was in my senior year in high school, the neighborhood was wired for private telephone service and my friends were the "subscribers". There was access to "outside" lines and completely automatic switching internally. A repairman discovering some of my outside plant started a ruckus that would prove to be a turning point. He came to my house, threatening me and my parents with more evil than can be mentioned. He called out his manager. Higher and higher levels of management were called out until finally (several days later) the regional manager stopped by to visit. This gentleman, Don Peters, examined the situation and pronounced that if "there were more kids like this young man here, our society would be a lot better off." My project stayed up. And over the course of the years Mr. Peters' and my paths crossed on a number of occasions. His passing several years ago was a sad day for me. Anyway, on to college where I was to prepare myself for the teaching profession. But that was not to be. A friend of the family had resurrected a classical FM station and I was enthralled. I asked to be given part-time work as an announcer. My qualifications? An intense interest in the music and a music background. I was hired. But the owner (who was also the station's engineer) discovered my other interests which included things electrical. Imagine his excitement when he discovered that he could entrust to my hands the patched up 1946 transmitter and even put me on call for its emergency repair! Well, one thing led to another and my broadcast engineering contracting business was launched. But maintaining broadcast transmitters on remote mountain tops can sometimes get a bit old, so I moonlighted (mostly with my radio clients) as a "telephone consultant". In the mid 70's, CPE was starting to become a happening thing, and most people were in the dark when it came to selecting terminal equipment. Those were the days of the NT SG1s and the Stromberg Carlson E-120s. I even cared for a large OKI crossbar PBX for several years. In 1981, I decided that there was more money in the telecommunications business than in radio so I put the broadcasting business on a back burner and formed a corporation that dealt in the sales and service of small to medium sized business installations. We became the region's authorized sales and service dealer for the ITT System 3100 and grew steadily for a number of years. Somewhere in all of this, I discovered computers and taught myself such things as assembly language programming and other very dry humdrum computer things. But as the telecom business grew, it took more and more of my time. And it took it in ways that were not appealing to me. Instead of being able to "play" with telephone technology, I had to worry about taxes, hiring, firing, managers, sales, promotions, and many, many other things that interested me not. On December 31, 1986, I was out. I went back to radio (to continue eating) and hooked up with another friend who had just been fooling around with another hot new industry: audiotex. This fellow is a hardware wizard. He fabricates the most useful stuff out of parts right out of the catalog. He and another person had made some conference bridges out of a Vic 20 and a bunch of VIA chips. These crude machines were making some people a fortune connected to some 976 lines. Mind you, this is before many people even knew what 976 was. This was the answer to prayers. A company formed producing this type of equipment (but kept small-scale) gave me the chance to exercise my various interests and talents, while allowing growth in any yet-to-be-determined endeavors. Since then, we have graduated to creating and programming what amounts to custom digital switches that perform virtually any voice and switching applications. I finally got to play with computers! Most of our customers are in the information providing business, but we have now sold systems to general businesses for various purposes. So what is it that I do? I never got out of radio. I maintain three FM transmitter plants and one AM. In addition, I handle those stations' telecommunications which involve some medium sized PBXes that have ARS, do bypassing (naughty-naughty), use DID, and have live talk show situations. With associates, I participate in the creation of custom voice and call processing applications in the capacity of programmer. In fact, this evening I just returned from a trip to Reno for yet another installation of one of our switches. As usual, there were some last minute programming changes that were required. And that is about it. There are some gaping holes in this little sketch that anyone who knows me well will notice; and I think they will understand the omissions. Shall we leave it at "boxes of color"? Needless to say, rules and laws are now, and have been for some time, obeyed strictly. But as people at Pac*Bell will tell you, I know those rules very well and push them to the envelope. Non telephonic data: I have kept up my interest in music and am occasionally involved in Bay Area concerts. I am an avid motorcyclist who rides both dirt (for enjoyment) and street (for transportation and fun, too). I enjoy writing and have occasional letter appearances in the {San Jose Mercury} and the {San Francisco Chronicle}. > [Moderator's Note: Interesting idea. John, will you go first? PAT] Done. E tu? John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1992 02:03:55 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Re: An Open Letter to PAT and John Higdon My credentials are probably not as impressive as those of John Higdon. Although he and I are within a few years of the same age (I will be fifty years old in six weeks), my 'credentials' come from a different type of work-related experiences. A short summary of how I got here: My paternal grandparents were born in Tulsa, Indian Territory. They saw it become the state of Oklahoma, and moved to southeastern Kansas about 1920 where my father and mother were born and raised. I was born in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1942, and came with my parents to the Chicago area in 1947. In those days of course, just about everyone came to Chicago; rail capitol of the USA; hog-butcher to the world and all that. We lived in a south-suburban area. I graduated from high school in 1960, an above average student with mostly A's on my report cards. I was captain of our school's debate team; president of the Conservation Club; and an occassional writer for the school newspaper. They called on me to operate the movie projector. I was a teacher's pet, and helped plan the special assembly programs we had from time to time. When Ayn Rand's (then in 1957) new book {Atlas Shrugged} was published, I wrote her a letter and asked her to visit our school during the promotional tour she was making to sell her book, and she agreed. I still have an autographed copy of that book and {The Fountainhead} which she gave me the day she came to our school. Afterward the debate teacher Arthur Erickson, Ms. Rand and I went to dinner on the way to delivering her back to Ohare Airport for a flight to the next town. After dinner we sat in the restaurant talking, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. Since Ms. Rand and Mr. Erickson both smoked cigarettes, I did also. After all, Arthur was very sophisticated, and I at the age of 15 wanted to be very sophisticated also. 35 years of Pall Mall cigarettes has made me quite sophisticated, don't you think? Ms. Rand had very penetrating eyes. She kept watching me throughout dinner, studying me very closely, and I'd look up from what I was eating to see her staring at me. Finally she said, "You are a very intelligent young man. Too smart to believe in Gott! Why do you believe in Gott?" I have never forgotten that comment from her. Although telephones always interested me and I taught the other kids at school how to abuse the (manual service) pay phone in the cafeteria, I had no real plans to be in that line of employment until 1958 when I turned sixteen and went looking for part time employment to earn money for myself. I wound up with a job at the University of Chicago in the old telephone office they operated on the sixth floor of the Administration Building at 58th and Ellis Avenue. I worked there as a switchboard operator part time evenings and weekends during the school year and full time during the summers until I graduated from high school, then full time for another year or so. After high school, I was the solo person there on the overnight 11 PM - 7 AM shift in charge of the three switchboards (main campus, UC Hospitals, and the Computation Center); the telex machine, etc.). They had as I recall a *fourteen position* manual switchboard with a bunch of ladies there during the day and early evening hours then a guy there all night who I replaced when I started full time after graduating from high school. When I first started there, a lady by the name of Muriel Beadle took a motherly interest in me. She was the wife of George Beadle who was then the president of UC. One Sunday afternoon Doctor Beadle came by the phone room and offered me a four year fully paid scholarship to UC when I finished high school. Because I was such a smart-ass who knew so much more than anyone else, I turned it down. Neither of the Beadles spoke to me after that. Those long overnight shifts were very boring to me and I stayed awake devising what I was certain was the most absolutely perfect and fool-proof way to make free international long distance calls. I'll spare you the details of the scheme; it involved the use of telephone credit cards and saying certain things to the international operators at White Plains, NY to decieve them. After a particularly warm Saturday night in August (the phone room had no air conditioning then; it had several ceiling fans which whirred overhead all the time and we left the windows open), 6:30 Sunday morning was a welcome relief as I plotted my schedule for the day. I had tested my 'free international calls' scheme further, and found it to work nicely -- so I thought. A stop for breakfast on the way home; a shower; meet mother at church; go out and sleep on the beach all afternoon allowing myself to be admired by passers-by, etc. Grateful the two ladies who worked Sunday mornings had come in a little early, I took the elevator downstairs only to have a rude confrontation with two impeccably dressed gentlemen who were waiting for me. The one spoke up first, "I'm (name forgotten) from AT&T Security ...", and (gesturing to the other man) "this is (name forgotten). He's a Chicago Police Officer." Their ID's were displayed, and my day was ruined. My resignation was requested the next morning, and given, but the most humiliating part of the whole thing was the next issue of the campus newspaper {The Maroon} with a headline "Campus Phone Operator Arrested on Phone Fraud Charges" and a story with all the lurid details. I then worked a couple years for Commonwealth Edison in the phone room on the midnight shift; and about the same length of time for the (now long demolished) Grand Central Terminal in the Communications Department. I had a few part time telephone operator jobs during the same period including the Lawson YMCA. I answered an ad for supervisor of communications services at Amoco Credit Card Center in 1967 and got the job. It was an old three-position manual switchboard which was converted to Centrex right after I started there. I stayed with them eight years through their management of Diners Club in addition to their own credit card. The last three years I was there I helped oversee the installation of an Automatic Call Distributor in their Sales Authorization Unit and was the manager in that department on the midnight shift. Diners got situated at their present headquarters in Denver and in 1975 Amoco moved the credit card operation to Des Moines, Iowa. They offered me a great deal of money to go along, but at the time I still actually liked Chicago and turned them down, deciding to go into business for myself. The last two years of my employment with Amoco I spent my days working at my business and my nights working at Amoco. This was during 1973-75. I started operating a bank of phone lines with recorded information on the number 312-HArrison-7-1234. The whole thing was sponsored by merchants whose messages came in the first fifteen or twenty seconds of the program. I was so successful at it that after a few months I had expanded to more than a dozen recording machines all hooked up in a hunt group. I used real big, very heavy recording/playback machines I leased from Illinois Bell. The way I had them wired up, IBT had to write a special tariff covering my situation. Whenever executives of other telcos visited their counterparts at IBT, I was included on the schedule of customer installations to be toured, and these guys would come over from telco to look at the setup, prod at the internals of the machines IBT was leasing me, etc. Trouble is, I had a hard time getting paid by my merchant advertisers; I wound up four thousand dollars in debt to Illinois Bell and closed the operation in 1976. I finally got IBT paid off a few years later. After that, I floated around for a year at a variety of jobs and found nothing I really liked. I wrote a few short articles which I sold to the {Christian Science Monitor} at one time or another in the 1970's. Those people were always very good to me, starting when I was in high school. Arthur Erickson introduced me to the {Monitor} and when I wrote them to get a subscription for our debate team they sent it at no charge for a couple years. After I left Amoco and was *very short* on cash one month to pay the rent, the {Monitor} bought a couple essays and sent me a few hundred dollars. Most of the stuff I sent them they bought; the CSM kept me in beer and cigarette money for several months during the year after I left Amoco and my little telephone recorded announcement business failed. I 'got into' 'home computers' in 1977 when I purchased my very first computer: An Ohio Scientific Model C-1-P with all of 4K RAM. You loaded it with a cassette tape. An Apple ][ + followed a couple years later. I had one of those so-called 'Black Apples' which had been made for Bell & Howell in a special order at one time and later were sold as surplus. I still have it stashed away in a closet here. I went on-line in 1980 with a Hayes 300 baud Smart Modem and a Zenith-Heathkit H-19 terminal I built from a kit. I ran a BBS on the Apple called "Think!" (based on the old IBM slogan) for about a year in that time period. The Chicago Public Library started a BBS program in 1982 and I was the volunteer sysop for that endeavor for about a year. I've been a volunteer for the Chicago Public Library for about a decade, but the past nine years of that has been in the visually handicapped reading service which is done over the radio waves on an SCA system; the service is known as Chicago Radio Information Service (or CRIS for short) and it operates on a sub-carrier of WBEZ, our public radio station here. I produce programs on Chicago history, using a variety of printed matter including newspapers, books in the library and various periodicals. My half hour productions are aired three times weekly. I operated another BBS called "Lakeshore Modem Magazine" from 1983-85, also on the Apple ][ +. I wrote most of the software for that BBS myself using Microsoft BASIC and routines for a Hayes 300 baud modem. Starting in 1977 and continuing through this date, I've worked part time (about 8-10 hours per week) 'looking after' the phone system for a department store in downtown Chicago. I usually stop in two or three evenings per week for a couple hours to put through changes in the system configuration, review the phone bills, etc. Sometimes instead I go by on Sunday afternoon for a few hours. I started working for the attornies in 1985 at a variety of tasks including looking after the phone service for their three offices in Chicago, New Jersey and California; but that requires only a small amount of my time. Usually I am working with the clients of the chairman of the firm; his specialty is in the field of commercial collections on an international basis, so I spend much of my time making international calls to companies around the world which owe money to other companies, pursuing the settlement of their account with our clients. One of my most interesting files recently involved a client in Hong Kong who was owed $74,000 by the US Army Post Exchange at a US military base in Germany. A company in Hong Kong owed money by a bureaucracy in Germany asks an attorney in Chicago to look into the matter ... :) and I collected it through lots of phone calls and some persistence. And that is a little of my life ... I hope the original questioner is satisfied now. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #602 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa04321; 4 Aug 92 2:00 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03941 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 3 Aug 1992 23:43:10 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07784 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 3 Aug 1992 23:43:01 -0500 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1992 23:43:01 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208040443.AA07784@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #603 TELECOM Digest Mon, 3 Aug 92 23:43:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 603 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson No Caller ID in my Part of Northern CA (Rich Mintz) Caller ID Filing in Texas (Charles Mattair) Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Fred Fierling) CWA Contract Negotiation Schedule (Phillip Dampier) Before Telco Had Billing Computers (TELECOM Moderatorr) Western Union Money Transfer Servces in Canada (Nigel Allen) Telecom Charges in Israel (Kai-Uwe Schug) Noisy Feature Group B Normal? (James R. Saker Jr.) How Should I Pick an LD Carrier? (David Rochberg) Tropez 900DX (Mike Suter) Ancient Modems For Sale (Daniel Romanchik) Credit Cards From Telephone Companies (Nigel Allen) The Second Telephone Call (appell@attmail.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rmintz@ecst.csuchico.edu (Rich Mintz) Subject: No Caller ID in my Part of Northern CA Organization: California State University, Chico Date: Sun, 02 Aug 1992 02:44:13 GMT I forget who assured me that Caller-ID was now legal and available in northern CA, but I called the office that runs our campus centrex system and was told that they're starting to implement Caller-ID support in larger areas but that it will be at least a year before it gets here (Chico, California). Is this true? Also, because I live in a school-owned apartment, that is tied into the school's Centrex system, I cannot chose what long distance carrier I want to use. I don't have the option of selecting either a 1+ carrier or selecting a company manual with the 10xxx prefix. I heard awhile back that the FCC was going to mandate that people in my situation have equal access to different long distance companies. What's the status of this motion? As it is now, the school contracts with Sprint for credit card calls, etc, and AT&T for direct dialed stuff, whether you like it or not. Rich -> rmintz@cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Aug 92 13:03:55 CDT From: mattair@sun44.synercom.hounix.org (Charles Mattair) Subject: Caller ID Filing in Texas Organization: Synercom Technology, Inc., Houston, TX Reprinted from {The Houston Post} (31 July 1992) with permission. SW Bell Wants to Offer Call-Blocking Services By Mary Lenz Post Austin Bureau AUSTIN - In about a year, some customers of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. could have the ability to reach out and _not_ [italics in original] have someone touch them. The telephone giant has asked the Public Utility Commission to let it offer services which would allow a customer to identify the source of an incoming call and block it if desired. But the Office of Public Utility Counsel has raised privacy questions about the service, and the Texas Attorney General's office said the device used to display information on the caller could be considered illegal. Company spokesmen said the services, which could be available in Austin early next year and Houston and other major Texas cities by 1994, will deter crank callers and obscene messages. Not unexpectedly, the convenience of avoiding unwanted calls has a cost. A Caller-ID display device that would identify the caller must be purchased, for $50 to $150. The annual service cost would be $90 for residences, $240 for businesses. Installation would cost between $2.70 and $5.40. Ron Dusek, of the attorney general's office, said the device needed for the service could be classified as a "trap and trace" instrument, which would make it illegal under the sate's wiretap law. He said Southwestern Bell should test the law in court, or try to have the Texas Legislature change it. The company also wants to offer a service automatically blocking all calls from people who do not identify themselves. Anonymous Call Rejection would cost $12 per year if subscribers take the other extra service. It would cost $36 annually if bought separately. Bell would offer law enforcement organizations and groups with special privacy concerns, such as battered women's center [sic], a free feature which would prevent identification. Copyright (c) 1992, {The Houston Post} Reprinted by permission. ------------- The article did not address a Caller-ID blocking feature other than the last paragraph. I spoke with Ms. Spradley w/SWB in Austin about this: free per line to the indicated agencies, free per call blocking to all other customers. As is typical, this will only work within particular service areas: Katy (an outlying city) while part of the Houston EMS area is not BOC. Calls from Katy numbers will show "number not available" or something to that effect. The PUC tariff control number is 11362. Charles Mattair (preferred) mattair%synercom@hounix.org (or) mattair@synercom.UUCP Any opinions offered are my own and do not reflect those of my employer. ------------------------------ From: fff@microplex.com (Fred Fierling) Subject: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Organization: Microplex Systems Ltd Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1992 19:55:09 GMT The DTMF standard allows for up to 16 touch tones. I believe the four besides "1234567890*#" are referred to as "ABCD". Does anyone know of a telephone set or a portable device (with a speaker that could be held up to a microphone) that generates these tones? What else are these extra tones used for? Fred Fierling fff@microplex.com Tel: 604 875-1461 Fax: 604 875-9029 Microplex Systems Ltd 265 East 1st Avenue Vancouver, BC V5T 1A7, Canada ------------------------------ From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Mon, 03 Aug 1992 13:23:54 -0500 Subject: CWA Contract Negotiation Schedule CONTRACT EXPIRATION DATES APPROACH FOR SIX REGIONAL BELL OPERATING COMPANIES WASHINGTON -- Bargaining by the Communications Workers of America for some 258,000 telecommunications workers at the regional Bell operating companies -- also known as the "Baby Bells," began in June. Contracts with five of those telephone companies will expire August 8th; the US West contract will expire August 15th. Here is a breakdown: Name of Company Bargaining Contracts CWA Workers Location Expire Represented Ameritech Chicago August 8 34,519 Bell Atlantic Washington August 8 40,578 BellSouth Atlanta August 8 61,840 Pacific Telesis Oakland August 8 40,629 Southwestern Bell St. Louis August 8 41,553 U S West Denver August 15 39,212 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 Jul 92 14:05:01 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator (telecom@eecs.nwu.edu) Subject: Before Telco Had Billing Computers Organization: Hatch Usenet and E-mail. Playa del Rey, CA Rich Greenberg (richg@hatch.socal.com) responded to my note in article <92.07.30.1@eecs.nwu.edu>: > You were describing how the t&c were relayed to hotel (and similar PBX) > switchboards from the CO, and you related a dialog where the CO operator > rattled off the details on one call, ending with something like > ". . . i.am.nnnnn.you.are", and the PBX operator replied something like > "i.am.nnnnn. . . . ." and then the dialog went on to the next call. > My question is what did the "nnnnn" represent? Were they the > numbers of the toll tickets or what, and what was the PBX operators > number, a log number? > Rich Greenberg - N6LRT - 310-649-0238 - richg@hatch.socal.com They were the toll-ticket serial numbers and the PBX billing reference numbers so that each end had reference to what was quoted in the event of a dispute later on. Prior to the advent of billing computers and automatic time-keeping, all long distance calls were recorded on little slips of paper about the size of an index card with blanks for the calling number, called place/number, person requested, time call was put up and taken down and the operator's number, plus a ticket serial number. The long distance operators filled in all the details except the starting and stopping times. The ticket went in a slot on a small clock which stamped an imprint for that purpose. Starting time on one side of the ticket; flip it the other way to stamp the time finished. The operators did not calculate the number of minutes or the charges. This was done by clerks who came around every few minutes with a basket or box to collect all the tickets which had been stamped out. If the ticket was flagged for a time and charges quote, then it was put aside so the clerks would catch it; compute it right away and call it back to the hotel, etc. One group of clerks did nothing but figure out the minutes and the charges using tariff books, and another group of clerks continually went around posting the charges to the proper customer's 'jacket'. The 'jacket' was a file-folder suspended from a rack with several thousand others in rows in the business office. If you called the Business Office, the representative who answered you was wearing a headset with a fifty foot cord on it. She would walk around the room to the aisle where your jacket was hanging and get it down to stand there and talk to you about your account. Since the posting clerks worked 24 hours per day, a representative might be talking to you and a posting clerk would walk up to her, take the file out of her hands, jot down a new charge, drop the ticket in the file and hand it back to the representative. They worked in tight quarters, so personal hygiene was a must. :) Or if it was the day your account was billed, the representative might not find your file at all .. it would be 'in bookkeeping' ... and the bookkeepers took priority over the service reps, as did the posting clerks. Each day the bookkeepers took several thousand file folders away with them and brought them back a day or two later. A 'jacket' never 'came out of bookkeeping' until the bookkeepers were good and ready. Even the posting clerks had to wait on those file folders to come back before they could post new charges. Operators would sometimes copy down the wrong number to charge, or forget to stamp the ticket out until five or ten minutes after the fact; the subscriber would squawk about the charges and the ticket would go to 'adjustments', where another bunch of clerks would investigate the matter and straighten it out. There were several hundred thousand of the little paper tickets passed around from hand to hand every month ... with a very high degree of accuracy in billing. ------------------------------ From: Nigel Allen Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 20:00:00 -0400 Subject: Western Union Money Transfer Services in Canada Organization: Echo Beach Unitel Communications Inc. (formerly CNCP Telecommunications) operates Western Union money transfer services in Canada. It's a bit odd walking into an all-night Dominion supermarket in Toronto and seeing the Western Union logo. I've heard radio commercials for Western Union money transfer service in Toronto. One demonstrates that money can be sent to Jamaica in under an hour. Jamaica was probably chosen because there is a significant Jamaican-Canadian community in Toronto. A Western Union money order is obviously more expensive than a postal money order or a bank draft, but you may not want to risk the delay and risk of theft or loss associated with trusting a remittance to the post office. Canada Remote Systems - Toronto, Ontario/Detroit, MI World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044 ------------------------------ From: kschug@cat.de (Kai-Uwe Schug) Subject: Telecom Charges in Israel Organization: C.A.T. Kommunikations-System Date: Sat, 01 Aug 92 17:00:30 GMT I need the current connect rates and installation fees in dollar for international telecommunication services from Israel to Germany. - x.25 (ISRANET -> DATEX-P) - high speed direct digital links (64-1920 kBit/s) leased lines - analog dial-up and leased lines What is the max baud rate on analog dial-up lines? Is ISDN in Israel available or planned? Are there any other possibilies for high speed data exchange? Thanks for answers. Kai-Uwe Schug (kschug@cat.de) C.A.T. Kommunikations-System, Frankfurt, Germany ------------------------------ From: jsaker@cwis.unomaha.edu (James R. Saker Jr.) Subject: Noisy Feature Group B Normal? Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1992 03:12:24 GMT As I live in an area which hasn't gone equal access (and won't for another two or three years) 20 miles outside of Omaha, Nebraska, I'm stuck using feature group B (950-xxxx) to access my preferred LD carrier (happens to be my employer as well, but that's besides the point;-) ). Additionally, I live an intrastate, intraLATA long-distance call away from my internet connection, so FGB access enables me to bypass what are Nebr.'s highest residential rates (sidenote: Nebraska LECs have not been regulated by the NE Public Utilities Commission on rates since the deregulation went into effect in 1987 -- resulting in exponential rate increases by small, private LECs such as the one in my hometown of Blair). Unfortunatly, FGB access has given me sporadic noise problems on about 80% of all data calls. Since I'd have to pay an extra $0.20/minute for FGC access (1+) through the LEC, I'd like to determine the source of the noise and find out if there's any solution. If I access 1+, going over FGC, I have clean lines all the way. The schematic looks a bit like this: 1+ access: modem -> Blair Telephone NCR switch -> OMA USW 5E TDM -> univ. switch -> univ. modems (another sidenote: the NCR switch is the early digital model, not capable of ISDN, *70 call waiting disable, etc.) whereas FGB gives me both sending and receiving noise sporadically, (lots of varying text, an occasional }): 950+ access: modem -> Blair Tel NCR switch -> OMA USW 5E TDM -> TZX DEX switch -> OMA USW -> univ. switch -> univ. modems Through some experimentation, I've discovered the following: 1. FGB access through TZX, Omaha to Omaha, using different computers, lines, etc. (never hitting the Blair Tel network) results in the same sporadic noise problem (with the same frequency). Apparently Blair Tel isn't the source. 2. Night data communications over FGB is more prone to noise than day. The switch tech at my FGB LD carrier said I'm going through some pretty ancient switching equipment at our BOC (US West) and indicated that was the likely source of the noise. What I'd like to know is: a) Is this explanation valid? And if so, is this typical of RBOC FGB equipment? b) If it isn't valid, what other variables can be involved that I may be missing? c) If the problem could be the long distance carrier's equipment, any suggestions as to how to demonstrate this to them? (since they're also my employer, all I need is something of substance to counter the switch tech's opinion;-) ). Many thanks in advance! Jamie Saker jsaker@cwis.unomaha.edu Network Costing Analyst Business/MIS Major Telenational Communications Univ. Nebraska at Omaha (402) 392-7548 ------------------------------ From: rochberg-david@CS.YALE.EDU (David Rochberg) Subject: How Should I Pick an LD Carrier? Date: Mon, 03 Aug 92 00:59:46 -0400 I'd like some advice on how to pick a long-distance carrier. At first, I thought "Aha! This will be easy -- they're fighting for market share, if I tell them I'm interested, they will send me gobs of information. Then I can sit down with a calculator and some previous bills to figure out my calling habits, and I can decide" So, I called the numbers I saw presented in the TV ads for Sprint, MCI, and AT&T. Everyone was very polite, and everyone promised to send me rate information. It's now the proverbial four-to-six weeks later, and (much to my surprise) NO ONE has sent me anything. So, my questions: 1) Is there some organization (perhaps regulatory) that keeps track of LD rates and that I can ask for informaton? 2) Is there a better way to get written information on rates? (The ld*.txt files at lcs.mit.edu are great, but they're from 1985). 3) Is there any way that my apartment's phone can be used for more than one carrier without paying calling card surcharges? 4) Are there any factors that I should be considering other than rates during my planned (late-ish) calling period? 5) Are there any other carriers that I should be considering? 6) Is there a source (electronic or paper) that I should be RTFM'ing about this? 7) Someone on this list mentioned an inexpensive personal 800 number service. The rates sounded comparable to what I'd been told by various LD folks, and I could arrange to have people I want to talk to call me and then split bills. Is there some reason why this isn't viable? 8) Is there a substantial difference between the cheapest plans of the three majors? I would be grateful for answers to any subset of these questions. If your're getting a great ld deal that you want to tell me about, that's fine too. I'll post a summary in a week or so. david ------------------------------ From: jim!mike@wupost.wustl.edu (Mike Suter) Subject: Tropez 900DX Organization: BITS, St. Louis, MO Date: Mon, 03 Aug 1992 16:34:46 GMT I caught the (very) tail end of the recent discussion on the Tropez 900 digital cordless phone. I desperately need more info, a telephone number for the company would also be great. If you can help me out, please email me. Thanks, Mike Suter mike%jim.uucp@wupost.wustl.edu ------------------------------ From: danr@ais.org (Daniel Romanchik) Subject: Ancient Modems For Sale Date: 31 Jul 92 11:44:16 GMT Organization: UMCC I have the following modems in my basement: paradyne uP 4800 paradyne T-96 codex 2680 Someone donated these modems to our computer club, Cyberspace Communications, raise money. Cyberspace Communications is the operator of Grex, a public-access UNIX system in Ann Arbor (phone number 313-761-3000). Can anyone tell me some of the salient features of these modems? Better yet, anyone want to make me an offer for them? Thanks, Dan Call Grex @ (313) 761-3000, Public Access UNIX in Ann Arbor ------------------------------ From: Subject: Credit Cards From Telephone Companies Date: Mon, 3 Aug 92 6:07:13 EDT When telephone companies try to imitate banks, the results may not always be pretty. AT&T has been issuing a Universal Card (a MasterCard or Visa combined with a Calling Card for a while now). Ameritech issues a Complete MasterCard (a bank card that includes a calling card, although people living outside Ameritech's service area don't get the calling card). A few questions: Have any other telecommunications carriers gotten into the bank card business? Montreal Trust, which is owned by BCE Inc. (the parent company of Bell Canada, Northern Telecom and assorted other telecom companies) issues a Visa card, but it's been around for decades and offers a relatively full range of banking services. I have a CNCP Telecommunications credit card which can only be used to charge telegrams and Telepost (the Canadian counterpart to Mailgrams) messages. I have no idea if it's still good with Unitel; for some reason I haven't wanted to send any telegrams lately. (Canadians reading this post may want to set up a monthly telegram account with Unitel just for the fun of it. Call the local number for Unitel's telegram service and say that you want to set up a monthly account.) If you would like to apply for an Ameritech Complete MasterCard, call 1-800-723-1000, ext. 1000. According to an Illinois Bell publication, there's no annual fee and the interest rates are 14.9 percent for balances of $2000 and up, and 17.4 percent for balances below $2000. Nigel Allen ------------------------------ From: appell@attmail.com Date: 3 Aug 92 14:19:03 GMT Subject: The Second Telephone Call "Mr. Watson, come here, I ... uh, could you hold a minute, I have a call on my other line." ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #603 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa29178; 5 Aug 92 2:53 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00328 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 5 Aug 1992 00:49:25 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11903 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 5 Aug 1992 00:49:15 -0500 Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 00:49:15 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208050549.AA11903@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #604 TELECOM Digest Wed, 5 Aug 92 00:49:17 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 604 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Brief Summary of Service From German Telekom (Christopher Lott) Analogue Problems With Digital Switches (John H. Schmidt) Telco a Little TOO Kind? (Todd Inch) Bell Canada Response to CRTC Announcement (FIDO MDF via Jack Decker) Looking For 4800 Asynch Modem (William Sanders) Anyone Using the ROLM 9751? (Deane Charlson) Switching Systems (Holt Sorenson) Another Old/New Area Code Glitch? (Carl Moore) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Brief Summary of Service From German Telekom Date: Mon, 03 Aug 92 11:01:10 +0200 From: Christopher Lott AGSE Hi Pat and Readers, We recently moved to Germany and I thought US readers might be interested in an American's perspective of starting phone service in Germany. "Telekom" runs the phones. Telekom was fairly recently separated from the Post office but it's still a gummint agency. All costs are in D-Mark; conversions are based on the exchange rate of US$ 1 = DM 1.50 to make the math easy (actual rate 1.477 or so). Installation cost 65(US 43) and it doesn't matter if they run wire or not. They require no deposit in advance. We placed the order in person at the phone store, and three weeks later a fella arrived with our phone. This was apparently fairly quick. Seems that Telekom doesn't send their own people out to do installations but subcontracts it out. The weak (slow) link in the chain appears to be the subcontractors; I'm told that Telekom is quick with service changes. You are allowed to own your own phone, although it's supposed to be a model that's approved by Telekom. Phones cost a minimum of 80 (US 53) in cheap stores, a minimum of about 100 (US 67) at the phone store. We chose to rent ours from Telekom for about 3.50 (US 2.33) per month. Our phone does touch-tone and stores the last number dialed; i.e., it's the basic 100-Mark model. Judging from our first bill, monthly service is about 52 (US 35). They make no distinction between touch-tone and pulse dialing, as far as I know. Our phone had to be told to send tone, and the switch understands it fine, but I don't think that I requested it specially. The monthly service includes 15 message units. Additional message units cost about DM0.23 (US 0.15). Now a brief digression to explain message units as understood by Telekom: Every call is metered. Local calls cost one message unit for every six minutes during the day (6a-6p) and 12 minutes at night. Long-distance works by varying the length of time you get for one unit. Domestic long distance is also discounted 50% at night, but international calls cost the same 24 hours per day. Ferinstance, when I call other cities during the day, a unit gets me about 30 seconds to one minute, and I assume double that at night. When calling the USA, a message unit lasts 6.67 seconds; this works out to almost exactly DM 2 (US 1.30) per minute at all times. As was posted here previously, Telekom recently increased the time from 4 to 6.67 sec, possibly in response to heavy competition from USA Direct etc. Information costs the same as a local call (i.e., no extra charge beyond the time) and will give you a number anywhere in Germany. Oh, I almost forgot! There doesn't seem to be an operator here! I had trouble calling Koblenz one day (bad connection) and wanted help dialing, but there did not seem to be any way of getting help. I even called the damage-report people and they weren't too helpful. That's about all I can think of. Hope this interests some people. All in all the service is good, although the long-distance is really, REALLY expensive when compared to US rates. Especially considering that the distances covered here are small compared to the States! As a prior resident of the huge LATA in Maryland/DC/Northern Virginia, this heavily metered service strikes me as kinda expensive. I had forgotten how much we depend on a phone, but those three weeks without really refreshed my memory! chris ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 Aug 1992 01:27:15 EDT From: JOHN SCHMIDT Subject: Analogue Problems With Digital Switches I guess the people who design the digital PBX's (or whatever initials you are using these days) don't pay much attention to the design of the analog line ports. At ABC TV (my daytime, paying job) I am a design engineer specializing in audio and communications installations. Corporate telecommunications just replaced their old "Dimension" PBX with a Northern Telecom one, with the Meridian digital phones. We kept the old 1A2 key telephones in the control rooms, as the Meridian phones are useless there. With the low light levels, you can't see the LCD displays, and you can't interface the phones to other communications equipment easily. (Try a headset interface which also has to work with intercom stations, audio monitoring boxes, etc.) Also they are difficult to configure with automatic ringdown tie lines, and such. Corporate Telecom installed analog line ports to drive the 1A2, and all the other analog stuff, such as couplers, broadcast hybrids, and modems. About a day after cutover I start getting calls from the audio guys in the control rooms that the couplers and hybrids wouldn't "hang up" when the person calling in hung up. The couplers had to be "released" manually (we install a button for that purpose to disuade wrong number dialers and hackers from listening to or (worse) talking to our systems). This was causing the shows a lot of grief, as they (the audio op's) would call in to test the equipment, and then hang up. When the remote crew called in, they would get a busy. The audio op's had to keep remembering to release the line. Anyway, I performed a quick test, which proved that there is no CPC through the analog line ports of the Northern PBX switch. This surprised me, as Adelphi University (where I'm sending this from) has the Centrex version of the switch (one is the DMS1 I think, the other is the DMS100, don't flame me if I messed this up, I'm mostly audio these days, my telcom work was in the days of an ITT pbx, with its own wierdnesses) and the Centrex analog lines have about a ten second timeout before the battery drop. Also the digital ports on the PBX switch have CPC, the line indication on the LCD goes out almost instantly when the calling party hangs up, even from CO or tie lines. I called the Corporate Telecommunications people, only to discover they had the same problem with all their "Quorum" conference bridge lines. We looked in to converting the affected lines to E&M trunks, with E&M to loop start converters (Northern says that the analog trunks, as opposed to lines, do have CPC.), but at $500 or more per line for the converters. Why not loop start trunks, instead of lines? No ring voltage! oh well. In the end, Corporate has had to install a bunch of CO lines to the affected lines. Meanwhile, they have promises from Northern for a fix "soon". There is one other solution for some users, which I found out about from the Telecom Director here at Adelphi. A company called Dees Communications makes a couple of boxes which are stuck in "series" with digital "Meridian" instruments. (you plug the digital line into the Dees box, and the Dees box into the instrument,) One of these boxes has an analog port which can be hooked to a modem, answering machine, loud bell, etc. It can be programmed to answer any or all lines, and can make outgoing calls on a selected line. Another box is programmable to give loud rings on any or all lines, and/or give a contact closure for an external bell/light/etc. I think they make a couple of other varieties. The two above are something like $150 each, I think. They are doing this in cooperation with Northern, and their stuff is distributed by North Supply and other such distributors. Dees is in Seattle, Washington, as I remember. I have two of their boxes installed here at WBAU, one of the "port" ones for a modem, and the "ringer" one in the control rooms, as a visible light, so the DJ's will answer the business lines when no-one is in the office. (the on-air lines here are also 1A2 behind analog ports, that's how I knew the CPC worked on the centrex switch.) John H. Schmidt, P.E. Internet: schmidt@auvax1.adelphi.edu Technical Director, WBAU Phone--Days (212)456-4218 Adelphi University Evenings (516)877-6400 Garden City, New York 11530 Fax-------------(212)456-2424 ------------------------------ From: toddi@mav.com (Todd Inch) Subject: Telco a Little TOO Kind? Organization: Maverick International Inc. Date: Mon, 03 Aug 92 23:48:50 GMT I finally figured out my billing problem. I had been making a few calls to a BBS in Ohio (I'm in Washington, THE STATE) and apparently wasn't getting billed for most of them. This had gone on for a period of about five months, so I wondered about billing problems on the far end or somesuch. Then about two months ago, I connected a spare pair in each room to an A/A1 relay so I could use my laptop's modem in any room on my first line and have it properly light the buttons on the telephones. But, I had a slight short to ground or maybe some "unbalanced" wiring somewhere, and my wife tolerated the humming on line 1 and just started using line two for outgoing calls to avoid the hum, which I did finally get around to fixing. Well, we just got the GTE bill with included AT&T LD, which normally runs about $100 for the two lines plus her calling my inlaws on the other side of the state. But, this last month, there were practically no LD calls on the bill and it was for only about $50. Apparently for the last year, since we moved, we've never been billed for LD calls on line two! Questions: Any guesses as to whether GTE or AT&T messed this one up? How long will it take them to discover this SNAFU, and, more importantly, how long will they give us to come up with the $$$? Anyone with similar experiences? Yes, 1-700-555-4141 still reports AT&T on the second line. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 2 Aug 92 23:10:19 CST From: Jack Decker Subject: Bell Canada Response to CRTC Announcement The following message is forwarded without comment from the Fidonet MDF echomail conference. Please note that "Zone 89" is not an official Fidonet zone; rather, it is a zone in IMEX, a Canadian Fidonet-technology network, so this message originated in IMEX and not in Fidonet: * From : Rt Pollock, 89:82/1 (27 Jul 92 13:01) * To : All * Subj : Bell-CRTC The following appeared in the Toronto SUN newspaper as the "Letter of the Day" for July 21, 1992. It is signed by one Linda C. Grevais, Director of Corporate Public Relations, Bell Canada, and addresses some of the problems that Bell Canada has with the recent CRTC announcement for a more free spirit of competition in the Long Distance Telephony business.--- "In its July 8 letter to the Toronto SUN, the Consumers' Association of Canada (CAC) objected to a Bell Canada advertising campaign which communicated the message that "Competition in long distance should favour consumers. Not competitors." "The ad campaign pointed out that a recent CRTC decision forces Bell Canada to make massive investments to help its competitors establish itself. We believe this to be an important message for Canadian consumers." "What are these massive investments ?" "To begin with, it is well known that the new long-distance competitors will not be offering local service because it is much too costly to provide. The CRTC confirms in its decision that Bell Canada alone supports low local rates with a $2-billion annual subsidy from long distance." "The new competitors say they will help to keep rates low by making payments to this subsidy from their own long-distance revenues. But these payments will not be sufficient to provide the same level of subsidy. Bell's analysis shows that special breaks given to competitors will result in a shortfall -- there will not be enough to go around." "The new competitors and their supporters claim this will not happen. But their claims are at variance with the facts." "In his research report on this issue, telecommunications financial analyst Robert Hastings, of Richardson Greenshields, describes this aspect of the decision as "a hoax". Hastings says: "How in the world can the telcos swallow over $2 billion of lost long-distance rates as much as previously planned -- without increasing local rates?" " "In addition, simply allowing competitiors into the market will cost Bell $160 million in the next three years. We are expected to cover this cost, and the subsidy lost to competitors. But is it realistic to expect that Bell -- already one of Canada's most efficient companies -- could absorb these extra costs with absolutely no effect on its service or its rates ?" "The face of telecommunications has changed in Canada. Bell says yes to this change. But we cannot agree that the new competitors should benefit at the expense of our customers." -------------- GEcho 1.00/beta Origin: Odyssey Systems: Out In Front In Oshawa Otarion:416-571-4407 (89:82/1) -------------- Jack Decker jack@myamiga.mixcom.com FidoNet 1:154/8 ------------------------------ From: William.Sanders@f-454.fidonet.org (William Sanders) Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1992 20:31:42 -0600 Subject: Looking For 4800 Asynch Modem * Original Area: Swapshop * Original To : All (1:106/665) Howdy! I am looking for one or two of the following modems. They must be used and in working condition. Please call and leave a message at 713-666-0337 or netmail me directly at FIDO 106/665. Thanks in advance. Bill Sanders Manufacturer Model ARK Electronics ARK208A/B BCH Equipment 48/208M1 Blackbox Corporation PC ModemGateway 208 CASE COmmunications 208A/B CLEO Software PC-3270PLUS SNM CODEX 2205 CII Sync-Pack 4 Data Comm for Business UDSSYNC-UP Data Race PC RACE 48 Data Race PC RACE 2448 Gandalf Data LH208A/B General Data Comm DataComm208B+ INMAC Model 1970 MicroGate 4824 MicroGate 4822 MicroGate 4824/2 Multi-Tech MT208AH NEC America DataModem N4810 NIXDORF Model 208A/B Okidata CLD4800 A/B Paradyne 2636-02 Racal Vadic VA4850 Universal Data Systems Sync-up 208AB Uniplex Data Systems UDS 208AB ------------------------------ From: charlson@trust.gsfc.nasa.gov (Deane Charlson) Subject: Anyone Using the ROLM 9751? Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1992 14:07:19 GMT I am particularly interested in those systems which have more than 15,000 users on them. I would like to discuss operations, performance, compatibility with ISDN, and other related issues. Any user comments would be greatly appreciated! Deane R. Charlson charlson@trust.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA dcharlson@zaphod.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center Phone: (301) 286-7883 Greenbelt, MD 20771 Fax: (301) 286-7538 ------------------------------ From: hps@sdf.lonestar.org (Holt Sorenson) Subject: Switching Systems Organization: sdf Public Access UNIX, Dallas--unrestricted free shell access Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1992 04:30:53 GMT I need an explanation of the following switching systems: Step by Step Crossbar #5 Crossbar DMS 100 #1 ESS #5 ESS #5 BRSM AXE I understand that these are all systems used by RBOCs. What would be switching systems used by GTE and what are their features? Also, what are the differences between CLID, CNID, and ANI? Hmm. I think that should keep everyone busy for a while. Thanks in advance. Holt Sorenson [Moderator's Note: You have asked a lot of questions requiring detailed technical answers. Perhaps one or more readers will write direct to you with some of the answers. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 10:16:48 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Another Old/New Area Code Glitch? Recently, there were messages in this digest about 617-422, in Boston, displaying place name of Sterling on my May 1992 phone bill. (Sterling has a 422 prefix, but it went to area 508 four years ago.) My July phone bill shows a call to 303-541 Simla, Colorado. Barring a situation like 717-229 Jefferson (Pa.), Simla is at the post office with zipcode 80835 (and I believe Simla would be in the 719 area now). I thought the number I called on 303-541 was at Boulder, which would have remained in 303 when 719 was formed. The calls cited above to 617-422 and 303-541 were both direct-dial via MCI. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #604 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa02826; 5 Aug 92 4:51 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12298 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 5 Aug 1992 02:38:47 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30524 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 5 Aug 1992 02:37:59 -0500 Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 02:37:59 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208050737.AA30524@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: Internet Services List I recently received the following article from a reader and found it very informative. I thought you would like to see it and possibly save it as part of your permanent reference material about the Internet. When I contacted Scott Yanoff, he gave permission for it to be used here in comp.dcom.telecom. PAT Date: 02 Aug 1992 13:04:57 -0400 (EDT) From: JOSHUA HOSSEINOFF Subject: Internet Services List I thought this list might be useful for the readers of the TELECOM Digest. It's pretty self-explanatory. For any more information send email to Scott Yanoff, as he is the one who compiles this list. * SPECIAL INTERNET CONNECTIONS: Last Update: 7/9/92 * * Compiled By: Scott Yanoff - yanoff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu * A + by an entry designates new entries/changes to the list since last update. * Finger yanoff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu to find ways to receive this list! -Agricultural Info. telnet psupen.psu.edu or telnet 128.118.36.5 PENpages (Login: PNOTPA) telnet caticsuf.csufresno.edu or telnet 129.8.100.15 CSU Freso ATI-NET (Login: super) telnet eureka.clemson.edu or telnet 130.127.8.3 CUFAN (Clemson U Forestry & Ag. Net.) (Login: PUBLIC) ftp ftp.sura.net (get file pub/nic/agricultural.list, it contains agricultural email lists & services.) offers: Agricultural info (livestock reports, current market prices, etc.) -Am. Philos. Assoc. telnet atl.calstate.edu or telnet 130.150.102.33 offers: BBS for APA. (Login: apa) -Archie telnet archie.mcgill.ca or 132.206.2.3 (Canada) telnet archie.funet.fi or 128.214.6.100 (Finland/Eur.) telnet archie.au or 139.130.4.6 (Aussie/NZ) telnet cs.huji.ac.il or 132.65.6.5 (Israel) telnet archie.doc.ic.ac.uk or 146.169.11.3 (UK/Ireland) telnet archie.sura.net or 128.167.254.179 (USA [MD]) telnet archie.unl.edu or 129.93.1.14 (USA [NE]) telnet archie.ans.net or 147.225.1.2 (USA [NY]) telnet archie.rutgers.edu or 128.6.18.15 (USA [NJ]) offers: Searches all ftp sites for any program you want. (Login: archie) -Archie Mail Servers mail archie@ Subject: help Offers: alterative Archie access to those w/o ftp or telnet. -CARL telnet pac.carl.org or 192.54.81.128 offers: Online database, book reviews, magazine fax delivery service. -CHAT telnet debra.dgbt.doc.ca or telnet 192.16.212.15 offers: Interactive AIDS document and simulated conversation (Login: chat) -Chess Server telnet elof.iit.edu 5000 or telnet 192.41.245.90 5000 telnet eve.assumption.edu 5000 or 192.80.61.5 5000 offers: Play/watch real-time chess with human opponents. Type 'help' for help -C64 Archive Server mail twtick@corral.uwyo.edu Subject: Mail-Archive-Request Body-of-letter: help (hit return) end -Dante Project telnet library.dartmouth.edu or 129.170.16.11 offers: Divine Comedy and reviews. (Login: connect dante) -Distance Educat. Data telnet sun.nsf.ac.uk or telnet 128.86.8.7 (Login: janet Hostname: uk.ac.open.acs.vax Username: icdl) -DUATS telnet duat.contel.com or telnet 131.131.7.105 telnet duats.contel.com or telnet 131.131.7.106 offers: Aviation weather, flight planning. (Login: ) The first address is for certified pilots, the second for uncertified. -Earthquake Info. finger quake@geophys.washington.edu offers: Recent quake info (location, time, magnitude, etc.) -E-Math telnet 130.44.1.100 (Login: e-math Password: e-math) offers: Am. Math. Society sponsored bbs with software and reviews. +FDA BBS telnet fdabbs.fda.gov or telnet 150.148.8.48 offers: FDA bbs (News releases, Aids info, consumer info...) (Login: bbs) -FEDIX telnet fedix.fie.com or telnet 192.111.228.1 offers: info. on scholarships, minority assistance, etc. (login: fedix) -Freenet telnet freenet-in-[a,b,c].cwru.edu or 129.22.8.82 telnet yfn.ysu.edu or 192.55.234.27 (Login: visitor) offers: USA Today Headline News, Sports, etc... -FTP Mail mail ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com Subject:(hit return) Body-of-letter: help (return) quit Offers:ftp via email -FTP Mail mail bitftp@pucc.princeton.edu Body-of-letter: help or ftplist for a list of anon. ftp sites. -FTP Sites/Archives ftp ocf.berkeley.edu or ftp 128.32.184.254 offers: Docs, 5 puritytests, the Bible, Dec. of Ind, lyrics..cd /pub/Library ftp wuarchive.wustl.edu or rainbow.cse.nau.edu or offers: Gif archive, pc software. plaza.aarnet.edu.au or erratic.bradley.edu ftp ftp.uu.net offers: You name it, it's here! ftp archive.umich.edu offers: Software for MS-Dos computers, Mac, Amiga, Apple2, Apollo... ftp oak.oakland.edu offers: A huge software archive for PCs and UNIX. ftp ftp.sura.net offers: How-to's about internet (how to email, ftp, telnet, etc.) in /pub/nic -GenBank telnet genbank.bio.net or telnet 134.172.1.160 offers: gene sequence info. (Login: genbank Password: 4nigms) -Genetics Bank mail gene-server@bchs.uh.edu Subject: help Offers: genetic database accessable via email. -Geographic Server telnet martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000 or 141.212.99.9 3000 offers: Info by city or area code (Population, Lat./Long., Elevation, etc). -Georgetown Med. Lib. telnet mars.georgetown.edu or telnet 141.161.40.4 (Login: medlib Password: dahlgren Last name: netguest) +GO Server telnet lacerta.unm.edu 6969 or telnet 129.24.14.70 6969 +telnet icsib18.icsi.Berkeley.EDU 6969 +telnet cnam.cnam.fr 6969 or telnet 192.33.159.6 6969 offers: Join others and play a game of GO. (Login/Password: go) +Gopher telnet consultant.micro.umn.edu or telnet 134.84.132.4 telnet panda.uiowa.edu or telnet 128.255.63.234 telnet gdunix.gd.chalmers.se or 129.16.221.40 (SWEDISH) telnet gopher.uiuc.edu or telnet 128.174.33.160 +telnet gopher.unt.edu or telnet 129.120.1.42 +telnet gopher.uwp.edu or telnet 131.210.1.4 Offers: access to other services, gophers, documents, etc. (Login: gopher) -Guitar Chords/TAB ftp ftp.nevada.edu or ftp 131.216.1.11 offers: Tablature/Chords for guitar in /pub/guitar. -Ham Radio Callbook telnet callsign.cs.buffalo.edu 2000 or 128.205.32.2 2000 offers: National ham radio call-sign callbook. -Handicap/Medical Site ftp handicap.shel.isc-br.com or ftp 129.189.4.184 offers: anonymous ftp of software and medical info. -HP Calculator BBS telnet hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com or telnet 15.255.72.16 offers: BBS for HP Calc. users, with chat mode. (Login: new) -Hytelnet Server telnet access.usask.ca or telnet 128.233.3.1 offers: Access to many other services. Prefers vt100 emul. (Login: hytelnet) -INFO - Rutgers CWIS telnet info.rutgers.edu or 128.6.26.25 offers: Dictionary, thesaurus, CIA world fact book, quotations database. -Info/Software Server telnet rusmv1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de or 129.69.1.12 offers: journals, unix stuff, etc. login: infoserv or softserv -Internet Resrce Guide ftp nnsc.nsf.net offers: compressed/tar'd list of net resources in /resource-guide.txt.tar.Z -IP Address Resolver mail resolve@cs.widener.edu usage: in body-of-letter: site
Mails you IP address of site. -IRC Telnet Client telnet bradenville.andrew.cmu.edu or telnet 128.2.54.2 telnet ara.kaist.ac.kr or 143.248.1.53 (Login: irc) telnet santafe.santafe.edu or 192.12.12.2 (Login: irc) offers: Internet Relay Chat access, like a CB on the computer. -ISAAC telnet isaac.engr.washington.edu or 128.95.32.61 offers: Info. System for Advanced Academic Computing, for IBM users. -Law Library telnet liberty.uc.wlu.edu or telnet 137.113.10.35 ftp sulaw.law.su.oz.au (cd /pub/law) offers: Law libraries and legal research. (Login: lawlib) Offers copies of laws for each state, computer laws, and more! -Library of Congress telnet dra.com or 192.65.218.43 offers: COPY of Library of Congress (Assumes terminal is emulating a vt100). -List of Lists ftp ftp.nisc.sri.com or ftp 192.33.33.22 mail mlol-request@wariat.org (music list of lists) offers: List of interest groups/email lists in /netinfo/interest-groups. -Lunar/Planet. Instit. telnet lpi.jsc.nasa.gov or telnet 192.101.147.11 offers: Resources on Geology, Geophys, Astron., Astrophys. (Login: lpi) -Lyric/Music Server ftp cs.uwp.edu ftp ftp.iastate.edu (/pub/lyrics) offers: Lyrics, chords/tablature, and music pictures. (/pub/music/...) -Mac Software Archive ftp sumex-aim.stanford.edu offers: Ftp'able software for the Macintosh computers. (cd to /info-mac) -Mail Srver/Usr Lookup mail mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu in body of mail message: send usenet-addresses/[name searching for] -Melvyl telnet melvyl.ucop.edu or 31.1.0.1 offers: access to various libraries. Type 'other' at prompt to see others. -MOLIS telnet fedix.fie.com offers: Minority Online Information Service. (Login: molis) -Music Newsletter mail listserv@vm.marist.edu (internet) or mail listserv@marist (bitnet) Body-of-letter: SUBSCRIBE UPNEWS Offers: Reviews, intviews. -NASA Headline News finger nasanews@space.mit.edu offers: Daily press releases from NASA. -NASA SpaceLink telnet spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov or 128.158.13.250 offers: Latest NASA news, including shuttle launches and satellite updates. -Nat'l Education BBS telnet nebbs.nersc.gov or telnet 128.55.160.162 offers: Education BBS (Login: guest) -NED telnet ned.ipac.caltech.edu or telnet 134.4.10.118 offers: NASA Extragalactic Database. (Login: ned) -Netfind User Lookup rlogin/telnet bruno.cs.colorado.edu or 128.138.243.151 offers: Given a name and org./school, finds a user for you (login: netfind) -NetLib mail netlib@ornl.gov mail netlib@uunet.uu.net Subject:(hit return) Body-of-letter: send index Offers: Software thru email -News Mail Servers mail [newsgroup]@cs.utexas.edu offers: Post to Usenet news via email. (eg. [newsgroup] = alt-bbs) -NICOL telnet nisc.jvnc.net or telnet 128.121.50.7 offers: Access to internet resources, Elec. Publishing Service (Login: nicol) -NICOLAS telnet dftnic.gsfc.nasa.gov or telnet 128.183.10.3 offers: Network Info. Center On-Line Aid System (Login: dftnic) -NNTP News Servers telnet uwm.edu 119 or telnet 129.89.2.1 119 telnet sol.ctr.columbia.edu 119 or 128.59.64.40 119 telnet rusmv1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de 119 or 129.69.1.12 telnet gibb.math.fu-berlin.de 119 or 130.133.4.250 119 offers: Telnetable access to post to the Usenet news. -NODIS telnet nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov or telnet 128.183.36.25 telnet nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov or telnet 128.183.36.23 offers: Menu-driven access to Nat'l Space Science Data Center (Login: nodis) -Nuclear Data Center telnet bnlnd2.dne.bnl.gov or telnet 130.199.112.132 offers: National nuclear data. (Login: nndc) -Oceanic Info. Center telnet delocn.udel.edu or telnet 128.175.24.1 (Login: info) -Oracle mail oracle@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu offers: The Usenet Oracle! Mail with subject as "help" for more info. -OSS-IS ftp soaf1.ssa.gov mail info@soaf1.ssa.gov with "send index" as your msg. offers: Many FAQ's, ftp lists, library and service lists, gov't documents. -Public-Access Unix telnet nyx.cs.du.edu or 130.253.192.9 offers: Free account, with access to various UNIX features. (login: new) -Public-Access Unix telnet hermes.merit.edu or telnet 35.1.48.150 telnet m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us or telnet 35.208.17.4 (Which host: um-m-net Enter 'g' for guest. login: newuser) -Readers Guide telnet lib.uwstout.edu or telnet 144.13.12.1 offers: Readers Guide to periodical literature, online. -Recipe Archives ftp gatekeeper.dec.com (cd pub/recipes) ftp mthvax.cs.miami.edu (cd /recipes) offers: Anonymous ftp site for MANY food recipes. -SDDAS telnet espsun.space.swri.edu 540 or 129.162.150.99 540 offers: SW Research Data Display & Analysis Center. -SERVICES telnet wugate.wustl.edu or 128.252.120.1 offers: Access to nearly every listed service! (Login: services) -Sid's Music Server mail mwilkenf@silver.ucs.indiana.edu Subject: BOOTHELP Offers: Lists of rare live recordings, cd's for sale. +Software Server (ASK) telnet askhp.ask.uni-karlsruhe.de or 192.67.194.33 offers: On-line software search. (Login/password: ask) -Spacemet telnet spacemet.phast.umass.edu or 128.119.50.48 offers: Science/space bbs. -SPAN telnet nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov or telnet 128.183.36.23 offers: Space Physics Analysis Network (Login: SPAN_NIC) -StatLib Server mail statlib@lib.stat.cmu.edu Mail with line: send index. Offers: Prgms, Datasets, etc. for statisticians. -STIS telnet stis.nsf.gov or 128.150.195.40 offers: Science & Technology Information System. (Login: public) -Supernet telnet supernet.ans.net or telnet 147.225.1.51 offers: Excellent menu-driven information searches. (Login: supernet) -Supreme Court Rulings ftp ftp.cwru.edu offers: ASCII files of Supreme Court rulings in directory /hermes -UMD Info Database telnet info.umd.edu or telnet 128.8.10.29 offers: Info. docs on many subjects, incl. Supr. Crt Decisions (Login: info) -UNC BBS telnet bbs.oit.unc.edu or telnet 152.2.22.80 offers: Access to Library of Congress and nationwide libraries (Login: bbs) -WAIStation telnet quake.think.com or telnet 192.31.181.1 telnet nnsc.nsf.net or telnet 128.89.1.178 telnet wais.funet.fi or telnet 128.214.6.100 offers: Wide Area Info. Service. (Login: wais) FTP think.com for more info. -Weather Service telnet downwind.sprl.umich.edu 3000 or 141.212.196.177 offers: City/State forecasts, ski conditions, earthquake reports, etc. -World-Wide Web telnet info.cern.ch or telnet 128.141.201.74 (SWISS) telnet eies2.njit.edu or telnet 128.235.1.43 (USA [NJ]) telnet vms.huji.ac.il or telnet 128.139.4.3 (ISRAEL) telnet info.funet.fi or telnet 128.214.6.100 (FINLAND) offers: Access to various documents, lists, and services. (Login: WWW) -ZIB Electronic Libr. telnet elib.zib-berlin.de or telnet 130.73.108.11 offers: Library of software, links to other libraries. (Login: elib) * NOTE: NO LOGIN NAMES OR PASSWORDS ARE REQUIRED UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE! * NOTE: FOR FTP SITES, LOGIN AS ANONYMOUS * PLEASE email me if you have any additional info/corrections/comments! * (C)1992 Scott A. Yanoff. Any reproduction of this document without the expressed written consent of the author is unlawful. __ MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN ! !/\_!\ A Great Place By A ! ! _ ! !_ Great Lake ! _! !! ! !_ ~~ @~ ~~ ! ! ! !! ! ! !~~ ~ @ ~~ ~~~ yanoff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu yanoff@miller.cs.uwm.edu ! ! ! _! ! ~~~ ~__=||_ ~~ ~ yanoff@convex.csd.uwm.edu yanoff@elvis.csd.uwm.edu ! ! !! !~~~~ ~ \____/ ! ! !! ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~ Computing Services Division ~~~~~~~ ------------- My thanks to Scott Yanoff for his hard work in preparing this, and I hope he will forward revisions on a regular basis to us. Also, my thanks to Joshua for passing it along. I hope everyone enjoys using it as much as I am. Patrick Townson TELECOM Digest Moderator   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa03346; 5 Aug 92 5:05 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA02373 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 5 Aug 1992 02:23:19 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA08694 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 5 Aug 1992 02:23:06 -0500 Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 02:23:06 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208050723.AA08694@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #605 TELECOM Digest Wed, 5 Aug 92 02:23:02 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 605 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson No Fun Anymore! (was Thrills of Long-Distance) (Olivier Crepin-Leblond) How do You Set up an LDC? (H. Shrikumar) Ringdown Circuit Hardware Recommendations Needed (B. Thompson) Advice Needed: Adding Extensions / Second Line (Cecil Lee) Lecture Materials on LD Network Wanted (Paul J. Drongowski) NovaTel 300T Programming Help Needed (Eric A. Litman) NYSE and Outages Documentation Wanted (Dr. Ross A. Stapleton) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1992 19:28:27 +0100 Subject: No Fun Anymore! (was Thrills of long-distance) Hello, About a week ago, I recall reading a footnote that PAT wrote regarding the situation of the Internet and comparing it to the situation that happened with ham radio before and after the "CB-people" were born ... Cliff Stoll then wrote: [much stuff edited - ocl] > In 1956, nobody called long distance across the Atlantic. Anyone > older than 40 remembers their first long distance phone call -- with > an eye on the second hand of the clock, you spoke fast. That one > phone call was cherished and packed with information. Not the same > thrill today; not the same information content, either. If you are interested in excitement, then try calling a place like India -- still very expensive and still a real adventure if you want to make a quick call ... ;-) Then comes a short chapter about ham radio. How great it used to be. How great it is today ... NOT! Then a chapter about astronomy and nostalgia about observing at a mountaintop telescope. Now it's all on CD-ROM, etc. etc. Finally Internet/Usenet: > Is the same thing is happening on the Usenet/Internet? When you had > to know the TCP/IP suite and there were a few hundred nodes on the > network, we mostly knew each other. It was a kicker to just get mail > across the network or to ping another node. There were fewer flames > and nastygrams. > With today's million node network, it's a rare Usenet group without > flamewars. You might recognize a few posting people, but how many > have you met? Malicious intruders break into computers. Many > postings have zero content. [stuff deleted to save Mbytes - ocl] Cliff concludes that it seems that with a lot of things nowadays, the Thrill is gone. Add to this message a footnote from our Moderator: > [Moderator's Note: You hit the nail squarely on the head. The thrill > is gone -- it isn't *fun* any longer. And yes, Usenet is the same way. ie: in complete agreement with Cliff. But wait a second, chaps, am I detecting much "nostalgius malignius" here? Your reaction to what's happening in the world today is some sort of rejection of advances in science. Imagine how Farraday would feel today looking at the way we treat electricity. Imagine how Mssrs. Daimler and Benz would feel if they looked at the cars we drive today. How about all of these aviation pioneers? How would they feel crossing the Atlantic in a Boeing 747? If one looks at the world this way, then one would always long for "the good old days" when only the qualified and intelligent would be able to use a service. You must understand that you were pioneering USENET/email/packet transfer of data in the seventies. Indeed, what we are doing today, this global conferencing system via Usenet, is still not available to *everyone* around the planet. In that respect, we are still in the pioneering stage. Just wait until the public at large is issued cheap terminals, or interfaces to exchange such a wide range of ideas as what is being exchanged on Usenet. Of course, being one of the Pioneers, one always longs for the "good ol' days"; it's natural to feel like that, but one thing that is sure is that we can never go back. [Then Pat describes the situation regarding the TELECOM Digest with 200+ messages per day nowadays. (phew ! congratulations for still keeping- up, Pat !) But then comes a statement that I disagree with: - ocl] > 100 per day and sometimes 200 per day -- this group alone. You may > recall the CB radiio 'rage' -- when it was the latest thing back in > the 1975-85 period. Millions of them out there, and finally so many > people got so totally turned off, disgusted with the way it was so > crowded and so full of junk they just quit. Even the FCC gave up any > pretense of monitoring or trying to control 11 meters. Now the band is > very quiet around Chicago by comparison. Only the real twirps are > still out there at it. Watch Usenet and see if the same thing will > happen in the next few years: A rapid increase in sites and traffic > (even more than now!) then suddenly a lot of places just pulling the > plug, at least on net news when they get tired of it. PAT] CB radio has never been seen as a "serious" means of communication. Agreed, Usenet isn't either. However, Usenet spans much greater distances around the globe than any CB network *ever*. What you have with CB is people living is roughly the same area of the world talking with each other. What you have with Usenet is people from *all around the world* who have the -> Freedom <- to discuss virtually anything they want to talk about. Okay, flames are getting more and more common, but isn't that more a reflection on today's planet society? This internationalisation of a single information medium brings-in the same conflicts as conflicts we are currently seeing in what was Yugoslavia, Irak vs. Kuwait, Jews vs. Arabs, pro-abortion vs. anti-abortion, etc. etc. While netiquette is less and less observed, isn't the situation similar in any country around the world? Usenet brings debating between people of very different background and origin possible. While unfortunately this may sometimes result in a lot of messages containing a "vacuum of nothingness" you'll find that there are some very interesting discussions that spring-up here and there. The negative effects are of course the increase in overall traffic carried by the networks. But if we look at the resources we now have at our disposal, is this increase in traffic likely to strain computing resources more than it used to in the past? My personal guess is no. Storage media size increases in capacity; speeds of transfer of telecommunication lines and fatpipes also increase accordingly, and ultimately, the only people who won't be able to cope with things are us, the human beings, since we'll have an overdose of information being fired at us. But do we know ourselves how much information we can chew-up every day? Perhaps our minds will train themselves into going through so much data. In short, I tend to believe that it is unlikely that sites would pull the plug on Usenet. If they did, then it would be the consequence of erm ... elderly system managers (apologies to Pat et al) [I am using the term "elderly" as opposed to young, ie: 40 years+ - ocl], who would find it difficult to cope with so much information being fired at them. Effectively the brain starts losing cells from the age of 20, so it's increasingly difficult to train it for new tasks, new processing, especially when speed of processing is required. As far as email is concerned, there is NO WAY that sites would pull the plug. My inner belief is that "We ain't seen nothing yet". With ISDN, soon Broadband ISDN, (year 2000+) everyone will be able to use packet-based services. Email may decrease when video-mail will come-up and this will decrease when interactive video telecommunications will be cheap to use. Until that time, email transmission of documents may go as far as replacing faxes, and of course, normal postal services. One thing before I go home: The decade of the eighties was the decade of computers for all. The decade of the nineties will see the same jump in technology as the eighties was in computers, but this time with telecommunications. I hope that I haven't offended anyone on the net. If I have, all my apologies. flames -> devnull as usual. Disclaimer: Affiliation to Imperial College is given for identifi- cation purposes only. Imperial College has no opinions whatsoever. Project: I am currently working on Broadband ISDN. Cheers, Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond, Digital Comms. Section, Elec. Eng. Department Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London SW7 2BT, UK Internet/Bitnet: - Janet: [Moderator's Note: Well yes, my brain cells have certainly started to wither up and die in the past couple decades. I think everyone on the net would agree with that assessment. :( Thank you for sharing your observations. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 23:27:02 GMT From: shri@iucaa.ernet.in (H. Shrikumar) Subject: How do You Set up an LDC? Hi, In article , shri@iucaa.ernet.in (H. Shrikumar) writes: > Please correct me, if I am wrong ... no scratch that, reading the > above, it *does* seem that I *am* wrong ... > I was under the impression that 1-800 like services could not be > implemented really well without the something like SS7. Thanx to all [(Andy Sherman) (Jon Baker) (26070-adams) (Alan L Varney) (david.g.lewis) ...] who answered ... it was interesting. Geeze, I had not known that 1-800 was almost as old as me! Then of course, MF signalling between the LEC and the IXC all fits into place. An interesting side-knowledge I got was that CallerID was not "everywhere" yet, that was the impression I, alongwith many others here, looking on developments in the US telecom scene across the pond were led to believe! From many cities in India, you can now Call-US-direct. The ads from our government monopoly does not say that this can be done only from certain switches, and certainly not all switches even in our metros as electronic. So, I guess they are using a set of methods to ensure that the call is billed to the card, and not to the calling number. If the exchange is electronic of course, the way to do it is obvious now. If not, I guess the Trunk Exchange (or Tandem as you call it) would just not send any metering pulses down the line, so your meter would not tick. This is my guess ... I plan to find out soon. One thread of thought, (too obscure to mention here :) started off by this in my mind ended up with this question ... How easy is it to start a Long Distance Carrier out there in the US? I know one has to obtain/lease/buy/install long distance ties etc. and establish points of presence, which entails cost/planning. But that IS NOT what I ask about. I mean, what does one have to do from a regulatory point? Any registration? Any prequalification? How does one end up getting a equal access code just like amy other LDC? Does one have to make arrangements with each RBOC/LEC or is that "automagically" done once you are "crowned" a LDC? On a different note: eeitecs@eeiuc.ericsson.se (Terence Cross) wrote: > Without this 2100Hz [guard tone] data [from a modem] can be corrupted. > So why, as suugested by a previous posting, the need for a expensive > neural net to detect modems. Wouldn't it be alot cheaper to corrupt > any data (not voice) on a line that didn't signal itself to be a modem, > thus forcing modems to identify themselves? Not true, the Trailblazers we have used on out USENET/mail links just go "shhhuuk ... SHHHUUKKKK ... shuuuk ... SHUUKKK", sending white noise like bursts (meaning much of USENET is white noise ? :-) in a ping pong fashion. They suffer from neither drop outs nor from echo suppressor, ... matter of fact they were what, and which was why, kept India on the Internet access across the pond for the first few critical months on a plain, and plain-bad ISD (International Subscriber Dialing) phone line. Of course, it won't take too long to come up with a modem that "talks". shrikumar ( shri@iucaa.ernet.in ) [Moderator's Note: To be a Long Distance Company in the USA, all you have to do is say you are one. No registration (where telcos are concerned; just whatever you would do regards taxes and corporate status, etc) is required. No leasing of lines, etc, unless you find it to your advantage to do so. You can string your own wires for all anyone cares. You can install an elaborate switch or merely grab the incoming calls from your customers and dial them back out over existing lines. If you want a 10xxx code or a 950-xxxx type number, you have to apply for one, and once it is turned on, all carriers will get the update. You have to do your own billing unless you cut a deal with some telco(s) or service bureaus to do it for you. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 Aug 1992 10:05:57 EDT From: Robert B. Thompson Subject: Ringdown Circuit Hardware Recommendations Needed Due to staff reductions we need to replace a staffed public information desk with an automated voice processing system. This system will provide assistance via voice menu to both local courtesy phone users and to users dialing in on a rotored CO group. We have a PC installed with PowerLine 2 multiport voice cards from Talking Technologies, which handles dial in users with no problem. The courtesy phones for local users are another matter. I need to install a ringdown circuit or circuits independent of the CO and connect POTs to the ringdown circuit(s). When a user goes off-hook the ringdown circuit should establish a loop and generate ring at the voice card. When the user goes on-hook the circuit should drop the loop and disconnect from the voice card. I've seen this type of circuit installed in elevators and security doors, but have no idea what hardware is needed to perform switching and provide ring current and talk battery. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Robert Bruce Thompson thompson@ledger.forsyth.wsnc.org Forsyth County MIS Department (919) 727-2597 (voice) Winston-Salem, NC USA (919) 727-2020 (fax) ------------------------------ From: clee@td2cad.intel.com (Mantas _DO_ Fly) Subject: Advice Needed: Adding Extensions / Second Line Organization: RMAF, Royal Manta Air Force Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1992 14:30:34 GMT Hello, I'm going to be moving soon and I need some advice on how to (re)arrange the phone setup. I live in Pac-Bell area, so here goes. A) The house currently has one line and (I think) two extensions; upstairs and downstairs. I would like to run additional extensions in other rooms. B) I also want to add a second line (for the computer :-). Pac Bell will bring the line to the house for a flat fee but then wants $$$ to actually put the phone jacks in. I'm looking for reference material and/or advice on how I can do this work myself. Do's and Don'ts, etc ... Thanks. Cecil Lee, Intel Corp., CLee@SC9.INTEL.COM UUCP : {pur-ee,qantel,amdcad,oliveb,decwrl,hplabs}!intelca!mipos3!sc9!clee ------------------------------ From: pjd@siemens.siemens.com (dr. funk) Subject: Lecture Materials on LD Network Wanted Date: 4 Aug 92 17:02:56 GMT Organization: siemens corporate research inc Just in case this hit the floor last week ... I sometimes give "visiting scientist" talks to students in the local schools. I usually look for subjects that they can relate to, but probably haven`t thought about. Since our area is just laced with transcontinental cables -- marked by the funny orange hats -- I thought it would make a good subject. 1. Are there any good easy to obtain resources to prepare a talk on the long distance network -- management, construction, and so on? 2. Where at AT&T, for example, would be the best place to start asking for information? (A phone number would be ideal, natch :-) Thanks, as they say, in advance. And hey, I'm interested in learning more, too! paul j. drongowski N2OQT siemens corporate research inc pjd@siemens.siemens.com princeton, new jersey 08540 (609) 734-6547 ------------------------------ From: Eric A. Litman Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 20:36:46 -0400 Subject: NovaTel 300T Programming Help Needed Reply-To: elitman@wam.umd.edu Organization: NeXT Computer, Inc. I have pulled an old cellular phone out of the closet recently to perform some minor repairs, and discovered that I have lost the scant programming documentation I once had for it. The phone is a NovaTel 300T transportable, a mamoth unit that while now quite outdated should perform quite well in an old Jeep. I seem to remember that to access the NAM one had to enter something like *2#9 in lock mode, but of course that is not the exact code. If anyone has this information available, I would greatly appreciate sharing in the knowledge. Eric A. Litman #import | NeXTMail, MIME accepted - please U. of Maryland, NeXT Campus Consultant | indicate in Subject line. ------------------------------ Subject: NYSE Outages Documentation Wanted From: stapleton@misvax.mis.arizona.edu (Dr. Ross Alan Stapleton) Date: 4 Aug 1992 18:19 MST Organization: University of Arizona MIS Department For my class (on information age issues) and for a paper I'm writing, I'd like to cite the hazards of technological dependence, in terms of the scale of damage that be caused in today's well-wired world. I know that the NYSE has taken at least one major telecom outage hit, and I'll look through the archives (and in RISKS), but would appreciate anyone who could pipe me such information off-line. And, even better, if there are any NYSE nuts out there who could tell me if there have been cases (pre-telephone) where the exchange was closed for any sort of reason (like a fire, etc.), to try to describe the changes in magnitude of what the exchange does (XXX dollars a minute lost ... vs. 1200 shares traded for the week of ...). And pointers to financial-type lists, discussion groups, etc., will not be turned away ... :-) Ross [Moderator's Note: Well you knew I suppose that the Chicago Board of Trade Building (the trading floor, brokers, other offices) was closed for several days during the Great Chicago Flood earlier this year. After a two day suspension, the Board of Trade itself resumed operations on a very limited daily schedule with no computers and very limited phone service. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #605 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa13594; 6 Aug 92 2:52 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24086 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 6 Aug 1992 00:47:07 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA02628 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 6 Aug 1992 00:46:57 -0500 Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 00:46:57 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208060546.AA02628@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #606 TELECOM Digest Thu, 6 Aug 92 00:46:55 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 606 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Jim Rees) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Mark Phaedrus) Re: Pac*Bell CLASS Features (Alan L. Varney) Re: Pac*Bell CLASS Features (David Ptasnik) Re: How Should I Pick an LD Carrier? (John Higdon) Re: How Should I Pick an LD Carrier? (Sal A. Kabalani) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rees@dabo.citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Reply-To: Jim.Rees@umich.edu Organization: University of Michigan IFS Project Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 04:30:05 GMT In article , goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) writes: > Remember, although stored-value cards have their uses, they are still > essentially glorified payphone tokens, so their range of capabilities > is very narrow. Calling card accounts are much more general-purpose > because they can be used from almost any phone in the country (and > even some outside). Remember, although calling cards have their uses, they are still essentially glorified credit cards, so their range of capabilities is very narrow. Stored value cards are much more general-purpose because they can be used by anyone at any time. I think both kinds of cards have their uses. But why is the US the only country in the world where you can't pay cash for an inter- national phone call? [Moderator's Note: You *can* pay cash for an international phone call here. The only problem is the method for doing so. If you want to stand there and deposit several dollars in quarters in the coin box you may do so; the operators will accept that. PAT] ------------------------------ From: phaedrus@cs.washington.edu (Mark Phaedrus) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Organization: University of Washington Computer Science Date: Thu, 6 Aug 92 05:36:12 GMT In article Bob_Frankston@frankston.com writes: > Why upgrade all phones to read "calling cards" when one can simply > have the calling cards generate DTMF tones? Of course, this would be > too advanced a concept for telcos. ... I don't see how a card that generated DTMF tones would be any more secure than the current cards. True, nobody could visually read the number off the card (though, as you point out, simply omitting the printed PIN from current cards would solve this problem), but you'd better not use your fancy new card too close to anyone carrying anything big enough to conceal a tape recorder. (Even if the tape doesn't have enough signal strength to successfully imitate the card if played into a telephone, all the sophisticated crook has to do is decode the DTMF tones into numbers and go from there.) Plus, the "smart" cards would undoubtedly be more expensive to manufacture (which would be reflected in rates), and would be yet another thing in my life to break when I need it most. :) If you want security in your calling card, tape over the numbers printed on it, only use it in phones with a magnetic card reader, and never lose it. (Note that this gives you basically the same degree of security as the "stored value card", with the option of removing the tape and using the card the "unsecure way" if you desperately need to make a call where there's no card-reader-equipped phone.) I don't see how any "solution" that still requires numbers or sounds to be fed or spoken into the phone can be made much more secure than things are now, since anything visible or audible in a public area can be copied or recorded. Mark Phaedrus, Computer Science Major, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA Work: phaedrus@cs.washington.edu Play: phaedrus@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 08:02:45 CDT From: varney@ihlpf.att.com (Alan L Varney) Subject: Re: Pac*Bell CLASS Features Organization: AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL In article dave@westmark.com (Dave Levenson) writes: > In article , varney@ihlpf.att.com (Alan > L Varney) writes: >> Maybe someone will come up with a better method for the >> mass calling case someday; if so, it probably won't rely on "ring >> back". > They already have. It's called ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) and > it usually provides a recorded messages advising the queued callers > that they will be connected to the next available agent. Dave, it's true that ACD is the way to go for true mass calling destinations. But it only helps to a point. It will either run out of "queue slots" (good design) or tie up all the incoming trunks to the terminating CO (not good). Then the other 10,000 callers cause the same system overload you'd see if there wasn't an ACD. As I mentioned, the only answer I have come up with for the "mass ticket sale" via telephone is: Don't do it. That's not to say that such a system couldn't be designed. In the meantime, my sister in Topeka says that Garth Brooks is using a mail-in ticket lottery in that area. (I pick on Garth because of the impact of his ticket sales on Arizona and California telephones.) Al Varney - just MY opinion. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1992 08:43:45 -0700 (PDT) From: David Ptasnik Subject: Re: Pac*Bell CLASS Features n1gak@netcom.com (Scott Statton) wrote: > In a previous edition of the digest, Terry Kennedy explains how he > tried to use Camp-on to call the busy CATV service number ... >> and picked up the phone, I got a "per-chunk" (louder than the call >> waiting one) followed by "We are sorry. Your call cannot be completed >> because the number became busy again". I'd think that it would seize >> the destination number while attempting to notify me. > Does anyone have the feature-interaction cross-ref for Busy-Redial and > hunting? I can obviously see how they implemented it (415-961 a 1A > ESS) on a per-termination basis. In other offices, can it be > implemented on a per-hunt-group basis? I'm not familiar with number 5 > internals, having never had the bad taste to live near one :-) One of the problems we experience on our campus Centrex (provided by a US West 5ESS) is that there are many different kinds of "hunting". For example, Call Foward Busy can be used to establish a "hunt goup" but can only be used for a string of about ten lines. For more than ten lines, we order Standard Hunting. Unfortunately, Standard Hunting does not pass ANI data to our voice mail system, so if we want the last line to "hunt" into voice mail, the last line must be equipped with Call Forward Busy. Each of these features is set up differently in the switch, and we are charged differently for each feature. The hunting feature you are probably having problems with is Multi-Line Hunt Group (MLHG). (I don't know how standardized these terms are, this is how we order the features from USW). This is the only feature set that allows USW to do busy studies for us. It also has the option of allowing us to test specific numbers within the hunt group. With the other hunting type features, if you call line three in the group and it is busy, then your call automatically hunts to line four. With MLHG if you call line three and line three is busy, you hear a busy signal, line four is not considered. The only time a call will hunt from line three to line four is if the call originated at line one, and hunted thru lines one, two and three. This allows us to call a specific line for testing, and KNOW that we have that line, and not one of the others in the hunt group. At last I get to the point ... For features like auto call back, this MLHG feature creates problems. Let's say you dial the lead number in the Hunt Group and all of the trunks are busy. The auto call back will attach itself to a specifc trunk, and only attempt to call back to that trunk. Thus the chances of getting thru to that trunk are pretty small. If you call back manually then you get a chance at all of the lines in the hunt group. Unfortunately, then larger and busier the group you call, the more likely it is to be a MLHG. This feature allows for the most flexibility of testing lines, allowing the system administrator to more quickly diagnose problems, and take problem trunks out of service. I should note that I am not a switch engineer, I am user who orders these features for departments within the University of Washington. My understanding is based on explanations given to me by USW marketing representatives and may be over simplified, or mis-understood by me. As a side note: When ordering residential service for two or more lines, many people just ask for "hunting" and get Standard Hunting. In a two or three line situation, Call Forwarding Busy will work every bit as well. In US West territory (at least) Call Forward Busy is about a dollar a month cheaper than Standard Hunting. Unfortunately most of the reps you talk to do not know that two largely equivalent features exist, and only know about the most expensive :(. Be persistent, ask for supervisors. As a side side note, our campus Centrex is now offering Custom Ringing, Call Forward Busy or Don't Answer Programmable Variable, and a host of other neat things. The Bells are finally starting to open those swtiches up a little. All of the above is nothing more than the personal opinion of - Dave Ptasnik davep@u.washington.edu [Moderator's Note: Here in Chicago the traditional type of hunting is free. However they charge for Call Forward Busy. Go figure. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 11:44 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: How Should I Pick an LD Carrier? rochberg-david@CS.YALE.EDU (David Rochberg) writes: > So, I called the numbers I saw presented in the TV ads for Sprint, > MCI, and AT&T. Everyone was very polite, and everyone promised to > send me rate information. It's now the proverbial four-to-six weeks > later, and (much to my surprise) NO ONE has sent me anything. You have to understand that the marketing mechanism for each of the major carriers is geared to the "instant close". The last thing that any of them want is for you to actually do comparison shopping. If you do that, you will discover that there is not much differential between comparable rate plans. Sending out rate information is too much bother and expense for just one POSSIBLE customer. > 1) Is there some organization (perhaps regulatory) that keeps track of > LD rates and that I can ask for informaton? Yes, the FCC. However this information is not all that easy to get on a regular basis. Rates change constantly, just like the commodity market. I have found that an efficient way to keep up on it is to periodically call each carrier and ask for specific rates between two fictitious exchanges. This includes initial minute and subsequent minutes for each of the various plans. > 2) Is there a better way to get written information on rates? (The > ld*.txt files at lcs.mit.edu are great, but they're from 1985). Not if you want the information current. > 3) Is there any way that my apartment's phone can be used for more > than one carrier without paying calling card surcharges? Sure. Simply establish an account with each carrier you want to do business with. Only one can be the default, but each of the others can be accessed with FGD carrier access codes (10XXX). It is functionally the same as "dial 1". > 4) Are there any factors that I should be considering other than > rates during my planned (late-ish) calling period? Check calling card surcharges and overall level of service. > 5) Are there any other carriers that I should be considering? It depends upon where you call. For instance, if I call Hawaii using AT&T from here, the connection is dog excrement. It is almost not possible to conduct an intelligent conversation. If I use ComSystems, the connection is perfect: no delay, no distortion, no noise. This was found by accident, but is the type of thing you want to be on the lookout for. > 6) Is there a source (electronic or paper) that I should be RTFM'ing > about this? Telecom Archives? Again, current rate information is probably not stored anywhere that you can automatically access it. > 7) Someone on this list mentioned an inexpensive personal 800 number > service. The rates sounded comparable to what I'd been told by > various LD folks, and I could arrange to have people I want to talk to > call me and then split bills. Is there some reason why this isn't > viable? All the carriers now offer a "personal" 800 service. If the rates are acceptable to you, then go for it. I have found that a standard business 800 offering suits my needs (and pocketbook) better than any of the "personal" 800 services. So be sure you check all the possibilities out, not just the ones that are hyped to consumers. > 8) Is there a substantial difference between the cheapest plans of the > three majors? No. For my own set up, AT&T is cheapest, MCI a close second, and Sprint is out in left field. Since I have found AT&T to have the superior service overall, the choice was easy. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: 05 Aug 1992 00:28:35 -0500 (CDT) From: Sal Kabalani Subject: Re: How Should I Pick an LD Carrier? rochberg-david@CS.YALE.EDU (David Rochberg) wrote: > I'd like some advice on how to pick a long-distance carrier. I am a telephony novice at best. Here is my $0.02's worth :) > 1) Is there some organization (perhaps regulatory) that keeps track of > LD rates and that I can ask for informaton? Yes, NECA is the government regulatory entity that sets tariffs. I am not sure if NECA would send you the rate information, and I not sure you want to get it. Last time I reviewed the NECA tariff volumes I was shocked at the complexity of the NECA tariff manuals. > 3) Is there any way that my apartment's phone can be used for more > than one carrier without paying calling card surcharges? Yes. You can use 10XXX dialing from almost any line to access a non-presubscribed carrier's network for casual calling. The dialing method is: 10-XXX-1-A/C-Number (Example, 10-288-1-515-830-0436 could dial my office over the AT&T network.) The XXX stands for the Carrier Identification Code (CIC). Follows are the CICs of the more known carriers. 001 MidAmerican Communication 450 LDDS Communications Inc 007 TMC Long Distance 488 Metromedia/ITT 222 MCI 555 Telesphere Comm, Inc 250 Dial-Net Inc 754 Sears Technology Svcs 288 AT&T 772 Sears Technology Svcs 333 U. S. Sprint 832 TeleCom*USA 401 National Teleservice, Inc 835 TeleConnect This list is not comprehensive, it is for example only. CICs might differ in your area. You might want to check with your local telco before dialing. Access to some of these carriers may not be available from your area. > 4) Are there any factors that I should be considering other than > rates during my planned (late-ish) calling period? Yes. One of the obvious things is the call duration. The longer you call, the more it will cost you, no matter how low the rate is. If you are in an equal access area, your local telco might be able to provide you with an IntraLata carrier choice as well. In my opinion, chosing a carrier other than the RBOC for your intralata calls can save you money. To my knowledge, Centralized Equal-Access that provides IntraLata carrier choice is currently avialable through only three companies: Minnesota Equal Access Network Service (MEANS), Iowa Network Services (INS) and South Dakota Network (SDN). I understand Kansas, Missouri and Indiana are currently considering CEA as well. CEA is available ONLY in rural (non-RBOC) areas. DR> 5) Are there any other carriers that I should be considering? See list above. DR> 8) Is there a substantial difference between the cheapest plans of the DR> three majors? Personally speaking, I have not noticed significant difference in the "major" carriers' rates. It often boils down to other factors, like line clearity, instant credit for mis-dials, quality of operator services, and tactics the carriers use to get your business. Hope this helps. I am solely responsible for my opinions, and they do not reflect those of my employer. Sal A Kabalani----------+--Internet: SK89221 @ Acad.Drake.Edu Superv. of Operations | Phone: (515) 830-0436 Data Systems Department | VoiceMail: (515) 830-1086 Iowa Network Services | Fax : (515) 830-0123 4201 Corporate Drive | Centralized Equal Access Des Moines, Iowa 50265 | CIC 225 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #606 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa15554; 6 Aug 92 3:57 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03667 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 6 Aug 1992 01:55:46 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA27627 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 6 Aug 1992 01:55:36 -0500 Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 01:55:36 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208060655.AA27627@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #607 TELECOM Digest Thu, 6 Aug 92 01:55:33 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 607 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Mickey Ferguson) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Rich Mintz) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Richard Cox) Re: Cordless Phone Not Charging (Steve Thorn) Re: Cordless Phone Not Charging (Andrew C. Green) Re: Ancient Modems For Sale (John Schuch) Re: Ancient Modems For Sale (Daniel Romanchik) Re: Ringdown Circuit Hardware Recommendations Needed (John Gilbert) Re: Ringdown Circuit Hardware Recommendations Needed (Lars Poulsen) Re: Ringdown Circuit Hardware Recommendations Needed (Paul Cook) Re: Product Review of SMDR Buffered Modem (Vance Shipley) Re: Help With X.25 (Horacio Stolovitzky) Re: The Second Telephone Call (Seth Johnson) Re: The Second Telephone Call (Guy J. Sherr) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 10:00:17 PDT From: mickeyf@vnet.ibm.com (Mickey Ferguson) Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Organization: Rolm > The DTMF standard allows for up to 16 touch tones. I believe the four > besides "1234567890* > Does anyone know of a telephone set or a portable device (with a > speaker that could be held up to a microphone) that generates these > tones? > What else are these extra tones used for? When I was in Germany last year, a co-worker of mine had a tone generator which he used to talk to his voice mail system, since his phone was an old analog phone. I noticed that it had not only the 0-9 and * and #, but also the A-D. I asked what they were used for, and I found out several uses. Apparently, the military (US only? Various other countries as well?) uses these for various communications protocols. One use I do know of is for a feature called AMIS-analog, a (CCITT?) standard protocol for signaling between multiple voice mail vendors. I don't know much about it, but it apparently allows for different voice mail systems to be able to transmit and deliver voice messages to appear as if they are part of one network, or something like that. (I'm probably already reaching beyond my knowledge of this stuff now ...) Mickey Ferguson -- Rolm -- FergusoM at scrvm2 -- mickeyf@vnet.ibm.com ------------------------------ From: rmintz@ecst.csuchico.edu (Rich Mintz) Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Organization: California State University, Chico Date: Wed, 05 Aug 1992 13:53:21 GMT I believe that the only place the ABCD touch tones are used in the United States are in the military, where I've heard they are used to classify the priority of one's call. I remember seeing in some phreak information file once some instructions on shifting the tones in a normal touch tone dialer in some way by tying one of the IC's pins to high or ground or something like that. I think it was a modification designed to let one produce the ABCD tones. It described putting a switch on the side of the unit to switch between the normal and altered frequencies on one row of the touch tones. If memory serves, it said that the standard IC used for producing touch tones can make those extra tones, but that feature's usually not enabled in the U.S. I know this isn't much help, but your message reminded me of reading that, and if you have a need for producing those ABCD tones, perhaps someone here more knowledgable on the subject will know what I'm talking about and how to do it! Rich -> rmintz@cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu [Moderator's Note: You did not read it in a phreak information phile; you read it here! PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 23:59 GMT From: Richard Cox Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Reply-To: mandarin@cix.clink.co.uk Fred Fierling (fff@microplex.com) asks about ABCD tones. They have various uses depending on what country you are in. In some countries they are not permitted to be used at all, so you should get the picture! However, the KIRK telephone (made in Denmark) has the full 16-tone keypad operational. I have a few left here but don't know whether there would be any import or export problems from Wales to Canada. The Telrad keyphone system (called the LS90 over here) allows user keys to be preprogrammed to generate these extra codes. I believe this system is sold in the USA (and Canada ?) Richard Cox Mandarin Technology, Cardiff Business Park, Llanishen, CARDIFF, Wales CF4 5WF Voice: +44 222 747111 Fax: +44 222 711111 VoiceMail: +44 399 870101 E-mail: mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Aug 92 11:08:57 -0400 From: spt@sgtech.sgtech.com (Steve Thorn) Subject: Re: Cordless Phone Not Charging In article , konstan@elmer-fudd.cs. berkeley.edu (Joe Konstan) writes: > In TELECOM Digest V12 #578, Ang Peng Hwa writes: >> My AT&T cordless phone is not charging and I'd appreciate any input. >> The most common problem I have with AT&T cordless phones (love my >> 5500) is that the contacts on the phone and charger get dirty. If the >> model you have has a "Charging" light, check to see if it stays on >> when the phone is in the base. If not, get steel wool (can use other >> scrubbers, but steel wool works best) and clean off all of the >> contacts. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 8^{ NOT! > General rule around all types of electrical equipment ... do not use > steel wool or emery cloth for cleaning contacts. The residue > (slivers, shiners, call them what you will) are conductive and might > cause more damage than they fix! One of the cheapest (and most > readily available contact cleaners known to man is the common pencil > top eraser. No shorts, no contamination and it does a yeoman job of > removing films and light corrosion. I've found that pen erasers work the best. That's what I always used to clean the contacts of my slot racing cars a few :-) years ago. They seem to be more gritty than pencil erasers, and do a better job of cleaning down to the bare metal. Steve Thorn spt@sgtech.com an336@cleveland.freenet.edu Star Gate Technologies, Inc. ...!uunet!abvax!sgtech!spt 29300 Aurora Rd, Solon, OH 44139 USA 216-349-1860 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Aug 1992 16:34:11 CDT From: acg@hermes.dlogics.com Reply-To: acg@hermes.dlogics.com Subject: Re: Cordless Phone Not Charging kab@hotstone.att.com (Kenneth A Becker) writes: > I would suggest that you don't use a pencil eraser. [...] As it > happens, most pencil erasers have some sulfer in them; so, while > one could use the eraser to get rid of the surface corrosion and > temporarily make better contact, the sulfer traces left behind by > a pencil eraser would react with water in the air, making sulfuric > acid that would corrode the metal. A little extra fine emery > cloth/steel wool is therefore better than the pencil eraser; a dose > of denatured alcohol afterwards can get rid of the particles. I hate to drag out what was a fairly innocuous question to begin with, but I'm not sure I'm following this. I guess you could have problems with residual sulfur reacting with air, but it seems like you'd need some consistently outrageous humidity to do it. I'd be wary of using denatured alcohol to clean up after emery cloth or steel wool, since it wouldn't dissolve the debris, but could carry it into undesirable areas before the alcohol evaporated. > ...a little conductive grease to exclude air at the point of contact > might be in order; this stuff can be found at any reasonable electronic > parts store. Good idea. It's called "dielectric grease", or something like that, right? I've also used Vaseline petroleum jelly on electrical contacts and it worked very well. Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@dlogics.com 441 W. Huron UUCP: ..!uunet!dlogics!acg Chicago, IL 60610 FAX: (312) 266-4473 ------------------------------ From: mcdphx!hbg6@enuucp.eas.asu.edu (John Schuch) Subject: Re: Ancient Modems For Sale Organization: Motorola Computer Group, Tempe, Az. Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1992 20:51:39 GMT In article danr@ais.org (Daniel Romanchik) writes: > I have the following modems in my basement: > paradyne uP 4800 paradyne T-96 codex 2680 FYI: At the Sierra Equipment Auction in Phoenix last Saturday, there were about 12 Paradyne uP 9600's that sold for about $2.50 each. John ------------------------------ From: danr@ais.org (Daniel Romanchik) Subject: Re: Ancient Modems For Sale Date: 3 Aug 92 16:30:56 GMT Organization: UMCC In article I wrote: >I have the following modems in my basement: > paradyne uP 4800 paradyne T-96 codex 2680 > Can anyone tell me some of the salient features of these modems? > Better yet, anyone want to make me an offer for them? I receieved a couple of responses to this post. Unfortunately, in a spate of over-zealous file-cleaning, I lost the e-mail addresses of the respondees. If you see this, guys, please respond again. I still have them, and your offers sound good to me. Thanks again, Dan ------------------------------ From: johng@comm.mot.com (John Gilbert) Subject: Re: Ringdown Circuit Hardware Recommendations Needed Organization: Motorola, Inc Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 19:57:51 GMT In article Robert B. Thompson writes: > The courtesy phones for local users are another matter. I need to > install a ringdown circuit or circuits independent of the CO and > connect POTs to the ringdown circuit(s). When a user goes off-hook the > ringdown circuit should establish a loop and generate ring at the > voice card. When the user goes on-hook the circuit should drop the > loop and disconnect from the voice card. Take a look at the Tele-path 341A Automatic Ringdown Tie Line Unit. It provides for direct off-hook communications between two telephone instruments, single line sets, key telephones or one of each. When the handset at either station is lifted the other station is automatically signalled until it is answered or the call is abandoned. Audible signals may be bridged ringers, common ringers, buzzers or any combination. The unit mounts on the wall and mates with a 25-pair female cable. Power: -24 VDC or -48 VDC at 50-100 mA. 75-105 VAC 15-35 Hz for ringers. Dimensions: 7" X 2.16" X 6.5" (a KSU shelf is not required). A 415A or a 414A card for a 1A2 key system might also work for you. This is out of a Graybar catalog (800-BUY-ELEC). John Gilbert johng@ecs.comm.mot.com ------------------------------ From: lars@spectrum.CMC.COM (Lars Poulsen) Subject: Re: Ringdown Circuit Hardware Recommendations Needed Organization: CMC Network Systems (Rockwell DCD), Santa Barbara, CA, USA Date: Wed, 5 Aug 92 22:37:39 GMT In article Robert B. Thompson writes: > install a ringdown circuit or circuits independent of the CO and > connect POTs to the ringdown circuit(s). When a user goes off-hook the > ringdown circuit should establish a loop and generate ring at the > nvoice card. When the user goes on-hook the circuit should drop the > loop and disconnect from the voice card. My local Graybar salesperson pointed me to the ideal solution for you. The VIKING DLE-200A is a two-way ringdown circuit, which provides battery (32 V), dial tone, ringing (20 Hz - two seconds on, four seconds off) and CPC (150 ms). For about $110 each. When either side goes off hook, dial tone is presented for two seconds and then ringing goes to the other side. There are options to: - change ringing cadence (four versions) - eliminate CPC - issue five rings only - allow one-way operation only - eliminate dial tone and ring instantly. I am thinking of using this box to light up a dry pair for use with standard modems that don't support leased lines. Lars Poulsen, SMTS Software Engineer Internet E-mail: lars@CMC.COM CMC (Rockwell Digital Systems) Telephone: +1-805-968-4262 Santa Barbara, CA 93117-5503 TeleFAX: +1-805-968-8256 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Aug 92 16:33 GMT From: Proctor & Associates <0003991080@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: Ringdown Circuit Hardware Recommendations Needed A conventional ringdown circuit or even a regular telephone line won't "drop the loop and disconnect from the voice card." When the calling party hangs up on a conventional telephone circuit, the CO might give a CPC pulse, but it still keeps 48 vdc there to detect hookswitch status. It is up to the called party to go on-hook. With a voice card, this may require time-out or the ability to go on-hook after so many seconds of silence. You can use the Proctor 46220 (single circuit) or 46240 (four circuit) Ringdown Circuits. Information can be mailed to you after contacting Proctor at any of the addresses (including email) in the signature below. These ringdown circuits provide conventional CO-type 48 volt battery feed and 20 Hz ringing in each direction, so you can hook anything to it that you would hook to a normal phone line, except that there is no dialing required. There is a way around the problem mentioned above if you need to force an on-hook at the far (voice card) end when the user goes on-hook. Assuming that the service will always be one-way, if you REALLY want the ringdown to "drop the loop and DISCONNECT from the voice card" you can wire in a line sense relay that only connects the voice card end to the loop after the calling end goes off-hook. When the caller goes back on-hook, the relay opens again and the voice card is disconnected from the line. These loop detector relays are available from The Creative Aspect, 2345 7th St, Denver, CO 80211, and their fax/voice number is 303-433-7007. The folks at The Creative Aspect are quite familiar with this application. Paul Cook 206-881-7000 Proctor & Associates MCI Mail 399-1080 15050 NE 36th St. fax: 206-885-3282 Redmond, WA 98052-5317 3991080@mcimail.com [Moderator's Note: I have a ring-down circuit here for a personal project I am working on with a Dialogics card on one end in a PC and a telephone on the other. I just took an old filtered 24 VDC supply and wired the telephone in series to the Dialogics card through the supply. Then I used the second pair in the telephone to bring ringing voltage up to a little momentary push-on switch I mounted on the front of the phone from a 105 volt supply. Pushing the little button allows ringing current to reach the talking pair and the card which goes off hook when it senses the ringing. When it goes off hook and the phone I use is also off hook then the loop is completed and I use the touch tone buttons on my phone to manipulate the card (and what it does in the computer) just as though I had called from a regular line. PAT] ------------------------------ From: vances@xenitec.on.ca (Vance Shipley) Subject: Re: Product Review of SMDR Buffered Modem Organization: SwitchView Inc., Waterloo, Ontario Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1992 01:51:12 GMT In article davep@u.washington.edu (David Ptasnik) writes: > I just hooked up the Visionary Electronics 2400xt buffered modem, and > I like it alot. It is attached to a Merlin II R.3 key system (had to > use an AT&T 355A and a null modem adapter to get from AT&T's RJ-45 > format to an RS-232). Comes with 256k, one meg, or four meg of RAM > for well under $1,000. I am trying a one meg version. We at SwitchView have been working with these units for a while now. The price of these units make it practical to consider call accounting centralized for key systems. Vance Shipley vances@xenitec.on.ca vances@ltg.uucp ..uunet.ca!xenitec!vances ------------------------------ From: satlink!postmaster Subject: Re: Help With X.25 Date: 3 Aug 92 02:08:00 GMT Organization: SatLink Communications - Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA Reply-To: satlink!postmaster (Postmaster) gauthier@ug.cs.dal.ca (Paul Gauthier) wrote: > I am looking for a good book or electronic document on X.25 from the > point of view of a programmer going to write code to conduct > transactions over it. The better X.25 books that I have are from TELECOM CANADA called: - Datapac 3000 Specifications - A Guide to Datapac 3000 I don't remember but I believe that the cost for these books is c$40. Best regards, Horacio Stolovitzky SatLink Communications / Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA E-Mail: postmaster@satlink.org.ar ------------------------------ From: smj@iti.org (Seth Johnson) Subject: Re: The Second Telephone Call Organization: Industrial Technology Institute Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 14:08:30 GMT In article appell@attmail.com writes: > "Mr. Watson, come here, I ... uh, could you hold a minute, I have a > call on my other line." ... Sorry, Mr. Watson, it was just one of those darn Friends and Family people again." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 12:38 GMT From: Guy J. Sherr <0004322955@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: The Second Phone call (TELECOM Digest V12 #603) The third phone call: Bell: "Mr. Watson! Come here! I need you!" ACD: "Press 1 for Mr. Bell. Press 2 for Mr. Watson. Press # to end this call." ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #607 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa16217; 6 Aug 92 4:22 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA06273 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 6 Aug 1992 02:29:47 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA26054 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 6 Aug 1992 02:29:35 -0500 Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 02:29:35 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208060729.AA26054@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #608 TELECOM Digest Thu, 6 Aug 92 02:29:36 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 608 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Should I Keep My Cellphone Off When Not Using it? (Douglas S. Reuben) Re: Should I Keep My Cellphone Off When Not Using it? (Bill Mayhew) Re: Ericsson MD110 PBX Intelligent Network (Vance Shipley) Re: Need Voice Mail System (Louis LeClerc) Re: Need Help Determining Local Access For Largest Area (Randy Gellens) Re: How to Use U.S. Modem in England? (Linc Madison) Re: Ameritech Complete MasterCard (Michael G. Beirne) Re: Questions About Fax Tones vs. Voice (Leonard Erickson) Re: New Subscriber Solicitations - MCI (Tony Safina) Re: NET and a Noise-Free Line: Impossible? (Barton F. Bruce) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 6-AUG-1992 00:54:00.31 From: Douglas Scott Reuben Subject: Re: Should I Keep My CellphoneOff When Not Using it? aub@access.digex.com (Aubrey Philipsz) writes on Aug 2, 1992 18:19:13 GMT: [responding to initial poster who noted:] >> You are correct that the mobile unit does periodically talk to the >> system. My unit makes some sore of inquiry every five minutes while >> it is switched on. > Well, one of the things that it is doing is telling anyone who wants > to know badly enough exactly where you are located. Not to be picky, but this is not true in all systems. The periodic updates only occur in switches which are programmed to provide (and capable of) something called "Autonomous Registration". These are updates which the cellphone sends to the switch to let the swtich know where the cellphone is. (An aside: does the switch tell the phone "Update yourself to me every 10 minutes" and the phone sends out an overhead from then on, or does the switch have to interrogate the phone every time it wants a location update? IE, do cellphones have a built in timer for Autonomously Registering systems? I've never got a firm answer on this ...) Thus, almost all Ericssons and AT&T Autoplex II (and I?) switches do this; some Motorolas do this. (Motorolas "click" when you dial out, and may click while it locates the mobile as well.) So the "B" side Motorola-based carriers in CA do this (haven't checked lately, maybe wrong), the "A" side carrier in CT, RI, and Western Mass does this, while in Delaware, Philly, Atlantic City and Boston, the Motorola based A-carriers do not. It really depends on the software and how updated your swtich is. Generally, as you expand outwardly and connect your system to others, it makes sense to go to Autonmous Registration. Otherwise, in order to locate a mobile unit, you will have to page your own system, and ALL other non-auton systems you are connected to, which can cause a LOT of congestion on the paging channel and the data/control links between switches/systems. This can cause "lost" pages (calls) and cause features link three-way or call forwarding to be slow or unavailable during congested periods. Cell One/NY dumped Motorola and went to Ericsson because, among other things, they needed to expand their connectivity for the then-planned NACN, and Motorola wasn't ready with their own system at the time. With a system like NY's, overload of the paging channels and control channels was a serious problem -- quite frequently callers got a re-order or "please redial" message because there was too much congestion on the paging channel, and not due to local channel (over)use at the desired mobile's cell tower. But if you are smaller system, and not part of a larger, Autonomous- based network, you may not need Autonomous Registration. For example, Cell One/VT, the Motorola-based "A" side carrier serving most of VT and Western New Hampshire does not use Autonomous Registration, as it is a small (customer wise) system, and not connected to anyone else. They may need to go Auton Regs if they eventually connect with Metro Mobile to the south in Mass, but right now it is unecessary. (Antother aside: Is Boston autonomous yet? I have always assumed it was not, but never bothered to check recently ... hmmm ... it would be interesting if it is NOT: It is connected to Metro Mobile/RI which IS autonomous. If that is the case, I guess Motorola EMXs can "talk" to both Autonomous and non-autonomous swtiches ... sort of like being "upwardly compatible"). So technically, not all (or even most) systems "know" where you are at all times. You can be in Vermont, and have your phone on, and assuming good coverage, leave it on all day and drive around, and as long as you don't place or receive any calls, no one will know where you are unless they specifically interrogate your phone. (If you drop coverage and then come back in service you may be interrogated again, I dunno ... different systems handle this differently, regardless of autonomous registration). So unless some tech in the switchroom is curious as to what YOU are doing, in non-autonomous systems, your whereabouts are not always known if you simply leave your phone powered up. > Whenever you have that phone powered up, and in communications with a > cell, that cell knows that you are there, and the management system > for all of the cells knows that you are there. It needs to track you > so that it can get your calls to you, but if there is anyone else > interested in your whereabouts, they can know where you are too. Powering up is not the same as autonomous registration. If the subscriber leaves the mobile unit on, even though an overhead was sent upon power-up, it will not continue to be sent at given time intervals, unless the switch also supports autonomous registration or some hybrid mechanism of such. This is why I noted up there about loosing coverage -- I am wondering which swtiches consider that to be the same as a power up, or if the phone will send out an overhead upon regaining a good signal, etc ... > if you drive from home to work with it on, there can easily be a log > made of when you cross from cell to cell. Ummm ... in a system with a few towers (or one tower, like those set up along Interstates to get roamer $$$) there may be too few points to get a good pattern (although you could probably tell whaat direction they are going by what sectors of the tower are being used, and estimate speed as well). In large, overcrowded systems, you may get serviced by MANY different towers, depending on traffic and weather conditions. For example, in New York, if you place a call from a 20+ story building, you can get serviced by a nearby tower on Manhattan Island, a tower in New Jersey, a tower in Queens, or a multitude of towers along the Brooklyn "waterfront". So it would be hard to get an fixed pattern. You could, of course, get a rough pattern, ie, "Active in New Jersey around 8AM, drops at 8:30 AM while in Holland Tunnel, active in Manhattan at 9AM (tunnel traffic! :) ), active for eight hours in Manhattan, then drops, and then active in New Jersey at 5:45PM. But as to specific routes, it gets hard, and is in some instances totally impossible. Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu // dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet ------------------------------ From: wtm@uhura.neoucom.edu (Bill Mayhew) Subject: Re: Should I Keep My Cellphone Off When Not Using it? Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine Date: Thu, 06 Aug 1992 02:58:17 GMT In article aub@access.digex.com (Aubrey Philipsz) writes: > Well, one of the things that it is doing is telling anyone who wants > to know badly enough exactly where you are located. True indeed! My old 83 channel UHF TV can readily provide testimony that most cellular users are completely oblivious to the fact that their conversations are "broadcast" all over town. Curiously, some of those alleged conversations that appear on my TV seem to be simplex type channels where both parties can be heard simultaneously. At first, I thought it might be sidetone from a cheap instrument, but it seems to happen quite frequently. A dissection of my cell phone shows that it has a diplexer, but it doesn't look like a directional coupler, so I'd think that a simplex link wouldn't work. Reflections from multipath ought to make a simplex type link unworkable anyway. What gives? Bill Mayhew NEOUCOM Computer Services Department Rootstown, OH 44272-9995 USA phone: 216-325-2511 wtm@uhura.neoucom.edu (140.220.1.1) ------------------------------ From: vances@xenitec.on.ca (Vance Shipley) Subject: Re: Ericsson MD110 PBX Intelligent Network Organization: SwitchView Inc., Waterloo, Ontario Date: Thu, 06 Aug 1992 05:41:05 GMT In article bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu (Bruce Carter) writes: > that nobody can get the TAU 2620's (Terminal Adapter Units, these > essentially replaced desktop modems) to work reliably with the 9600bps > modem bank that was installed with the switch. Sometimes they work ok > for dialing out, sometimes not, and there doesn't seem to be a way to > find out what is going on (ie. you can't listen in for carrier and so We've been using modem pooling for a few years now on our Meridian 1 PBX. When it is neccesary to make a call which required getting an operator to transfer or if we want to hear what is going on we have the modem call the telephone we are calling from. After answering the call from the modem pool we press the transfer key and dial the destination. After the modem answers and the tones are heard the transfer key is pressed again to complete the transfer. Vance Shipley vances@xenitec.on.ca vances@ltg.uucp ..uunet.ca!xenitec!vances ------------------------------ From: louis@cs.mcgill.ca (Louis LECLERC) Subject: Re: Need Voice Mail System Organization: SOCS - Mcgill University, Montreal, Canada Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 22:48:11 GMT In article is written: > Can anyone put me onto a source for a decent PC-based voice mail > system? It needs to of course do telephone answering, but additional I installed such a voice mail system (PC based, eight lines) at a NY amusement park last summer. After a bit of research I bought the voice mail/auto attendant hardware and software from a company in Hawaii called Provox. They sell their software bundled with Dialogic voice boards. Their software comes with a menu driven system and a small programming language for setting up menus and doing various voice mail and attendant type tasks. I think you can do your paging via this small programming language. The system is quite reliable. The programming language docs have a few errors but after you get over this, it works well. You must be quasi computer and telecom literate to get it up and running. This is definately not "plug-n-play", however their tech support is quite helpful and patient. You need a 386 with four megs of memory and about 60k of hard disk space to run this system. I dont have the 800 number handy, but 800-555-1212 should be able to get it for you. If not, I'll track it down. louis ------------------------------ From: MPA15AB!RANDY@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com Date: 05 AUG 92 22:23 Subject: Re: Need Help Determining Local Access For Largest Area In Telecom 12.599, booloo@framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov (Mark Boolootian) writes: > I would like to set up a computer and provide dial-up access. I would > like phone calls into this system to be local calls for as wide an > area as possible ... > Additionally, can someone explain to me what distinguishes local calls > from toll calls? Are all calls within a LATA local? Does physical > proximity have anything to do with determining whether a call is local > (i.e. is it always the case that calling a couple of blocks away will > be a local call)? Assuming physical proximity had something to do > with it, I've always fancied setting up a dial-up system which chained > together a bunch of local calls, but for which the end-to-end call > would have been toll. It is mostly distance based. Each prefix has a set of prefixes which are local from it (out here, one prefix away is local, further away is toll). There is a BBS in Long Beach which gives free memberships to anyone donating a phone number. People who have a second line used for dialing out give the phone number to the BBS by setting up call forwarding on the out-dial line to a number as specified by the BBS. They can then continue to use the line for out-dialing. By chaining these numbers together, the BBS gets numbers in a variety of prefixes, thus offering local calling to a wide area. The number I use to call this BBS forwards three times, each hop is local, but the end-to-end call would be a high (intra-LATA) toll for me. It does take several seconds to set up the call, though. Randy Gellens randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com >>>>>>> If mail bounces, forward to rgellens@mcimail.com <<<<<<<< Opinions are personal; facts are suspect; I speak only for myself ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Aug 92 23:07:06 PDT From: linc@tongue1.Berkeley.EDU (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: How to Use U.S. Modem in England? Organization: University of California, Berkeley In article Herman Silbiger writes: >> How can I use a modem that's set up for U.S. modular jacks with phones >> in Britain (London in particular)? > The DTMF tones are the same the world over. Unfortunately, the RJ-11 > wiring patterns are not. > On a 4-lead RJ-11, in the US pins 2 and 3 are used for tip and ring. > In the UK pins 1 and 4 are used. You will therefore have to make up a > line cord with leads 2 and 3 at the modem end going to pins 1 and 4 at > the wall jack end. If the only problem is the switching of using inside/outside pair, it's pretty simple -- in the U.S., the outside pair is used for a second line on a two-line jack. Various manufacturers sell a little jack that allows you to plug into a two-line jack and run separate single-line phones on the two lines. You just shove that into the British outlet and run cord from the "Line 2" port to your modem. I can't say from personal experience if that's right, but I expect to get *real* familiar with the situation in about a month. (I'm going to Ireland and Britain on a work-abroad program for the better part of a year.) Linc Madison == Linc@Tongue1.Berkeley.EDU **Mail received after 8/21/92 may not be answered for quite some time** ------------------------------ From: beirne@rtsg.mot.com (Michael G Beirne) Subject: Re: Ameritech Complete MasterCard Date: 5 Aug 92 14:08:12 GMT Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group In article <1992Aug3.092204.6510@samba.oit.unc.edu> Nigel.Allen@bbs. oit.unc.edu (Nigel Allen) writes: > As someone requested, here are the details on the Ameritech Complete > MasterCard. I don't have one, so this information is taken from an > Illinois Bell publication. > Interest rate: > 14.9 percent for balances of $2,000 and up > 17.4 percent for balances under $2,000. (subject to monthly adjustments) ... and 19.8 percent for balances under $500. They have a graduated interest rate depending on the balance. They will give a card to almost anyone but will then give you a lower credit limit such that you would get the worst interest rate. Mike Beirne beirne@limerick.chi.il.us ------------------------------ From: leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) Subject: Re: Questions About Fax Tones vs. Voice Reply-To: 70465.203@compuserve.com Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon. Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 23:33:42 GMT streak@wixer.cactus.org (Jason Williams) writes: > In article geek@media.mit.edu (Chris > Schmandt) writes: >> In a nutshell: I'm looking for a fax machine that can receive faxes in >> the middle of the night without ringing my phone and waking me up. > Why not just cut the ringer off on your phone or even disconnect the > phone? Probably for the same reason that I don't (I have a part-time BBS on my only line). How's it going to get turned back on come morning? Yes, it *could* be done manually, but it's easy to forget ... Leonard Erickson leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com CIS: [70465,203] 70465.203@compuserve.com FIDO: 1:105/51 Leonard.Erickson@f51.n105.z1.fidonet.org (The CIS & Fido addresses are preferred) ------------------------------ From: disk!tony@uunet.UU.NET (tony) Subject: Re: New Subscriber Solicitations - MCI Organization: Digital Information Systems of KY Date: Wed, 05 Aug 1992 23:36:07 GMT joseph@c2a.crd.ge.com (James Joseph) writes: > the welcome kit, and ATT is still my dial-1 carrier. May be I should > call New York Telephone and instruct them not to switch me to MCI if > they asked them to. How can I expect any reasonable service from a > company who cannot even sign up a willing potential customer? > [Moderator's Note: You may be over-reacting a little. I'd suggest > calling again and see if there is some problem. It could be through > human error or a computer glitch that your order got lost. I've seen > it happen at AT&T also. PAT] Gee, I opted not to take MCI myself (after a related experience), but you mean (really/truly/huh-huh-huh???) the almighty AT&T has pulled similar blunders? And to think I thought THEY (the international leaders in telecommunications) were 100% infallible! :) Tony Safina -=- disk!tony@uunet.UU.NET -=- ------------------------------ From: bruce@camb.com (Barton F. Bruce) Subject: Re: NET and a Noise-Free Line: Impossible? Date: 5 Aug 92 04:37:31 EDT Organization: Cambridge Computer Associates, Inc. In article , kenny@osf.org (Kenneth Crudup) writes: > What should I say/do next? I just want a noise-free (at least regular > clean) line. 617-743-9800 is their main number. ask for 'executive appeals' == consumer complaint hotline. it answers "Office of the President". Have fun! You may find that showing up for relevant DPU hearings is interesting, and if you keep testifying there that NET&T's service is inadequate and the DPU's control of them is suspect, you may find some NET&T person that will listen to you and strangely may even be able to help you. OTOH, doesn't your modem support error correction? ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #608 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa27776; 7 Aug 92 2:32 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30323 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 7 Aug 1992 00:37:31 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA23096 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 7 Aug 1992 00:37:20 -0500 Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1992 00:37:20 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208070537.AA23096@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #609 TELECOM Digest Fri, 7 Aug 92 00:37:22 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 609 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Justin Leavens) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Christopher Davis) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Mark Phaedrus) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Paolo Bellutta) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Daniel Rosenberg) Re: Bell Canada Response to CRTC Announcement (John Higdon) Re: Telecom Fraud (was Cellular Phone Hacking) (Steven S. Brack) Re: House Wiring Question (John Kennedy) Re: CompuServe: FCC May Reconsider Modem Fee (Jim Morton) Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digtal Data (Allan N. Hessenflow) Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digtal Data (Jim Ray) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Phil Wherry) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Jim Rees) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: leavens@mizar.usc.edu (Justin Leavens) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Date: 6 Aug 1992 09:13:23 -0700 Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA In article phaedrus@cs.washington.edu (Mark Phaedrus) writes: > If you want security in your calling card, tape over the numbers > printed on it, only use it in phones with a magnetic card reader, and > never lose it. (Note that this gives you basically the same degree of > security as the "stored value card", with the option of removing the > tape and using the card the "unsecure way" if you desperately need to > make a call where there's no card-reader-equipped phone.) I don't see > how any "solution" that still requires numbers or sounds to be fed or > spoken into the phone can be made much more secure than things are > now, since anything visible or audible in a public area can be copied > or recorded. I will never understand why what is essentially a Personal Identification Number (PIN) is printed right on your phone card. It's like putting your bank PIN right on your ATM card. Secondly, I had a question about how local phone company cards are supposed to work around the country. I have a Pacific Bell calling card, and while traveling last week I couldn't find a phone that would accept the card by simply using the mag stripe reader. The phones, owned by AT&T and Illinois Bell, would tell me that the card was not valid, but worked fine if I manually punched in the digits. Am I wrong in assuming that the stripe reader should have worked? It seemed to defeat the whole purpose of the only possibly secure way of using the card. Justin Leavens University of Southern California ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 13:03:43 -0400 From: Christopher Davis Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Mark Phaedrus wrote: > I don't see how any "solution" that still requires numbers or > sounds to be fed or spoken into the phone can be made much more > secure than things are now, since anything visible or audible in > a public area can be copied or recorded. How about an adaptation of the SecurID cards (the ones that basically have you do a challenge/response with the other end)? Since they're dynamic, not static, tape-recording or "shoulder surfing" the numbers will do no good without also having the card (even if you "shoulder surf" the PIN, if your card uses one). ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Aug 92 10:33:49 -0700 From: phaedrus@cs.washington.edu (Mark Phaedrus) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Hmm. That does have possibilities. Of course, that would require putting an input mechanism (a keypad or microphone) as well as an output mechanism (a display or touchtone generator) on the card, to understand the challenge and generate the response, thus raising the cost even more and making it even more likely that the card will find some treasonous way to self-destruct when I need it most. :) ------------------------------ From: bellutta@ohsu.EDU (Paolo Bellutta) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Organization: Oregon Health Sciences University Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 17:56:57 GMT In article rees@dabo.citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) writes: > I think both kinds of cards have their uses. But why is the US the > only country in the world where you can't pay cash for an inter- > national phone call? > [Moderator's Note: You *can* pay cash for an international phone call > here. The only problem is the method for doing so. If you want to > stand there and deposit several dollars in quarters in the coin box > you may do so; the operators will accept that. PAT] And is there a way to avoid speaking to the operator just to deposit the quarters? If you, or the people you are calling don't speak English, it can be quite a problem (the first time I called my parents they hung up while I was depositing seven dollars in quarters; it can be a real pain to find seven dollars in quarters in the mid of the night in a place where you have never been). Paolo Bellutta ---------- bellutta@ohsu.edu B.I.C.C - Oregon Health Sciences University 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. - Portland, OR tel: (503) 494 4804 --- fax: (503) 494 4551 [Moderator's Note: Well the problems due to language are the concern of the cash-paying caller -- no one else. He's the one who insists on paying cash for international calls. And yes, you can *almost* avoid talking to the operator. My experience has been that dialing 011 plus an international number from a genuine Bell payphone brings an operator on the line who asks 'are you dialing an overseas number?' and on a positive response asks how you wish to pay for it. When you say with coins, you are told the amount to deposit and once the deposit is completed *then* the hold on the connection is released and the call progresses on to and through the other country's CO. No one on the distant end gets anything at all until you've paid ... only then will the operator kick the call loose. Now dialing just 01 and the international number is a different matter: the operator is expected to be on the line to handle person-to-person, collect or third number billing type things. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dmr@medicated.Corp.Sun.COM (Daniel Rosenberg) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Frau Date: 6 Aug 1992 18:56:32 GMT Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Reply-To: dmr@medicated.Corp.Sun.COM > If you want security in your calling card, tape over the numbers > printed on it, only use it in phones with a magnetic card reader, and > never lose it. Call me crazy, but I just use my handy Swiss Army knife and excise the last four digits (the PIN) from the card, use it where I want, and don't worry so much about it falling into dishonest hands. Daniel M. Rosenberg dmr@medicated.Corp.Sun.COM +1 415 336 6790 Taos Mountain Software / Sun Microsystems / KZSU Radio ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Aug 92 09:11 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Bell Canada Response to CRTC Announcement Jack Decker forwards: [Hilarious propaganda of the sort shoveled out by the US Bell System prior to divestiture ...] And now that we are nearly a decade into the breakup of the US Bell Telephone monopoly, what do we find? Local rates that still have not kept up with inflation for one thing. Also, we have such low long distance rates that the Canadians find it advantageous to send calls south to be carried on a US carrier and then linked back up north for delivery within Canada! In addition, LECs (with the exception of GTE) fall all over themselves cooperating with customers (formerly known as subscribers) to find real solutions to real problems. Repair service is more responsive, the business office is more cooperative, and the range of services is more flexible and impressive. And with all of that, the LECs have become the revenue engines that provide more capital than the holding companies can squander away in shakey ventures. > "The new competitors say they will help to keep rates low by making > payments to this subsidy from their own long-distance revenues. But > these payments will not be sufficient to provide the same level of > subsidy. It is the same old garbage all over again! Between carrier access charges and customer access charges, the US LECs have been raking it in. I have always considered the Canadians to be more intelligent and have somewhat more class than we heathens to the south so I would imagine that the Canadian public will not swallow any of this the way we did back in the eighties. After all, there is now precedent sitting just to the south. > "The new competitors and their supporters claim this will not happen. > But their claims are at variance with the facts." Well, it did not happen in the US. The LECs certainly have not gone out of business from lack of revenue. The fact is, they cannot sweep it under the rug fast enough. > "In his research report on this issue, telecommunications financial > analyst Robert Hastings, of Richardson Greenshields, describes this > aspect of the decision as "a hoax". Hastings says: "How in the world > can the telcos swallow over $2 billion of lost long-distance rates as > much as previously planned -- without increasing local rates?" " It would appear that the Canadian regulators paid more attention to reality than to a telco-lackey "expert". This is one of the reasons that I have so much respect for the Canadians. US lawmakers are very quick to pass sweeping legislation based upon "what ifs" and techno-babble. Canadian regulators tend to use reality as a guide, regardless of how unspectacular or "un-hip" it might be. My answer to Mr. Greenshields would be: ask Pacific Telesis, US West, Ameritech, or any of the other US holding companies how they do it. > "The face of telecommunications has changed in Canada. Bell says yes > to this change. But we cannot agree that the new competitors should > benefit at the expense of our customers." Blah, blah, blah. Give it a rest, Bell Canada! John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: 05 Aug 1992 13:32:30 -0400 (EDT) From: sbrack@jupiter.cse.UTOLEDO.edu (Steven S. Brack) Subject: Re: Telecom Fraud (was Cellular Phone Hacking) In article rickie@trickie.uucp (Richard Nash) writes: > sbrack@jupiter.cse.UTOLEDO.edu (Steven S. Brack) writes: >> Then my wife at home and myself on a business trip couldn't use the same >> card number to charge calls. > No problem! Joint credit cards could be issued with unique PINS that > identify each user. Exactly my point in my original article. It needs to be pointed out that the attribution to me above is incorrect. Those words are someone else's that I probably quoted in my article. IMO, it is dangerous from a perspective of fraud control to have more than one person billing to the same account, with no way to differentiate between them. Not only does it increase the odds of someone obtaining your card number (two cards, two times as likely), it also makes the detection of the fraud by either party more difficult. Using unique card numbers would also ease the problem of sorting out whose call is whose at the end of the billing period, much like Call Manager from AT&T does with LD service. Steve Brack ------------------------------ From: johnk@opel.secondsource.COM (John Kennedy) Subject: Re: House Wiring Question Date: 5 Aug 92 19:40:56 GMT Reply-To: johnk@secondsource.COM (John Kennedy) Organization: Second Source, Inc., Annapolis, MD Since people are wondering what wiring will work in their homes, I might as well relate what worked for me. I ran twelve pairs of UTP to every room from a centralized closet containing 66 blocks. These were organized as two six-pair cables. One is used for phone, to a PBX, and the other is used for data. Haven't tried mixing voice and data within jackets. The data connections are tied to a SynOptics LattisNet concentrator. This is not pure 10BaseT, but is designed to work with Unshielded Twisted Pair. This setup has worked perfectly in supporting "diskless" PCs that can be moved to any room. I had considered running coax, but this setup is working so well, I'll stick with it. When the concentrator finally expires and I replace it with equipment that meets the 10BaseT spec, I anticipate no problems. John Kennedy uunet!opel!johnk Second Source, Inc. johnk@secondsource.COM Annapolis, MD ------------------------------ From: applix!jim@uunet.UU.NET (Jim Morton [ext 237]) Subject: Re: CompuServe: FCC May Reconsider Modem Fee Date: 2 Aug 92 01:23:27 GMT Organization: Applix, Inc., Westboro, MA > It seems to me that when this REALLY happened a long time ago, the > most vocal opponent was Compuserve. If so, they would be keeping > close tabs on the FCC for this ... They also encourage subscribers to send a Congre$$gram to protest this "modem fee", which they make some bucks off of ... Jim Morton, Applix Inc., Westboro, MA ..uunet!applix!jim jim@applix.com ------------------------------ From: allanh@netcom.com (Allan N. Hessenflow) Subject: Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digtal Data Date: 4 Aug 92 17:48:41 GMT Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) In article <1992Aug4.062340.13039@u.washington.edu> ketcham@u.washington. edu writes: > The background story is we're doing some deep ocean research and > we have this cruise coming up on pretty short notice. We want to > take a stereo tape recorder out and record acoustical hydrophone > data on one channel and digital Global Positioning System (GPS) > data on the other. Then we take all this data back home and > analyze it offline, to determine where things are located down > there. > So would it be too difficult to deceive the modem into thinking > it's talking to another modem, or otherwise defeat this carrier > detect thing? If so, then maybe I could directly record the > modem output onto tape and then later retrieve the digital data > by playing the tape back through the modem the other way. You didn't mention what the data rate is, so I'm assuming it's low. If 300 baud will do, then you can produce your own carrier to fool the modem with a simple tone generator. The frequencies are 1270Hz for an answer tone or 2225Hz for the originate tone. For 1200 baud this should also work; the frequencies are 2400Hz for answer mode and 1200Hz for originate. For 2400 or above I think you would need something more complex than a single tone. Allan N. Hessenflow {apple|claris}!netcom!allanh allanh@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: ray (Jim Ray) Subject: Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digtal Data Date: 4 Aug 92 21:16:40 GMT Organization: EECS Department, Northwestern University > So would it be too difficult to deceive the modem into thinking > it's talking to another modem, or otherwise defeat this carrier > detect thing? If so, then maybe I could directly record the > modem output onto tape and then later retrieve the digital data > by playing the tape back through the modem the other way. Isn't there a way to set the carrier detect high with an AT command? Jim Ray ray@eecs.nwu.edu ------------------------------ From: psw@vibes.mitre.org (Phil Wherry) Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Reply-To: psw@vibes.mitre.org (Phil Wherry) Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, Va Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 12:55:18 GMT It should be noted that Hayes-compatible modems are capable of dialing the ABCD tones; just put them in a dialing command as you would any number. Phillip Wherry Member of the Technical Staff The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA psw@mitre.org ------------------------------ From: rees@pisa.citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Reply-To: Jim.Rees@umich.edu Organization: University of Michigan IFS Project Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 19:06:50 GMT Didn't AUTOVON use the ABCD keys for call priorities? The standard old Western Electric DTMF pad had an extra tap on the "columns" inductor for the ABCD keys. I think there were even some traces on the PC board, but of course the switches weren't there. The Audio Response Unit (ARU) on the University of Michigan's IBM mainframe (running MTS) had a decoder for a third dimension of DTMF keys, so you could send it tone triads, for 64 possible "keys." I never knew anyone who used this feature. I've got the frequencies somewhere. They were not engineered for minimum talk-off, as the row and column tones were, they were just round numbers like 1550, 1650, 1750. Does anyone remember the original WE 10-key pad? I had some of these that I converted to 12-key by drilling a hole in the face and adding a couple of chunks of plastic for the '*' and '#' buttons. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #609 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa01321; 7 Aug 92 4:27 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17978 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 7 Aug 1992 02:27:08 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19361 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 7 Aug 1992 02:26:59 -0500 Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1992 02:26:59 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208070726.AA19361@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #611 TELECOM Digest Fri, 7 Aug 92 02:27:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 611 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson St. Louis Cable Thefts (St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Will Martin) How Do I Run This Line? (Paul M. Wexelblat) Telephony Applications in China (Unisys News Network via Randy Gellens) MCI Account Illegally Created in My Name: How to Handle This? (David Kovar) 900 Number Calls to HOT DATES (Wall Street Journal via Monty Solomon) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Aug 92 13:52:15 CDT From: Will Martin Subject: St. Louis Cable Thefts We've had items in TELECOM Digest before about cable thefts in isolated rural areas, and in various third-world countries; recently, thre has been a rash of such thefts here in an urban area. There was TV news coverage of this last weekend (Aug. 1 and 2) and I note the following item from the {St. Louis Post-Dispatch} August 5, 1992: PHONE-CABLE THEFTS HERE DISRUPT SERVICE TO 5,000 If your telephone doesn't work, it may be because someone is going out at night with a hacksaw and cutting 150-foot sections of cable from the telephone poles in your neighbor's back yard. Last weekend, there were nine such nighttime thefts in the vicinity of St. Louis Regional Hospital and the Walnut Park neighborhood. It was the first time that telephone cable thieves had struck in St. Louis. They apparently intend to strip the insulation from the cable and sell the copper wire for salvage. "This happens about twice a year in Missouri, mainly in rural areas," David Freiberger, general security manager for Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., said Tuesday. "It's amazing that they will go to this much effort," he added, because each stolen section of cable is worth only between $15 and $180. And there is another danger: the telephone cable is strung on the same poles as electrical cable. Anyone who cuts the wrong cable risks electrocution. Repairing each cut costs the phone company about $15,000. About 5,000 customers were without phone service for as long as 12 hours last weeekend. To discourage this activity, the phone company plans to announce today a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the cable thieves. Several witnesses saw the thieves but haven't been able to identify anyone yet, the phone company says. *** End of article *** To add some info based on the TV news coverage: An example of the cut cable was shown -- it appeared to be about 100-pair or so. The telco spokesman asked that anybody seeing what appeared to be telephone repair people who were working with hacksaws or chainsaws to call this in immediately (but how would they be able to if it was their own cable being cut? :-); that this was not how real telephone repairers worked. Also, neither in the above nor in the TV news did anyone ask or address one possible solution and prevention of this situation -- replacing copper with fiber. I'm surprised the telco doesn't take the opportunity to replace the aerial cable with fiber in these areas where the cable was stolen. (Or would that cost a vast amount more, requiring some sort of powered fiber-to-copper converters at every line drop? Just how does a telco handle the transition from fiber strung between the poles to copper pairs going into a house? What happens to telco-line-powered devices in this circumstance? How is ring current generated? Are there separate fiber-to-copper convrters for every drop, or still a copper multi-pair cable for the neighborhood with one central fiber-to-copper unit up a pole somewhere, with its own electric meter and hooked to electric lines, mainline fiber, and neighborhood copper distribution? Does having fiber-to-copper, or even fiber to the home, mean that your phone service dies when electric power dies? Or is the fiber paralleled with current-carrying wires to provide CO battery to the drops?) Regards, Will wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil OR wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil ------------------------------ From: wex@cs.ulowell.edu (Paul M. Wexelblat) Subject: How Do I Run This Line? Reply-To: wex@cs.ulowell.edu Organization: Univ. of Lowell CS Dept. Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 13:07:00 GMT Hi, I'm posting this for a former netter who has recently moved from civilization to a farm :-> (Mass to VA (USA)) /Bernie\ has email access but no news feed (as yet), so please reply to him as bpc!bernie@bbn.com, or post, as usual and I'll forward replies. Anyhow, he has an interesting problem: He wants the same phone number to appear in three buildings on the farm that are quite a distance apart, and C&P seems not to be willing/able to do this for him. (That's another story.) He can get them to drop the line at any of the three buildings, and he is willing to run wires to the others the question is to which build- ing should he have the feed run? The following is his description: You might recall that I had been sort of arguing with C&P Telephone about getting the same number installed in the two houses on the farm. Well, I've at last gotten the story on why they claim they can't do it: their assertion is that it is the fault of the computer system they're using. They claim that it *cannot* handle having a number ring at two different service points. Sounds a little bogus to me, but I've gotten this story consistently enough from enough different telcofolk that I suspect that it is at least unfinessable, even if not completely true. [on the other hand, it is actually possible that the phone company could distribute software with so simple a bogosity?] Anyhow, what he recommended is that I just run wire between the two houses and connect up the service myself. It is a little over a quarter mile between the two houses, so I'll be poking around to find someplace where I can get suitable outdoor-OK cable in long-enough lengths [amusingly, the last guy I spoke to said that it shouildn't be hard to find what I need, but if I do get stuck I should call him back and he'd see if he could make some arrangement for me to get the cable from telco]. Minor technical question: the situation is that I have three buildings that I'll be wiring to the same phone service. The one in the middle really is about in the middle, about 1/8 mile from each end. Now, the actual phone service comes in: --> A -----------------------> B C [we have phone service to A and B [although they are not on the same line yet], and the poles go right past building C, which is just being built. The question is: does it make any difference in terms of signal quality or voltage limits or the like for where I get the 'real' service installed and which way I run the "extension" drops. Right now, the 'real' number rings up at B, and so the most natural thing to do is to run the extension line back down the poles toward A, putting in a drop at C as I go by: -------------------------------> B | / A <---------- C <-------------- But it really pains me to see that wiring go *right* past A, a quarter mail past, and then ahve to doouble back the quarter mile. One thing I could do is ask the phone company to _move_ the primary service from B to A, and then just run the extension up the line. The third alternative is to have the telco service be installed at C, and then run drops in both directions [each only 1/8 mile now] to A and B. Will any of these make any difference? ----- end of Bernie's description ---- Thanks. [Moderator's Note: Someone at telco is just plain stupid. If what they said about 'the computer can't handle it' was true, then no one could ever have an extension phone. There is no reason on God's green earth that *they* (telco) cannot handle the whole thing. I wonder if they ever heard of jumpers between pairs? I wonder if I went to their CO and looked around if I would find jumpers all over the place as is common in every other CO in the world? If you can attach some wires in parallel at your end so that two instruments in different buildings can ring at the same time, then they can just as easily attach two or three pairs in parallel at their end to do the same thing. When I moved from one place to another about two miles apart several years ago I was within the same CO so I got to keep the same number. I had Illinois Bell turn it on at the new location for several days before the old place was turned off as a way to ease our transition in moving. What one of the Bell sisters do, the others can almost invariably do also. Ask telco if they have any answering services in town that are bridged to their (the answering service) customer's lines so the phone rings at the service at the same time as at the subscriber's premises. I'll bet they do. And if so, how do they deal with that? PAT] ------------------------------ From: MPA15AB!RANDY@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com Date: 07 AUG 92 21:15 Subject: Telephony Applications in China Reprinted (with permission) from an internal electronic newsletter. NAP permits the A Series line of general purpose computers to interface with a switch. This means the power and flexibility of these systems can be used to develop telephony applications. UNISYS NEWS NETWORK, AUGUST 6, 1992 SHENZHEN POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU OF CHINA PLACES $5 MILLION NETWORK APPLICATIONS PLATFORM ORDER Unisys has received a $5 million order from the Shenzhen Posts and Telecommunications Bureau (SZPTB) in the People's Republic of China for a Network Applications Platform 16 (NAP16). The City of Shenzhen is a special economic zone across the border from Hong Kong in China's southern Guangdong province. The Unisys NAP16 system will be used to develop an integrated value-added information network to provide a range of extensive and comprehensive information network services in Shenzhen. The initial planned service offerings include "phoneless communications," voice mail, electronic mail, facsimile mail, information provisioning and IDD calling card services. Other services are expected to be added, based on future requirements. Based on Unisys A Series mainframes and utilizing specialized network interface and voice interface modules, NAP provides the industry's first full- featured environment for both voice messaging and Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) applications. "The City of Shenzhen will be the site of the first mass-market installation of voice mail in Asia," said Ed Blechschmidt, president, Unisys Pacific Asia Americas Division. "Phoneless communications is a system that assigns a telephone number to an individual who does not have his own telephone. This is designed to overcome China's critical requirements on communication. The NAP16 will allow someone to call a number and receive instructions to either leave a message or to perform other actions. The caller can contact the central message center from anywhere -- in China or out of the country -- to receive the message and respond," said Blechschmidt. "With the assistance and cooperation from the city and provincial governments, the SZPTB has been able to make significant progress in the provisioning of telephone services. This year the number of telephone lines for Shenzhen is expected to reach 450,000 ...," according to Xu Li Yong, director, Shenzhen Posts and Telecommuni- cations Bureau. The number of lines is expected to increase by 250,000 lines per year, reaching 1.2 million by 1995. --------- Randy Gellens randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com >>>>>>> If mail bounces, forward to rgellens@mcimail.com <<<<<<<< Opinions are personal; facts are suspect; I speak only for myself ------------------------------ From: kovar@world.std.com (David C Kovar) Subject: MCI Account Illegally Created in My Name: How to Handle This? Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 14:42:42 GMT Approximatly three weeks ago I received a letter from MCI thanking me for signing up for a calling card with MCI. I dislike MCI and never would have signed up for a calling card, so I tossed it away. I received a second letter stating essentially the same thing a few days later. Figuring something was wrong, I called MCI, explained about the letters and explained that I did not sign up for a calling card. They told me that an account had been opened in my name the previous month but had been closed. This was a bit disturbing, but they assured me the account was closed, so I let it go. Two days later an MCI calling card showed up in the mail. I called again, explaining everything. "Yes, it was open, but now it's closed." Then why did I have a new card? They couldn't explain it. The next week, I received a bill from $320 from MCI, all calling card calls, all for a three week period starting in early July and extending through the period that I'd been calling MCI about the problem. 90% of the calls were to 617 numbers that are local to me. I calmly hit the roof. After wading through various reps, I finally talked to someone who told me to send in the bill with a letter and they would investigate, clean up the bill, and let me know who opened up the account and how. In my letter I gave them my work number and explicitly stated that I wanted to know who opened the charges and how they did it. Since then, I received one call from a rep at 8:30 on Saturday morning thanking me for signing up with MCI. I received two calls asking when I was going to pay the bill. And no calls about my letter. I called them today. Essentially, the account is closed, the bill negated, and that's it. They didn't figure out who did it and the rep said it would be "very difficult to figure it out." I tried explaining things to her and got nowhere. I tried asking who investigated such things within MCI. They said that noone did. They said they couldn't call the numbers on the bill in an effort to determine who called them. I would like to know: a) Who can I talk to at MCI who has a clue about this stuff? The reps I've talked to keep toeing the party line and can't or will not give me any information. "Yes, we're sorry, yes, the account is closed, no, we can't tell you any more. Please go away." b) If MCI can't help me, can I go call the numbers on the bill in an effort to figure it out on my own? If so, what's the best procedure? c) Would any newspaper care about this sort of abuse and insensitivity to the abuse? It really pissed me off that someone used me to defraud someone else and MCI will not help, or even call me back to talk to me about it. d) Any clue on what happened? My guess is that someone opened up an account in my name and then called into say the card was lost and somehow got the new card number over the phone. One rep said that the card had been lost and reissued. I only received one card, presumably the second one. Where did the first one go? How did the person get the new calling card number? Any information and thoughts on this would be most welcome. David [Moderator's Note: MCI won't tell you who did it because they probably don't know who did it. And yes, I would definitly call the phone numbers shown on the bill and try to learn the truth from them. Get the name and addresses for the numbers shown on the bill and check for similarities, etc. You might find out something interesting. Some of the phreaks who pull this stuff are actually stupid enough to call their family, employer, etc using the fraud account. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 05:09:48 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: 900 Number Calls to HOT DATES From the 8/4/92 {Wall Street Journal}. Heaven help the Harmarville United Presbyterian Church. When George B. Powers, the clerk of the session, opened the church's phone bill, he saw that the usual monthly amount -- about $18 -- had ballooned to almost $80. Not only that, most of the toll calls were to a 900 number for HOT DATES. "It must be some sort of a call-in phone, where you can get into some exotic conversations," he says. But with a congregation numbering 20, many of them elderly, no culprits came to mind. "Our youngest member is a grandfather and he's 55 or 56," says Mr. Powers, 79 years old. "None of us would be calling HOT DATES." The elder trustees searched the 134-year-old church and discovered a cut window screen, which police advised members not to repair. The trap was set. The phone bill showed calls to the sex talk line on June 30 and July 17. "I was expecting him to come back," says Patrolman Reilly Perrett, who patrols Harmar Township. "So we put extra patrols out in that area." On July 24, at about 10 p.m., Officer Perrett noticed a car parked at the church, which is on a dead-end street. Then someone opened the church door and stepped outside. The policeman immediately arrested the suspect, David DeBaker, 27, who now sits in Allegheny County Jail charged with burglary, theft (for the phone calls) as well as receiving stolen property (police said the car that Mr. DeBaker drove to the church and its license plates were stolen). Mr. Powers has since notified the telephone company, which agreed to adjust the bill to $22; it may make allowances again if more calls to HOT DATES are on the next statement. Nancy Clausen, of the National Coalition Against Pornography in Cincinnati, says federal regulations now in effect should begin to discourage such offenses. A subscriber is supposed to request access in writing and arrange prepayment for sexually oriented 900 lines. Meanwhile, the parishioners are in the process of selling the church, so they haven't had time to consider measures to prevent a repeat of the incident. "Our only precautions are to notify the police," says Mr. Powers, "and just keep and eye on the telephone bills." Amen. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #611 ******************************   Received: from [129.105.5.103] by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa01462; 7 Aug 92 4:30 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12099 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 7 Aug 1992 01:35:29 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA21755 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 7 Aug 1992 01:35:19 -0500 Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1992 01:35:19 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208070635.AA21755@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #610 TELECOM Digest Fri, 7 Aug 92 01:35:19 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 610 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: No Fun Anymore! (Bill Pfeiffer) Re: No Fun Anymore! (Dave Flowers) Re: Telco a Little TOO Kind? (Dennis R. Vogel) Re: Should I Keep My Cellphone Off When Not Using it? (Jon Kimbrough) Re: Wires of Mystery (Aubrey Philipsz) Re: The Second Phone Call (Christopher Davis) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: wdp@gagme.chi.il.us (Bill Pfeiffer) Subject: Re: No Fun Anymore! Date: Thu, 6 Aug 92 18:42:15 CDT In a recent TELECOM Digest, Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond writes: > About a week ago, I recall reading a footnote that PAT wrote > regarding the situation of the Internet and comparing it to the > situation that happened with ham radio before and after the > "CB-people" were born ... Cliff Stoll then wrote: >> Is the same thing is happening on the Usenet/Internet? When you had >> to know the TCP/IP suite and there were a few hundred nodes on the >> network, we mostly knew each other. It was a kicker to just get mail >> across the network or to ping another node. There were fewer flames >> and nastygrams. >> With today's million node network, it's a rare Usenet group without >> flamewars. You might recognize a few posting people, but how many >> have you met? Malicious intruders break into computers. Many >> postings have zero content. > Cliff concludes that it seems that with a lot of things nowadays, the > Thrill is gone. > But wait a second, chaps, am I detecting much "nostalgius malignius" > here? Your reaction to what's happening in the world today is some > sort of rejection of advances in science. I am sorry, but I dont see how these statements (even in their entirity) constitute a rejection of science. If anything they constitute a recognition of the changes which come about when exponential increases of usership create situations never envisioned when Usenet was created. Usenet's technology is based upon trust and a general (alleged) respect and maturity between users. Like Ham radio, Usenet had a level 'a cut above' the average local bbs or CB radio channel. The primary users were university students and corporations within the general field of technology. Now-adays, there are public access sites where, for a few dollars a year, virtually anyone can (and does) gain equal access to this giant network. Obviously, when such floodgates are opened, some carp will get in along with the rainbow trout :-). I am not saying that public access is bad, per-se, but it surely does change the face of the medium. I use public access sites, myself, and am grateful for their existance. However, like the analogy of Ham radio and CB, the increasing size and ease of entry, WITHOUT substantial changes to the workings of a network which was never designed to handle such traffic, does present a problem. In Ham radio, one must pass tests of technical competency, and learn a binary code (Morse) to enter the airwaves as a legit Ham. This compared with walking into a Radio Shack or a flea market and plunking down a few sheckles for a tranceiver. The requirements involved in obtaining a Ham license, are a means of drawing a line between those who are serious about global communications, and those who want to merely broadcast their ego's around their neighborhoods. On Usenet, one needs only to posess a terminal and modem and they are instantly involved with global communications. > If one looks at the world this way, then one would always long for > "the good old days" when only the qualified and intelligent would be > able to use a service. I have no problem with requiring SOME minimal level of competence and intelligence when piloting a global system of communication like Usenet. There are thousands of local BBS's, where one can log-in and be as un-intelligent and non-qualified as one wants. We don't give drivers licenses to every kid who rides a bicycle. > You must understand that you were pioneering USENET/email/packet > transfer of data in the seventies. Indeed, what we are doing today, > this global conferencing system via Usenet, is still not available to > *everyone* around the planet. In that respect, we are still in the > pioneering stage. Just wait until the public at large is issued cheap > terminals, or interfaces to exchange such a wide range of ideas as > what is being exchanged on Usenet. Of course, being one of the > Pioneers, one always longs for the "good ol' days"; it's natural to > feel like that, but one thing that is sure is that we can never go > back. I don't think it is a 'backwards or forewards' argument. It is more an argument of increasing the size of a network, without considering the ramifications of that increase. Like Ham radio, which is also international, one can easily ruin, or damage, the viability of such an exchange medium, if one jumps in 'willy-nilly' and starts bellowing without regard for it's effects. [Pat's CB vs Usenet statements deleted] > CB radio has never been seen as a "serious" means of communication. > Agreed, Usenet isn't either. However, Usenet spans much greater > distances around the globe than any CB network *ever*. What you have > with CB is people living is roughly the same area of the world talking > with each other. What you have with Usenet is people from *all around > the world* who have the -> Freedom <- to discuss virtually anything > they want to talk about. Okay, flames are getting more and more > common, but isn't that more a reflection on today's planet society? My point (and I believe Pat's) exactly. Cb'ers live in smaller arenas and can, therefore, play their silly games without too much real degradation of areas beyond. Usenet (like Ham radio) is international, and therefore has much greater impact on our world. As the uninitiated join our ranks, without respect for the traditions and conventions of the network, the law of CB (talk loud, listen little and pay no attention to the feelings/opinions/rights of others) is becomming more and more the rule. BTW CB WAS indeed originated as a serious 'business' communications band, but that's another newsgroup :-). > While netiquette is less and less observed, isn't the situation > similar in any country around the world? > Usenet brings debating between people of very different background > and origin possible. While unfortunately this may sometimes result in > a lot of messages containing a "vacuum of nothingness" you'll find > that there are some very interesting discussions that spring-up here > and there. The negative effects are of course the increase in overall > traffic carried by the networks. Agreed, debate is great. I doubt either previous poster is seeking an end to debate, just a bit more civility and respect for the art of debate as opposed to 'law of the jungle'. There IS a difference. > But if we look at the resources we now have at our disposal, is this > increase in traffic likely to strain computing resources more than it > used to in the past? My personal guess is no. Storage media size > increases in capacity; speeds of transfer of telecommunication lines and > fatpipes also increase accordingly, and ultimately, the only people > who won't be able to cope with things are us, the human beings, since > we'll have an overdose of information being fired at us. Usenet is operated primarily through the courtesy of institutions of learning, the military and major corporations. Most traffic is handled on a big "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' basis. Most of the 'expense' is not borne by the average user, but by the afore-mentioned orginizations. If the users had to pay the frieght for all the connections and long-distance lines, I dare say (s)he would be less frivolous with the flames and such. Usenet is also propagated via hobbiest UNIX enthusiasts, who bear the brunt of most local connections. Much of this is invisible to the 'newbie' user who merely has to press a few keys and 'magically' their message is propagated worldwide for the price of a local phone call. > In short, I tend to believe that it is unlikely that sites would pull > the plug on Usenet. If they did, then it would be the consequence of > ERM ... elderly system managers (apologies to Pat et al) Many sites have already pulled the plug on alt.* groups, because of space limitations and because many are mere jokes. Still other sites have gone further and eliminated talk.* and even rec.* groups due too the increase in the noise and the seemingly uncontrolled proliferation of newsgroups dedicated to ever narrowing and esoteric interests. It is incorrect to assume that there is a bottomless pit for this traffic. As more 'backbone' sites refuse the periferal groups, the smaller sites 'below' them also lose the feed. All it would take is for AT&T, Motorola, the military sites, and a few key Universities, to clamp down on the costs of this network, and we would see a lot of downstream sites dry up real quick. I sincerely hope this does not happen, but dont believe for a minute that it *can't* happen. > As far as email is concerned, there is NO WAY that sites would pull > the plug. My inner belief is that "We ain't seen nothing yet". With > ISDN, soon Broadband ISDN, (year 2000+) everyone will be able to use > packet-based services. Email may decrease when video-mail will come-up > and this will decrease when interactive video telecommunications will > be cheap to use. Until that time, email transmission of documents may > go as far as replacing faxes, and of course, normal postal services. Agreed, the technology won't disappear, but the 'free lunch' illusion of Usenet is not carved in stone (except, perhaps the stone heads of SOME users :->). > One thing before I go home: The decade of the eighties was the decade > of computers for all. The decade of the nineties will see the same > jump in technology, but this time with telecommunications. True, but be prepared to pay the bill for the technology :-(. William Pfeiffer rrb@airwaves.chi.il.us Moderator - rec.radio.broadcasting & Internet Radio Journal ------------------------------ From: flowers@caltech.edu (Dave Flowers) Subject: Re: No Fun Anymore! Reply-To: dflowers@caltech.edu Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 16:32:52 GMT Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond: >> ... Only the real twirps are >> still out there at it. Watch Usenet and see if the same thing will >> happen in the next few years: A rapid increase in sites and traffic >> (even more than now!) then suddenly a lot of places just pulling the >> plug, at least on net news when they get tired of it. PAT] > know ourselves how much information we can chew-up every day? Perhaps > our minds will train themselves into going through so much data. I think something important is being forgotten here. Usenet is very different from radio in a very important aspect -- you can filter what information you receive, without using many brain cells at all. Just give your favorite news-processor good kill information, and let it ignore for you all the things that you aren't interested in. Everyone who reads news does this, as they cannot possibly keep up with the raw data flow (40M / day, or so, isn't it - a mere 77 words / second). For example, with nn, I subscribe to >all< newsgroups, and it kills almost all the articles that come in - I only read the few (comparatively speaking) remaining ones. As we have access to more computing power / person in the future, this trend will only increase, and it looks like filter technology will keep up with information growth, and then some (c.f. _Earth_, by David Brin). ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Aug 92 12:08:22 EDT From: dvogel@mtgzfs3.att.com (Dennis R Vogel) Subject: Re: Telco a Little TOO Kind? Organization: AT&T In article , by toddi@mav.com (Todd Inch) wrote: > Questions: Any guesses as to whether GTE or AT&T messed this one up? > How long will it take them to discover this SNAFU, and, more > importantly, how long will they give us to come up with the $$$? > Anyone with similar experiences? This brings up a related question: is there any time period, determined either by tariff or convention, for a long distance carrier or AOS to bill a customer? Some time ago I unknowingly made calls from a pay phone connected to one of the high priced AOS's. The charges showed up on my bill several months later and it took me a few minutes to recall that I did, indeed, make those calls. If the charges had come six months or a year or two years later, I would have been hard pressed to remember. Would I still be obligated to pay after an inordinate amount of time between incurring charges and receiving the bill? How long is "inordinate" if the answer to the previous question is "no"? Common sense tells me there must be some limit to how long a bill can be delayed. Any thoughts? Dennis R. Vogel AT&T Bell Laboratories Middletown, NJ ------------------------------ From: jkimbro@gelac.lockheed.com (Mr. Jon Kimbrough) Subject: Re: Should I Keep My Cellphone Off When Not Using it? Date: 6 Aug 92 18:06:43 GMT Organization: Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company, Marietta, GA In article aub@access.digex.com (Aubrey Philipsz) writes: > frequencies each of the segments of the cell is working on, and then > get something like a nice AOR scanner with the data interface, even > someone who is not able to access the cell management data can sit > there and not only listen to cell calls, but can do basic DFing > (Direction Finding) on them by knowing what the local cells look like, > and seeing what frequencies you are on. > So, if this doesn't bother you, leave your cell phone on. Seems like we might be overlooking something here; if you are interested in privacy, you probably shouldn't be using a cellular phone in the first place! Anybody with a scanner that covers the 800MHz range can (illegally) monitor cellular calls. This is true even for scanners that have the cellular frequencies locked out; since the selectivity is (usually) relatively poor, scanner users can often listen to the deleted cellular frequencies at the desired frequency plus the I/F frequency of the scanner. Just so you know! Jon Kimbrough My own thoughts, of course! Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Co. Internet: jkimbro@batcave.gelac.lockheed.com Marietta, Georgia 30066-0185 Phone (404) 494-0908 ------------------------------ From: aub@access.digex.com (Aubrey Philipsz) Subject: Re: Wires of Mystery Organization: Express Access Public Access UNIX, Greenbelt, Maryland USA Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1992 03:16:27 GMT In article floyd@hayes.ims.alaska.edu (Floyd Davidson) writes: > In article John Higdon com> writes: >> This lashup hack job sat around for nearly the past ten years. Within >> the last year, GTE decided to bury a permanent cable. Did it dig a >> nice neat little trench at the side of the narrow road? Of course not. >> It tore up a trench right down the middle of the road, buried the >> cable, and then did a wretchedly poor job of filling it in. Since I >> have to drive this road regularly, it is a constant reminder of GTE's >> wonderful way of tending to business. > It is possible that trenching in the middle of rural gravel roads is a > standard practice. I've seen it done in other places where the old > Bell System engineers did the design (in the 1950's). As many of you know, the old standby for figuring out who owns a facility (wire, microwave, etc) used to be "cut the wire, see who shows up to fix it". Now, I do NOT advocate this; it might be something that is important, and distruction of the property of others is something that should be carefully considered before it is done, but it is one way to do it ... in extreme cases, it is the only way. You know you are in trouble when: you are in the middle of your property, working with a backhoe, and *four* WILTEL trucks come bouncing across the tundra at high speed ... Aub ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 13:09:12 -0400 From: Christopher Davis Subject: Re: The Second Phone Call The fourth phone call: Bell: "Ahoy!" (They didn't use "hello" back then, after all.) Computer: "You may already have won a steamship cruise ..." Christopher Davis * ckd@eff.org * System Administrator, EFF * +1 617 864 0665 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #610 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa06366; 8 Aug 92 13:13 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30183 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 8 Aug 1992 10:54:21 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19762 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 8 Aug 1992 10:53:09 -0500 Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1992 10:53:09 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208081553.AA19762@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #612 TELECOM Digest Sat, 8 Aug 92 01:33:04 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 612 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Ericsson and Toshiba Joint Venture in Japan (Ericsson Corporate Relations) Business Billing Errors - Whoops! (Bob Vogel) Information Age course at Georgetown (Dr. Ross Alan Stapleton) NYSE Processing (Doug Humphrey) New AT&T Stored Value Cards (Arnette Schultz) Area Code Changes in Georgia? (Scott Barman) A Moment of Silence for A.G. Bell (Paul Cook) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1992 09:43 +0200 From: ERICSSON CORPORATE RELATIONS Subject: Ericsson and Toshiba Joint Venture in Japan Press Release 1992-08-07 ERICSSON AND TOSHIBA TO FORM JOINT VENTURE Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications company, and Toshiba Corporation, Japan, announced today that they have agreed to collaborate in the telecommunication business in Japan and to establish a joint venture company, Ericsson Toshiba Telecommunication Systems K.K. Ericsson Toshiba Telecommunication Systems K.K. will be established on September 1, 1992 and headquartered in Yokohama. Initially capitalized at 200 million yen (approximately USD 1.57 million), the new company is owned 60 percent by Ericsson and 40 percent by Toshiba. The company expects sales of 32 billion yen (approximately USD 252 million) in 1994. Ericsson Toshiba Telecommunication Systems will design, supply, install, maintain and service digital mobile telecommunications systems for Digital Phone group of Japan, a group of cellular mobile telephone service companies that will start operation in 1994. The new company will serve to link the partners to the Digital Phone group. In Japan, the 1.5 GHz frequency band was allocated to digital cellular mobile communications in 1991, and two new digital cellular mobile telephone service companies that will offer nationwide communication networks were established. One of them, Digital Phone group, will construct nationwide stations by around the year 2000, under the management of regional operating companies. Three regional companies, Tokyo Digital Phone K.K. (Tokyo area), Kansai Digital Phone K.K. (Osaka area) and Tokai Digital Phone K.K. (central Japan area) have already been established, and are preparing to start services in 1994. Ericsson Radio Systems is scheduled to ship digital cellular mobile telecommunication base stations and exchange systems to Tokyo Digital Phone and Kansai Digital Phone. After its establishment, Ericsson Toshiba Telecommunication Systems will act as a representative organization for Toshiba and Ericsson in this equipment supply business. The alliance between Ericsson and Toshiba will enhance telecommunication technologies in Japan and assist Ericsson's entrance into the Japanese market. Ericsson is an international leader in telecommunications, recognized for its advanced systems and products for wired and mobile communications in public and private networks. Ericsson has 70,000 employees and activities in 100 countries. Ericsson Radio Systems has earned a top ranking in mobile telecommunication infrastructures; the company has a 40 percent share of the world market for cellular mobile telephone systems, with systems for all standardized cellular systems in the world, including the three new digital standards, GSM, American Digital Cellular and Japanese Digital Cellular. Ericsson has a joint venture company with General Electric in the USA, Ericsson GE Mobile Communications Inc., which actively conducts mobile communication business. The collaboration between Toshiba, a world leader in semiconductor, information and communication business fields, and Ericsson, a world leader in the telecommunications business, will expand the scope of further development of advanced technologies and business in the telecommunications field. Outline of Ericsson Toshiba Telecommunication Systems K.K. Headquarters: Yokahama, Japan President and CEO: Lars Edvardsson Vice President: Yutaka Hatano Capital: YEN 200 million (60 percent by Ericsson and 40 percent by Toshiba) Number of employees: 50 Outline of Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden Established: 1876 President and CEO: Lars Ramqvist Capital: SEK 2,060 million (as of December 31, 1991) Sales: SEK 45,713 million (as of December 31, 1991) Number of employees: 71,247 (as of December 31, 1991) Outline of Toshiba Corporation Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Established: 1875 President and CEO: Fumito Sato Capital: YEN 272,644 million (as of March 31, 1992) Sales: YEN 4,722 billion (as of March 31, 1992) Number of employees: 168,000 (as of March 31, 1992) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Kurt Hellstrom, President, Ericsson Radio Systems AB Tel. +46 8 757 0333 Per Bengtsson, Information Manager, Ericsson Business Area Radio Communications Tel. +46 8 757 2159 e-mail era.eraben@ericsson.se ------------------------------ Date: 07 Aug 1992 02:00:13 -0500 (EST) From: BOB VOGEL Subject: Business Billing Errors - Whoops! There have been several recent posts recently about various billing problems with the LEC. I will share two that may be different enough to help others find those elusive overcharges. 1. We have about 20 lines coming into our office; about eight incoming only customer lines to a PBX with ACD, about six incoming/outgoing business office line, and several miscellaneous dedicated lines. About a year ago we overflowed our office and one employee set up office at home. We divorced one line (business cards etc. were already in circulation) from the business office rotary and had it installed in the employees home. Last month we noticed a few random calls from MCI on our PacBell bill. Our LD carrier is Sprint; billed separately. We checked all in house lines with 1-700-555-4141; all Sprint. (We uncovered one that had NO assigned carrier. The result: we could make no long distance calls on that line, either dial 1 or 10xxx access code. Apparently fairly common with business lines which are not automatically assigned a carrier like residence lines . It had never been noticed because it is an incoming only line in typical use.) After the usual time consuming run around between carriers, PacBell identified some of the numbers for us. They were coming from the employee's home line which had to been slammed to MCI since it moved as Sprint. Problem solved, well sort of. Seems that we had been billed for the line both separately at the new "residence" location and continued as part of the 15 line billing at work. The PacBell rep noticed it as we dissected the long distance problem and they are working on the year's refund. 2. All this discussion and reading the Digest suddenly reminded me that almost exactly the same thing had occurred in the early 70's with a very similar moved line. That refund was for about three years. If that has happened twice to me, whose job is not following phone bills or telecom stuff directly, it may fairly common. Moral of the story: get a detail summary of all bulk bills at least yearly and have some one/s who can verify that you get what you are paying for. We are also still researching the $13.80/month charge for a "remote trunk busy arrangement". The phone company knows that is what we are being billed for it, but can't, at the moment, tell us where it is in the CO , nor where it terminates on customer premises, nor what line/s it busies. ------------------------------ Subject: Information Age course at Georgetown From: stapleton@misvax.mis.arizona.edu (Dr. Ross Alan Stapleton) Date: 6 Aug 1992 15:35 MST Organization: University of Arizona MIS Department For those in the greater Washington DC area, I will be teaching a course in Georgetown University's continuing education program, surveying issues arising from our entry into the "Information Age." The course description is below, and it runs for eight Thursday evenings. Contact the School of Summer and Continuing Education at Georgetown for further information (and forward this note to others if you like). Ross * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ISSUES FOR THE INFORMATION AGE This course will address issues of the "Information Age" for a nontechnical audience, i.e., how computers and computer-based information and systems are transforming the world around us. What does it mean to say that "information about money is as valuable as money itself?" Many companies do nothing more than broker information, as an increasingly larger percentage of the U.S. economy. But where ought the boundary between commercial profit and personal privacy be drawn? Lotus Development Corp. cancelled its plans to market a database on consumers in the face of protests from those it would have monitored, and across the U.S. "caller ID" technology is facing severe scrutiny from all sides. In the wake of the failed Soviet coup, a U.S. communications company took out a full-page ad to congratulate Soviet citizens who, "armed with nothing more than information ... saved the day." News of the Tiananmen Square massacre came to us out of China by way of portable satellite dishes and the fax machine. Information systems are making life more efficient, but never before has it been possible for a simple computer glitch to cause a billion dollars worth of damage -- twice in 1991 software bugs crippled large portions of the U.S. telephone system, and a Cornell graduate student's program shut down tens of thousands of networked computers in 1988. The legal profession is scrambling to apply yesterday's laws to new realities, and "artificial reality" has been used in court testimony, while the FBI lobbies to make digital telephones easier to wiretap. What do we have to fear from "hackers?" Does computer crime pay? Readings will be provided, taken largely from the current press, to serve as background and focus for discussion. Dr. Ross Alan Stapleton is a science and technology analyst with extensive experience studying computer and information technologies in the former USSR and Eastern Europe. Eight sessions, Thursday evenings, 7:45 to 9:15 p.m., September 24 through November 12, 1992. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Aug 92 00:52:48 -0400 From: Doug Humphrey Subject: NYSE Processing A little background; NYSE processing is actually done by SIAC (Securities Industry Automation Corporation). SIAC does the transaction processing for both the NYSE and the AMEX (American Stock Exchange). Main SIAC processing is located at 55 Water Street, just a block or so from the NYSE trading floor. Recently, because of things like the power and communications outages that you have mentioned, a backup processing facility has been established at Metropark, and business park in Brooklyn. During the trading day, both facilities are "live" and do transaction processing. At any time, either site can come offline and not disrupt the processing at all. Both sites are sized to handle the total processing load. I will note here that all of the "critical" processing is done on systems built by Tandem Computers, the firm for whom I work, and these systems are "fault tolerant", meaning that they are able to sustain single points of hardware failure without effect on the applications that are running. The 55 Water Street site has in excess of 150 Tandem CPUs arranged in several "systems"; being a parallel processing architecture, these things do change from time to time, and you have to keep an eye on the configurations to be sure how many CPUs are in a given system. Metropark has the same level of processing power, but fewer actual CPUs because they are operating many functions on the new RISC based Cyclone processors; much faster than previous technologies. Almost without exception (and the exceptions are small), every stock exchange on the planet operates on Tandem systems. There are other manufacturers systems installed, but mainly you will find they are "back end" systems. For the critical "online transaction processing" function, you will find that even a few seconds of downtime has very scary impacts, secondary effects, etc. This is not an ad for Tandem, really. If you are discussing the dangers of depending on the "online society" then you should consider that this is the absolute bleeding edge. Last time that I saw uptime stats during the trading day, I believe that they were better than 99.99% for the year, and they included communications outages and operator errors in that number. ICBM launch systems don't do that well (though the numbers for them are classified). Doug Humphrey Eastern Region Staff Security Specialist TCP/IP Specialist doug@digex.com humphrey_doug@tandem.com Disclaimer: nope, I don't speak for Tandem, or SIAC, or NYSE, or AMEX. ------------------------------ From: kityss@ihlpe.att.com Date: Fri, 7 Aug 92 11:51 CDT Subject: New AT&T Stored Value Cards I have been following the discussion on the lack of a non-coin, non-charge card/calling card method for placing toll calls here in the US. Well guess what, someone must be listening. AT&T just announced a new program called TELETICKET. This program will sell "stored value cards" of 10, 25, or 50 units (current rate is $.60 per unit). These cards are geared to foreign travelers in the USA, and may be used to access the AT&T network or to use information services in one of nine languages. I called the TELETICKET people to get more details. These cards anre "stored value", but they are not "magnetic strip" cards. You purchase a card from TELETICKET (via check, money order, or charge card) and then use it via the TELTICKET interface (a USA 1-800 number) to make long distance calls (inter-lata or international via AT&T). It is essentially a limited value "calling card". You have to punch in your 10-digit TELETICKET card number, which is of course "printed on the card" (oh well). At least if someone steals your TELETICKET card or number the most you are out is $30, with a regular calling card I think your minimum liability is $50. I intend to order one of these and play with it. They are supposed to send me more information, but the customer service rep. said they were running short on info brochures. The cards are currently available only via the mail or from one POS office in San Francisco "on market street". I asked if more POS places were in the works, and the answer is yes -- maybe even phone centers, but demand will dictate how sales are handled. They anticipate that the primary users of these card will be foreign travelers and business folk. As far as rates go, I don't know yet -- my guess is it may be slightly higher than dial '1', but still competitive enough to make it more attractive than dumping rolls of quarters into the local IBT phone to call Turkey! If anyone is interested, I would suggest calling the English speaking TELETICKET customer service line at 1-800-462-1818. If I get more detailed information, like the full list of 800 numbers for the languages, - or a number that can be reached from outside the USA, I will post. (You might try asking for TELETICKET customer service from your in country USA DIRECT operator.) Since I am up to my eyeballs in inbound AFS foreign exchange students at O'Hare airport this week -- I thought this was a timely topic. Arnette Schultz kityss@ihlpe.att.com ------------------------------ From: scott@asd.com (Scott Barman) Subject: Area Code Changes in Georgia? Organization: American Software Development Corp., West Babylon, NY Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1992 17:23:08 GMT The other day I was trying to make a phone call to Athens, Georgia and I got a recording that the area code was changed and to redial it with the new area code (706, used to be 404). When was this changed? I know I can still call Atlanta using 404, but what areas are effected by this change (e.g., is Thomaston included in the change)? Thanks! scott barman scott@asd.com (I can barely speak for myself, you expect me to speak for my employer??) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Aug 92 22:43 GMT From: Proctor & Associates <0003991080@mcimail.com> Subject: A Moment of Silence For A.G. Bell The August 3 issue of {Telephony} has a little blurb about the 70th anniversary of the passing of Alexander Graham Bell. At 6:25 PM Eastern time on August 4, 1922 all telephone service in the USA and Canada was suspended for one full minute to mark the death of Bell two days earlier. The silence fell at the moment that Bell was laid to rest in his tomb. No mention was made of how they did this. Did all cordboard connections in all central offices get yanked at the same time? Can you imagine trying to pull this stunt today? The article goes on to say that seven years prior to his death, Bell said he looked forward to the day when people would communicate without spoken words using coils of wire about their heads to communicate thoughts by induction. Paul Cook 206-881-7000 Proctor & Associates MCI Mail 399-1080 15050 NE 36th St. fax: 206-885-3282 Redmond, WA 98052-5317 3991080@mcimail.com [Moderator's Note: During the last several years of his life, Alex Bell had completely avoided any day-to-day involvement with the Bell System and AT&T. He was not on very friendly terms with the management of the company in latter years, although he was still a very large stockholder in AT&T along with his wife Mabel and the royalties from the use of his invention kept him a wealthy man until he died. On the day he died early in August 1922, Mabel called the company and spoke with a couple people in senior management with whom Alex had remained friends, and told them of his passing. It was publicized in the media the next day that the Bell System would note the occassion with a nationwide minute of silence, and subscribers were asked to voluntarily refrain from using their telephones at the appointed time. A neighbor of mine for many years spent about forty years employed by 'The Telephone Company' until she retired in the late 1950's. She was with the Bell System at the time and to the best of her recollection hundreds of Bell System management employees attended the funeral. No calls were 'yanked down'. Beginning about five minutes before the minute of silence, operators advised callers that emergency calls only were being handled for the next several minutes. With no new calls being started and old calls disconnecting normally over the next five minutes, traffic was virtually zero when the minute of silence was going on during which time the operators did not respond to any calls and the other employees paused in their duties. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #612 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa08432; 8 Aug 92 14:06 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA27988 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 8 Aug 1992 11:52:36 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA15640 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 8 Aug 1992 11:52:27 -0500 Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1992 11:52:27 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208081652.AA15640@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #613 TELECOM Digest Sat, 8 Aug 92 11:52:30 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 613 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson New 900 MHz Cordless Phone (Ken Jongsma) Call Blocker/Restricter From Radio Shack (morpheus@entropy.mcds.com) SupraFAXModem 14.4 Voice Upgrade - What is it? (Russell Ochocki) Cellular Service Providers (Fred Wedemeier) NCR's Wireless LAN Products (Mitsutaka Ito) Information Wanted on CDMA (K.R.S.Murthy) Voice Messaging User Interface (Norm Aleks) Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digtal Data (R. L. Ketcham) More Notes About German Telekom (John W. Shaver) L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted (Arthur L. Shapiro) Neophyte Long Distance Questions (Technical) (Daniel A. Segel) Looking For Intercom/Baby Monitor (John Kennedy) Information Wanted About MCI (Juergen Ziegler) Request For Information About YORIKO 14.4 Modem (Juergen Ziegler) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: jongsma@esseye.si.com (Ken Jongsma) Subject: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone Date: Sat, 8 Aug 92 11:25:30 EDT In the August 3rd {Business Week}... A Cordless Phone That Can Thwart Eavesdroppers To industrial spies and other snoops, the millions of cordless phones in use are goldmines of information. Conversations can be plucked out of the air by means of a police type scanner, and with increasing ease. The latest no-cord technologies offers clearer sound and longer ranges -- up to half a mile. That's because the new phones broadcast signals at 900 MHz, or 20 times the frequency of current models. Cincinnati Microwave, Inc. [the radar detector people] figures executives and consumers will pay a small premium for cordless privacy. The company has developed a phone, to be marketed in October by its Escort division for about $300, that thwarts eavesdroppers with "spread spectrum" technology, which is similar to the encryption method that the military uses in secure radios. The signals between the handset and base unit are digitized, making them unintelligible to humans, and the transmission randomly hops among various frequencies within the 900 MHz spectrum. To keep the cost down to the range of other 900 MHz models, Cincinnati Microwave has developed special microchips that keep the handset and base in sync. Ken Jongsma ken@wybbs.mi.org Smiths Industries jongsma@benzie.si.com Grand Rapids, Michigan 73115.1041@compuserve.com ------------------------------ Subject: Call Blocker/Restricter From Radio Shack From: morpheus@entropy.mcds.com (SINless) Date: Sat, 08 Aug 92 07:25:22 EDT A while back there was some talk about restricting long distance or 900/976 calls on a phone line. I just saw a "Call Restrictor" in the Radio Shack flier for $69.95 that "Stops unauthorized '900', '976', long distance, and even local calls" (cat number 43-952) Now, assuming that it is selectable which of the above it disables (it doesn't just nuke the phone line ;-) this little box could be what whoever it was was looking for ... morpheus@entropy.mcds.com /\/\/\/ f208.n2606.z1.fidonet.org ------------------------------ From: rdo@kynes.bison.mb.ca (Russell Ochocki) Subject: SupraFAXModem 14.4 Voice Upgrade - What is it? Date: 8 Aug 1992 01:04:24 -0500 Organization: Private Site, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Reply-To: rdo@kynes.bison.mb.ca Well, it looks like I'm going to take the plung and get a high-speed modem. :^) My Supra2400 has served me well so I think I'll stay with the Supra line. The SupraFAXModem 14.4 has the usual high-speed features. It also mentions a "user-installable Voice upgrade". Does anybody know what this is? Better yet, is there anyone using this Voice upgrade. I'm guessing it is some sort of voice-mail support. Can anyone confirm this and explain exactly what features this voice upgrade allows you to do? Thanks. Russell Ochocki rdo@kynes.bison.mb.ca ------------------------------ From: fcw@pioneer.telecom.ti.com (Fred Wedemeier) Subject: Cellular Service Providers Organization: TI Telecom Systems, Dallas Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1992 03:44:10 GMT Just curious: Do the AOS rip-offs operate in the cellular domain? I recently drove through parts of the western US, and passed through some pretty remote areas in which the signal strength meter on the phone pegged max. I got to wondering who would provide service in remote areas like this, and what the roaming/connect charges would be. Didn't have the nerve to punch *611 for fear of getting clobbered just for asking ... It would seem that the equipment cost and licensing cost/effort would keep out the real fly-by-nights, but on the other hand, some local outfit might generate a good revenue stream by soaking roamers passing through. Any knowledge or personal experiences here? Fred Wedemeier pho: 214-997-3213 fax: 214-997-3639 timsg: fcw inet: fcw@pioneer.telecom.ti.com ------------------------------ Subject: NCR's Wireless LAN Products Date: Fri, 07 Aug 92 21:06:29 +0900 From: Mitsutaka Ito Dear Sirs, I am interested in wireless LAN. I heard that there are wireless LAN products from NCR. If anyone has information on this topic, please inform me. Thank you in advance. Mitsutaka Ito E-mail: ito@nttslb.ntt.jp NTT Software Laboratories Tel/Fax: +81-3-3740-5715/+81-3-5479-9170 1-9-1 Kohnan Minato-ku Tokyo 108 Japan ------------------------------ From: murthy@solomon.technet.sg (K.R.S.Murthy) Subject: Information Wanted on CDMA Organization: National University of Singapore Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1992 09:29:15 GMT Can anybody explain to me briefly in layman's words how CDMA technology works? I prefer a scenario explained without using mathematical expressions. Hope someone of you will be able to spare some time on this. Thanks in advance. murthy ------------------------------ From: naleks@harvard.edu (Norm Aleks) Subject: Voice Messaging User Interface Date: 8 Aug 92 13:57:03 GMT Organization: Countway Library of Medicine, HMS A while back I posted a query as to whether anyone knew details on VMUIS, the Voice Messaging User Interface Forum standards. I got back many replies of the "please send me any info you get" variety, but no answers. One nice guy at Bellcore did do some footwork for me, though, and found out that a woman he worked with had been on the committee, that they had completed an initial report, and that the standards-setting work had been passed on to ANSI. Well, I have more information, taken (of all places) from {Networking Management} magazine, July '92, pp. 38-44. Here's a quote of the two paragraphs discussing VMUIS: "The Information Industry Association has led two efforts to standardize the way people interact with voice-based systems. One of these, the Voice Messaging User Interface Forum, completed its specification more than two years ago. VMUIS was intended as a standard interface that would promote consistency among products to 'benefit users in several areas ... including faster learning, greater productivity, and greater satisfaction,' according to the specification document issued in April 1990. "The specification covers core activities only, not options or prompting scripts, and it is not intended to homogenize the industry. It calls for vendors to use * to cancel or back up, 0 to ask for help or an operator, and # to terminate or skip ahead. It further specifies a consistent way to handle Q and Z, which do not appear on Touchtone keypads. Acceptance of VMUIS is limited; some vendors ignore it, others adopt just the parts they like." So. That still leaves me wondering, what interface standard (if any) are the telco voicemail systems adhering to? I think there must be one, because both brands of voicemail equipment NETEL has had in the Back Bay use the same keystrokes for everything. They even use the same prompts! Once again, if anyone knows more detail I'd like to hear it. Please email to me; I'll post new info to the net. Norm Aleks naleks@harvard.edu Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School ------------------------------ From: ketcham@hardy.u.washington.edu (R. L. Ketcham) Subject: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data Date: 8 Aug 92 06:23:40 GMT Reply-To: ketcham@u.washington.edu Organization: University of Washington, Seattle I'm trying to slap together a quick-n-dirty system for tape recording digital data, and I'd like to fly this idea by the modem gurus out there. The background story is we're doing some deep ocean research and we have this cruise coming up on pretty short notice. We want to take a stereo tape recorder out and record acoustical hydrophone data on one channel and digital Global Positioning System (GPS) data on the other. Then we take all this data back home and analyze it offline, to determine where things are located down there. The GPS data is serial ASCII and the interface is configured to plug into a modem. The problem is to get this data onto an audio tape. We have some cheap hayes compatible modems laying around (this is a real shoestring operation.) What I'd like to know: Is there some way I can go directly from modem to audio tape recorder? I've seen this sort of thing done with expensive high end modems and it seems like it should work in principle. While I have some experience writing software to talk through these modems, I don't really understand how the handshaking and signalling works on the wire side of the things. It seems to me that these hayes type modems look to see another modem on the other end of the line, and if they don't see one, they won't talk. So would it be too difficult to deceive the modem into thinking it's talking to another modem, or otherwise defeat this carrier detect thing? If so, then maybe I could directly record the modem output onto tape and then later retrieve the digital data by playing the tape back through the modem the other way. I would really appreciate any advice on this. (I'm in a crunch to get this thing operational in a few weeks.) Richard Ketcham Physics Dept. University of Washington Seattle ------------------------------ Date: 08 Aug 92 09:44:30 MST From: Mr John W Shaver Subject: More Notes About German Telekom I got this response from a friend in Germany. It adds a bit to the understanding of the telephone company there. John W. Shaver 602 538 7622 // DSN 879 7622 // FTS 658 7622 FAX 538 0656 // DSN 879 0656_// FTS 658 0656 *** Forwarding note from SMTP --EPG1 08/05/92 09:18 *** Date: Wed, 5 Aug 92 18:19:09 CET From: Steve Perez To: Mr John W Shaver Subject: Re: TELECOM Digest V12 #604 Hi John. Thanks for the note on Telekom ... it was all too familiar. Actually, I thought the author was a little too kind. He was definitely lucky on his initial install. Most people wait a minimum of six weeks. What most Americans with the military do is sign over the old telephone number from the previous tenant....that way there's no break in service. In our case it did make for some interesting calls from long-lost friends and relatives (that weren't ours) and who didn't get the word from the family that was here before us. One particular problem was the last tenant had put up notices on various bulletin boards of items he was selling due to his PCS ... it took us a few months before we tracked them all down. We don't have a touch tone phone, but we do lease the cheapest one they offer. I brought over a rotary unit that I keep plugged into my modem. One thing your note didn't mention is a big gripe of mine ... there is a big charge for having a second phone (extension) in your house ... and it's not the same as in the USA ... according to the lady that took my order, there is a law against two units listening in on the same line. With the special hardware you get with the extra phone order, if someone picks up on the extension when you're on, you get cut off while the other guy gets connected to the party you were talking to. Without this hardware, the call gets disconnected. I opted to have only one phone ... sort of interesting when your home has three levels. For this reason, I have to disconnect my phone to use my modem; however, with my rotary phone connected, if I'm not using my modem and a call comes in, I'll know about it (and I can dial out on it too). Also, the quality of the lines don't seem good enough for data at even 1200 baud. Of course, it may be an attenuation problem since my PC is about 10 meters away from the phone jack. Anyway, I can dial into work (not a local call) and CompuServe (really not local ... the closest node is in Frankfurt) which is better than nothing. Well I'm gonna wrap this up for now. Tell everyone Hi for me ... talk to you soon. ------------------------------ From: MPA15C!ARTHUR@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com Date: 08 AUG 92 13:47 Subject: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted I'm trying to locate a supplemental ringer that will enable an elderly, increasingly hard-of-hearing relative to be aware that the phone is ringing. The lower tones of an electromechanical bell would probably be a lot better than the frequencies typically produced by electronic devices. It would be an asset if the unit did not require external power, and if it didn't deplete my wallet too severely. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the device should be obscenely, unpleasantly clangorous. Recommendations are most welcome. Thanks in advance. Arthur L. Shapiro ARTHUR%MPA15C@TRENGA.TREDYDEV.UNISYS.COM Opinions expressed herein are entirely too reasonable to represent the Unisys Corporation, and should thus not be so construed ------------------------------ From: daniels@xstor.com (Daniel A. Segel) Subject: Neophyte Long Distance Questions (Technical) Organization: Storage Dimensions, Inc. Date: Sat, 08 Aug 92 07:18:06 GMT I have a few questions about just what is going on when I place a call from work (near San Jose, CA) to, say, Japan. There are two major variables that seem to change for every call I make. Number one is that sometimes there is a long delay between what I say and the answer I get from the other person, which can lead to real difficulty in carrying on a conversation. This delay is not always there, however. Secondly, the line noise is sometimes considerably higher than other times. Is this in some way related to calls going through a satellite versus going through cables under the ocean? What are the distance involved? I thought the satellite were in geosycnhronous orbit about 22,000 miles out, but even that distance should only delay the signal about .25 seconds (there and back). Is one method of carrying the signal inherently more noisy than the other? I'm fascinated by how the signals get shuttled around, so anyone that has any info they could e-mail me or post would be greatly appreciated. On a side note, does anybody know if the beeps you hear while waiting for an international call to complete mean anything? Thanks, Daniel A. Segel daniels@xstor.com ------------------------------ From: johnk@opel.secondsource.COM (John Kennedy) Subject: Looking for Intercom/Baby Monitor Date: 8 Aug 92 09:57:19 GMT Reply-To: johnk@secondsource.COM (John Kennedy) Organization: Second Source, Inc., Annapolis, MD What better newsgroup to ask about cordless telephone technology, right? If one were looking for a baby/nursery monitor, is it a fair assumption to use the same criteria as when looking for a cordless phone? Am I right in assuming that they would use the same frequencies, similar designs, etc.? Anyone have any good or bad experiences to share with any particular products? John Kennedy uunet!opel!johnk Second Source, Inc. johnk@secondsource.COM Annapolis, MD ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Aug 92 23:26 From: UK84@DKAUNI2.BITNET Subject: Information Wanted About MCI Hi PAT, I need to know the name/s of the chairman and CEO of MCI. I am pretty sure that you know their name/s. My second question is, do you know the fax number (I know there are thousands of them) of the MCI headquarters in Wasshington, DC. I mean the MAIN fax number, so a number you would use, if you had now idea who to call. Thanks so much for your help. Juergen [Moderator's Note: I dunno. Who *is* Chairman and CEO of MCI these days now that McGowen is gone? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Aug 92 23:32 From: UK84@DKAUNI2.BITNET Subject: Request For Information About: YORIKO 14.4 Modem Hi folks, I a major German computer magazine a modem called YORIKO 14.4 (made in the USA) is offered at a great price. Since I have not heard before about this modem, it would be appreciated to get good or bad informatio about this product. Juergen ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #613 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa19579; 9 Aug 92 11:47 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24719 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 9 Aug 1992 09:43:47 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA14762 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 9 Aug 1992 09:43:37 -0500 Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 09:43:37 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208091443.AA14762@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #614 TELECOM Digest Sun, 9 Aug 92 09:43:40 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 614 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Pacific Bell Ads for CLASS (Jeff Garber) What Number am I Calling From? (Rick O'Shea) How to Pick an LD Carrier (David Rochberg) Those Wacky Baby Bells (Richard Tjoa) Rare Book Available (mmm@cup.portal.com) Local Call Determination (Dave Niebuhr) Updated CO List for Area Code 516 (Dave Niebuhr) SS7 Signaling POI (Tim Gorman) AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY (Douglas Scott Reuben) Carrier Access Codes in Northern Minnesota (Jack Decker) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 03:30 GMT From: Jeff Garber <0005075968@mcimail.com> Subject: Pacific Bell Ads for CLASS Pac Bell's advertising for CLASS services is really starting to get to me. I just heard an ad that said, "Priority Ringing - another new idea from Pacific Bell." How about, "another new idea *for* Pacific Bell"? Unfortunately, the general public does not know that CLASS services have been available in states other than CA for years, so people may actually think that Pacific Bell came up with this wonderful idea and we'll be the first state on the block to try it out. (Doesn't everyone read TELECOM Digest or crack open the phone book as soon as they get in their hotel room if they are traveling? :) While they're so full of new ideas, why doesn't Pac Bell offer Ringmate/Ringmaster (we have no name for it since it's not offered)? I wanted to have a phone number other than my regular home number for a different use, but have it ring on the same line. Since Pac Bell doesn't offer this, I ended up having an extra line with call forwarding installed and just forwarded all calls to my regular number (the only way I can tell which number was called is if I hear the forwarded number ring once first). A friend of mine pointed out that GTECA does offer SmartRing, and that I ought to ask Pac Bell why they don't offer a feature that "even GTE, the laughing stock of the telecom industry" offers. Jeff Garber My opinions are just that. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 03:05:51 GMT From: ricochet@spatula.rent.com (Rick O'Shea) Subject: What Number am I Calling From? Is there a way to get the number of the phone you're calling from? For example, the payphone in my laundromat isn't marked and the store owner says he doesn't know what it is. There's times when it would be more convenient to have somebody call me back, but if I don't know the number, how can they? Thanks, Rick ------------------------------ From: rochberg-david@CS.YALE.EDU (David Rochberg) Subject: How to Pick an LD Carrier Date: Sun, 09 Aug 92 03:46:48 -0400 I'm really impressed by the quality and quantity of the reponses I received. Thanks a million to these folks: ho@rgb.enet.dec.com, , grout@csrd.uiuc.edu, john@zygot.ati.com, jsaker@cwis.unomaha.edu, eli.mantel@lambada.oit.unc.edu, sk89221@acad.drake.edu, steves@sv012.torreypinesca.ncr, sneaky.lonestar.org!gordon 1) Is there an organization that keeps track of LD rates that can be queried easily? Not really. The FCC does keep track, but it does not make them easily available in an easy-to-read format (it also does not make them available frequently enough). PUC's are useful for intrastate rates. 2) Is there a better way to get current rate info? Not easily. Several people suggested putting together a set of representative test calls and asking each carrier for rates on those calls. One person suggested that I might have more luck asking for a fax copy of ratesheets. 3) How can I use more than one carrier for a single phone? I should have known this. Everybody who replied reminded me that if you are in an equal access area, then you can use Feature Group D to select carriers on a per-call basis (Feature Group D is 1+0+3 digit code, a la 10ATT, 10222 10333 . . .) Several people reported that they pick and choose on a per-call basis. 4) Is there anything other than rate that should affect my decision? Customer service, calling card surcharges, and convenient discount periods headed this list. A few people had customer-service nightmares to share. 5) Are there non-big-three carriers that I should be considering? John Higdon pointed out that some minor carriers beat the majors in signal quality to certain places (Hawaii, in his case). John Saker (who is not happens to be an employee of a smaller carrier) said that smaller carriers are a good idea for some calls. He suggested that the state PUC telecom tariff division was a good way to find the IXC's operating in one's state. There is also a file with FGD codes for a whole bunch of these carriers at the telecom archives. 7) 800 Numbers John Higdon suggested that business (as opposed to personal) 800 can be a better deal. Several others pointed out that there was a chance that this would be more expensive, and Gordon Burditt pointed out that one must pay for 800-wrong numbers (He brought up the nightmare of having a misprinted ad point to one's personal 800 number). 8) Is there a substantial price difference among the big three? Not much. I would summarize some of the additional info that John Higdon sent me, but he posted it. Thanks again! david ------------------------------ From: tjoa@cory.berkeley.edu (Richard Tjoa) Subject: Those Wacky Baby Bells Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 08:56:32 GMT [Moderator's Note: This was originally posted in misc.consumers. PAT] I don't know about anyone else in the country, but for at least here in the Bay Area ... Isn't "The Message Center" from Pacific Bell great? They introduced it a year ago and told everyone to get rid of their answering machines for their (essentially) voice mail-type system. You could delete single messages, etc ... (And for the low price of, what, $5/mo?) Now, they've got "Priority Ringing", which rings the telephone four different ways, so you know who is calling you. They pitch it (on the radio, at least), by a guy who screens his calls on his answering machine, and his woman friend who seems annoyed that he does so. Gee, wasn't it convenient that first Pac Bell gets you to get rid of your answering machine, and now, since you can't screen calls, gets you to get their new "Priority Ringing"? Mo money! Mo money! Mo money! Richard I can picture getting really crappy phone service from now on. ------------------------------ From: mmm@cup.portal.com Subject: Rare Book Available Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 00:38:17 PDT I have a very nice little old book on telephones: PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR TELEPHONISTS by T. D. Lockwood, electrician, American Bell Telephone Company 1884 printing of a book copyrighted in 1882 publisher is W. J. Johnston 192 pages Cover over spine faded, otherwise fine Chapters are: Preface Historical Sketch of Electricity from 600 B.C. to 1882 A.D. Facts and Figures about the Speaking Telephone How to Build a Short Telegraph or Telephone Line The Earth and its Relation to Telephonic Systems of Communication The Magneto-Telephone--what it is, how it is made, and how it should be handled The Blake Transmitter Disturbances experienced on Telephone Lines The Telephone Switch-Board A Chronological Sketch of the Magneto Bell, and how to become acquainted with it Telephone Transmitting Batteries Lightning--its Action upon Telephone Apparatus--how to prevent or reduce Troubles arising thereform The Telephone Inspector The Telephone Inspector: His Daily Work The Inspector on Detective Duty The Daily Routine of the Telephone Inspector Individual Calls for Telephone Lines Telephone Wires _versus_ Electric Light Wires Electric Bell Construction, Part I Electric Bell Construction, Part II Housetop Lines, Pole Lines and Aerial Cables Anticipation of Great Discoveries and Inventions I would be willing to trade this book for either of these books, which might be found in used bookstores near net readers: SYMPOSIUM ON ROLAMITE published by Univ. of New Mexico Press around 1969 SELECTIVE PARTIAL ABLATION OF THE FRONTAL CORTEX published by Columbia-Greystone Associates in the 1950's (water-damaged and ex-library editions not acceptable.) I would consider trading for other stuff. For example, if someone has a huge quantity of Model 32 and 33 type cylinders or fluidic logic circuits or a pair of transorbital leucotomes or an IBM 1360 photodigital storage system or a KA-10 front panel. Send offers to mmm@cup.portal.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 08:04:41 EDT From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Local Call Determination In TELECOM Digest Volume 12 : Issue 608 Randy Gellens randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com writes: > In Telecom 12.599, booloo@framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov (Mark Boolootian) > writes: >> Additionally, can someone explain to me what distinguishes local calls >> from toll calls? Are all calls within a LATA local? Does physical >> proximity have anything to do with determining whether a call is local >> (i.e. is it always the case that calling a couple of blocks away will >> be a local call)? Assuming physical proximity had something to do >> with it, I've always fancied setting up a dial-up system which chained >> together a bunch of local calls, but for which the end-to-end call >> would have been toll. > It is mostly distance based. Each prefix has a set of prefixes which > are local from it (out here, one prefix away is local, further away is > toll). In NYTel land (area code 516 - Long Island) local calls are CO based. If the number being called is in an adjacent CO or the local one (where your number is based), then the call is free depending on the type of billing plan (Flat Rate or Message Rate). This can lead to some very wierd situations. For instance, Orient, NY (516-323) has local calling to that exchange and 516-477. Medford, NY on the other hand has no local CO but various parts of it are in the Yaphank (516-282/341/345/924), Bellport (516-286), Patchogue (516-289/475/477/654/758/687) and Selden (516-451/698/732/736) COs. Guess who gets the biggest bang for the buck? Dave Niebuhr Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 12:05:06 EDT From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Updated CO List for Area Code 516 I have an updated list of exchanges and their respecitve COs in the 516 area code. Contact me at either address below should you wish to receive this information. The data were gathered from a variety of sources and cannot be construed to be 100% accurate due to the overlapping of exchanges and communities in this area code. However, it is relatively close depending on the number of exchanges per CO. Dave Niebuhr Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ Date: 09 Aug 92 00:58:20 EDT From: tim gorman <71336.1270@CompuServe.COM> Subject: SS7 Signaling POI I have a situation where an Independent Company has a host switch in one LATA with remotes in another LATA. He wants to install one set of A Links to an STP pair in one LATA so that the SS7 signaling for both LATA's can be handed to the IXC's there. I am having a hard time finding anyone that has any direct knowledge of whether the RBOC waiver request allowing this to be done has been ruled on or not. It was my understanding that the original rules would require two sets of A links, one to each LATA STP pair since the RBOC's would not be able to carry SS7 messages across LATA boundaries. Athough this scenario would not necessarily require this to be done if all carriers exists in both LATAs, I am not sure what the original "intent" of the rule was to be. Should a carrier in LATA R (for where the remotes are) not have SS7 links in LATA H (where the host and A links are) then the signaling messages would need to be carried across the LATA boundary and the rules would apply for sure. I need to know what the status of all this is. At this point, even any surmises as to possible outcomes would be welcomed :-> . Tim Gorman - SWBT *opinions are mine, any resemblance to official policy is coincidence* ------------------------------ Date: 9-AUG-1992 18:49:46.55 From: Douglas Scott Reuben Subject: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY A friend of mine who lives in Rochester, NY, called a few days ago and claimed that he could not reach me via my AT&T EasyReach 700 number. He is presubscribed to AT&T and all, 700s are not blocked from his line, etc., yet when he dials 0-700-my number, he gets an AT&T operator who instructs him to (incorrectly) dial "1" first, which of course won't work. I called AT&T about this, and after being told some silly story about how Rochester Tel has no OSPS links to AT&T's network (which is absurd -- they have had them for years), and calling Rochester Tel to confirm that this was not true, I was told that the "real" reason why EasyReach calls couldn't be placed from SOME exchanges in Rochester Tel's area is that they aren't running the proper software on their ATT 5ESS machines. The technical rep at AT&T EasyReach said that he was aware of this problem, and that they were working on it to try to patch it up. My question is: Why is the software that Rochester Tel uses on its 5ESS machines any different than what a BOC (like New England Tel) uses? Is this really a correct answer, or just another one of AT&T's stories which they liberally employ to get rid of (legitimate) concerns regarding their service? I am generally quite happy with AT&T EasyReach ... it is an exceptional service. Yet not being able to be reached from the second largest city in New York state (at least in certain exchanges) is troubling. AT&T should act quickly to remedy this shortfall. (And yes, I know about their 800-824-5621 number, which can also be used for regular Calling Card calls; it is too much of a pain to give BOTH the 800 and the 700 number out and expect people to reach me that way.) BTW, two of the exchanges in question were 716-461 (Field St. CO) and 716-263 (Stone St. CO). AT&T says there are many more :( Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu // dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 00:43:33 CST From: Jack Decker Subject: Carrier Access Codes in Northern Minnesota I don't recall offhand who was maintaining the list of carrier access codes, but a week ago I was in Northern Minnesota and happened to pick up some literature from one of the local phone companies (Consolidated Telephone Company, Brainerd, MN) that listed the XXX codes for the long distance carriers serving their area. Obviously, some of these are national carriers but others are locals that may not already be in the list. Since this is a small, independent telco it is somewhat amazing that they have this many choices! Here's the list: AT&T 288 Allnet 444 ACI 244 Bemidji Long Distance 499 (Bemidji is a small town in Northern Minnesota) Cable and Wireless 223 Coast International 063 LDDS (Mid American) 001 Long Distance USA 252 MCI 222 Metromedia 488 National Teleserv 401 Polaris Telecom 264 (owned by Consolidated Telephone Co., Brainerd) Telecom USA 835 Telephone Assoc 837 US Link 355 (owned by Arvig Telephone Co., Pequot Lakes MN) U.S. Sprint 333 I might also mention that there are a couple of carriers in Michigan that did not appear on early lists, but that may have been added later: Superior Telecom 232 MetroNet 258 Interestingly enough, in northern Minnesota you can choose one carrier for your intraLATA calls, and a different carrier (if you want) for your intraLATA calls, so apparently there is both interLATA AND intraLATA competition there. Oh, one other interesting thing: I mentioned that Consolidated Telephone's offices are in Brainerd. But, they are NOT the LEC that actually provides service to Brainerd. Instead, that is provided by U.S. West. Consolidated actually serves many of the smaller towns that surround Brainerd, and I suppose they felt that it was more advantageous to locate their office in the central city than in one of the outlying areas. Interestingly enough, their office is only one block from the U.S. West exchange building (which no longer houses a business office). I've noticed this in a few other cities, where an independent telco will have their offices close to (or even next door to) a Bell building, but in most such cases the independent serves the town, leaving one to wonder what the Bell building is doing there! I'm sure there are historical reasons for things like that, but it really makes you wonder ... I mean, you'd think that if Bell were going to go through the trouble of building a switching center, they's also serve the community; and that conversely, Bell wouldn't be much interested in building a switching facility in "foreign" territory. As I say, it makes you wonder ... Jack Decker jack@myamiga.mixcom.com FidoNet 1:154/8 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #614 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa18216; 10 Aug 92 1:14 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19097 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 9 Aug 1992 20:58:03 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA01792 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 9 Aug 1992 20:57:55 -0500 Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 20:57:55 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208100157.AA01792@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #615 TELECOM Digest Sun, 9 Aug 92 20:58:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 615 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Observations From my Trip to England (Ken Weaverling) Overseas Calling Cards (Laurence Chiu) Looking For Bisync Modem (William Sanders) Feline Protocol Analysers (Richard Tomlinson) ISDN Reading (Scott Colbath) Impedance Matching Shielded Twisted Pair for 10BaseT (Adrian Freed) Error Correction (Kevin Cadieux) Ringdown Phone in Baseball "Dugout" (Carl Moore) Caller Id Hardware Wanted (Stephen Oberski) Unique Call-ID for Telemarketing Calls: Technically Feasible? (A. Siegman) Fiber-Optic Cable Demo (Carl Moore) Portable Phone Purchase Pondered (David Klur) Intercept Messages (Randy Gellens) Contel After GTE (turner@dixie.com) Data Options (Bob Frankston) Old Dogs Learn Faster! (Bob Vogel) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: weave@bach.udel.edu (Ken Weaverling) Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 09:39:40 EDT Subject: Telecom Observations From my Trip to England Last month, I went to England on vacation. The first thing I noticed when I "deplaned" was the ugly new British Telecom logo on the phones. According to friends I visited, BT spent millions on converting to the new logo. What a waste. Several phone box thefts were in the paper while I was there. A while back, BT installed hardened coin cases in their pay phones to prevent thieves from drilling them out and stealing the coin boxes. Unfortunately, apparently, BT often lost the keys to these boxes and had to drill them open themselves. So they had the coin boxes built with three areas where the steel wasn't reinforced and could be drilled. The template used to drill holes has fallen into the wrong hands, and now coin boxes are being hit all across the country! My friend recently received a new touch-tone leased phone from BT. He had called and asked for one earlier, but BT denied him, saying that his old set would have to be busted before they would replace it. So, several "accidental" drops of his old set on the floor later ... USA direct now allows you to dial the number you are calling and punch in your calling card number yourself, without operator intervention. This worked great from my friend's touch-tone phone, but not from any pay phones. They are push-button, but still pulse out the number you calling. After I got the prompt, I dialed the number I was calling, and had to wait as it pulsed the number out. After it was done, I heard the operators chatting with each other. Apparently, this happens quite often, and the operators have to wait for the pulses to stop before asking you for the info manually. I wonder how much operator time is wasted on this. I found out later that you can enable the touch-tone pad on BT pay phones after call completion by pressing the * button. I tried this at the airport while I was waiting for my return flight, and it worked! However, the tones were too short to grab the attention of my answering machine. This "feature" is not documented on any of the pay phones I used. I used Sprint Express to call my work everyday and AT&T to make personal calls. Every call I made using Sprint was crystal clear. Every call I made using AT&T had some sort of problem. The most frequent annoyance was loud hissing whenever the party I called wasn't speaking on the other end. I had one call where somehow, the last 1/4 second of each phrase spoken by the called party was lost. This meant the last word or two of every sentence was lost, and we found ourselves saying STOP before every pause just to be able to understand each other. I can't imagine what was happening. The best clue I have was that the voices were digitized and sent via packets, and the last packet in a series was being dropped. ------------------------------ Subject: Overseas Calling Cards Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 16:03:21 NZT From: lchiu@animal.gcs.co.nz (Laurence Chiu) Has anybody had any experience with overseas calling cards issued by either MCI or ATT? -- cards that can be used by non-US residents and which can be billed to a credit card. I have applied for cards from both ATT and MCI by just calling the local USA Direct number for ATT and MCI (Call USA) and having them transfer me to the business office. Interestingly enough ATT said they would send me out an application form while MCI took the details over the phone and even gave me a local toll-free number which would connect to the US business office. ATT have given me no rate information yet and MCI have given conflicting information each time I call them. But what is most useful is MCI say they will charge only US$2 for a call to a US 800 number, irrespective of the provider and time spoken -- that will be very useful. Anybody using any of these cards who can supply rate information and/or any other useful tidbits would be much appreciated. E-mail is okay, I will summarise if there is enough interest. Thanks, Laurence Chiu lchiu@animal.gcs.co.nz ------------------------------ From: William.Sanders@f-454.fidonet.org (William Sanders) Date: Sun, 09 Aug 1992 20:41:34 -0600 Subject: Looking For Bisync Modem Howdy! I am looking for one or two of the following modems. They must be used and in working condition. Please call and leave a message at 713-666-0337 or netmail me directly at 106/665. Thanks in advance ... Bill Sanders Manufacturer Model ARK Electronics ARK208A/B BCH Equipment 48/208M1 Blackbox Corporation PC ModemGateway 208 CASE COmmunications 208A/B CLEO Software PC-3270PLUS SNM CODEX 2205 CII Sync-Pack 4 Data Comm for Business UDSSYNC-UP Data Race PC RACE 48 Data Race PC RACE 2448 Gandalf Data LH208A/B General Data Comm DataComm208B+ INMAC Model 1970 MicroGate 4824 MicroGate 4822 MicroGate 4824/2 Multi-Tech MT208AH NEC America DataModem N4810 NIXDORF Model 208A/B Okidata CLD4800 A/B Paradyne 2636-02 Racal Vadic VA4850 Universal Data Systems Sync-up 208AB Uniplex Data Systems UDS 208AB ------------------------------ From: Richard Tomlinson Subject: Feline Protocol Analysers Organization: EDS-Scicon, Milton Keynes, UK Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 12:12:35 GMT Has anyone used a Feline Protocol Analyser? It's made in the US by Frederick Engineering and supplied in the UK by Sygnus. I'm interested in primary rate ISDN including DASS, DPNSS, 1TR6, VN2 and Q931. I have all the info and have been given a demo. It looks good but I want to know about people's practical experience with it. Does it work ok on a 16MHz 386SX? Any problems encountered? Is the support good (particulary interested in UK support)? Please Email. Thanks for your help. Richard Tomlinson, EDS Scicon, Wavendon Tower, Milton Keynes, UK MK17 8LX rpt@edscom.demon.co.uk Tel: +44 908 284539 Amateur radio: G4TGJ All opinions expressed are mine, and are not necessarily those of my employer. ------------------------------ From: scol@scottsdale.az.stratus.com (Scott Colbath) Subject: ISDN Reading Date: 9 Aug 92 16:30:23 GMT I'm looking for some reading material on ISDN. I know next to nothing about it but was having a discussion with someone in my office today on this subject and I found it very interesting. I'm looking for somethng which is very basic so I can build from there. Any suggestions are appreciated. Scott Colbath Stratus Computer Phoenix, Az. (602)852-3106 Internet:scott_colbath@az.stratus.com [Moderatpr's Note: Well, why don't you start with Fred R. Goldstein's book "ISDN in Perspective". Fred is employed by Digital Equipment Corporation and has been a long-time participant in this Digest. His book was published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company earlier this year. The ISBN is 0-201-50016-7. In his book, Fred demystifies Integrated Services Digital Networks and discusses some of the major changes taking place in telecommunications. His book is useful for technical managers who must acquaint themselves with ISDN jargon, protocols and standards. "ISDN in Perspective" is a user-centered view of ISDN and it should give you several ideas about how and when to make use of the technology. A good glossary of ISDN is included. Fred, I'm sorry I was so long getting around to mentioning this. PAT] ------------------------------ From: adrian@cnmat.CNMAT.Berkeley.EDU (Adrian Freed) Subject: Impedance Matching Shielded Twisted Pair for 10BaseT Date: 9 Aug 1992 20:49:43 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley Reply-To: adrian@cnmat.Berkeley.EDU We are planning to run 10BaseT over IBM Type 1 spec cable, ie 150Ohm. Impedance matching every line to 100Ohm to meet the 10baseT specs is expensive. Does anyone have experience running 10BaseT directly over the cable? What lengths work successfully? ------------------------------ From: ada@nic.cerf.net (Kevin Cadieux) Subject: Error Correction Date: 9 Aug 92 23:16:19 GMT Organization: CERFnet I am planning on putting together a comm link using a DS1 (T1) channel and must guarentee a better than 10E-8 BER. The only way to accomplish this is using forward error correction. I am not that familiar with FEC so I thought I would ask all of you if there are any better ways to do this. I have decided pretty much that a nonprimitive BCH code is required. Packet size will be fixed but I have lattitude in deciding its value. Currently it stands at 1024 informations bits. I have done some reading and apparently one can correct as many errors as one wants (given enough check code). I am looking for your help in determining a software implementation. I need to know where to look. I thought that there would be a hardware implementation I could use but the packet size and correctable errors are non-standard. I need to be able to correct between 25 and 50 errors per 1024 bit packet. If anyone knows of any hardware implementations, please drop me a line. If anyone knows how to size the coding effort, also drop me a line. Also, are there any popular data compression chips available? Thanks alot, Mark Lever (p.s. this site is not yet really on the network so I don't know my true return address. I would guess that it is ada@cerfnet but try the respond to field first if it gets filled in automatically.) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 9:55:09 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Ringdown Phone in Baseball "Dugout" About a year or two ago, I wrote about telephones used by teams in sports facilities. I am writing now because just this week, I saw a broadcast of a baseball game in St. Louis where the visitors' pitching coach picked up a phone and did nothing but wait and then talk. He was in the "dugout" (bench area where players not actively engaged on the field sit), and was calling the "bullpen" (where substitute pitchers warm up), and the phone was obviously ringdown, as I had suggested earlier. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 04:19:33 -0400 From: stephen oberski Subject: Caller Id Hardware Wanted Organization: Deterministic Software Limited, Brampton ON Canada I am looking for a device that interfaces to the computer via a serial interface that will detect and report caller id information on incoming telephone calls. I am also interested in products that integrate caller id detection with voice playback/recording, fax and modem functions. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 8 Aug 92 22:00:31 PDT From: Anthony E. Siegman Subject: Unique Call-ID for Telemarketing Calls: Technically Feasible? Would it be _technically_ feasible (with telco cooperation) for all telemarketing calls to carry a unique Caller-ID (or perhaps come from a unique prefix like 800 or 900?) independent of the lines on which the calls actually originated? If so, then given suitable legislation mandating this, telemarketers could dial away at will, while callees who wished could easily block access without impact on their other phone usage. Direct cost to the marketer for such an arrangement should be low; option and responsibility for blocking would be entirely at the receiving end. So, is the concept technically possible? [Note the editorial-like inserts in magazines and newspapers that often say "Advertisement" in small letters on each page -- sort of the same concept implemented in print media.] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 10:07:14 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Fiber-Optic Cable Demo Recently, I visited the Corning (N.Y.) Glass center, and there learned some about fiber-optic cable. It uses a long thin strand of glass, and transmits (laser) light by bouncing it internally (within that glass strand); otherwise, light would only travel in a straight line. ------------------------------ From: cblpo!dsk@att.att.com Subject: Portable Phone Purchase Pondered Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 9:12:18 EDT I'm interested in purchasing a portable (cellular) phone in NJ. What features should I look for in the phone and in the carrier? Any recommendations for a phone and carrier in central NJ? David Klur AT&T dklur@attmail.com All opinions are mine only. ------------------------------ From: MPA15AB!RANDY@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com Date: 08 AUG 92 06:37 Subject: Intercept Messages When did intercepts stop saying "This is a recording" and "If you require further assistance, remain on the line and an operator will help you."? Randy Gellens randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com >>>>>>> If mail bounces, forward to rgellens@mcimail.com <<<<<<<< Opinions are personal; facts are suspect; I speak only for myself ------------------------------ From: turner@Dixie.COM Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 18:26 EDT From: rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP Subject: Contel After GTE John Higdon has commented a few times about how Contel might change after their acquisition by GTE. Last weekend I was driving through Clay County, AL. Clay County has been served by Contel, who has made some fairly substantial investiments in the area (REA financed of course). Anyway while I was there I noticed GTE had pulled all of their customer service operations out of Clay County. All customer service for this area is handled out of Pell City (GTE-AL state HQ). It was only a few years ago you could walk up to the CO and ask to speak to the engineer or operations supervisior about a problem. Another GTE story, told to me recently by a OSP contractor who got his start as a GTE lineman in KY: Aparentaly GTE got a rate increase based on some new services to be offered as part of a REA sponsered upgrade. Anyway GTE didn't get the loan and thus was going to be making too much money. ------------------------------ From: Bob_Frankston@frankston.com Subject: Data Options Date: Sun 9 Aug 1992 12:46 -0400 I was speaking to someone in a rural school district near a LATA border. The problem is that the school has lots of donated computing equipment and modems and free use of an online service. Alas, the Tymnet node is just across the LATA border. So far the school has been unable to use all the equipment because they would be overwhelmed by the phone charges. I've suggested that she considered run her own leased data line locally. I don't know the economics of this and am interested in other alternatives. What are the charges and issues associated with a microwave link. Obviously school systems are very price sensitive but it is more likely to be able to get equipment donations than service donations. Ideas? There are really two questions here. One is the special case ideas where begging is an acceptable form of purchase. The other is the more general question of how to deal with a pricing system setup for POTS and business when attempting trying to access remote services. Of course, minimizing communications through local caching and compression software is a good idea, but I'm not proposing a major development project at this point. ------------------------------ Date: 09 Aug 1992 01:59:27 -0500 (EST) From: BOB VOGEL Subject: Old Dogs Learn Faster! Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond writes or quotes in tcd605 > the term "elderly" as opposed to young, ie: 40 years+ - ocl], who > would find it difficult to cope with so much information being fired > at them. Effectively the brain starts losing cells from the age of 20, > so it's increasingly difficult to train it for new tasks, new > processing, especially when speed of processing is required. From "Peak Learning" by Ronald Gross p24++: "We used to believe that the brain developed to a certain age and then stopped and began to die. This made it easy to believe that learning was the province of the young and that, as we grew older, we began to lose our knowledge. ... First, the brain is now pictured as constantly growing. ... The crucial lesson here is that despite our traditional beliefs about old dogs learning new tricks and our increasing apprehensions as we grow older about premature senility whenever something slips our minds, our brains can continue to grow throughout our lives. For that to happen, however, we need to create for ourselves the human equivalent of Diamond's enriched environment. ... our enriched environment must include constant stimulation from new ideas and understanding, and from all the other challenges and opportunities offered by the best that humankind has thought, felt, and done. ... Aging per se does not undermine learning capacity; *attitudes* and *life- style* do that. 'Use it or lose it' applies to your brain as much as to other parts of your body." How do we enrich our brain? By reading TELECOM Digest, of course. And the 80+ year olds probably get more out of it than anyone younger can. [Moderator's Note: Blush ... thanks for your kind comments. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #615 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa18603; 10 Aug 92 1:25 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17156 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 9 Aug 1992 23:25:05 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24841 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 9 Aug 1992 23:24:53 -0500 Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 23:24:53 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208100424.AA24841@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #616 TELECOM Digest Sun, 9 Aug 92 23:24:53 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 616 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Telephone Contract Talks (Phillip Dampier) Agreements Reach at Two Tel Companies (Phillip Dampier) Need 66-Block Help (Gabe M. Wiener) Good *Sounding* Answering Machines (Gabe M. Wiener) AT&T Mail Changes in Canada (David Leibold) Phone Line Quality (John Will) Fiber and Copper Co-existing (Was Cable-Thieves) (Dave Levenson) AUTOVON (Was Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD?) (Aubrey Philipsz) Re: How Should I Pick an LD Carrier? (Arthur L. Rubin) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Sun, 09 Aug 1992 13:13:56 -0500 Subject: Telephone Contract Talks WASHINGTON (AP) -- Negotiators from five so-called Baby Bell regional telephone companies met Friday with union representatives to discuss new contracts for 219,000 workers whose contracts expire at midnight Saturday. The union, Communications Workers of America, is seeking better job security, higher wages, expanded training programs, improved health care benefits and better working conditions. The five companies are Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, Pacific Telesis and Southwestern Bell. The contract for workers at a sixth regional company, US WEST, expires August 15. An agreement with a seventh, NYNEX, was reached last September. Saturday's deadline affects about 219,000 workers, the CWA said. Some 39,000 workers for US WEST have authorized a strike if a new contract agreement is not reached by midnight August 15. Negotiations were underway Friday in Atlanta; Chicago; Oakland, Calif.; St. Louis; and Washington. Union leaders have accused the Bell companies of eliminating union jobs, excluding union members from jobs in their growing subsidiaries and reclassifying union jobs under management titles. Bargaining talks, which began in June, were expected to continue through Saturday, "and probably will go down to the wire," said CWA spokeswoman Gaye Mack. -------------------------------------------------- Negotiators for five regional telephone companies and unions representing 219,000 workers across the nation continued talks Saturday on higher pay and job security in the face of midnight strike deadlines. Both sides said they wished to continue talking and strikes were unlikely. "We do have a 30-day agreement that there will be no strike or lockout," said Jennings Wooldridge, a spokesman for the Communications Workers of America in St. Louis, where the union is holding talks with Southwestern Bell. "They'll stay at the table until they hammer out an agreement." Similar negotiations were underway in Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Chicago; and Oakland, Calif., between four other so-called Baby Bell regional phone companies and the CWA on new contracts. Contracts of workers at the companies, Bell Atlantic, Ameritech, BellSouth and Pacific Telesis, also were due to expire at midnight Saturday. NYNEX, in the Northeast, settled last September and the unions' contract for US WEST expires Aug. 15. The unions represent workers that include operators, cable installers, switching equipment operators and Yellow Pages advertising salespeople. The companies have said managers are prepared to step in to provide telephone service if employees walk off their jobs. Negotiators for Bell Atlantic and 52,000 East Coast telephone workers represented by the CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers still had "substantial differences" on key issues of pay, pensions and health care benefits, Eric Rabe, a spokesman for Bell of Pennsylvania, said Saturday night. "We wish we were a little further along than we are now," Rabe said. Bell of Pennsylvania is one of eight Bell Atlantic companies involved in the talks in Washington. The other companies are in New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Bell Atlantic negotiators have offered pay increases totaling 11.4 percent over three years and a 12 percent pension increase effective next Jan. 1. The unions have balked at a company proposal to require future retirees to help pay for their health care benefits. Another issue unions were resisting is a company proposal for "incentive pay plans" which call for some sales employees to do without automatic annual pay raises. Last week, the unions authorized a strike if new agreements weren't reached before three-year contracts expire at 11:59 Saturday night. In Atlanta, negotiators for BellSouth and the CWA continued talks aimed at averting a strike by about 62,000 employees in the Southeast. The two sides were trying to settle disagreements over wages, health benefits and the subcontracting of jobs to non-union workers. The union and BellSouth remained far apart on many issues, CWA spokeswoman Nettie Walraven said Saturday night. In Chicago, an Illinois Bell spokesman said talks for the five Bell companies operating under Ameritech were being handled separately. ------------------------------ From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Sun, 09 Aug 1992 13:23:08 -0500 Subject: Agreements Reach at Two Tel Companies AGREEMENTS REACHED AT TWO BELL OPERATING COMPANIES, TALKS CONTINUE AT THREE OTHERS WASHINGTON -- (11:00 am EDT 8/9/92) Union and company negotiators at five regional Bell telephone companies either reached tentative contract agreements or continued talks past the midnight August 8 deadline. Some 219,000 workers represented by the Communications Workers of America are affected; another approximately 14,000 are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Tentative agreements have been reached at BellSouth and Southwestern Bell. Talks are continuing at Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, and Pacific Telsis, slated to resume this morning. Details of the tentative agreements at BellSouth and Southwestern Bell will be released as soon as they are available. The CWA contract with U S West, covering 39,000 workers, expires on Saturday, August 15th at midnight; talks continue there. NYNEX, the seventh and last Baby Bell company, reached tentative agreements with CWA and IBEW in September, 1991. Major stumbling blocks to agreements at Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, and Pacific Telesis lie in the areas of health care, wages, and pensions, according to union negotiators. Negotiatiors at those three companies agreed to "stop the clock" on contact expirations, leaving workers (116,000 CWA, 14,000 IBEW) still covered under those contracts. ------------------------------ From: gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) Subject: Need 66-Block Help Organization: Columbia University Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 03:19:04 GMT Can someone give me a crash-course in 66-block wiring? I need to shuttle some lines from one end of a facility to the other, and there are 66 blocks at both sides. This is what I have always assumed about 66-block wiring. If any of my assumptions are wrong, could someone fill me in? - The clips in a given row are connected to each other. - Tip is wired over ring - A particular row is "free" if it is connected at one side only. If there is only one wire in a row, there's nothing connected to that pair, at least at that block. - Tracing a particular pair involves putting a tone genrator on one side, and then waving an inductive probe around on the other end until the matching pair is found. - Wires do not need to be stripped before being punched in, since the clips will break through the insulation as the wires are punched down. Questions: - Is there any significance to the colors in a 50-pair cable? (i.e. are certain colors used for tip/ring or for certain line numbers? Or are they solely for the purpose of differentiating one from another in the cable?) - Sometimes I see more than one wire punched into the same clip when there are vacant clips in the same row. Is there any reason for doing this? - When running down a 66-block with one lead of a test set, what's the best thing to do with the other lead? Just ground it somewhere? or connect it to the other side of one of the lines in the box? Any other tips in this sort of work would be appreciated. Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ. "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu to be seriously considered as a means of N2GPZ in ham radio circles communication. The device is inherently of 72355,1226 on CI$ no value to us." -Western Union memo, 1877 ------------------------------ From: gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) Subject: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines Organization: Columbia University Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 03:20:49 GMT Most answering machines made today sound like unqualified pieces of junk, particularly to the caller listening to the OGM. The condenser mics in most machines sound tinny, and pick up motor noise. What answering machines made today actually sound _good_ and deliver good quality OGM's? I've heard that Dictaphone makes some excellent models. Has anyone had the opportunity to see/hear these in action? Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ. gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu N2GPZ in ham radio circles 72355,1226 on CI$ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 09 Aug 92 21:27:32 EDT From: David Leibold Subject: AT&T Mail Changes in Canada It looks like AT&T Mail's Toronto port just cut over to some new v.32 modems in the past few days, looking at the vast speed improvement when dialing from a USRobotics HST/v.32bis Dual Standard (this wonder likes to upgrade to the highest speed possible). Anyway, it means 9600+ bps connects compared to the former 2400 baud connects which required an AT&M0 to avoid connection junk from my end. Also, for those using the x.400 syntax (though the *real* Internet syntax for domains will likely rule in the end) now have "CA" for their country domain field (/C=CA) if the AT&T Mail account is set up in Canada (and C=US for U.S. accounts, or C=UK for British based accounts, etc). dleibold@vm1.yorku.ca dleibold1@attmail.com ------------------------------ Subject: Phone Line Quality From: john.will@satalink.com (John Will) Date: 9 Aug 92 10:06:00 GMT Organization: SataLink Info Systems - Huntingdon Valley, PA - 215-364-3324 Reply-To: john.will@satalink.com (John Will) I have a problem that perhaps someone here could suggest a solution for. The phone lines that run to my house have rotten equalization, primarily due to the length of the run from the central office. The phone company has made measurements and confirmed that there is a 10 db drop from 1000HZ to 2600HZ, and that's more than enough to drive v.32/v.32bis modems up the wall. Their solution is a data line at about $30/mo, I'm looking for a simpler solution. I suspect if I could come up with a equalizer to minimize the variation across the frequency spectrum, my problem would be greatly minimized, or perhaps solved altogether. What I'm looking for is someone that knows where I could procure such a device, and how much it might cost. I'm also looking for a source for actual specifications of a voice grade residential line, seems it's like pulling teeth to get one from either the phone company or the state PUC! KingQWK 1.05 # 97 ------------------------------ From: dave@westmark.com (Dave Levenson) Subject: Fiber and Copper Co-existing (Was Cable-Thieves) Organization: Westmark, Inc. Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 16:52:28 GMT In article , wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin) writes: > Just how does a telco handle the transition from fiber strung between > the poles to copper pairs going into a house? What happens to > telco-line-powered devices in this circumstance? How is ring current > generated? Are there separate fiber-to-copper convrters for every > drop, or still a copper multi-pair cable for the neighborhood with one > central fiber-to-copper unit up a pole somewhere, with its own > electric meter and hooked to electric lines, mainline fiber, and > neighborhood copper distribution? Does having fiber-to-copper, or even > fiber to the home, mean that your phone service dies when electric > power dies? Or is the fiber paralleled with current-carrying wires to > provide CO battery to the drops?) In our neighborhood, we don't yet have fiber, but we do have T-1 digital circuits. The same considerations apply here. The T-1 circuits don't deliver loop current, but each one does deliver up to 24 voice channels. They don't run the T-1 into homes. They sometimes do run it into offic buildings where it terminates on a PBX or a channel bank. The channel bank is locally-powered, and de-multiplexes the T-1 into a bunch of Tip and Ring analog circuits. The PBX de-multiplexes, and provides dynamic switching between the derived voice channels and extension telephone sets. In the residential neighborhood where I live, there is an underground vault containing several racks of channel bank equipment. It is known as Subscriber Loop Carrier, and we happen to use a 96-channel version of the product, which AT&T calls SLC-96 (pronounced 'slick ninety-six'). The SLC-96 may be engineered to be blocking or non-blocking. If there are more than 24 derived analog lines per T-1 span, then it is blocking. Signalling channels between the SLC-96 and its companion unit at the CO (or the CO switch itself, in some cases) control who gets connected to each derived channel, when call-setup is done. The SLC-96 is powered by the local power utility, and has self-contained storage batteries. When there is an area-wide electrical failure, the local phone service lasts four-to-eight hours, probably depending upon traffic and how long it has been since the last outage. (Yes, there is a watt-hour meter near the street access to the vault.) The SLC equipment is designed to work with T-carrier or fiber and it makes no noticable difference to the subscriber at the end of the local analog loop. Dave Levenson Internet: dave@westmark.com Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857 ------------------------------ From: aub@access.digex.com (Aubrey Philipsz) Subject: AUTOVON (Was: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD?) Organization: Express Access Public Access UNIX, Greenbelt, Maryland USA Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 16:46:27 GMT >> What else are these extra tones used for? > Apparently, the military (US only? Various other countries as > well?) uses these for various communications protocols. Known in the US as AUTOVON (Automatic Voice Network) the A-D keys (the 1633 column? My memory is hazy) is known as: FO - FLASH OVERIDE F - FLASH I - IMMEDIATE P - PRIORITY I am sure that this is pounded to death somewhere in the Telecom Archives, so let's not have yet another AUTOVON thread. There is a song called "the AUTOVON song" which was put together at a convention in 1980. It starts: "There is a network you can hack; AUTOVONs its name-o P, I, F, FO P, I, F, FO P, I, F, FO and AUTOVONs its name-o" With mercy, the rest of it escapes me ... Aub ------------------------------ Subject: Re: How Should I Pick an LD Carrier? From: a_rubin@dsg4.dse.beckman.com (Arthur Rubin) Date: 9 Aug 92 21:18:17 GMT Reply-To: a_rubin@dsg4.dse.beckman.com (Arthur Rubin) In SK89221@ACAD.DRAKE.EDU (Sal Kabalani) writes: (of 10-XXX carriers) > This list is not comprehensive, it is for example only. CICs might > differ in your area. You might want to check with your local telco > before dialing. Access to some of these carriers may not be available > from your area. Pac Bell wouldn't tell me what they are. They referred to a consumer organzation, which had a list of ten available personal carriers (for an unknown area). Arthur L. Rubin: a_rubin@dsg4.dse.beckman.com (work) Beckman Instruments/Brea 216-5888@mcimail.com 70707.453@compuserve.com arthur@pnet01.cts.com (personal) My opinions are my own, and do not represent those of my employer. Our news system is unstable; if you want to be sure I see a post, mail it. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #616 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa29248; 10 Aug 92 6:22 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA22273 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 9 Aug 1992 23:55:35 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA02895 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 9 Aug 1992 23:55:26 -0500 Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 23:55:26 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208100455.AA02895@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #617 TELECOM Digest Sun, 9 Aug 92 23:55:30 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 617 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data (Rich Mintz) Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data (Alan Edmonds) Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data (John Gilbert) Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data (John Nagle) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Phil Wherry) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Jim Rees) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Bob Goudreau) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Steve Forrette) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Dan Danz) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rmintz@ecst.csuchico.edu (Rich Mintz) Subject: Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data Date: 9 Aug 92 13:21:57 GMT Organization: California State University, Chico I think all that needs to be done to accomplish what he's wanting is to set Hayes register S10 to 255 and S9 to 1. That sets the "How long should I wait before hanging up if the other carrier disappears" register to indefinate. Changing S9 determines how long a valid carrier has to be present before the modem will respond. Once you set those values, just do an ATX3D command (the X3 will prevent prob's from no dialtone being present) and whistle briefly into the modem to make it think there's a carrier present. It will respond and continue to do everything as if it were connected with another modem without hanging up with S10's new setting. AT&C will cause the modem to give a false positive carrier detect signal back to the computer if the terminal software there depends on that to know when it's connected. The pitch you whistle will control the type of carrier the modem responds with (300/1200/2400), so if you have trouble getting the one you want, set your terminal to the proper baud rate and use another tape recorder to record the tone produced by an ATA command and play that back to trick the first modem into starting its connection sequence. This is all assuming, of course, you've got some kind of acoustic cup or telephone-like path into the modem (you can test this on your own phone line by taking the phone off the hook and waiting for all the recordings and warning signals to go away and using that phone for tape recording and playback to the modem.) I've successfully tape recorded and played back modem sounds at 300 baud before ... even recorded a blurb announcing that my BBS was down temporarily and put it on my answering machine once. When people with modems would call, they would get the ASCII message from the recorded modem tones exactly as if they were connected to another computer. I think I tried using 1200 baud once, but it was too fast for the tape recorder to keep up with and data was garbled or lost. Using just this simple system, you might could play with the software-selectable baud rate between 300 and 1200 to find one that's a good compromise between accurate and fast. Then again, the frequencies used by the 1200 (and 2400) carriers may pose some problem as far as being accurately detected and recorded on normal audio tape -- I don't know. Note you don't even need another modem with the system you described just to store the info ... select a low baud rate for the device that is designed for connection to a modem, and send its output straight to a tape recorder. If *it* does its own checking for the presence of another carrier, the problem may be a little harder to solve if you can't control it's modem parameters with the commands I described above to disable this check. I wasn't clear about if the sensory device you're wanting to interface has a simple serial output or if it's somehow connected with a Hayes-like ASCII command-configurable modem itself. Even better, why not just get a laptop computer with an internal HD and modem that could easily be configured in a similar manner to disable the drop-carrier operation, if that'd even be necessary. Could then store all the input on you hard drive for later analysis. Doing this might be a lot easier! If the device you're wanting to record the output from has a serial output connector, you could just use a null modem adapter and not even worry about using modems at all. Hope this helps some. Good luck, Rich -> rmintz@cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu ------------------------------ From: alan@ernest.dseg.ti.com (Alan Edmonds) Subject: Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data Date: 9 Aug 92 00:25:01 GMT Organization: Texas Instruments, Inc. - Plano, Tx In article <1992Aug4.062340.13039@u.washington.edu> ketcham@u.washington. edu writes: > So would it be too difficult to deceive the modem into thinking > it's talking to another modem, or otherwise defeat this carrier > detect thing? If so, then maybe I could directly record the > modem output onto tape and then later retrieve the digital data > by playing the tape back through the modem the other way. > I would really appreciate any advice on this. (I'm in a crunch > to get this thing operational in a few weeks.) We did a similar thing here a few years ago. We recorded digitized voice onto the video track of a VHS VCR. In the audio track, we sent some ASCII identifing the digital data through an old Hayes 1200 modem into the audio port of the VCR. You should be able to set the modem up to leave the carrier on all the time. To record the digital audio onto the VCR, I think we used a Sony PCM box. I didn't write any of the software to talk to the modem; I don't remember who did it else I would give him credit and maybe you could contact him. I imagine you could use any standard old comm program and just type at it. Alternatively, you could program some function keys for predefined strings to send out. Also, some terminal emulator programs can program the keys to send the current time, date, etc. I think Telix can. Alan Edmonds Texas Instruments, Inc. I don't speak for TI; TI doesn't speak for me M/S 8513 Work phone: (214)575-6427 6620 Chase Oaks Blvd. Email: alan@ernest.dseg.ti.com Plano, Texas 75023 ------------------------------ From: johng@ecs.comm.mot.com (John Gilbert) Subject: Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data Date: 9 Aug 92 22:52:03 GMT Organization: Motorola, Inc. Land Mobile Products Sector I am using a UDS 202D to record GPS position and radio performance data onto a four track audio tape recorder. All I had to do with this modem was to make up the cables. This modem didn't require anything to be done with carrier detect. A 4-wire 1200 bps leased-line modem isn't useful for much these days, so I was able to buy several of these modems from surplus equipment dealers for under $50. 202 modems have been used in radio paging systems for years and can often be found at hamfests. I picked the 202 because it is a "dumb" modem that doesn't need Hayes commands to turn it on and because it doesn't need to long train with a similar modem to start putting out data. The 202 will go up to 1800 bps. As I recall, the Hayes Smartmodem manual had a page in the back that told how to connect the Smartmodem 1200 to a 2-way radio. This setup might also work for a tape recorder. John Gilbert johng@ecs.comm.mot.com ------------------------------ From: nagle@netcom.com (John Nagle) Subject: Re: Adapting Hayes for Tape Recording Digital Data Date: Sun, 09 Aug 92 18:36:33 GMT Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Smarter modems (with MNP or Telebit's PEP, or anything .bis) won't work at all, because both ends of the link cooperate actively, re-equalizing and retransmitting. So you need something half-duplex and dumb. FAX modems are a possibility. FAX transmission really is half-duplex, except for the tones used for setup. But making an off-the-shelf FAX modem do what you want may be difficult. If you don't need the bandwidth, coercing some 300 baud modem to do what you want is probably the way to go. John Nagle ------------------------------ From: psw@vibes.mitre.org (Phil Wherry) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Reply-To: psw@vibes.mitre.org (Phil Wherry) Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, Va Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 13:07:27 GMT In article , phaedrus@cs.washington.edu (Mark Phaedrus) writes: > Hmm. That does have possibilities. Of course, that would > require putting an input mechanism (a keypad or microphone) as well as > an output mechanism (a display or touchtone generator) on the card, to > understand the challenge and generate the response, thus raising the > cost even more and making it even more likely that the card will find > some treasonous way to self-destruct when I need it most. :) Actually, the SecurID system doesn't require the use of a keypad on the card. The "challenge" is actually timebase-driven; there's a clock on the card which is used to determine the pseudorandom number to be displayed. The authentication hardware also has a clock; it also can derive from experience the drift rate of each card. I have one of these cards, and they work quite well. There's a display capable of showing an eight-digit number (mine only displays six; I suspect this is a parameter which can be changed when the card is programmed at the factory) on the card, and no other controls whatever. Your objections about cost and the fragility of the card are right on the mark, though. The cards aren't cheap, and they certainly won't withstand being carried around in a back pocket. Interestingly, they're DESIGNED to self-destruct if disassembled. This isn't an idle threat; I took the cover off of one of these card and it promptly stopped working courtesy of electrical contacts on the cover/label which I removed. Phillip Wherry Member of the Technical Staff The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA psw@mitre.org ------------------------------ From: rees@pisa.citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Reply-To: Jim.Rees@umich.edu Organization: University of Michigan IFS Project Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 15:38:03 GMT A visitor from the US to almost any other country can make phone calls by walking into a telephone office, or sometimes even a hotel, bar, or restaurant, making the call, then paying for it. No need for a pocket full of change or a command of the local language. A visitor from another country to the US needs an unusually large quantity of quarters and some knowledge of English. Visitors typically don't have AT&T credit cards, and the phones around here don't take VISA. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 12:43:14 -0400 From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) In article Jim.Rees@umich.edu writes: > Remember, although calling cards have their uses, they are still > essentially glorified credit cards, so their range of capabilities is > very narrow. Stored value cards are much more general-purpose because > they can be used by anyone at any time. You're still missing the point by a breathtaking margin. Stored-value cards are *not* more general-purpose, because they can only be used on payphones that are equipped with stored-value card readers. Just try to use one from your hotel room or from a friend's house. Virtually *all* phones can be used to make a calling-card call. The only group of people for whom SV cards are a clear-cut win is the (very small) segment of the population which doesn't have a calling-card account (visiting foreigners, people who have no home phones, etc.). > I think both kinds of cards have their uses. I don't think anyone has suggested otherwise. > But why is the US the only country in the world where you can't pay > cash for an international phone call? As the Moderator notes, this is false. The US does have stored-value tokens; they are metallic disks called "coins", and the only problem with them is that the largest denomination commonly accepted by payphones is $0.25 :-). Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive +1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA ------------------------------ From: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc., Seattle, WA Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 23:01:11 GMT > [Moderator's Note: Well the problems due to language are the concern > of the cash-paying caller -- no one else. He's the one who insists on > paying cash for international calls. And yes, you can *almost* avoid > talking to the operator. My experience has been that dialing 011 plus > an international number from a genuine Bell payphone brings an > operator on the line who asks 'are you dialing an overseas number?' > and on a positive response asks how you wish to pay for it. When you > say with coins, you are told the amount to deposit and once the > deposit is completed *then* the hold on the connection is released and > the call progresses on to and through the other country's CO. No one > on the distant end gets anything at all until you've paid ... only > then will the operator kick the call loose. The problem with this method is that if call doesn't complete for whatever reason (busy, no answer, etc.), there's no way to get a refund of your entire amount if it's over $3 or so. The totalizer in most Bell payphones will only hold that much, so the operator must collect the money into the coinbox before more than $3 is collected. So, and interesting problem is created. The operator can: 1. Collect the entire initial rate before completing the call, and possibly offer a telephone bill credit in the event of an uncompleted call. This not only requires that the caller have a telephone bill to credit, but is "rude" in a sense, since the caller has deposited cash, but has to wait for a refund. 2. Caller deposits $3, the operator completes the call and tells the called party to hold while the operator collects the $3, and the caller deposits the remainder of the initial rate. This doesn't work in the case where the operator doesn't speak the same language as the callee, as they may hang up. 3. Same as 2, but operator allows caller to tell the callee in their native language to hold the line while the caller deposits the rest of the initial rate. The operator may not like, or even allow, this option, as there is the risk that the caller will deliver a short message then end the call, without depositing the remainder of the initial rate. Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com ------------------------------ From: dan@quiensabe.az.stratus.com (Dan Danz) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Date: 9 Aug 92 22:42:39 GMT Reply-To: dan@tucson.az.stratus.com Justin Leavens writes: > I have a Pacific Bell calling card, and while traveling last week I > couldn't find a phone that would accept the card by simply using the > mag stripe reader. The phones, owned by AT&T and Illinois Bell, would > tell me that the card was not valid, but worked fine if I manually > punched in the digits. Am I wrong in assuming that the stripe reader > should have worked? It seemed to defeat the whole purpose of the only > possibly secure way of using the card. I wonder if Justin has an eel-skin wallet? Strangely enough, they've been known to wipe the mag-stripe info off of credit cards. L. W. "Dan" Danz VOS Mail: Dan_Danz@vos.stratus.com Sr Consulting Software SE NeXT Mail: dan@az.stratus.com Customer Assistance Center Voice Mail/Pager: (602) 852-3107 Telecommunications Division Customer Service: (800) 828-8513 Stratus Computer, Inc. 4455 E. Camelback #115-A, Phoenix AZ 85018 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #617 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa06948; 10 Aug 92 10:05 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA28112 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 10 Aug 1992 07:17:34 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA27082 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 10 Aug 1992 07:17:24 -0500 Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 07:17:24 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208101217.AA27082@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #618 TELECOM Digest Mon, 10 Aug 92 07:17:20 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 618 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: How Do I Run This Line? (Tim Gorman) Re: How Do I Run This Line? (Randy Gellens) Re: How Do I Run This Line? (Dave Niebuhr) Re: St. Louis Cable Thefts (Richard Cox) Re: St. Louis Cable Thefts (Pat Turner) Re: Cellular Service Providers (Bill Mayhew) Re: Cellular Service Providers (kph@cisco.com) Re: Cordless Phone Not Charging (Dana H. Myers) Re: Cordless Phone Not Charging (John Will) Re: A Very Strange Experience When Calling LD (Jack Winslade) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 09 Aug 92 10:54:42 EDT From: tim gorman <71336.1270@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: How Do I Run This Line? wex@cs.ulowell.edu (Paul M. Wexelblat) writes in TELECOM Digest V12 #611: > they're using. They claim that it *cannot* handle having a number > ring at two different service points. Sounds a little bogus to me, > but I've gotten this story consistently enough from enough different > telcofolk that I suspect that it is at least unfinessable, even if not > completely true. [on the other hand, it is actually possible that the > phone company could distribute software with so simple a bogosity?] The Moderator notes: > [Moderator's Note: Someone at telco is just plain stupid. If what they > said about 'the computer can't handle it' was true, then no one could > ever have an extension phone. There is no reason on God's green earth > that *they* (telco) cannot handle the whole thing. I wonder if they > When I moved from one place to another about two miles apart several ..> years ago I was within the same CO so I got to keep the same number. I > had Illinois Bell turn it on at the new location for several days > before the old place was turned off as a way to ease our transition in > moving. This situation is somewhat more involved than initial reading would indicate. Yes, the telco is right about not having the same telephone number ring in two different locations, at least in this situation. They are not doing a very good job of explaining why, however. The telco computers will not keep track of inside wiring. Although two of the locations are 1/4 mile apart, the way the subscriber shows the service being installed, this is still no different than the inside wiring between your kitchen and living room. So there is no way for the telco to specify on the service order to have this wiring installed. Without the wiring, you won't get the same number at two premises. The other obvious way to get this would be to order an off-premise extension. This would give the telco computer another circuit against which facilities could be assigned. This, however, will also raise the costs of the service to the customer. As far as the Moderator's service during moving was concerned, the computer probably handled this as a disconnect view and an add view against the same circuit. Although both cable pairs may have been direct bridged and in service at the same time, the computer is set up to handle a situation such as this. It should be noted that this is not an ideal serving arrangement. We have had situations with extreme transmission and signaling impairments occur. In my opinion, this should only be used as a transition tool and only after proper operation has been confirmed empiracally. Tim Gorman - SWBT *opinions are mine, any resemblance to official policy is coincidence* [Moderator's Note: Then how do answering services with bridged lines to their customers handle this problem? PAT] ------------------------------ From: MPA15AB!RANDY@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com Date: 10 AUG 92 05:07 GMT Subject: Re: How Do I Run This Line? A recent post described the difficulty the poster's friend was having wiring three buildings located some distance apart to the same phone number; the LEC refused to do so, saying it wasn't possible. Pat added a note that not only is such an off-premise extension possible, but he has used it when moving. How did you ever convince your LEC to do that? Whenever I've moved, GTE has insisted that they could not have my phone working in both the old and new apartments at the same time; they could only turn it off at the old in the very early AM and it would be on at the new "before 6 pm." (I will report that my last two moves went OK -- the number actually worked at the new place some time that day. Previously, a move always meant a call to repair and a visit by a repairman, who would spend hours finding and fixing the problem. Maybe moving to places built after 1920 has something to do with it? ;-) ) I figured that an off-premise extension was an expensive service that wouldn't be worth it for one day (or even several days). But, as Pat mentioned, it would make moving a lot easier, especially when several friends are to show up and help. Randy Gellens randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com >>>>>>> If mail bounces, forward to rgellens@mcimail.com <<<<<<<< Opinions are personal; facts are suspect; I speak only for myself [Moderator's Note: The service rep asked me if I'd 'like the convenience of' an OPX -- off-premises extension during my move. She actually sold it to me rather than the other way around. On the next month's bill I had the usual billing plus the cost of the order to move the service plus one week's prorated cost of the monthly service for the time it was overlapped. Someone I used to work with had his business service set up the same way. The line terminated in his three offices in various parts of the city plus at an answering service and at his home. One of the locations was primary; the other three plus the answering service were treated as OPX's. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 08:23:33 EDT From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Re: How Do I Run This Line? In TELECOM Digest V12, Issue 611 wex@cs.ulowell.edu (Paul M. Wexelblat) writes: [... Text describing problem getting telco to string wires to have the same number in three buildings deleted ...] [... Part of PATs comments deleted ...] > When I moved from one place to another about two miles apart several > years ago I was within the same CO so I got to keep the same number. I > had Illinois Bell turn it on at the new location for several days > before the old place was turned off as a way to ease our transition in > moving. What one of the Bell sisters do, the others can almost > invariably do also. Ask telco if they have any answering services in > town that are bridged to their (the answering service) customer's > lines so the phone rings at the service at the same time as at the > subscriber's premises. I'll bet they do. And if so, how do they deal > with that? PAT] When my wife and I moved into our present home, we had a new number assigned due to a change of COs. Not only did NYTel set it up so that both numbers were assigned to *both* homes for a week, they were the ones who suggested doing that. Therefore, if someone called us at our old number (516-325) the new one (516-281) would ring also and vice-versa. I agree with PAT when he says that if the telco can set up extensions in one building, they can set up extensions in other buildings as well. Dave Niebuhr Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Aug 92 01:11 GMT From: Richard Cox Subject: Re: St. Louis Cable Thefts Reply-To: mandarin@cix.clink.co.uk Mercury (the new UK PTO) does use fibre for LD circuits instead of copper: and it's buried next to the railway lines. The problem is that the cable thieves do not realise that it is fibre, so they cut it anyway. Nothing achieved ! Richard Cox Mandarin Technology, Cardiff Business Park, Llanishen, CARDIFF, Wales CF4 5WF Voice: +44 222 747111 Fax: +44 222 711111 VoiceMail: +44 399 870101 E-mail: mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk ------------------------------ From: turner@Dixie.COM Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 19:35 EDT From: rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP Subject: Re: St. Louis Cable Thefts > Also, neither in the above nor in the TV news did anyone ask or > address one possible solution and prevention of this situation -- > replacing copper with fiber. I'm surprised the telco doesn't take the > opportunity to replace the aerial cable with fiber in these areas > where the cable was stolen. (Or would that cost a vast amount more, > requiring some sort of powered fiber-to-copper converters at every > line drop? They will steal fiber just as readily as copper, only to latter discover that is is worthless. I have been told by a MCI fiber tech that they have had fiber stolen, only to have the criminal return to cut even more of it because they felt they were cheated. When I installed some fiber in downtown Memphis we had to close up the hand-holds every night to protect the fiber (normally you could figure 8 the cable and leave it out.) Several telcos I know of have gone to using insulated grounding wire instead of bare bare copper, as it reduces the value if it is stolen. > Just how does a telco handle the transition from fiber strung between > the poles to copper pairs going into a house? What happens to > telco-line-powered devices in this circumstance? How is ring current > generated? Are there separate fiber-to-copper convrters for every > drop, or still a copper multi-pair cable for the neighborhood with one > central fiber-to-copper unit up a pole somewhere, with its own > electric meter and ... The SLC can do some concentration or it can give every subscriber a digital bit stream back to the CO. Without concentration, it will deliver 96 loops from five T1s. The T1's can be fed from a colocated MUX, from a distant MUX or from a CO. The SLC can be pole mounted, located on a concrete pad or in a CEV (Controled Enviroment Vault), or located at the customers premise. Fiber is also used to connect to remote switches in rural and very populated areas. Pat Turner KB4GRZ turner@dixie.com ------------------------------ From: wtm@uhura.neoucom.edu (Bill Mayhew) Subject: Re: Cellular Service Providers Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 02:30:35 GMT The last time I was in the GTE Mobilenet office, they had a book that was titled something like "The Roamer's Handbook." The book had maps showing coverage patterns, rates and assorted data for every lage city and Podunk area in the US. The cost is somewhere between $10 and $20. The book covers all systems, not just GTE. If you do a lot of calling from rural areas, you could save the cost of the book in a short time by chosing carriers wisely. One thing that annoys me is that I am on the A system (Cellular One) in my home area, and I can't roam on the B system (GTE). According to Cellular One, there is some sort of brain damage in the system that prevents cross system roaming in only the home area. If I'm outside the home area, it seems I can pick either A or B. There are a couple of freebie services that are on the B system locally that would be nice to be able to call now and then. Bill Mayhew NEOUCOM Computer Services Department Rootstown, OH 44272-9995 USA phone: 216-325-2511 wtm@uhura.neoucom.edu (140.220.1.1) ------------------------------ Organization: cisco Systems, Inc., Menlo Park, CA Subject: Re: Cellular Service Providers Date: Sun, 09 Aug 92 10:27:36 MST From: kph@cisco.com > I got to wondering who would provide service in remote areas like > this, and what the roaming/connect charges would be. Didn't have the > nerve to punch *611 for fear of getting clobbered just for asking ... It is usually $3 per day and $.99 per minute, at least on A carriers. What carriers charge to call customer service? This is something I've never encountered. In LA, they charge for busy/don't answer, but charging for customer service seems a little absurd. So, where were you driving? The coverage on I-80 is really good in the west; too bad the same isn't true of I-70. Kevin ------------------------------ From: Dana H. Myers Subject: Re: Cordless Phone Not Charging Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California Date: Sun, 09 Aug 1992 20:22:30 GMT In article spt@sgtech.sgtech.com (Steve Thorn) writes: > I've found that pen erasers work the best. That's what I always used > to clean the contacts of my slot racing cars a few :-) years ago. > They seem to be more gritty than pencil erasers, and do a better job > of cleaning down to the bare metal. I've been following this thread waiting for someone to say "No, do not use abrasive cleaners on electronic contacts". No one has, so I will. Do not use abrasive cleaners on electronic contacts. On my ATT 5200 cordless phone, the charging light will sometimes fail to light when the handset is in the cradle. Everytime, without fail, it has been sufficient to use a paper towel or tissue with a little alcohol to clean the contact. Using an abrasive cleaner on any kind of electronic contact is apt to remove protective platings and cause more trouble in the future. Dana H. Myers KK6JQ | Views expressed here are (213) 337-5136 | mine and do not necessarily dana@locus.com DoD #466 | reflect those of my employer. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Cordless Phone Not Charging From: john.will@satalink.com (John Will) Date: 9 Aug 92 10:02:00 GMT Organization: SataLink Info Systems - Huntingdon Valley, PA - 215-364-3324 Reply-To: john.will@satalink.com (John Will) kab@hotstone.att.com (Kenneth A Becker) writes: > I would suggest that you don't use a pencil eraser. [...] As it > happens, most pencil erasers have some sulfer in them; so, while > one could use the eraser to get rid of the surface corrosion and > temporarily make better contact, the sulfer traces left behind by > a pencil eraser would react with water in the air, making sulfuric > acid that would corrode the metal. A little extra fine emery > cloth/steel wool is therefore better than the pencil eraser; a dose > of denatured alcohol afterwards can get rid of the particles. Yikes! You're attacking the 30 microns of gold plating with emery cloth? About two swipes and it's gone, then you'll have even bigger problems! I occasionally use a mylar eraser on contacts, the bigger reason not to use a standard pencil eraser is that it can also remove the thin gold plating in short order. The proper method is to use a non-abrasive solvent, but I don't often have that laying around in my toolbox. KingQWK 1.05 # 97 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 09 Aug 92 11:24:58 CST From: Jack.Winslade@ivgate.omahug.org (Jack Winslade) Subject: Re: A Very Strange Experience When Calling LD Reply-To: jack.winslade%drbbs@ivgate.omahug.org Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha In a message dated 29-JUL-92, Lazlo Nibble writes: >>> About, I'd say, 2^3 to 2^5 conversations going on at once! (Yes, I >>> think in binary, so I'm sorry.) It was wild. >> The same thing happened to me when calling the 609-897 prefix in >> Arizona. The modem wasn't connecting, so I picked up the phone. Oddly >> enough, it sounded like a huge party line! > There have been a few times recently when both my roommate and I (we > each have our own phone line -- 505 884 xxxx and 505 881 xxxx) would > pick up to make a call and get a lot of confused-sounding people > ("Hello?" "What's going on?" "Who is this?") instead of dialtone. Years ago when I was 'served' by an aging panel switch, I would find myself dumped into the middle of existing conversations every so often. This was not very common, but it happened several times, and often the connection was clear and I could talk back to the others. I remember it two ways. One was when the set was first taken off hook. No dialtone, but click-bang right into an existing conversation. The other case was when dialing was complete. Ka-CHUNK-clunk-bang and instant random three-way calling. ;-) Good day. JSW Ybbat (DRBBS) 8.9 v. 3.14 r.1 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #618 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa09376; 10 Aug 92 11:06 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30649 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 10 Aug 1992 07:49:52 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11196 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 10 Aug 1992 07:49:43 -0500 Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 07:49:43 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208101249.AA11196@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #619 TELECOM Digest Mon, 10 Aug 92 07:49:42 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 619 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Summary: Help Needed With Development of Gateways Fee Scheme (R. Williams) Re: Questions About Fax Tones vs. Voice (Kees van der Wal) Re: Amateur Radio and Our Moderator (Jack Winslade) Re: Telco a Little TOO Kind? (Steve Forrette) Re: Analogue Problems With Digital Switches (Richard Nash) Re: The Second Phone Call (Gary Segal) Re: The Second Phone Call (Glenn R. Stone) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: william1@me.utoronto.ca (Robert Williams) Subject: Summary: Help Needed With Development of Gateways Fee Scheme Organization: UofT Mechanical Engineering Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 16:11:21 GMT Many thanks to those people who responded to the question I posted last week. This posting provides a summary of the responses. Any additional comments are appreciated. The question was as follows, > I need help on the following: I need to know how certain > organizations charge for use of their network gateways (gateways join > two systems/networks together, usually at the midrange or mainframe > level e.g. at the Front-end Processor). For instance, do they charge > by the number of sessions a client signs up for, by the number of > sessions the client actually used, do they have a one-time membership > fee with a smaller monthly maintenance fee which allows users a large > but undefined number of sessions, do they not charge at all and if so > then what is their justification? All these questions ask: HOW is the > gateway charged. But I also need to know, if possible, WHAT the charge > is passed on: what cost items do they include in maintenance of the > gateway and what percentage of these cost items is used. Cost items > include: human resources, CPU time, memory, software development, and > other overhead items. Mr. Vielmetti writes, We run an internet gateway here. We charge what the market will bear :). That means some flat rate services, and some metered services. In any case there is a fixed monthly charge and (if it's metered) a charge based on connect hours. The idea is to give people proper incentives to not use up scarce resources without paying for them. The most obvious scarce resource here is the modem, so we charge for connect time. Hope this helps. Edward Vielmetti, vice president for research, Msen Inc. emv@Msen.com Msen Inc., 628 Brooks, Ann Arbor MI 48103 +1 313 998 4562 Mr. Winsor at WINSOR_L@WIZARD.COLORADO.EDU writes, I do cost allocation for the central administrative computing service for the University of Colorado. We serve four campuses plus a central administration office. We allocate all costs (equipment depreciation, software, personnel, space) to about 19 different services, including communications. We would like to base the communications allocation on connect time and megabytes transferred, but don't have the data. Instead we use a "logon day" basis. If someone logs on once or 100 times in a day, they incur one logon day that gets added into the allocation basis for their campus. Mr. Israelit writes, First, let me explain that I am in business school at the MIT Sloan School and that, as a result, I am probably going to suggest something that is not in common usage. I have an interest in Microeconomics and feel that a practical appplication of this subject could help you out. To maximize the profits for a project of this nature you should charge a two-part tariff. Basically, this will be a one-time fee and per connection charge. This is because there are probably users with different levels of demand for your services. Using basic micro, you can set the tariff at a low enough level such that you will attract a large number of subscribers and set a fee such that you will have a high level of the usage profits. These levels are selected to maximize the total profits of the project rather than maximize the gains from either the tariff or the fee alone. I don't know if this sounds like something you would like to pursue. It does require that you have an estimate of the market demands from different users. If you would like to discuss this analysis further (free of charge) let me know. By the way, I am only at Intel for an internship, and I will be bac in Boston after the middle of August. Sincerely, Sam Israelit Engineer, Businessman, . . . Brewer Portland, OR sami@scic.intel.com Mr. Hines writes, This question is very closely associated with how organizations budget. If the organization views the computing resource as "infrastructure" then it usually is funded centerally - that is to say the providor pays for everything, do not recharge, and their operating budget is adjusted upward to absorb the costs. This is the most simple arrangement. If the organization views the computing resource as a "utility" then it usually expecte the provider of services to establish a fee structure to recover the operating costs (i.e. break even). In this case, the provider has to make up the rules. It is most "user friendly" if it is in terms the user can relate to. Charging for background resources (disk space, people, etc) are more difficult. If you can base fees on "every time you hit " is costs you 25 cents -- that is something they can relate to. Of course to do this, the provider has to have a very good understanding of cost accounting and fixed and variable costs. Of course there are all kinds of variations to the "utility" scheme. Part of the costs may be subsidized by central services (a hybrid "infrastructure" and "utility"). Our data center charges for teleprocessing by establishing classes of service based on "number of 's pressed. They have established low, medium, and high use classes, and set fixed prices for each. The class a person is charged for, is determined from prior year history. The first year the person is placed in the low category. We are using a hybrid system -- with some costs supported as infrastructure, and some recharged as a utility. The allocation seems somewhat arbitrary, but they maintain it is negotiated. Again, it depends on your budget structure. Internet: mshines@ia.purdue.edu Michael S. Hines Bitnet: michaelh@purccvm Internal Auditor-EDP Purdue WIZARD Mail: MSHINES Purdue University GTE Net: (317) 494-5845 1065 Freehafer Hall Compuserve: Mike Hines (73240,1631) West Lafayette, IN 47907-1065 and Mr. Laidley confers, I agree with most of what Michael Hines said, with a one addition. We've recently gone through a lengthy and painful experience deciding how to charge for usage of the EDI system. In the end we adopted a scheme similar to what the VANs use -- costs charged are based on usage, measured as the amount of data sent/received. Our EDI service is MVS batch oriented, so this was the easiest way to measure. My key issue is that the cost of collecting data for charging costs not exceed the revenue to be generated. It seems silly, but it is easy to lose sight of this. Regards, Bill Laidley EDI Expert Team BC Systems Corp. Vancouver (604) 660-9705 WLAIDLEY@BCSC02.BITNET (Bill Laidley) Lastly, Mr. Mcguffin writes, I helped one of my clients develop a costing / charging model for use of their multi-platform service bureau and national computer network, so I have some experience in this area. Some specific responses, and general comments: This depends on the type of business, and their relationship with their clients (e.g. is it just internal charging, which is more like cost recovery, or is it a fee for service business). I am almost certain there is no "standard" way for doing this, since it really depends on what the "business objective" is of charging, plus any business or market constraints. This will naturally vary between companies. > All these questions ask: HOW is the gateway charged. But I also need > to know, if possible, WHAT the charge is based on: what cost items do > they include in maintenance of the gateway and what percentage of > these cost items is used. Cost items include: human resources, CPU > time, memory, software development, and other overhead items. Again, "it depends". A charge doesn't actually have to be based on anything, other than what the market will bear. You can simply charge $2/whatever, regardless of what it costs you to provide each whatever. This is different from what it _costs_ you to provide each whatever. Cost is important to know in order to run your business, but may only slightly influence what you charge. To figure out what items are included in cost (and maybe, therefore, the charge), cost accounting principles come into play. All of the things she mentioned are fair game in determining what it costs to provide the gateway services. Some have a nice direct relationship to each unit of service, while others (like fixed overheads) can only be assigned arbitrarily. Assigning costs between services can be a real headache, and depends on what "resource measurement units" there may be kicking around for the resource in question. For example, you may have a record of CPU usage by user, so you could apportion that way. Network packets may or may not be accounted for by network devices, and may or may not have adequate identification as to who originated them. Humans may keep time sheets, but how do you allocate the "operating system upgrade" project to the gateway versus the other projects using the machine. There's lots of room for different opinions here. > Any ideas from anyone who is familiar with this area would be > appreciated. Any information on books or papers covering this topic, > or firms doing similar work, would also be appreciated. I haven't run across any reference material in this area. Bean counters (I am one) tend to have great difficulty with the technical issues surrounding cost accounting for computer resources. Info systems people (I'm one of these too) tend to be put off by the whole process of accounting. So I don't think that there has been anything definitive put together on either side. My advice for your friend would be to start with the business reasons for "charging" for the gateway. Is it really cost recovery? Is it to make a profit from gateway services? In either case, what are we trying to do (e.g. allocate costs to other business units? justify new hardware? get people to use the gateway? not use it? attract new customers? get customers to use it differentyl, like more off-peak time vs. peak time?) These and other questions should drive the process a great deal more than what other companies do. Next, look at the technical constraints. What resource usage is actually measurable, and how can they be attributed to different users? Will measurements (e.g. transaction counters) adversely affect performance? Do we need to be able to prove measurements (as in an audit)? What will doing all this cost in equipment, software, people's time. These may dramatically limit what can be done. Then, devise a model for how the charging mechanism should work, and submit it to many sanity checks, walk throughs, etc. Once something is decided on, planning for its implementation will invariably take longer than everyone thinks. Things like beginning data collection (resource usage, costs), developing systems to process the data collected, etc. can take time. Also, make sure all affected parties are involved..the accountants and the systems people ... in making a decision, and implementing the results. I have no idea if any of this helps. I've made all sorts of assumptions, none of which may be valid. But perhaps it may give your friend some structure or direction to work with. Regards, Craig McGuffin, C.A. C.R. McGuffin Consulting Services Tel: (416) 485-0623 crmcguffin@crmcg.com (Craig R. McGuffin) --------- Thanks again to those who responded or expressed interest. Robert Williams CIMLab Mechanical Engineering Dept. University of Toronto william1@drill.me.utoronto.ca ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 17:51:53 GMT From: J.C.vanderWal@research.ptt.nl (Kees van der Wal) Subject: Re: Questions About Fax Tones vs. Voice Organization: PTT Research, The Netherlands In article , leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) writes: >>> In a nutshell: I'm looking for a fax machine that can receive faxes in >>> the middle of the night without ringing my phone and waking me up. >> Why not just cut the ringer off on your phone or even disconnect the >> phone? > Probably for the same reason that I don't (I have a part-time BBS on > my only line). How's it going to get turned back on come morning? > Yes, it *could* be done manually, but it's easy to forget ... That can be cured with a clock. Versatile and programmable clocks are available to switch the mains. Just hack together a mains-operated relay that switches of the phone and control the relay with the clock. Regards, Kees van der Wal ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Aug 92 07:02:46 CST From: Jack.Winslade@ivgate.omahug.org (Jack Winslade) Subject: Re: Amateur Radio and Our Moderator Reply-To: jack.winslade%drbbs@ivgate.omahug.org Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha In a message dated 29-JUL-92, Harold Hallikainen writes: > Seems like amateur radio operators (I'm one of them, but not real > active ... my radio broke) should be setting up high speed digital > radio links town to town, then hand over the links to the fidonet > people, combining two great talented groups of people. The amateur (Grab can of worms. Look for can opener.) I am also active in Fidonet (NEC 285) and the possibility of moving Fidonet Echomail (similar to Usenet news) via packet radio has been discussed ad infinitum and has even been tried a number of times from what I understand. The issue that seems to surface when this comes up is that of content (I'm not a ham, nor do I play one on a BBS) as I understand that anything not totally g-rated cannot be sent over ham radio. Other issues are confidentiality (it is my understanding that ham radio traffic must be unencrypted and subject to listening by all) and borderline-commercial/blatantly-commercial material that passes through the Fidonet channels. (The issue of commercial material has been a hot one in Fidonet, even when regular dialup circuits are used.) There have been other ideas, such as spreading echomail by satellite (similar to the Usenet project now underway) or possibly using a little- known license-free band for local one-way echomail distribution. It always comes down to the same bottom lines (in the conversations I have been involved with) and that is that Fidonet will most likely continue to use dialup circuits for transport of most of the material for quite some time. Good day. JSW Ybbat (DRBBS) 8.9 v. 3.14 r.1 ------------------------------ From: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette) Subject: Re: Telco a Little TOO Kind? Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc., Seattle, WA Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 08:51:57 GMT In article dvogel@mtgzfs3.att.com (Dennis R Vogel) writes: > This brings up a related question: is there any time period, > determined either by tariff or convention, for a long distance carrier > or AOS to bill a customer? Yes, there is a specific limit, and it is spelled out in each carrier's tariff filing. I know that US Sprint's tariff for intra-state California calls state that they have up to two years from the time of the call to bill. It seems a bit long to me, but at least it's a specific time that's spelled out in writing. Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 21:34:04 -0600 From: rickie@trickie.uucp (Richard Nash) Subject: Re: Analogue Problems With Digital Switches > Anyway, I performed a quick test, which proved that there is no CPC > through the analog line ports of the Northern PBX switch.... > ... We looked in to converting the affected lines to E&M trunks, > with E&M to loop start converters (Northern says that the analog > trunks, as opposed to lines, do have CPC.), but at $500 or more per > line for the converters. Why not loop start trunks, instead of lines? > No ring voltage! oh well. In the end, Corporate has had to install a > bunch of CO lines to the affected lines. Meanwhile, they have > promises from Northern for a fix "soon". DONT HOLD YOUR BREATH!!! You will turn red, then blue, then black doing so:) :) :) Soon means sometime this or next year, or perhaps after somebody real important has leaned on them real hard threatening all sorts of litigation! :) :) They dont give a damn about accounts less than a couple million clams! :) :) :) :) Richard Nash Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6K 0E8 UUCP: trickie!rickie@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 09:48:28 CDT From: segal@oscar.rtsg.mot.com (Gary Segal) Subject: Re: The Second Phone Call And the fifth phone call attempt: "BZZ BZZ, We're sorry, your line has been disconnected due to non payment. Please contact your business office. 908 T" Gary Segal Motorola Inc. segal@oscar.rtsg.mot.com Cellular Infrastructure Division ------------------------------ From: gs26@prism.gatech.edu (Glenn R. Stone) Subject: Re: The Second Phone Call Date: 9 Aug 92 20:11:10 GMT Reply-To: glenns@eas.gatech.edu Organization: The Group W Bench In 0004322955@mcimail.com (Guy J. Sherr) writes: > The third phone call: > Bell: "Mr. Watson! Come here! I need you!" > ACD: "Press 1 for Mr. Bell. Press 2 for Mr. Watson. Press # to > end this call." And Bell sits there staring at his ROTARY phone and wondering how long he's going to have to wait to get to a Real Live Person and how much hassle it's going to be to get transferred to the Right Place ... (Tech has a Whole Lotta semi-antique key system phones floating around ... and getting touch tone without breaking a phone is like pulling teeth ... I think I'm gonna give my big Celt assistant a sledgehammer and say "here, have fun!" :) :) :) :) :) Glenn R. Stone (glenn.stone@eas.gatech.edu) I don't speak for Tech, I wouldn't dream of letting her speak for me. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #619 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa01359; 11 Aug 92 13:35 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11898 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 11 Aug 1992 08:07:00 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05813 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 11 Aug 1992 08:06:48 -0500 Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1992 08:06:48 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208111306.AA05813@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #620 TELECOM Digest Tue, 11 Aug 92 08:06:33 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 620 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Pacific Bell and CNID (Ted Shapin) *69 and Call Waiting (Michael Rosen) New Newsgroup: alt.cable-tv.re-regulate (Nigel Allen) I Need Pinouts! (Dan Odom) How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Paul Falstad) Cellular Telephone Eavesdropping Scandal in Minnesota (Bruce Albrecht) Charges for *611 (John Gilbert) Cable-Laying Vehicle (Carl Moore) I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up! (Michael Scott Baldwin) Ring Suppression (Eric Jacksch) Phone Voice-Changing Chip? (Tom Claydon) PIN on Calling Card (was Solve Three Problems) (Tony Harminc) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: tshapin@beckman.com (Ted Shapin) Subject: Pacific Bell and CNID Date: 10 Aug 92 21:06:37 PDT Organization: Beckman Instruments, Fullerton, CA From: Nikki Draper Subject: CNID press release Sender: Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility PACIFIC BELL'S PHONE PRIVACY RINGS FALSE, SAYS COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PALO ALTO, Calif., August 10, 1992 -- Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR), a national alliance of professionals concerned with the impact of technology on society based here, expressed deep concern over Pacific Bell's attempt to gut a recent California Public Utility Commission (PUC) order on Calling-Number Identification (CNID). Pacific Bell has requested a rehearing on the PUC restrictions. PacBell's proposal will eliminate important safety and privacy protections in the Commission's order, CPSR charged. CNID allows businesses to collect the phone numbers of customers who call them. The Commission's order guarantees privacy protections for all Californians. PacBell proposes to eliminate a key privacy protection called Per-Line Blocking with Per-Call Unblocking. This feature prevents home numbers from being collected by businesses, unless the caller decides to give it to them. Phone companies would prefer to only offer per-call blocking, a scheme in which caller numbers are always given out unless the caller remembers to dial a blocking code before dialing the desired number. "If this happens, Californians will inevitably receive more junk mail, more annoying phone calls, and greater invasions of their privacy, some of which may be dangerous," said CPSR Chair and user interface expert, Dr. Jeff Johnson. PacBell claims that CNID would give people more control over their privacy by providing the phone number from the calling phone. This is the wrong technological answer to the problem according to Johnson. "What people want to know is who is calling, not what phone is being used. If my wife's car breaks down and she calls me from a pay phone, that's a call I want to answer. CNID doesn't give me any information that will help me do that." In PUC hearings held last year, Johnson accused the phone companies of designing a service that is more useful for businesses in gathering marketing data than for consumers in screening calls. Phone companies are opposed to per-line blocking because it would presumably result in more numbers being kept private, thereby reducing the value of the CNID service to business subscribers. "Phone companies don't want you to block your phone number when you call movie theaters or appliance stores. The more times your number is revealed to businesses, the better! So they oppose reasonable blocking options and are pushing an error-prone one," he said. If only per-call blocking were available, residential phone customers -- or their children, parents, grandparents, guests -- would often forget to dial their blocking code before making a call, resulting in frequent disclosure of private information to businesses without the consent, and sometimes even without the knowledge, of the caller. "Unless PacBell is willing to live within the very reasonable bounds set by the PUC decision, the concerns of Californians will be far better served if CNID is simply not offered at all," said Johnson. "Subscriber privacy is more important that Pacific Bell's profits." Founded in 1981, CPSR is a public interest alliance of computer scientists and other professionals interested in the impact of computer technology on society. As technical experts and informed citizens, CPSR members provide the public and policy makers with realistic assessments of the power, promise, and limitations of computer technology. It is a national organization, with 21 chapters throughout the United States. The organization also has program offices in Washington D.C. and Cambridge, MA. For information on CPSR, contact the national office at 415-322-3778 or cpsr@csli.stanford.edu. ------------------------------ From: mrosen@nyx.cs.du.edu (Michael Rosen) Subject: *69 and Call Waiting Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci. Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 03:40:25 GMT Do *69 and Call Waiting mix? For example, say I'm on the phone and receive another call on call waiting. I either ignore the call because maybe the call I'm on is important or the other caller hangs up before I can switch over. Will *69 ring back the person calling on my call waiting or the person I'm talking to now (assuming they called me, of course). Michael Rosen Tau Epsilon Phi - George Washington University mrosen@nyx.cs.du.edu Michael.Rosen@bbs.oit.unc.edu or @lambada.oit.unc.edu ------------------------------ From: Nigel.Allen@lambada.oit.unc.edu Subject: New newsgroup: alt.cable-tv.re-regulate Date: Mon, 10 Aug 92 23:52:24 EDT Some of the discussion in the newly-created alt.cable-tv.re-regulate newsgroup deals with whether U.S. telephone companies should be allowed to provide cable television services. (Of course, some U.S. telephone holding companies operate cable television companies outside the U.S., but nobody seems to have mentioned this yet in alt.cable-tv.re-regulate.) While many participants in alt.cable-tv.re-regulate feel that cable television companies are greedy and not interested in proper customer service, there is no consensus on what the solution might be. Some people want to see government regulation of cable television fees, while others think that competition, perhaps through allowing phone companies to provide "video dial tone", is the solution. It's an interesting newsgroup, and I think PAT would probably prefer that discussions about whether telcos should be allowed to offer cable television services take place in alt.cable-tv.re-regulate rather than here. [Moderator's Note: Its a toss up really. New stuff could equally be used here or there, but certainly long, drawn-out debate should be followed up there. PAT] ------------------------------ From: danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Dan Odom) Subject: I Need Pinouts! Date: 10 Aug 1992 20:53:41 -0500 Organization: Kansas State University Does anybody out there have a copy of the pinouts for this chip? I got it from a phone, I'm not sure what it's good for (DTMF, I think), but it's the only one of around eight zillion ICs in my possesion that I don't have data for. It has the little 'st' logo, and then the numbers are: 98930R MK53731N-99 I assume that it's like every other IC and the second number is the 'generic' part number. Anybody have a clue? Dan Odom danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu ------------------------------ From: pfalstad@phoenix.princeton.edu (Paul Falstad) Subject: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Organization: League For Fighting Chartered Accountancy Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1992 02:38:59 GMT Hi! My boss has a Bell South Mobilecom pager. Apparently, there's a way to trigger it from a modem. We called the 1-800 modem number, and got a prompt that read "ID=". We tried typing the pager number, but it just gave us another "ID=" prompt. Nothing we tried here did anything. After four or five tries, it just logged us out. Anyone know how to do this? Apparently, this can be done from the PC program Sidekick. It might be possible to leave an alphanumeric message as well. Paul Falstad, pfalstad@phoenix.princeton.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Aug 92 19:42:49 CST Reply-To: bruce@zuhause.mn.org From: bruce@zuhause.MN.ORG (Bruce Albrecht) Subject: Cellular Telephone Eavesdropping Scandal in Minnesota Here in Minnesota, there's been a political scandal over the dissemination of a tape recording of a cellular telephone conversation. The person who was recorded was someone (I believe a lawyer or lobbiest) who was hoping to get a job from the state administration, the person recording it was a state department of transportation (DOT) employee (who recorded it at home), and it was passed around the DOT. Eventually, it got into the hands of the man who had been the Republican candidate for Governor, Jon Grundseth, who stepped down during the middle of the race due to allegations of affairs, possible molestation of minors, and other indications of moral turpitude. Grundseth is still rather upset with the current Governor, Arne Carlson, who became the Republican candidate when Grundseth resigned (mostly because he claims Carlson torpedoed his campaign by spreading some of the aforementioned allegations), and sent copies of this taped conversation to the news media. Unfortunately for Grundseth, the major repercussion seem to have fallen upon him and the man who taped the conversation in the first place. There was a major witchhunt for a couple of days to determine if the DOT had been monitoring conversations because several people from the DOT had been trying to give copies of it away to the media and some politicians. That died down when they found out that it was done by a DOT technician at home. There's been some thought to prosecuting Grundseth for sending copies all over the place, but I don't think there have been any formal charges yet. bruce@zuhause.mn.org ------------------------------ From: johng@comm.mot.com (John Gilbert) Subject: Charges For *611 Organization: Motorola, Inc. Land Mobile Products Sector Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 22:00:34 GMT In article kph@cisco.com writes: > What carriers charge to call customer service? This is something I've > never encountered. In LA, they charge for busy/don't answer, but > charging for customer service seems a little absurd. When I was on the Florida Turnpike near West Palm, I dialed *611 and got billed for a call to a local number in that area. I called my carrier and asked them to remove the charge. I explained that I dialed *611 and that I got billed for a call to the local number that *611 translated to. She didn't understand, but said that they would look into it. The charge was eventually removed. I wonder how much revenue *611 generates for that carrier? John Gilbert johng@ecs.comm.mot.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Aug 92 7:42:25 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Cable-Laying Vehicle This is related to the archive file tat-8.fiber.optic , and is taken from the March 1989 issue of {Sea Technology}, page 67 column 1: International Cable Consortium Signs Contract for New Scarab A contract for replacement of the Scarab deep sea cable-laying vehicle has gone to Slingsby Engineering Ltd. (Kirkbymoorside, U.K.), a subsidiary of MLC Holdings plc. The new Scarab will be built for the international con- sortium of BT (Marine) Ltd., AT&T Communications, France Telecom, Telefonica, and Teleglobe Marine Inc. A Slingsby spokesman said the new Scarab is slated for the east zone of the Atlantic "to meet the needs of maintaining such At- lantic communications cables as TAT-5 through -8 and installation of the future TAT-9. [ end quote missing ] The new Scarab will be capable of operating in water depths to 2,000 meters and will feature the only jetting system in the world capable of uncovering and reburying cable in soil strengths of 400 KPA in water depths to 1,000 meters, according to Slingsby. BT (Marine) will manage the contract. Delivery is expected in time for Scarab to be in service by early 1990. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Aug 92 18:12:56 EDT From: msb@pegasus.att.com (Michael Scott Baldwin) Subject: I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up! Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories My grandmother is in need of one of these infamous devices. More precisely, we want something with these features: a) small enough to wear around neck b) one button press activates device c) it dials a specific number that we choose d) it delivers a standard recorded message (`help!') e) does *not* use any service bureau f) one-time purchase It's just an auto-dialer activated by a remote control device, most likely a standard infrared transmitter. There is a company, Emergency Response Systems, at +1 800 548 8805, that sells a device that is pretty much exactly that, but it is $410. Does anyone know of a more reasonably priced device, or have any suggestions on how I could make one of these things out of some cheap off-the-shelf parts? Michael.Scott.Baldwin@ATT.Com AT&T Bell Laboratories Tel: +1 908 576 6570 Lincroft, NJ 07738-1526 EasyLink Services FAX: +1 908 576 6406 ------------------------------ Subject: Ring Suppression From: jacksch@insom.eastern.com (Eric Jacksch) Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 07:58:42 -0400 Organization: Insomniacs' Guild, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Does anyone know a simple way to stop the ring signal from getting to the telephone without interfering with normal use? Can it be done with a few diodes? Eric Jacksch, jacksch@insom.eastern.com ------------------------------ From: astlc@acad2.alaska.edu (Tom Claydon) Subject: Phone Voice-Changing Chip? Organization: Anarchy Incorporated Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 09:48:45 GMT Recently I've seen ads for "voice changing phones which use some sort of A-to-D real-time sample-and-hold chip to speed up/slow down the voice information before it is transmitted. Does anyone have any information on what type of chip they are using to accomplish this? Tom Claydon, Electronics Tech. University of Alaska Anchorage BITNET: astlc@alaska.bitnet INTERNET: astlc@acad2.alaska.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 00:46:25 EDT From: Tony Harminc Subject: PIN on Calling Card (was Solve Three Problems) leavens@mizar.usc.edu (Justin Leavens) said: > I will never understand why what is essentially a Personal > Identification Number (PIN) is printed right on your phone card. It's > like putting your bank PIN right on your ATM card. Historical reasons: those last four digits were not originally a PIN at all. Up until the early to mid 1970s, calling card numbers were of the form xxx yyy yyyy zzzc. Typically xxx yyy yyyy was your area code and phone number, though various billing numbers were also used. zzz was a number (doubtless some Bell System person will remember what it was called) that identified the issuing telco. F'rinstance, cards issued by Bell Canada in area code 416 would have 476 for zzz. c was a check character -- originally alphabetic. Each year a different mapping of check characters to the rest of the number was used. When you placed a call with the card, the operator (of course automated service was far in the future) would simply check that the check character -- when the algorithm of the year was applied -- matched an appropriate digit of the number. Of course the check character changed each year, so a new calling card would be issued to every subscriber annually. They were just little paper cards in those days. Naturally security was minimal with this scheme -- it served more to prevent errors than actual fraud. With increasing fraud, the telcos decided they had to actually verify card numbers against a database, rather than doing any sort of even more advanced algorithmic verification based only on information on the card itself. There was an interim period when the check character became numeric, but was still being checked algorithmically, and an even longer period when countries outside the NANP were not equipped with database access (and hence calling cards bore two numbers, one with PIN and one labeled "International Number" with a check digit). I believe database checking is now universal. Tony Harminc ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #620 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa19560; 12 Aug 92 2:38 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19389 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 12 Aug 1992 00:50:17 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07400 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 12 Aug 1992 00:50:06 -0500 Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 00:50:06 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208120550.AA07400@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #621 TELECOM Digest Wed, 12 Aug 92 00:50:04 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 621 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Agreements Reached at Two Bell Companies (Phillip Dampier) ACMS Software Helps Cellular Communications Provider (DECnews; M. Solomon) Overblown Centrex (John Higdon) Cindi Prompt Format (bote@access.digex.com) Solicitation Slime (John Higdon) 710 and ABCD? (Christopher Davis) Informist Software Package (appell@attmail.com) WE 392A Wiring Information Needed (Howard Pierpont) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1992 11:58:17 -0500 Subject: Agreements Reached at Two Bell Companies AGREEMENTS REACHED AT TWO BELL TELEPHONE COMPANIES, TALKS CONTINUE AT THREE OTHERS HIGHLIGHTS OF BELLSOUTH, SOUTHWESTERN BELL AGREEMENTS: WASHINGTON -- Union and company negotiators at five regional Bell telephone companies either reached tentative contract agreements or continued talks past the midnight August 8 deadline. Some 219,000 workers represented by the Communications Workers of America are affected; another approximately 14,000 are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Tentative agreements have been reached at BellSouth and Southwestern Bell. Talks are continuing at Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, and Pacific Telesis. Highlights of the tentative agreements at BellSouth and Southwestern Bell are listed below. The CWA contract with U S West, covering 39,000 workers, expires on Saturday, August 15th at midnight; talks continue there. NYNEX, the seventh and last "Baby Bell" company, reached agreements with CWA and IBEW in September of 1991. Major stumbling blocks to agreements at Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, and Pacific Telesis lie in the areas of health care, wages and pensions, according to union negotiators. HIGHLIGHTS OF CWA TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH BELLSOUTH: Wages and Profit-Sharing CWA District Three VP Gene Russo reported base wage gains of 11/3 percent including continued cost-of-living-adjustments (COLA) over three years and profit-sharing. Employment Security A broad range of employment security provisions include expansion of the job pool for surplussed workers, a shifting of work previously done by contractors to the bargaining unit, special leave programs to reduce surplusses, and improvements in compensation for surplussed workers. A joint committee to study contracted work, with a goal of returning work to union members, will have unprecedented access to the company's files, records, and financial documents. The union considers this a major breakthrough in the industry on confronting the problem of loss of jobs to contract labor. Other Improvements Contract items improved include health care benefits and pensions, along with other gains. HIGHLIGHTS OF CWA TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH SOUTHWESTERN BELL: Wages & Profit Sharing CWA District Six VP Vic Crawley reported base wage increases of 12.3 percent over three years, plus additional days off with pay that give many workers an extra 3.6%; upgrades for workers in rural areas will raise their pay to the same level as urban area workers. In addition, a new "success sharing" plan will give employees $37 million in cash and/or stock. Employment Security Major gains in employment security protections include neutrality and access for organizing in Southwestern Bell subsidiaries. Union recognition in any new telephone company subsidiaries performing work currently performed by telephone employees and staffed by a majority of current telephone employees. As part of "The Strategic Alliance: Gateway to the 21st Century," a joint task force to deal with subcontracting issues will be formed. Arrangements have been made to return contract work to surplus craft workers. Other Improvements Under the above-mentioned Alliance, committees will study ways to eliminate secret monitoring, sales quota issues, health care cost containment, and technological change issues. There were also improvements in health care, family care plans (including $2000 adoption assistance, flexible leave, and 50% benefits coverage during child and elder care leave), and pensions. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 06:17:29 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: ACMS Software Helps Cellular Communications Provider From: price@mrktng.enet.dec.com (Dave Price, UNIX Press Relations) Subject: DECnews/ACMS Software Helps Cellular Communications Provider Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 15:19:04 PDT |||||||||||| DEC n e w s |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Digital Equipment Corporation Maynard, Massachusetts 01754-2571 Editorial contact: David Lynch (508) 467-7724 DIGITAL'S ACMS SOFTWARE HELPS DIVISION OF COUNTRY'S LARGEST CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS PROVIDER MEET CHALLENGES OF RAPID GROWTH ... Florida Cellular One Turns to Digital's Transaction Processing Technology to Manage 30 Percent Annual Growth Rate, Provide Top Quality Service, Leverage Existing IT Investment ... Maynard, Mass. - July 28, 1992 -- Florida Cellular One, a division of McCaw Cellular Communications, the nation's leading cellular service provider, is building a reputation for high-quality customer service with the aid of Digital Equipment Corporation's Application Control and Management System (ACMS) transaction processing technology. The division implemented Digital's ACMS software to run customer support applications that provide on-line information related to every aspect of a cellular telephone installation. "Our ability to respond to customer inquiries in real-time gives us quite a service, support, and competitive advantage," said Michael Benson, Florida Cellular One's Vice-President of Information Services. Customer turnover in the cellular telephone industry has led many cellular service providers to place top priority on customer support as a way to attract and retain clients. "As cellular technology continues to mature, cellular service companies are turning to their information systems resources to help strengthen ties to customers," said Dennis Roberson, Digital's Vice President of Corporate Software. By meeting customer expectations for quality service, Florida Cellular One is able to maintain a standard of excellence in customer care, resulting in an annual growth rate of nearly 30 percent for the division. "As the company grows, our biggest challenge is to leverage our existing IS investment to give new service representatives immediate access to customer information," said Ed Janowsky, Division Director of Information Services-Operations. "ACMS software helps us do that." Florida Cellular One's newest ACMS transaction processing application, developed in-house, is the Service and Install System (SIS). SIS, an application that tracks equipment installation, service data and inventory control, is one of the company's strongest links to its customers. It enables service representatives to immediately address customer inquiries regarding phone installations and repairs. "Aside from the billing process, SIS is the one area where we interact with customers the most," Benson said. "It helps us respond quickly and efficiently to their needs, as we strive for 100 percent customer satisfaction." Florida Cellular One's implementation of Digital's ACMS software supports customer service representatives at 26 Cellular One locations and 100 independent distribution sites around the state, in a distributed processing environment. Transactions are processed seven days a week from customer care, sales and installation, credit, collections, service activation, and data entry users. ACMS applications are processed at the Cellular One data center in Ft. Lauderdale, where the transaction processing workload is distributed among VAX systems to share the application processing and Rdb database management and to handle all presentation services. Users around the state interact with the system via VT320 terminals, as well as PCs and Macintosh computers. Databases that support a credit application running on ACMS software reside on a VAX system. Users are linked to credit data over DECnet software. "This technology lets us easily expand our operations, "Janowsky said. "If we need to, we simply add another VAX system to handle forms processing for the new customers, leaving the VAX host system investment intact." Janowsky reported that as McCaw Cellular's Florida division continues to expand on the inherent functionality of ACMS software, the SIS application developed by the Florida group is now also being implemented by McCaw's Minnesota regional operation, and is being evaluated for use in three other McCaw regions. Digital's ACMS software is designed to efficiently develop, execute, and maintain all aspects of transaction processing. A layered software product, it is ideal for businesses dependent upon high-performance, mission-critical, and mutivendor transaction processing systems. Digital Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Maynard, Massachusetts, is the leading worldwide supplier of networked computer systems and services. Digital pioneered and leads the industry in interactive, distributed, and multivendor computing. Digital and its partners deliver the power to use the best integrated solution - from desktop to data center - in open information environments. #### Note to editors: ACMS, DECnet, VAX, VT320 are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Aug 92 23:55 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Overblown Centrex Pac*Bell is cranking up with its borderline fraudulent Centrex commercials once again. Just when we had heard the last of "Centrex is the only service that can keep you up and running during a power outage", we get a new attack of misleading and downright untrue statements in Centrex advertising. We hear how the March of Dimes and other prestigious charitable organizations have "selected" Centrex for this, that, or other bogus reasons. Of course, the real reason that bonafide charities use Centrex is a matter of accounting: they are not allowed to collect capital assets, such as a PBX switch. It has nothing to do with cost, practicality, reliability, or functionality. But Pac*Bell would have us believe that these well-run organizations know something that we ordinary mortals do not. In other advertising, Pac*Bell proclaims that Centrex allows inter-building communication -- something that no PBX can. How's that again? I guess the PB promotion department has never heard of short-haul microwave or even about Pac*Bell's own OPX service. I understand the pros and cons of Centrex service. No one needs to educate me on that. But Pac*Bell's efforts to push the offering as the answer to ALL communications requirements is not playing fair or even honestly. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Subject: Cindi Prompt Format Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 19:40:39 EDT From: bote@access.digex.com Reply-To: bote@access.digex.com My friend and I have a gentleman's bet going on the format that the Cindi voice mail system uses. We have a dead one here that can be repaired if we happily fork over something like $6000 for a replacement hard disk (the software is free :). We're still thinking about it (hint: don't hold your breath). Anyway, we were fooling around with the few files salvageable on it and were curious what encoding format the Cindi uses to store its speech files. We've exhausted the available formats on the D/40D Springboard, which I thought would cover all the bases. My friend says that the SoundBlaster has more formats available on it, but that don't help much since I don't have one. Now we're really curious. Just what the heck is the secret recipe here? You can reply via email or to the list if you think it is worthwhile. Thank you. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 12:35 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Solicitation Slime I apologize to all who posted about being treated rudely by telemarketers. I had assumed that there was provocation and dismissed the posted descriptions of these what I considered to be non-events. This afternoon, my private line rang with someone who identified himself as being from the {Chronicle}. I said, "I'm sorry, I do not accept solicitation on this line", and hung up. The phone immediately rang back and I was greeted with, "Rude dickhead [slam]". Since then there has been a stream of one-ringers. Needless to say, I have notified the {Chronicle} concerning this. And I have now been convinced that telemarketing is a practice that needs to be eliminated -- by whatever means. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1992 16:16:52 -0400 From: Christopher Davis Subject: 710 and ABCD? Here's a thought (brought about by the recent thread on the ABCD tones being used with AUTOVON): Maybe part of the deal with 710 is that you can (or need to, perhaps) dial ABCD numbers too? I wonder what 1-710-555-ABCD would do ... (probably nothing, right)? [Moderator's Note: An interesting question to me is what would happen if those tones were sounded to a regular CO. For example what would happen if I gave those to the CO here? Would they even break the dial tone, and if they did, how would the CO react to them? I've heard of cases where people used those tones as part of passwords on voicemail systems, etc. Any answers? PAT] ------------------------------ From: appell@attmail.com Date: 11 Aug 92 20:26:06 GMT Subject: Informist Software Package FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 10, 1992 Has Your Computer Called Lately?? --------------------------------- Gold Systems, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, is introducing Informist(TM), a software package that calls you when your computer is feeling ill. Informist monitors computers for problems or errors, and when one occurs, immediately and automatically contacts the proper personnel by phone call, pager, and other methods. The computer voice actually speaks, informing which machine is ill and defining the problem. This round-the-clock monitoring eliminates the need for periodic manual checks and reduces maintenance response time, resulting in less computer "down time" and customer service disruptions. Informist resides in the AT&T CONVERSANT(R) Voice Information System computer, and monitors itself as well as computers connected to it via ORACLE(R) SQL*Net(R). Error messages are monitored for hardware problems such as failed circuit boards, system problems such as low disk space, and communications problems such as data transmission failures. The computer's voice capabilities allow Informist to place phone calls to designated parties, speak the computer name and the type of error, and then ask for verification of the message. Other notification methods include pager, electronic mail, modem, console messages, and external monitor messages. System administrators can adapt the software to their unique needs by determining problem severity, modifying the methods of notification, and changing the destinations of notification. For additional Informist information, contact Gold Systems, Inc. at (303) 447-2837. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 11:08:51 PDT From: HOWARD PIERPONT Subject: WE 392A Wiring Information Needed My wife claims she can't always tell which line in ringing and asked me to find a solution. [Yes, I know I can buy some off the shelf items.] Well, I have a Western Electric 392A with two bells and a single gong. There are four wires coming off the back that are unattched and two wires that are hooked to an item a the back of the 392A. The 392A uses a round cover for the controls. Anyone have any wiring diagrams for this? Howard Pierpont Digital Equipment Corp. P.O.Box 937 77 Reed Road Dayville CT 06241-0937 Hudson MA 01749 203-779-2570 508-568-6165 Standard disclaimers always apply. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #621 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa29686; 12 Aug 92 23:42 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30619 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 12 Aug 1992 21:49:49 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09230 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 12 Aug 1992 21:49:39 -0500 Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 21:49:39 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208130249.AA09230@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #622 TELECOM Digest Wed, 12 Aug 92 21:49:35 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 622 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson New German City Codes - +37 is Gone, +49 is Complete (David Leibold) Re: Phones in Germany (Thomas Diessel) Re: Telecom Observations From my Trip to England (Jon Sreekanth) Re: Overseas Calling Cards (Christopher Lott) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 00:40:58 GMT From: David Leibold Subject: New German City Codes - +37 is Gone, +49 is Complete There is now a consolidated list of Germany's area codes as listed below. Thanks to Thomas Diessel of the Federal Armed Forces University, Munich Computer Science Department for sending this along to us. Unfortunately, it will be a while before an updated zone 4 (Europe) list can replace the existing archives one, due to some disarray and work in progress on my end of the country code listings. However, the new Germany updates will be included in a new zone 4 set of codes. dleibold@vm1.yorku.ca (list begins below...) 8 August 1992 Comments: This list is only a quite random selection of German area codes. (As the list is already quite long I suggest to delete all four digits area codes not ending with a 1.) Neither area codes nor prefixes have a fixed length. The area codes are two to four digits in the western part and two to five digits in the eastern part (3xxxx) of Germany. All subscriber numbers are three to seven digits and up to eight digits for PBX. The area code and the subscriber number together are not longer than ten digits. Most three digit area codes were of the form zX1, where z is the ZVSt (central switching office). But the number of exceptions increased over the years: 202, 203, 208, 209, 212, 214, 228, 234, 335, 340, 345, 355, 365, 375, 385, 395, 906. The most exceptions of this rule are within the ZVSt 2 because there are a lot of large cities and within the ZVSt 3 because that covers a large region (the eastern part of Germany). The area code z11 is usally the area code for the city where the ZVSt is located, except for cities which got two digit area codes: 30, 40, 69, 89. Sources: - Amtliches Verzeichnis der Ortsnetzkennzahlen (AVON), Deutsche Bundespost Telekom, 1992 - Verzeichnis der Fernsprechortsnetze im Bereich der Deutschen Bundespost, FTZ, 1986 - other Telekom publications Changes to previous version: Added: - most "area" codes beginning with 0 and 1 - Eurosignal paging service (279, 509, 709) - all missing 3 digit area codes - all missing 2 digit area codes of former East Germany Deleted: - small cities, which belong to an area code of a larger city (e.g. Fu:rth) Corrected: - spelling of some names, now using a:, o: and u: 49 Germany, Federal Republic of (West and East Germany) 0 international calls 10 long distance operator 11 +2/3D Telekom services 1211 Norddeich Radio (maritime radio, only ZVSt 4) 1221 Elbe-Weser Radio (maritime radio, only ZVSt 4) 1231 Kiel Radio (maritime radio, only ZVSt 4) 130 +4/6D toll free (800) 137 +4D Televotum (poll system) 138 +?D Teledialog (mass service) 161 +7D cellular (network C, Telekom) 164 +?D Cityruf (signal paging service) 168 +?D Cityruf (numerical paging service) 1691 +?D Cityruf (alphanumerical paging service) 16951 Cityruf (paging service operator) 171 +7D cellular (network D1, Telekom) 172 +7D cellular (network D2-privat, Mannesmann Mobilfunk) 190 +5D value added services (900) ZVSt 2 Du:sseldorf (central switching office) 201 Essen 202 Wuppertal 203 Duisburg 2041 Bottrop 2051 Velbert (was 2124 until 10/82) 206 (unused) 207 (unused) 208 Mu:lheim, Ruhr 208 Oberhausen, Rheinland 209 Gelsenkirchen 2101 Neuss 2102 Ratingen 211 Du:sseldorf 212 Solingen (was 2122 until 5/31/85) 2129 Haan, Rheinland 214 Leverkusen 2151 Krefeld 2161 Mo:nchengladbach 2162 Viersen 2166 Mo:nchengladbach-Rheydt 2171 Leverkusen-Opladen 2191 Remscheid 2202 Bergisch Gladbach 2203 Ko:ln-Porz 221 Cologne (Ko:ln) 2241 Siegburg 228 Bonn (was 2221) 2303 Unna 231 Dortmund 2323 Herne 2331 Hagen 2336 Schwelm 234 Bochum 2351 Lu:denscheid 2361 Recklinghausen 2365 Marl 2371 Iserlohn 2381 Hamm, Westfalen 241 Aachen 2421 Du:ren 251 Mu:nster 2603 Bad Ems 261 Koblenz 2642 Remagen 271 Siegen 279 Eurosignal Mitte, Siegen (European paging service, central region) 281 Wesel 291 Meschede ZVSt 3 Berlin NEW OLD CITY 30 2 Berlin (West-Berlin was 311 long ago) 311 (unused) 321 (unused) 331 33 Potsdam 335 30 Frankfurt, Oder 3361 35 Fu:rstenwalde 3381 38 Brandenburg 340 47 Dessau 341 41 Leipzig 3421 407 Torgau 3441 450 Zeitz 3445 454 Naumburg, Saale 345 46 Halle, Saale 3461 442 Merseburg 3493 441 Bitterfeld 3501 56 Pirna 351 51 Dresden 3521 53 Meissen 3525 524 Riesa 355 59 Cottbus 3581 55 Go:rlitz 3591 54 Bautzen 361 61 Erfurt 3641 78 Jena 3643 621 Weimar 365 70 Gera 3681 66 Suhl 3691 623 Eisenach 371 71 Chemnitz (former name: Karl-Marx-Stadt) 3741 75 Plauen, Vogtland 375 74 Zwickau 381 81 Rostock 3831 821 Stralsund 385 84 Schwerin, Mecklenburg 391 91 Magdeburg 395 90 Neubrandenburg ZVSt 4 Hamburg 40 Hamburg (was 411) 411 (unused) 421 Bremen 431 Kiel 441 Oldenburg, Oldenburg 4421 Wilhelmshaven 451 Lu:beck 461 Flensburg 471 Bremerhaven 4721 Cuxhaven 4725 Helgoland 481 Heide, Holstein 491 Leer, Ostfriesland ZVSt 5 Hannover 501 (unused) 509 Eurosignal Nord, Hannover (European paging service, north. region) 511 Hannover 5121 Hildesheim 5141 Celle 5201 Halle, Westfalen 521 Bielefeld 5221 Herford 5251 Paderborn 531 Braunschweig 5321 Goslar 541 Osnabru:ck 551 Go:ttingen 561 Kassel 571 Minden, Westfalen 581 Uelzen 591 Lingen, Ems ZVSt 6 Frankfurt am Main 601 (unused) 6021 Aschaffenburg 6032 Bad Nauheim 6102 Neu-Isenburg 611 Wiesbaden (was 6121 until 1990) 6124 Bad Schwalbach 6131 Mainz 6133 Oppenheim 6142 Ru:sselsheim 6151 Darmstadt 6171 Oberursel, Taunus 6172 Bad Homburg, vor der Ho:he 6181 Hanau 621 Ludwigshafen, Rhein 621 Mannheim 6221 Heidelberg 6223 Neckargemu:nd 6241 Worms 631 Kaiserslautern 6321 Neustadt, an der Weinstrasse 6322 Bad Du:rkheim 6331 Pirmasens 641 Giessen 6421 Marburg 6441 Wetzlar 651 Trier 661 Fulda 671 Bad Kreuznach 6721 Bingen, Rhein 6722 Ru:desheim am Rhein 6781 Idar-Oberstein 681 Saarbru:cken 6831 Saarlouis 6898 Vo:lkingen 69 Frankfurt am Main (was 611 until 8/5/84) 69 Offenbach am Main (was 611 until 8/5/84) ZVSt 7 Stuttgart 701 (unused) 7021 Kirchheim unter Teck 7031 Bo:blingen 7071 Tu:bingen 709 Eurosignal Su:d, Stuttgart (European paging service, south. region) 711 Stuttgart 7121 Reutlingen 7131 Heilbronn, Neckar 7141 Ludwigsburg, Wu:rttemberg 7151 Waiblingen 7153 Plochingen 7156 Ditzingen 7161 Go:ppingen 7171 Schwa:bisch Gmu:nd 721 Karlsruhe 7221 Baden-Baden 7222 Rastatt 7231 Pforzheim 7243 Ettlingen 731 Ulm, Donau 7321 Heidenheim, an der Brenz 7361 Aalen, Wu:rttemberg 741 Rottweil 7422 Schramberg 7431 Albstadt-Ebingen 7433 Balingen 7441 Freudenstadt 7451 Horb, am Neckar 7461 Tuttlingen 7471 Hechingen 751 Ravensburg 7531 Konstanz 7532 Meersburg, Bodensee 7541 Friedrichshafen 7551 U:berlingen, Bodensee 7571 Sigmaringen 7579 Schwenningen, Baden 761 Freiburg, im Breisgau 7621 Lo:rrach 7622 Schopfheim 7623 Rheinfelden, Baden 7625 Zell, im Wiesental 7633 Bad Krozingen 7651 Titisee-Neustadt 7671 Todtnau 7674 Todtmoos 771 Donaueschingen 7720 Villingen-Schwenningen (Schwenningen) 7721 Villingen-Schwenningen (Villingen) 7723 Furtwangen 7731 Singen, Hohentwiel 7732 Radolfzell, am Bodensee 7734 Gallingen 7771 Stockach 7773 Bodman-Ludwigshafen 781 Offenburg 7821 Lahr, Schwarzwald 791 Schwa:bisch Hall ZVSt 8 Mu:nchen 801 (unused) 8022 Tegernsee 811 Hallbergmoos (was 8169 until 1991) 8151 Starnberg 821 Augsburg 831 Kempten, Allga:u 8321 Sonthofen 8331 Memmingen 8341 Kaufbeuren 8362 Fu:ssen 8382 Lindau, Bodensee 841 Ingolstadt, Donau 851 Passau 861 Traunstein, Oberbayern 8651 Bad Reichenhall 871 Landshut 881 Weilheim, Oberbayern 8821 Garmisch-Partenkirchen 89 Munich (Mu:nchen, was 811) ZVSt 9 Nu:rnberg 901 (unused) 906 Donauwo:rth 911 Nuremberg (Nu:rnberg) 9131 Erlangen 921 Bayreuth 9281 Hof, Saale 931 Wu:rzburg 941 Regensburg 951 Bamberg 9561 Coburg 961 Weiden, Oberpfalz 971 Bad Kissingen 9721 Schweinfurt 981 Ansbach 9861 Rothenburg, ob der Tauber 991 Deggendorf ------------------------------ From: diessel@informatik.unibw-muenchen.de (Thomas Diessel) Subject: Re: Phones in Germany Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 11:59:37 MET DST Christopher Lott AGSE writes: > We recently moved to Germany and I thought US readers might be > interested in an American's perspective of starting phone service in I would like to make some comments on Chris' interesting summary. >Germany. "Telekom" runs the phones. Telekom was fairly recently >separated from the Post office but it's still a gummint agency. The German mail (Deutsche Bundespost) was divided into three parts: - Postdienst (mail) - Postbank (savings) - Telekom (telco) > All costs are in D-Mark; conversions are based on the exchange rate of > US$ 1 = DM 1.50 to make the math easy (actual rate 1.477 or so). > Installation cost 65(US 43) and it doesn't matter if they run wire or > not. They require no deposit in advance. > We placed the order in person at the phone store, and three weeks You mean "Telekom Laden", a shop of the Telekom. > later a fella arrived with our phone. This was apparently fairly > quick. Seems that Telekom doesn't send their own people out to do > installations but subcontracts it out. The weak (slow) link in the > chain appears to be the subcontractors; I'm told that Telekom is quick > with service changes. > You are allowed to own your own phone, although it's supposed to be a > model that's approved by Telekom. Phones cost a minimum of 80 (US 53) Phones are now approved by a federal office called "Bundesamt fuer Zulassungen im Telekommunikationswesen" or so (BZT). But that will change again with the common market next year. > in cheap stores, a minimum of about 100 (US 67) at the phone store. We > chose to rent ours from Telekom for about 3.50 (US 2.33) per month. > Our phone does touch-tone and stores the last number dialed; i.e., > it's the basic 100-Mark model. > Judging from our first bill, monthly service is about 52 (US 35). There is a basic fee of 24,60 DM ($ 16,40) plus 0,23 DM ($ 0,15) for each message unit. > They make no distinction between touch-tone and pulse dialing, as far > as I know. Our phone had to be told to send tone, and the switch > understands it fine, but I don't think that I requested it specially. > The monthly service includes 15 message units. Additional message > units cost about DM0.23 (US 0.15). Now a brief digression to explain > message units as understood by Telekom: Every call is metered. Local > calls cost one message unit for every six minutes during the day > (6a-6p) and 12 minutes at night. Long-distance works by varying the Only Monday to Friday 6a-6p 6 minutes otherwise 12 minutes. There are also some "long-distance" calls (dialing 0 first = LD) at that rate. At least to the neighnour NPAs. But we don't have intra-NPA long distance calls (that was a strange experience for me in the States). > length of time you get for one unit. Domestic long distance is also > discounted 50% at night, but international calls cost the same 24 > hours per day. Ferinstance, when I call other cities during the day, > a unit gets me about 30 seconds to one minute, and I assume double > that at night. When calling the USA, a message unit lasts 6.67 > seconds; this works out to almost exactly DM 2 (US 1.30) per minute at > all times. As was posted here previously, Telekom recently increased > the time from 4 to 6.67 sec, possibly in response to heavy competition > from USA Direct etc. > Information costs the same as a local call (i.e., no extra charge > beyond the time) and will give you a number anywhere in Germany. Oh, > I almost forgot! There doesn't seem to be an operator here! I had Basically right, but there is long distance operator at 010 (I never used it). > That's about all I can think of. Hope this interests some people. At least me! Thomas Diessel Federal Armed Forces University, Munich - Computer Science Department Werner-Heisenberg-Weg 39 - W-8014 Neubiberg Germany ------------------------------ From: jon_sree@world.std.com (Jon Sreekanth) Subject: Re: Telecom Observations From my Trip to England Organization: The World Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1992 04:17:10 GMT In article weave@bach.udel.edu (Ken Weaverling) writes: > I found out later that you can enable the touch-tone pad on BT pay > phones after call completion by pressing the * button. I tried this at > the airport while I was waiting for my return flight, and it worked! > However, the tones were too short to grab the attention of my > answering machine. This "feature" is not documented on any of the pay > phones I used. It seems to be a sort of "feature" even on phones here. My Panasonic KX T3155 speakerphone has a slide switch between pulse and DTMF mode. With the switch in pulse mode, pressing the * key changes over into DTMF mode. I'm not sure if the * itself is transmitted or not. Jon Sreekanth Assabet Valley Microsystems, Inc. Fax and PC products 5 Walden St #3, Cambridge, MA 02140 (617) 876-8019 jon_sree@world.std.com ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Overseas Calling Cards Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 11:07:27 +0200 From: Christopher Lott AGSE In article is written: > MCI says they will charge only US$2 for a call to a US 800 number, According to the MCI rep in the US (I called them from Germany), calls to 800 numbers cost the same as calls to non-800 numbers. The rep made no mention of whether the 800 number had to be an MCI number or not. While we're on the subject of USA direct services and costs, I hope some find the following info interesting. I gathered it partly from the Digest and partly from calling the companies involved. Brief summary: for calls to US from Germany of 15 minutes or less, it's cheaper to use the German phone company (Telekom) than ATT or MCI. But if you have MCI's Friends & Family service, MCI-FF is cheaper already after five minutes. This assumes that you're calling from a private phone or pay phone, not from a hotel or other ripoff setup. I don't know if the USA Direct rates vary from country to country, so these figures might be of limited use. I hope that MCI & ATT wake up and reduce the costs of their USA-direct services for people calling from Germany. ATT is simply not competitive anymore within Germany, and MCI only is worth using if you have F&F. chris ... ---snip,snip--- Calling the US from Germany: Telekom's overseas (USA) rates 24 hours/day: 1 Unit = 7 seconds = DM.23, 24 hours/day (DM 1.97/min; @USD 1 = DM 1.50, this is USD 1.31/min) ATT's USA-Direct rates 24 hours/day: $2.50 surcharge 1.77 first minute (i.e., $4.27 first minute) 1.09 add'l minutes MCI's call-USA rates 24 hours/day: $2.00 surcharge 1.76 first minute (i.e., $3.76 first minute) 1.09 add'l minutes And you can call an 800 number for the same charge (i.e., no cheaper). After the 20% Friends & Family discount: $1.60 surcharge 1.40 first minute (i.e., $3.00 first minute) 0.87 add'l minutes Table of charges after X minutes with each carrier all numbers in US dollars (at USD1=DM1.50) min-> 1 2 3 4 5* 6 7 8 9 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------- DT: 1.31 2.62 3.93 5.24 6.55 7.86 9.17 10.48 11.79 13.11 ATT: 4.27 5.36 6.45 7.54 8.63 9.72 10.81 11.90 12.99 14.08 Mp: 3.76 4.85 5.94 7.03 8.12 9.21 10.30 11.39 12.48 13.57 Mf: 3.00 3.87 4.74 5.61 6.48 7.35 8.22 9.09 9.96 10.83 min-> 11 12 13+ 14 15- 16 17 18 19 20 -------------------------------------------------------------------- DT: 14.41 15.72 17.03 18.34 19.65 20.96 22.27 23.58 24.89 26.20 ATT: 15.17 16.26 17.35 18.44 19.53 20.62 21.71 22.80 23.89 24.98 Mp: 14.66 15.75 16.84 17.93 19.02 20.11 21.20 22.29 23.38 24.47 Mf: 11.70 12.57 13.44 14.31 15.18 16.05 16.92 17.79 18.66 19.53 where DT = Deutsche Telekom ATT = AT&T Mp = MCI plain Mf = MCI Friends and Family * = MCI-F&F becomes cheaper than Telekom + = MCI-plain becomes cheaper than Telekom - = ATT becomes cheaper than Telekom ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #622 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa06470; 13 Aug 92 3:10 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA06356 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 12 Aug 1992 22:42:20 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12977 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 12 Aug 1992 22:42:12 -0500 Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 22:42:12 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208130342.AA12977@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #623 TELECOM Digest Wed, 12 Aug 92 22:42:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 623 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone (William Berbenich) Re: Information Wanted on CDMA (Syd Weinstein) Re: Voice Messaging User Interface (Alan L. Varney) Re: More Notes About German Telekom (Julian Macassey) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Ron Dippold) Re: Local Call Determination (Peter M. Weiss) Re: Those Wacky Baby Bells (John Higdon) Re: Pacific Bell Ads For CLASS (Lauren Weinstein) Re: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY (Rudolph T. Maceyko) Re: MCI Account Illegally Created in My Name: How to Handle This? (D Kovar) Re: Rare Book Available (David Lesher) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: mailrus!gatech!eecom!wberbeni@uunet.UU.NET (W. Berbenich) Subject: Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone Organization: Georgia Tech Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 17:44:01 GMT In article jongsma@esseye.si.com (Ken Jongsma) writes: > In the August 3rd {Business Week}... > Cincinnati Microwave, Inc. [the radar detector people] figures > executives and consumers will pay a small premium for cordless > privacy. The company has developed a phone, to be marketed in October > by its Escort division for about $300, that thwarts eavesdroppers with > "spread spectrum" technology, which is similar to the encryption > method that the military uses in secure radios. The signals between I believe there may be a misstatement of fact in the BW piece. Is there anyone who believes that spread-spectrum is a form of cipher or encryption? I am quite sure that it isn't. The quotation above is therefore a bit misleading. Bill Berbenich - School of EE, DSP Lab ------------------------------ From: syd@dsi.com (Syd Weinstein) Subject: Re: Information Wanted on CDMA Reply-To: syd@dsi.com Organization: Datacomp Systems, Inc. Huntingdon Valley, PA Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 18:57:47 GMT murthy@solomon.technet.sg (K.R.S.Murthy) writes: > Can anybody explain to me briefly in layman's words how CDMA > technology works? Here is a very simple explaination of CDMA (Carrier Detect Multiple Access): Before sending, listen to the line, if there is no carrier, then send. This is sort of like how we hold a group discussion on the phone ... if no one else is talking, then you feel free to talk, only this is for data. It is used on any 'multi-drop' kind of line instead of polling. The carrier can be anything, from the RF carrier in a radio based application to the dc bias on an ethernet cable. NOTE: ethernet adds another feature to it, CDMA/CA (CA = collision avoidance) There is always the ability for two transmitters to decide at the same time, its free, jump on the line. This causes a collision. In pure CDMA, the collision just wipes out the data, and a timeout retry will pick it back up. Ethernet, uses CA, where each station first transmits a pre-amble before the data. They also listen to see if the pre-amble got stepped on. If it does, they back off and avoid the collision. Then the data makes it out, or everyone backs off, and a 'retry timer' is used. Sydney S. Weinstein, CDP, CCP Elm Coordinator - Current 2.3PL11 Datacomp Systems, Inc. Projected 2.4 Release: Oct 1,1992 syd@DSI.COM or dsinc!syd Voice: (215) 947-9900, FAX: (215) 938-0235 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 17:48:14 CDT From: varney@ihlpf.att.com (Alan L Varney) Subject: Re: Voice Messaging User Interface Organization: AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL In article naleks@harvard.edu (Norm Aleks) writes: > A while back I posted a query as to whether anyone knew details on > VMUIS, the Voice Messaging User Interface Forum standards. ... > "The specification covers core activities only, not options or > prompting scripts, and it is not intended to homogenize the industry. > It calls for vendors to use * to cancel or back up, 0 to ask for help > or an operator, and # to terminate or skip ahead. It further > specifies a consistent way to handle Q and Z, which do not appear on > Touchtone keypads. Acceptance of VMUIS is limited; some vendors > ignore it, others adopt just the parts they like." Disclaimer: While AT&T markets AUDIX(tm) and a host of other voice- processing systems, I don't work on or sell them (except switches). That said, I must say that the use of a single "*" or other key to erase or do anything else that can't be "undone" is, to me, a mistake. Talk-off and other studies show that human voices can imitate a frequency pair fairly often; getting two in sequence (Audix uses "*D" or "*3" for "delete") is very unlikely. Al Varney - just MY opinion. ------------------------------ From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) Subject: Re: More Notes About German Telekom Date: 12 Aug 92 00:23:55 GMT Reply-To: julian@bongo.info.com (Julian Macassey) Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood California U.S.A. In article is written: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 613, Message 9 of 14 Talking about being a Telekom customer in Germany: > We don't have a touch tone phone, but we do lease the cheapest one > they offer. > I brought over a rotary unit that I keep plugged into my modem. One > thing your note didn't mention is a big gripe of mine ... there is a > big charge for having a second phone (extension) in your house ... and > it's not the same as in the USA ... according to the lady that took my > order, there is a law against two units listening in on the same line. Yes, the Germans will tell you that it is "technically impossible" to have more than one extension operating on the line at one time. Bullshit. The German phones will cut off when the line voltage gets too low (second extension going off hook). They will add a second extension with the crapola exclusion device so only one extension can be on line at once. But if you put real phones (AT&T, GNT (Danish), Plessey (UK)) on the line, they will work like U.S. phones. The U.S. standard is that three 500 sets (standard rotary) can be off hook and working at once. Bugger the law, you are the customer, phones are for communication. By the way German line voltage is 60 Volts - U.S. voltage is 48. > Of course, it may be an attenuation problem since my PC is > about 10 meters away from the phone jack. I seriously doubt this, you probably have 5 Kilometers of 0.5 mm wire between your modem jack and the Telecom CO (Exchange). Another 10 Meters of wire is not going to add any attenuation you can measure. Yours, Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495 ------------------------------ From: rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold) Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Organization: Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 12:56:18 GMT mickeyf@vnet.ibm.com (Mickey Ferguson) writes: > The DTMF standard allows for up to 16 touch tones. I believe the four > besides "1234567890* > Does anyone know of a telephone set or a portable device (with a > speaker that could be held up to a microphone) that generates these > tones? Some phones have them, most phones can have them added (otherwise known as a grey or silver box depending on whose colors you believe). Quite a few of the "smart phones" for conferencing have them (with another name). The Novation Apple-CAT could dial them, and there are several computer programs that will generate them (as well as many other telcom tones such as KP1, etc.) > What else are these extra tones used for? AUTOVON (the military) used them. The tones are otherwise designated as Flash, Immediate, Priority, and Routine (with variations). Some voice mail / company phone systems use them. It's an extra four buttons to attack commands to in addition to "*" and "#"! They used to be useful in areas that had an automatic call distributor (ACD). You'd call directory assistance (555-1212) and hold down the "D" key to knock the operator off the line ("Oh, another SOB who called and then hung up!"). You then get a pulsing dial tone that indicates that you're in ACD test mode. 6 and 7 would put you opposite sides of a loop, you could supposedly do a REMOB test which would allow you to tap phone lines using a special code and then the seven-digit phone number. Mass conferencing, etc. Even in 1984 ACDs were hard to find, however. I doubt anyone still uses them. In fact, with ESS it could be dangerous to try it. ------------------------------ Organization: Penn State University Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 13:01:30 EDT From: Peter M. Weiss Subject: Re: Local Call Determination > Randy Gellens randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com writes: > In Telecom 12.599, booloo@framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov (Mark Boolootian) > writes: >> Additionally, can someone explain to me what distinguishes local calls >> from toll calls? Are all calls within a LATA local? Does physical >> proximity have anything to do with determining whether a call is local >> (i.e. is it always the case that calling a couple of blocks away will >> be a local call)? Assuming physical proximity had something to do >> with it, I've always fancied setting up a dial-up system which chained >> together a bunch of local calls, but for which the end-to-end call >> would have been toll. > It is mostly distance based. Each prefix has a set of prefixes which > are local from it (out here, one prefix away is local, further away is > toll). It is my understanding that here in central PA (USA), that a call from the 814-383 (Zion) exchange to 814-238 (State College) is a local call, but vice versa is TOLL (intra-LATA). Go figure. Pete Weiss - pmw1@psuvm.psu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 10:43 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Those Wacky Baby Bells tjoa@cory.berkeley.edu (Richard Tjoa) writes: > Isn't "The Message Center" from Pacific Bell great? They introduced > it a year ago and told everyone to get rid of their answering machines > for their (essentially) voice mail-type system. You could delete > single messages, etc ... (And for the low price of, what, $5/mo?) And, at no extra charge, The Message Center will periodically delete a week's worth of messages AUTOMATICALLY before you even have to listen to them. Now that is truly a time-saver! I want you to know that in me, you are dealing with the consummate telco-service-gadget freak. Throughout my life, I have ordered every single service available from the phone company if for no other reason than to see how it worked. Every service Pac*Bell now offers is available in my area. The Message Center? I will pass on that one. My PC-based voicemail system has been operating without the slightest problem for five years now. It has not lost a single message. I can use it to screen calls, page me, and do a number of other useful functions. There is no monthly charge (and it has long since paid for itself). Fortunately, my principles and practicality converge on this matter. I am antagonistic toward The Message Center in principle since it is the flagship example of a telco using ratepayer dollars to subsidize a competitive service to the detriment of the other players and ultimately the public. From a technical standpoint, The Message Center is inferior to one's own answering machine. Is it not nice when it is EASY to take the high road? :-) John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 12:04:33 PDT From: lauren@vortex.COM (Lauren Weinstein) Subject: Re: Pacific Bell Ads For CLASS Greetings. The PacBell CLASS ads are somewhat misleading in a number of ways. Their promotion of priority ringing strongly implies that it's the person calling you who triggers the "special" ring, not that it will only work if they are calling from the officially entered number -- not from anywhere else (such as the proverbial payphone). No mention is made of limits to the length of the number list either. In most cases, for the purposes that PacBell is promoting this "service," conventional "distinctive" ringing, where the different rings are based on the number the callee dialed (and so will work regardless of where they are calling from) is much more versatile in practice. Distinctive ringing has been available from GTE Calif. for a long time (under the name "Smart Ring"). The PacBell promotion of Repeat Dialing is also misleading in a way that might be considered minor, but certainly gives a false impression. A busy woman gets the triple ring indicating a repeat dialing "completion" and immediately goes over, picks up the phone, and says "oh hi ..." As we know, that's not the way it really works. After she picked up the phone, the switch would *then* attempt to complete the call, and assuming it went through, she'd have to wait for ringing and answer of the other party; she couldn't just start talking. And while the ads say "available in the 213, 310, 818 area codes," implying that you have to be in those areas to subscribe to the services, they don't explain that any calls from outside those codes cannot make use of those CLASS features, nor could calls to/from non-PacBell numbers (of major significance in areas like L.A. where GTE has a *very* large base of subscribers intertwined all around and through PacBell areas. Neither company seems to be very interested in inter-company SS7 hookups. All in all, these CLASS features seem to be another attempt at getting money for semi-useless frills while the quality of "Plain Old Telephone Service" (POTS) goes down the tubes while the rates go through the roof. --Lauren-- ------------------------------ From: rm55+@pitt.edu (Rudolph T Maceyko) Subject: Re: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY Date: 12 Aug 92 20:29:21 GMT Organization: University of Pittsburgh I have an AT&T EasyReach number and recently moved. My old number is still active for another week. I called the EasyReach folks and changed all of my AT&T info (address, new number) with them. I was told, however, that there was currently NO WAY to associate an EasyReach number with my new phone YET! Yeah, I can use the call forwarding feature, but geez! In a few weeks, when they are finally able to make the change, they will coordinate a time with me to make the change over the phone, at which time they will give me a NEW MASTER PIN, which they say MUST change. Oh, and my EasyReach bill will accumulate until they make the change, at which time it will begin showing up on my phone bill. Rudy Maceyko or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA ------------------------------ From: kovar@world.std.com (David C Kovar) Subject: Re: MCI Account Illegally Created in My Name: How to Handle This? Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 21:23:45 GMT I finally talked to someone at MCI who apparently knew what they were talking about. A few notes from that conversation: 1) The calls originated from a prison. According to the investigative unit at MCI, this is pretty common. 2) MCI can't start calling all the numbers on a bill because it would construe harassment. They said that it would be extremely unlikely that I'd get in any trouble for doing it myself. 3) MCI requires a credit card and a SSN before opening a calling card account. No credit card was requested in this case, and the SSN was bogus. No surprise there. 4) The "I lost my card" call apparently was placed before they send out the original card, so only one card was ever sent out, which explains why I only received one, the replacement. I originally believed that the first card had been intercepted. 5) They also advised me to check to see if my LD carrier had been changed. It hadn't. 6) Case basically closed. Thanks to everyone for their input! David ------------------------------ From: David Lesher Subject: Re: Rare Book Available Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 17:39:49 EDT Reply-To: wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu (David Lesher) Organization: NRK Clinic for habitual NetNews abusers - Beltway Annex > I have a very nice little old book on telephones: > PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR TELEPHONISTS > by T. D. Lockwood, electrician, American Bell Telephone Company > 1884 printing of a book copyrighted in 1882 Hey, I've seen this before! It's the GTE Standards & Practices book, isn't it :-? wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu [Moderator's Note: Thanks! We needed that! PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #623 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa08125; 13 Aug 92 3:59 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09168 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 12 Aug 1992 23:31:23 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10067 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 12 Aug 1992 23:31:15 -0500 Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 23:31:15 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208130431.AA10067@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #624 TELECOM Digest Wed, 12 Aug 92 23:31:19 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 624 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: What Number Am I Calling From? (Bill Pfeiffer) Re: What Number am I Calling From? (Terry Kennedy) Re: Information Wanted on CDMA (Ron Dippold) Re: Answering Machine Ringbacks (Marc Randolph) Re: How to Use U.S. Modem in England? (Jack Winslade) Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines (Rob Knauerhase) Re: Cellular Service Providers (James H. Haynes) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Richard Nash) Re: Contel After GTE (John Higdon) Re: Intercept Recordings (Douglas Scott Reuben) Re: Area Code Changes in Georgia? (Carl Moore) Re: Wires of Mystery (Todd Langel) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: wdp@gagme.chi.il.us (Bill Pfeiffer) Subject: Re: What Number Am I Calling From? Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 18:59:06 CDT In a recent TELECOM digest, ricochet@spatula.rent.com (Rick O'Shea) writes: > Is there a way to get the number of the phone you're calling from? > For example, the payphone in my laundromat isn't marked and the store > owner says he doesn't know what it is. There's times when it would be > more convenient to have somebody call me back, but if I don't know the > number, how can they? We used to have to call collect to a pre-arranged person who would refuse charges and request the number so the fictitious party could allegedly call back. Now-adays, why not just call someone with caller ID and get the number that way? Keep in mind that not all pay phones are set up to receive incoming calls. I would test it before waiting for that 'important' call-back. As far as I know, there is no other way to get a number of the pay phone. William Pfeiffer Moderator - rec.radio.broadcasting - Internet Radio Journal > Rick P.S. Rick O'Shea, great radio name :-> ------------------------------ From: terry@spcvxb.spc.edu (Terry Kennedy, Operations Mgr.) Subject: Re: What Number am I Calling From? Date: 12 Aug 92 23:24:22 EDT Organization: St. Peter's College, US In article , ricochet@spatula.rent.com (Rick O'Shea) writes: > Is there a way to get the number of the phone you're calling from? > For example, the payphone in my laundromat isn't marked and the store > owner says he doesn't know what it is. There's times when it would be > more convenient to have somebody call me back, but if I don't know the > number, how can they? Well, the rent.com system is in New Jersey, so 958 might work for you. I believe there is a Bellcore recommendation that 958 be used for this purpose, so it may work elsewhere. Note that many public and semi-public phones are set up to not accept incoming calls. The "blue meanie" (Charge-a-call) phones found at airports are almost always set up like this. Caller ID should work as well ... Terry Kennedy Operations Manager, Academic Computing terry@spcvxa.bitnet St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA terry@spcvxa.spc.edu +1 201 915 9381 [Moderator's Note: Yeah, but the Charge-A-Call phones as often as not return some bogus circuit number for billing purposes, so they may not give good information to Caller-ID either. PAT] ------------------------------ From: rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold) Subject: Re: Information Wanted on CDMA Organization: Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 02:15:00 GMT murthy@solomon.technet.sg (K.R.S.Murthy) writes: > Can anybody explain to me briefly in layman's words how CDMA > technology works? I prefer a scenario explained without using > mathematical expressions. Hope someone of you will be able to spare > some time on this. Okay, I'd be glad to, but I need a little more specificity before I launch into a long-winded exposition. Are you referring to CDMA in general (any form of Code Division Multiple Access) such as that used by the military, or are you specifically referring to the CDMA that the CTIA/TIA are working on for mobile phones? And if you mean the latter, do you mean the CDMA-specific part of it, i.e. just the modulation and demodulation, or are you looking for a broader system overview (encoding, fingers, the vocoder, cells, etc.)? ------------------------------ From: mar6019@tamsun.tamu.edu (Marc Randolph) Subject: Re: Answering Machine Ringbacks Date: 12 Aug 1992 00:28:35 -0500 Organization: Texas A&M University, College Station In article glowacki@calshp.cals.wisc.edu writes: > Two stories came to me tonight about answering machines and strange > hehavior on the network. Both involved puzzling ringing either on [...First story deleted] > The second story involves a Centrex system at the university. My > friend from the airport reported that in his office, he or his office > mate would call someone and get their answering machine. If they hung > up before the OGM was finished, the phone would ring soon to give them > the answering machine and the last of the outgoing message. He offered > this as a clue to the last mystery. It seemed to me to be unrelated, > but it might be. > I think that's plausible, but I want to know what the readers of > TELECOM Digest think about this mystery. What could or should explain > the things we've observed? I've seen this type of thing before. I think it is caused by call waiting. Here on campus, I've called an answering machine before, and then hung up. The phone rings and the answering machine is still on the other end. I think I narrowed it down to the way that I hung up the phone. If I flashed hook (my hook is in the handset) and then hung up the phone, it would call me back. Otherwise it hung up just fine. Flashing the hook before hanging it up makes the switch think I'm placing the answer machine on hold and making a second call. Anybody else have weird ringing stories? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 01:17:02 GMT From: Jack.Winslade@ivgate.omahug.org (Jack Winslade) Subject: Re: How to Use U.S. Modem in England? Reply-To: jack.winslade%drbbs@ivgate.omahug.org Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha In a message dated 28-JUL-92, Todd Inch writes: > For one-time and emergency situations, I have always had good luck > doing this: Make a modular cord with alligator clips on the red and I've been doing this for years when I take the portable on trips. When I started this, such a cable was known as a 'blackjack'. > This works well with payphones, hotel/motel phones, etc. I use this with hotel phones, but I first try to clip directly on the pair somewhere. This is assuming I can't use a regular modular plug. Many hotels have standard modular jacks, but they often do various tricks to make them unable to disconnect, apparently to avoid having the sets ripped off. Sometimes they cut off the plastic latch lever, making it a bit more difficult to remove. Other times they have these funky screwed-on plastic blocks up tight against the lever. I can almost always get these off within a few seconds. (Once I pulled the cable out of the modular plug. Since I carry an el-cheapo Radio Shark modular tool in the bag of tricks, I reterminated it, sans plastic widget.) I've even seen the modular plugs glued in place. This is a bit much. I have thought of (and tried) using it on pay phones, but I've never found one where I could loosen the mouthpiece cover. I don't know if they use some kind of a special locking screw-on cover, they just screw them on >>VERY<< tight, or they glue them on. In any case, I have never found one that screws off by hand. Good day. JSW Ybbat (DRBBS) 8.9 v. 3.14 r.1 ------------------------------ From: knauer@cs.uiuc.edu (Rob Knauerhase) Subject: Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 06:39:40 GMT In gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) writes: > Most answering machines made today sound like unqualified pieces of > junk, particularly to the caller listening to the OGM. The condenser > mics in most machines sound tinny, and pick up motor noise. If the problem you're experiencing is solely (or primarily) the quality of the microphone, consider making the recording in a better quality recorder. If your machine uses normal cassettes, use your stereo system or ghetto blaster; if you have smaller tapes, buy or borrow a Radio Shack mini-recorder. When we purchased our first "celebrity impersonator" answering machine tape, we didn't like the quality after playing it into the recorder, so we just dubbed it onto the OGM tape and voila` -- much better sound. Rob Knauerhase knauer@knauer.intel.com Intel Multimedia Software Technology Group (summer) knauer@cs.uiuc.edu UIUC, Dept. of Computer Science, Gigabit Study Group ------------------------------ From: haynes@cats.ucsc.edu (James H. Haynes) Subject: Re: Cellular Service Providers Date: 12 Aug 1992 07:08:42 GMT Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz It may be that some cellular operations in remote areas are supported by nontraditional uses of cellular (as if cellular had been around long enough for traditions to be established). For instance, California is installing a lot of roadside emergency telephones. My guess is that these are cellular, solar powered, programmed to dial only a certain number. I know on our large campus there has been discussion of using cellular for emergency phones in places where it would cost a lot to run wire. haynes@cats.ucsc.edu haynes@cats.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 09:56:16 -0600 From: rickie@trickie.uucp (Richard Nash) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) > In article phaedrus@cs.washington.edu > (Mark Phaedrus) writes: > Secondly, I had a question about how local phone company cards are > supposed to work around the country. I have a Pacific Bell calling > card, and while traveling last week I couldn't find a phone that would > accept the card by simply using the mag stripe reader. The phones, > owned by AT&T and Illinois Bell, would tell me that the card was not > valid, but worked fine if I manually punched in the digits. Am I wrong > in assuming that the stripe reader should have worked? It seemed to > defeat the whole purpose of the only possibly secure way of using the > card. The mag stripe reader uses a different method of validating the card number than the manual punch-in method. In one system, the mag-stripe phone will automatically place a call to a calling card database validation centre from where your call is then completed (if card validates ok). As this system is telco dependant, surprisingly, it may not have access to the almost completely North-American wide, SS7 accessed, telco interworking Calling Card Service! Therefore, this may explain why your card did not work. The mag stripe system does not know about your card! Richard Nash Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6K 0E8 UUCP: trickie!rickie@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 03:50 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Contel After GTE turner@Dixie.COM writes: > Clay County has been served by Contel, who has made > some fairly substantial investiments in the area (REA financed of > course). Anyway while I was there I noticed GTE had pulled all of > their customer service operations out of Clay County. This is standard GTE practice: centralize everything regardless of its impact on customer service, public relations, or even profitability. After all, if you need more money, just raise rates. GTE already has substantially higher rates in California than Pac*Bell for a significantly reduced level of service, so it is certainly possible to con a PUC into going along. My "desert hideaway" is served by Contel. Nearby is a small building that houses a remote from the main switch many miles away. On the front of the building are the block letters, C-O-N-T-E-L. Recently, the 'C' had fallen off and we had just assumed that it would remain missing until GTE took over and pulled the rest of them off. But yesterday it was noticed that the 'C' had been restored. So apparently the "absorption" of Contel by GTE here in California is not just around the corner. That is good since we are prepared to pull up stakes and move the operation elsewhere. Unfortunately, we require a level of service at the facility that GTE could never provide in its wildest dreams. > Another GTE story, told to me recently by a OSP contractor who got his > start as a GTE lineman in KY: Aparentaly GTE got a rate increase based > on some new services to be offered as part of a REA sponsered upgrade. This is another standard GTE sleaze: "provide" some insignificant, useless "improvement" to service (such as having business offices open until 8 PM on Thursdays) and then use that as justification to jack up rates. Understand that Contel already charges "higher than normal" rates in California because it operates almost exclusively in rural locales. Regulations allow telcos providing such service to compensate for the higher costs of providing service in sparcely populated districts. This is, of course, in addition to the ultra-cheap REA loans that Contel, GTE, and other rural telcos are entitled to. (A recent TV news magazine called this practice into question, claiming that the need for such assistance was long past.) In any event, GTE almost always demands a rate increase in any telco it takes over. The claim is that it provides a higher level of service (absolute balogna) and requires compensation for equipment upgrading. Contel in California (and I assume in other states) is a progressive operation that uses the most modern equipment and provides impeccable service to which GTE's brand cannot even be compared. IMHO, when GTE finally rips the Contel name off the buildings and tears them down, it should be required to lower rates by a substantial amount, reflecting the reduced level of service that will inevitably be provided. > Anyway GTE didn't get the loan and thus was going to be making too > much money. GTE always makes too much money. Well, at least it charges too much. What happens after that is anyone's guess. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: 12-AUG-1992 04:55:41.21 From: Douglas Scott Reuben Subject: Re: Intercept Recordings In Volume 12, Issue 615, MPA15AB!RANDY@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com (Randy Gellens) writes: > When did intercepts stop saying "This is a recording" and "If you > require further assistance, remain on the line and an operator will > help you."? Not all areas did stop: Call (203) 346-7517. Listen to the end of the AIS recording. It will let you know (via the AIS system) that you may stay on the line for further assistance. If you do, you will be dumped to an intercept operator. As to saying "This is a recording", try (203) 638-0024. You will get "... this is a recording" as well as the "wire center" code, which is 203-27. Does this mean that Connecticut is very old-fashioned? Hmmm ...:) Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu // dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 3:10:01 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Re: Area Code Changes in Georgia? 404/706 split was scheduled for full cutover on August 3. That is, you should no longer be able to use 404 for calls to area 706. Ac- cording to this Digest, the Atlanta local calling area stayed in 404, and everything else in the former 404 went to 706. ------------------------------ From: Todd.Langel@f230.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Todd Langel) Subject: Re: Wires of Mystery Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 15:35:00 EDT Organization: FidoNet node 1:3603/230 - CSFSO Telecomm, Clearwater FL > As many of you know, the old standby for figuring out who owns a > facility (wire, microwave, etc) used to be "cut the wire, see who > shows up to fix it". Now, I do NOT advocate this; it might be > something that is important, and distruction of the property of others > is something that should be carefully considered before it is done, > but it is one way to do it ... in extreme cases, it is the only way. Did you know --> If there is a facility or cable that caries government lines thru it. and you or someone has a malicious intent to damage or destroy that facility or cable, that it is a federal offense and carries something like a five year mandatory sentence in a federal prison! ... OFFLINE 1.38 * Internet: Todd.Langel@f230.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG UUCP: ...!myrddin!tct!psycho!230!Todd.Langel ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #624 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24943; 14 Aug 92 2:28 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA28349 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 14 Aug 1992 00:33:20 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17215 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 14 Aug 1992 00:33:11 -0500 Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 00:33:11 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208140533.AA17215@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #625 TELECOM Digest Fri, 14 Aug 92 00:33:11 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 625 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson OCC 10xxx List Update 8/9/92 (Bill Huttig) Re: Carrier Access Codes in Northern Minnesota (Sal Kabalani) Re: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY (John Butz) Re: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted (Andrew C. Green) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: wah@zach.fit.edu (Bill Huttig) Subject: OCC 10xxx List Update 8/9/92 Date: 14 Aug 92 00:21:47 GMT Organization: Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne USA Here is a modified copy of the 10xxx codes those entries with a '*' after the code were updated as of 8/9/92 from the Melbourne, FL phone book and Jack's posting to the Digest. Bill ----cut here---- 001 [LDDS] MidAmerican LD (Republic Telecom) 002 [ATC] AmeriCall LDC 003 RCI Corporation 006 [AmeriCall] 007 Tel America 008 [Tele-Fiber Net] 011 [Metromedia Comunications] (Metromedia<>ITT) Metromedia Long Distance 012 Charter Corporation (Tri-J) 013 Access Services 021 Mercury 022 MCI Telecommunications 023 Texnet 024 Petricca Communications Systems 028 Texnet 030 Valu-Line of Wichita Falls 031 [ATC] {Telus} Teltec Saving Communications 033 US Sprint 036 Long Distance Savers 039 Electronic Office Centers of America (EO/Tech) 042 First Phone 044 Allnet Communication Services (LDX, Lexitel) 053 American Network (Starnet) 056 American Satellite 057 Long Distance Satellite 059 COMNET 060 Valu-Line of West Texas 063* [Coast International] COMNET 066 [Allnet] 069 V/COM 070 National Telephone Exchange 080 AMTEL Systems 084 Long Distance Service (LDS) 085 WesTel 088 Satellite Business Systems (MCI) 089 Telephone Systems 090 WesTel 093 Rainbow Communications 095 Southwest Communications 096 Flex Communications 099 AmeriCall 122 RCA Global Communications 137 All America Cables and Radio (ITT) 142 First Phone 146 ARGO Communications 188 [MCI] Satellite Business Systems 201 PhoneNet 202 ExecuLines 203 Cypress Telecommunications (Cytel) 204 United Telephone Long Distance 206 United Telephone Long Distance 211 RCI 212 Call US 213 Long Distance Telephone Savers 214 Tyler Telecom 215 Star Tel of Abilene 217 Call US 219 Call USA 220 Western Union Telegraph 222 MCI Telecommunications (SBS) 223 Cable & Wireless Communication (TDX) 224 American Communications 227 ATH Communications (Call America) 229 Bay Communications 232 Superior Telecom 233 Delta Communications 234 [ACC Long Distence] AC Teleconnect (Alternative Communication) 237 Inter-Comm Telephone 239 Woof Communications (ACT) 241 American Long Lines 242 Choice Information Systems 244 [ACI] Automated Communications 245 Taconic Long Distance Service 250 Dial-Net 252 [Sprint] Long Distance/USA 253 Litel Telecommunications 255 All-State Communications 256 American Sharecom 258 [MetroNet] 260 Advanced Communications Systems 263 Com Systems (Sun Dial Communications) 264* [Polaris Telecom] {owner Consolidated Telephone Co. Brainerd, MN} 268 Compute-A-Call 272 Bell of PA 276 CP National (American Network, Starnet) 282 [Action Telecom] 284 American Telenet 286 [CTI] Clark Telecommunications 287 ATS Communications 288 AT&T Communications 298 Thriftline 302 Austin Bestline 303 MidAmerican LD (Republic Telecom) 311 SaveNet (American Network, Starnet) 318 Long Distance Savers 321 [MCI] {Telecom*USA} Southland Systems 322 American Sharecom 324 First Communication 331 Texustel 333 [Sprint] US Sprint 336 Florida Digital Network 338 Midco Communications 339 Communication Cable Laying 343 Communication Cable Laying 345 AC Teleconnect (Alternative Communication) 350 Dial-Net 355* US Link {owner Arvig Telephone Co. Pequot Lakes MN} 357 Manitowoc Long Distance Service 362 Electronic Office Centers of America (EO/Tech) 363 Tel-Toll (Econ-O-Dial of Bishop) 369 American Satellite 370* [Amnex, Inc] 373 Econo-Line Waco 375 Wertern Union Telegraph 385 The Switchboard 393* [Phone One] Pioneer Telephone/Execulines of Florida 400 American Sharecom 401* [National Teleserv] 404 MidAmerican LD (Republic Telecom) 412 Penn Telecom 428 Inter-Comm Telephone 432 Lightcall 435 Call-USA 436 Indiana Switch 440 Tex-Net 441 Escondido Telephone 442 First Phone 444 Allnet Communication Services (LDX, Lexitel) 455 Telecom Long Distance 456 ARGO Communications 462 American Network Services 464 Houston Network 465 Intelco 466 International Office Networks 469 GMW 472 Hal-Rad Communications 480 Chico Telecom (Call America) 488 [Metromedia Comunications] (Metromedia<>ITT) US Trans. Systems (ITT) 499 [Bemidji Long Distence] 505 San Marcos Long Distance 515 Burlington Telephone 529 Southern Oregon Long Distance 532 Long Distance America 533 Long Distance Discount 536 Long Distance Management 550 Valu-Line of Alexandria 551 Pittsburg Communication Systems 552 First Phone 555 TeleSphere Networks 566 Cable & Wireless Communication (TDX) 567 Advanced Marketing Services (Dial Anywhere) 579 Lintel System (Lincoln Telephone LD) 590 Wisconsin Telecommunications Tech 599 Texas Long Distance Conroe 601 Discount Communications Services 606 Biz Tel Long Distance Telephone 622 Metro America Communications 634 Econo-Line Midland 646 Contact America 652 [NJB] 654 Cincinnati Bell Long Distance 655 Ken-Tel Service 657* [National Telecom] 660 Tex-Net 666 Southwest Communications 675 Network Services 680 Midwest Telephone Service 682 Ashland Call America 684 Nacogdoches Telecommunications 687 NTS Communications 700 Tel-America 704 Inter-Exchange Communications 707 Telvue 709 Tel-America 717 Pass Word 726 Procom 727 Conroe-Comtel 732 [AT&T - private net] 735 Marinette-Menominee Lds 737 National Telecommunications 741 [ATC] ClayDesta 742 Phone America of Carolina 743 Peninsula Long Distance Service 747 Standard Informations Services 751 Touch One 755 Sears Communication 757 Pace Long Distance Service 759 [USS] Telenet Communication (US Sprint) 760 American Satellite 766 Yavapai Telephone Exchange 771 [MCI] {Telecom*USA/SoutherNet/Southland} Telesystems 777 [Sprint] US Sprint 784* [SUNTEL] 785 Olympia Telecom 786 Shared Use Network Service 787 Star Tel of Abilene 788 ASCI's Telepone Express Network 789 [ATC] Microtel 792 Southwest Communications 800 Satelco 801 MidAmerican LD (Republic) 810 [Logicall] 811* [VarTec Telecom] 824 [ATC] 827 TCS Network Services 833 Business Telecom 835 [MCI] {Telecom*USA/Teleconnect} 837* [Telephone Assoc] 839 Cable & Wireless Communication (TDX) 847 VIP Connections 850 TK Communications 852 [MCI] {Telecom*USA/SouthernNet} Telecommunicatons Systems 859 Valu-Line of Longview 862 [ATC] {SouthTel} 866 Alascom 872 Telecommunications Services 874 Tri-Tel Communications 879 Thriftycall (Lintel Systems) 881 Coastal Telephone 882 Tuck Data Communications 883 TTI Midland-Odessa 884 TTI Midland-Odessa 885 The CommuniGroup 888 [MCI] Satellite Business Systems (MCI) 895 Texas on Line 896* [The Real Public Telecphone] 897 Leslie Hammond (Phone America) 898 [MCI] Satellite Business Systems (MCI) 910 Montgomery Telamarketing Communication 915 Tele Tech 933 North American Communications 936 Rainbow Commuinications 937 Access Long Distance 938 Access Long Distance 951 Transamerica Telecommunications 955 United Communications 960 Access Plus 963 Tenex Communications 969 Dial-Net 985 America Calling 986 MCI Telecommunications (SBS) 987 ClayDesta Communications 988 Western Union Telegraph 991 Access Long Distance 999 [Metromedia<>ITT] ------------------------------ Date: 14 Aug 1992 00:59:37 -0500 (GMT) From: Sal Kabalani Subject: Re: Carrier Access Codes in Northern Minnesota Jack Decker writes: > A week ago I was in Northern Minnesota and happened to pick > up some literature from one of the local phone companies (Consolidated > Telephone Company, Brainerd, MN) that listed the XXX codes for the > long distance carriers serving their area. Since this is a small, > independent telco it is somewhat amazing that they have this many choices! [list deleted] > Interestingly enough, in northern Minnesota you can choose one carrier > for your interLATA calls, and a different carrier (if you want) for > your intraLATA calls, so apparently there is both interLATA AND > intraLATA competition there. This is accomplished through Centralized Equal Access. Telcos in Minnesota got together and built a fiber optic network connecting all their exchanges to DMS 100/200 to act as a Centralized Equal Access switch(es). This centralized location happens to have POPs for most carriers. In effect, each access line in the participating exchanges have a choice of carriers that have POPs at the centralized location. This idea was first implemented in Iowa in 1986, and went on-line in 1988. Today 128 independant telcos in Iowa partcipate in the Iowa equal access network (formally called Iowa Network Services) serving just under 200,000 access lines. This service is only available to rural areas (non-RBOC regions). Extensive modification to the DMS 100/200 software had to be made to provide dual PICs. Each number can be PICed for both inter- and intraLATA. Since INS domain covers five latas and three area codes, INS became an IXC as well. INS keeps a mirror of traffic on the netowrk. Telcos are technically capable of recording most toll (1+, 0+, 0-), but they cannot record 10xxx. the DMS 100/200 is surperior to most telco switches, and therefore capable of ticketing/recording all types of traffic, including 10xxx and FGB. The only problem I found with this setup is that the IXCs do not provide ANI if a call originates outside of CEA network to be delived in a CEA town. INS is capable of providing Rating and Recording for all partcipating telcos, CABS traffic reporting, 900, CMDS/STARS, Terminating Intralata Reports, and many other services. most of the participating telcos have dial up capability to change PICs. They dial up the VAX system, change the PICs in the database. The VAX changes the PIC on the switch in real-time through a direct serial connection to the switch. So lines can be connected/disconnected/PICed in seconds. MEANS is a mirror-image of INS, so the same goes for them. > I've noticed this in a few other cities, where an independent telco > will have their offices close to (or even next door to) a Bell > building, but in most such cases the independent serves the town, > leaving one to wonder what the Bell building is doing there! I'm sure > there are historical reasons for things like that, but it really makes > you wonder ... I mean, you'd think that if Bell were going to go > through the trouble of building a switching center, they's also serve > the community; and that conversely, Bell wouldn't be much interested > in building a switching facility in "foreign" territory. As I say, it > makes you wonder ... That can be easily explained. In the old days, Bells used to serve rural towns in Minnesota. When MEANS came on line, many telcos ran their own fiber optic lines from the local exchanges directly to the centralized equal access switch, therefore bypassing the Bells. Some telcos opted to use the Bells lines on a limited basis for the purpose of connecting their exchanges to the nearest fiber optic link to MEANS (thereby paying CABS charges to Bells). Today many of the Bell offices are abandoned because of the centralized equal access netowrk. Sal A Kabalani----------Internet: SK89221 @ Acad.Drake.Edu Superv. of Operations Phone: (515) 830-0436 Data Systems Department VoiceMail: (515) 830-1086 Iowa Network Services Fax : (515) 830-0123 4201 Corporate Drive Centralized Equal Access Des Moines, Iowa 50265 CIC 225 ------------------------------ From: jbutz@homxa.att.com Date: Mon, 14 Aug 92 11:06 EDT Subject: Re: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY > I called AT&T about this, and after being told some silly story about > how Rochester Tel has no OSPS links to AT&T's network (which is absurd > -- they have had them for years), and calling Rochester Tel to confirm > that this was not true, I was told that the "real" reason why > EasyReach calls couldn't be placed from SOME exchanges in Rochester > Tel's area is that they aren't running the proper software on their > ATT 5ESS machines. Disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about Rochester Tel and will not even try to speak for them. I hear they have an excellent reputaion as a service provider. > My question is: Why is the software that Rochester Tel uses on its > 5ESS machines any different than what a BOC (like New England Tel) > uses? Is this really a correct answer, or just another one of AT&T's > stories which they liberally employ to get rid of (legitimate) > concerns regarding their service? Let's not confuse a 5E in the AT&T network and a 5E in a BOC network, they are two different animals. The AT&T 5Es (as far as ER700 is concerned) are operating as OSPS switches, the 5Es in the BOC networks are usually configured as local, CO switches. This is a very important point! (Also, AT&T updates their 5E's with each release of 5E software, while outside companies have to pay for this priviledge! Quite often, they cannot make a business case for the new features in each release of the software and therefore do not purchase them.) How Rochester Telephone is connected to AT&T is the real question here, NOT how their 5Es are configured, what switch they are running etc. That is something Rochester Tel will have to answer. Posting this information would be great. The bottom line is: AT&T is not trying (legitimately or illegitimately) to get rid of concerns regarding their service. We have made every effort to satisfy our customers, just sometimes these glitches raise their ugly heads. > I am generally quite happy with AT&T EasyReach ... it is an > exceptional service. Great, Thanks. > BTW, two of the exchanges in question were 716-461 (Field St. CO) and > 716-263 (Stone St. CO). AT&T says there are many more :( That's interesting. It would be interesting to know how/why/where/ switches/etc these exchanges are serviced on. Any info would be appreciated, though I personally cannot do anything to fix this particular problem. All information and spelling errors are mine and do not represent my employer etc. etc etc. Later, John Butz jbutz@homxa.att.com ER700 Systems Engineering ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1992 20:14:38 CDT From: acg@hermes.dlogics.com Reply-To: acg@hermes.dlogics.com Subject: Re: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted MPA15C!ARTHUR@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com (Arthur L. Shapiro) writes: > I'm trying to locate a supplemental ringer that will enable an > elderly, increasingly hard-of-hearing relative to be aware that the > phone is ringing. The lower tones of an electromechanical bell would > probably be a lot better than the frequencies typically produced by > electronic devices. It would be an asset if the unit did not require > external power, and if it didn't deplete my wallet too severely. To directly answer your question: Radio Shack makes an outdoor ringer, an electro-mechanical bell that appears (from my catalog listing) to be line-powered. See catalog No. 43-174, price was $29.95; it may have gone up, but also might be on sale. It's not terribly ugly if you want to install it indoors. Similar ringers are often found at home remodeling supply stores (e.g. Builder's Square, Handy Andy, HomeBase, etc.). HOWEVER, a loud ringer that your relative can hear may simultaneously scare the daylights out of any visitors in the area. I suggest you leave the standard ringers in place, and consider "Fone-Flashers" instead. These are also made by Radio Shack, and flash lights or strobes instead when the phone rings. The standard Fone-Flasher (43-177; $14.95) has an AC outlet into which you plug a lamp or similar device up to 300W. The Fone-Flasher 2 has a built-in strobe and ringer (43-178; $29.95). There is also a Mini Fone-Flasher (43-179; $8.95), which is line-powered and flashes an amber light. All prices are as of 1989, unfortunately; must get a new catalog sometime. :-) Disclaimer: I have no connection with Radio Shack. Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@dlogics.com 441 W. Huron UUCP: ..!uunet!dlogics!acg Chicago, IL 60610 FAX: (312) 266-4473 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #625 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa07892; 14 Aug 92 9:14 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19308 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 14 Aug 1992 07:16:23 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA21310 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 14 Aug 1992 07:16:14 -0500 Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 07:16:14 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208141216.AA21310@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #626 TELECOM Digest Fri, 14 Aug 92 07:16:15 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 626 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (R. Kevin Oberman) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Harold Hallikainen) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Philip Gladstone) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Paul Houle) Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) (Richard A. Hyde) Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines (Bill Pfeiffer) Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines (Steve Forrette) Re: How Do I Run This Line? (Tim Gorman) Re: How Do I Run This Line? (Richard Nash) Re: How Do I Run This Line? (Tom Gray) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Jim Holmes) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Christos T. Pyrros) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Brad Hicks) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Christopher Marcant) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Cliff Stoll) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: oberman@ptavv.llnl.gov Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Date: 14 Aug 92 06:27:05 GMT In article , dan@quiensabe.az. stratus.com (Dan Danz) wrote: > I wonder if Justin has an eel-skin wallet? Strangely enough, they've > been known to wipe the mag-stripe info off of credit cards. URBAN LEGEND WARNING! This is a pure myth. Eel-skin involves only the erasure of the eel who once used it. It has no more effect on mag-stripes than any other leather. Due to its delicacy, eel-skin items often use magnetic fasteners. These can erase the stripes. But eel-skin has NO effect. R. Kevin Oberman Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Internet: koberman@llnl.gov (510) 422-6955 Disclaimer: Don't take this too seriously. I just like to improve my typing and probably don't really know anything useful about anything. ------------------------------ From: hhallika@zeus.calpoly.edu (Harold Hallikainen) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 00:51:18 GMT In article dan@tucson.az.stratus.com writes: > I wonder if Justin has an eel-skin wallet? Strangely enough, they've > been known to wipe the mag-stripe info off of credit cards. I've also heard that eel-skin wallets frequently have magnetic latches. All this mag stripe stuff seems overly complex to me. I've often thought we could do this more simply with bar codes. Just print the bar code on a clear card. Use an opto interrputer module to read the card as the person slides it between the LED and the opto detector. I have not experimented with this. There may be a problem with LED spot size requiring rather large bars, but it does seem that something like this could be done. Much simpler than reading off a magnetic head, and it's permanent. Do credit cards need read/write memory, or is ROM sufficient? Harold ------------------------------ From: philip@meiko.com (Philip Gladstone) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Organization: Meiko Scientific Corp. Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 01:02:03 GMT dan@quiensabe.az.stratus.com (Dan Danz) writes: > I wonder if Justin has an eel-skin wallet? Strangely enough, they've > been known to wipe the mag-stripe info off of credit cards. This is an urban legend. The 'reason' that eel-skin wallets wipe mag stripe cards is that they very often have magnetic catches on them. I was told that this is due to their low inherent strength -- i.e. a conventional press-stud catch tends to rip the leather. Philip ------------------------------ From: houle@nmt.edu (Paul Houle) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Organization: New Mexico Tech Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 00:07:04 GMT In article goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) writes: > The only group of people for whom SV cards are a clear-cut win is > the (very small) segment of the population which doesn't have a > calling-card account (visiting foreigners, people who have no home > phones, etc.). I don't have a home phone and I have an AT&T card. [Moderator's Note: That's because AT&T still issues, and has for many years issued a 'non-subscriber calling card'. It is mainly intended for people who are temporarily transient; i.e. military, college students, sales people who continually travel, etc. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 00:03:57 GMT From: rah@btr.com (Richard A Hyde) Subject: Re: Solve Three Problems (was Telecom Fraud) Organization: BTR Public Access UNIX, MtnView CA. > I wonder if Justin has an eel-skin wallet? Strangely enough, > they've been known to wipe the mag-stripe info off of credit cards. There was an article in the {San Francisco Chronicle} last week on Hagfish. It seems that Hagfish skins are sometimes used to make eelskin wallets ... Anyway, the article contained a comment from a major eelskin wallet manufacturer who claimed that a large batch of early wallets did indeed erase credit cards ... the manufacturer ("unwisely", in his words) had used magnetized metal for the catches! This resulted in the skins being blamed for the phenomonon ... Richard Hyde RaH@btr.com ------------------------------ From: wdp@gagme.chi.il.us (Bill Pfeiffer) Subject: Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 13:01:02 CDT In a recent TELECOM Digest, gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) asks: > Most answering machines made today sound like unqualified pieces of > junk, particularly to the caller listening to the OGM. The condenser > mics in most machines sound tinny, and pick up motor noise. > What answering machines made today actually sound _good_ and deliver > good quality OGM's? Most of the Panasonics, especially the models from the mid 80's, have very pleasing sound on the OGM's. With the newer models using 'standard' (as opposed to 'loop') cassettes, one can improve this quality by recording the OGM on a standard cassette recorder with a good quality microphone, then leaving a second or two of silence to trigger the tone and the switch-over to record mode. I use a cheap Panasonic 1458 (about $60.00) and it does a great job. William Pfeiffer Moderator - rec.radio.broadcasting - Internet Radio Journal ------------------------------ From: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette) Subject: Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc., Seattle, WA Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 19:59:13 GMT In article gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) writes: > Most answering machines made today sound like unqualified pieces of > junk, particularly to the caller listening to the OGM. The condenser > mics in most machines sound tinny, and pick up motor noise. What I've found works really well with most answering machines is calling in and changing the message via the remote control options. That way, you have a regular-sounding voice, instead of the speakerphone-in-a-cave effect that you get when using the built-in mic. Of course, this is most convenient when you have more than one line, but if you don't change your message too often, it works well even to call from somewhere else to change the OGM. Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com ------------------------------ Date: 14 Aug 92 00:29:47 EDT From: tim gorman <71336.1270@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: How Do I Run This Line? In TELECOM Digest V12 #618 I wrote: > As far as the Moderator's service during moving was concerned, the > computer probably handled this as a disconnect view and an add view > against the same circuit. Although both cable pairs may have been > direct bridged and in service at the same time, the computer is set up > to handle a situation such as this. It should be noted that this is > not an ideal serving arrangement. We have had situations with extreme > transmission and signaling impairments occur. In my opinion, this > should only be used as a transition tool and only after proper >operation has been confirmed empiracally. The Moderator noted: > [Moderator's Note: Then how do answering services with bridged lines > to their customers handle this problem? PAT] Your original note did not make it clear that you had ordered an off-premise extension. As noted in my original post, this is a way to have this service accomplished. What I was noting in the paragraph above was that we have, in exceptional circumstances such as the loss of business on PBX trunks, performed direct half-taps in the CO on the old and new cable pairs. This is usually done over as limited time period as possible, perhaps eight hours as a guideline, and only after the half-tap has proved usable. Off-premise extensions and/or answering service bridges are usually done with equipment allowing the bridge legs to be isolated, typically bridge lifters. Tim Gorman - SWBT *opinions are mine, any resemblance to official policy is coincidence* ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1992 21:10:35 +0100 From: rickie@trickie.uucp (Richard Nash) Subject: Re: How Do I Run This Line? Dave Niebuhr writes: [... Text describing problem getting telco to string wires to have the same number in three buildings deleted ...] > When my wife and I moved into our present home, we had a new number > assigned due to a change of COs. Not only did NYTel set it up so that > both numbers were assigned to *both* homes for a week, they were the > ones who suggested doing that. Therefore, if someone called us at our > old number (516-325) the new one (516-281) would ring also and > vice-versa. Perhaps this is an obvious solution, but could someone in telco land explain how both numbers would call the other one, (vice-versa), without the other one being automatically called also? Or is it a simple hardware solution whereby both lines are bridged together on a common ring-down circuit (one way)? Richard Nash Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6K 0E8 UUCP: trickie!rickie@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca Amatuer Radio Packet: VE6BON @ VE6MC.AB.CAN.NA VE6BON.ampr.org [44.135.147.206] ------------------------------ From: grayt@software.mitel.com (Tom Gray) Subject: Re: How Do I Run This Line? Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 16:08:00 -0400 Organization: Mitel. Kanata (Ontario). Canada. In article 71336.1270@CompuServe.COM (tim gorman) writes: [others writing on the problems of having a single line connected to two distant locations] > [Moderator's Note: Then how do answering services with bridged lines > to their customers handle this problem? PAT] As others have said, this is not as simple as an extension circuit. The impedance of the unused pair will bridge the used pair and cause significant distortion in transmission and signalling. In the case of the answering service the loops are supplied with bridge lifters. These are high value loding coils which are easily saturated. When a user goes off hook on one of the pairs, the lifter on that pair is saturated and its impedance will collapse. The lifter on the other pair remains unsaturated and its high impedance prevents it from affecting the performance of the other loop. The original questioner could not get service at two distant locations because the telco would not put lifters on his circuit. i.sinature ------------------------------ Subject: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem From: jholmes@mcb.com (jim holmes) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 20:19:41 EDT Organization: Message Center pfalstad@phoenix.princeton.edu (Paul Falstad) writes: > Hi! My boss has a Bell South Mobilecom pager. Apparently, there's a > way to trigger it from a modem. We called the 1-800 modem number, and [ ... ] > know how to do this? Apparently, this can be done from the PC program > Sidekick. It might be possible to leave an alphanumeric message as > well. Alpha Pager input cards (SIC cards) in paging terminals use IXO protocal. A standard comm program will NOT work. I'm sure Mobilcom can point you to at least one program to let you do this. If not send me an e-mail and I will. jim holmes is jholmes@mcb.com or {whatever!}uunet!mcb!jholmes Message Center of Hartford, CT. The above comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions of MCB or Message Center. ------------------------------ From: pyrros@braindamaged.cis.udel.edu (Christos T. Pyrros) Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Organization: University of Delaware, Newark Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 05:06:11 GMT In article pfalstad@phoenix. princeton.edu (Paul Falstad) writes: > Hi! My boss has a Bell South Mobilecom pager. Apparently, there's a > way to trigger it from a modem. We called the 1-800 modem number, and > got a prompt that read "ID=". We tried typing the pager number, but > it just gave us another "ID=" prompt. Nothing we tried here did > anything. After four or five tries, it just logged us out. Anyone > know how to do this? Apparently, this can be done from the PC program > Sidekick. It might be possible to leave an alphanumeric message as > well. Yes, absolutely!! What you want is an "IXO Protocol" paging program. This allows you to send alphanumeric messages to someone's alphanumeric pager, provided you have the proper phone number and the PIN number of the desired party. I know of free programs for Macs and Unix machines, but not for PCs. Anyone? Chris ------------------------------ From: mc/G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU=0205925@mhs.attmail.com Date: 8/12/92 9:09 AM Subj: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem pfalstad@phoenix.princeton.edu (Paul Falstad) asked what to enter at the ID= prompt when calling a paging vendor via a modem. The protocol for this is the IXO/TAP protocol, and some source code I wrote for dealing with it is in the Telecom archives. The short answer: IF YOUR PAGING VENDOR HAS NOT DISABLED THIS FEATURE: Enter just the letter "M", then a carriage return. This signals the paging system that this is a manual entry. It will then prompt you for the pager id and the message. Cybertel, our paging vendor, has threatened to turn this feature off because they claim it ties up the modems for too long, while people dither over what text message to send. If your paging vendor does not support manual mode, then at the ID= prompt, you send followed by a logon ID, followed by . I gather that the common default is PG1; I've also heard of PG, PG0 (zero), and PG0000 (four zeros). They will either send you back or , depending on whether or not it's a valid logon ID. Then comes the tricky part. You send them a pre-formatted message packet. The content of the message packet is: PagerIDMessagechecksum PagerID is all-numeric, eight digits or less, and some systems require it to be left-padded with zeros to eight digits. Message is any string of up to 120 characters (on some systems, up to 240). Checksum is a three-byte hexadecimal representation of the numeric checksum of everything from to , inclusive, with A=":", B=";", C="<", D="=", E=">", and F="?". (In other words, the next six ASCII characters after "9".) After you send this packet, you'll get back either ACK or NAK. The paging software can send back lengthy comments or error text any time it likes, but you're pretty much supposed to ignore everything but the ACK or NAK. If I get a NAK, what I do is look through everything from when I sent my packet to when they quieted down for any line ending in that is over 5 characters, and assume that that's the error message to show the user. The most common two are, of course, invalid pager id and bad checksum. Oh yeah, and any time they're going to hang up on you, they're supposed to send first. One annoying feature of Cybertel's system is that they do NOT an alphanumeric message sent to a numeric-only pager. This is a horrible over-simplification of a complex protocol that also permits multiple packets to the same address, and messages to multiple pagers in the same session. You really should consult the IXO/TAP spec. The only problem is, the only way I know to get a copy is to buy a GlenAyre or similar paging system yourself; it only seems to come with the manual. Maybe your paging company can provide you with a photocopy, otherwise, good luck. J. Brad Hicks Internet: mhs!mc!Brad_Hicks@attmail.com X.400: c=US admd=ATTmail prmd=MasterCard sn=Hicks gn=Brad I am not an official MasterCard spokesperson, and the message above does not contain official MasterCard statements or policies. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 18:25 GMT From: Christopher Marcant <0005040494@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem I tried to do the same a couple of month ago: the intent was to tie the pager to our local Email system. After a couple of attempts, we gave up as our communication software scripting facility was not that reliable. Here is the way it used to work: Dial 1800924-4342, 2400 7E. ID= PAGE Pager ID? xxx-xxxx Message: your message here Pager ID? etc... I believe you just then type DISCONNECT to end the session. I had a real hard time to find somebody competent at MobileComm to get this information. Most of them knew the existence of the PC software they were providing, but that was about it. Christophe Marcant Gensym Corp Voice: 408-473-9933 cmarcant@mcimail.com Western Region Fax: 408-473-9931 ------------------------------ From: stoll@ocf.Berkeley.EDU (Cliff Stoll) Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Date: 14 Aug 1992 08:47:24 GMT Organization: U. C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility How do you get your modem to dial your pager? Oh, I could write a book about this. On the Macintosh, the program Notify! schedules and sends numeric or alphanumeric messages. Works like gangbusters. Cliff Stoll ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #626 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa10672; 14 Aug 92 10:37 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA18067 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 14 Aug 1992 08:01:13 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA23886 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 14 Aug 1992 08:01:05 -0500 Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 08:01:05 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208141301.AA23886@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #627 TELECOM Digest Fri, 14 Aug 92 08:01:10 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 627 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: *69 and Call Waiting (Alan L Varney) Re: *69 and Call Waiting (Derek Andrew) Re: *69 and Call Waiting (Marc Chatel) Re: *69 and Call Waiting (dfx@nuchat.sccsi.com) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Eric A. Litman) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Dan Odom) Re: 710 and ABCD? (kph@cisco.com) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Randy Gellens) Re: 710 and ABCD? (John C. Fowler) Re: 710 and ABCD? (James VanHouten) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Aubrey Philipsz) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Mark Rudholm) Re: 710 and ABCD? (ldoming@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Ken Thompson) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Leonard Erickson) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Dave Grabowski) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 00:46:10 CDT From: varney@ihlpf.att.com (Alan L Varney) Subject: Re: *69 and Call Waiting Organization: AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL In article mrosen@nyx.cs.du.edu (Michael Rosen) writes: > Do *69 and Call Waiting mix? For example, say I'm on the phone and > receive another call on call waiting. I either ignore the call > because maybe the call I'm on is important or the other caller hangs > up before I can switch over. Will *69 ring back the person calling on > my call waiting or the person I'm talking to now (assuming they called > me, of course). According to Bellcore's "CLASS(SM) Feature: Automatic Recall" document, TR-TSY-000227, Issue 1, Sept. 1988, Appendix E, Section E.3, "Update Requirements": The subscriber's incoming memory slot should be updated for each incoming call that does not receive busy, call forwarding, or Selective Call Rejection treatment. ... The incoming memory slot should always be updated for all incoming calls that are call waited, whether or not the incoming call is answered by the called party." -------- In general, if you can answer a call, the memory slot will be updated. Of course, whether the "call waited" caller has a number to put in the slot is a function of SS7 connectivity, etc. Calls from MF trunks, "multi-party" lines and Operators will update the slot with an "out-of-area/DN-unavailable" indication. Whether a particular vendor or TELCO elects to follow the TR is another issue. Al Varney - just MY opinion. ------------------------------ From: andrew@jester.USask.ca (Derek Andrew) Subject: Re: *69 and Call Waiting Reply-To: andrew@jester.USask.ca Organization: University of Saskatchewan Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 00:46:55 +0100 In article , by mrosen@nyx.cs.du.edu (Michael Rosen) writes: > Do *69 and Call Waiting mix? For example, say I'm on the phone and > receive another call on call waiting. I either ignore the call > because maybe the call I'm on is important or the other caller hangs > up before I can switch over. Will *69 ring back the person calling on > my call waiting or the person I'm talking to now (assuming they called > me, of course). In Saskatoon Saskatchewan, and maybe the rest of Canada, the *69 will ring back the person calling you on the call waiting and not the person you were originally speaking with. Derek Andrew, Manager of Computer Network & Technical Services University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Saskachewan, Canada, S7N 0W0 Andrew@Sask.USask.CA, +1-306-966-4808, 52 11 23N 106 48 48W ------------------------------ From: chatel_m@annecy.enet.dec.com (Marc Chatel) Subject: Re: *69 and Call Waiting Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 09:09:22 GMT In article , mrosen@nyx.cs.du.edu (Michael Rosen) writes: > Do *69 and Call Waiting mix? For example, say I'm on the phone and > receive another call on call waiting. I either ignore the call > because maybe the call I'm on is important or the other caller hangs > up before I can switch over. Will *69 ring back the person calling on > my call waiting or the person I'm talking to now (assuming they called > me, of course). To be honest, that depends on the kind of telephone switch your telephone is on AND on the kind of facilities (CCS 7 or not?) the call-waiting call came in. The Bellcore TR that describes the call-processing feature you use when you dial *69 specifies that you should ring back the person calling on your call waiting call, if possible (i.e. if the call came in on a "smart" facility (CCS7/ISUP) so that your switch knows the phone number to call back). The feature is known as "Automatic Recall", "Automatic Callback", or "Call Return", depending on which organization you talk to. As far as I know, if your phone is on a Northern Telecom DMS-100 switch, this interaction will work. I know that because I coded about half of the software for this feature in 1988 (I worked at Bell-Northern Research at the time). The person who designed the Call Waiting/Automatic Recall interaction was a good friend of mine (her name is Heather Sinnott). But I do not know where in the world she is now, or where the other designers are. I am still amazed at the power of Usenet today. Do you know ANY other way in which you would have a fighting chance to FIND somebody who knows about this topic? Sincerely, Marc Chatel, Global Village Time-traveler, currently on contract with Digital Equipment Corporation Annecy, France E-mail: chatel_m@annecy.enet.dec.com Phone: (33) 50.09.42.56 FAX: (33) 50.64.01.39 ------------------------------ From: dfx@nuchat.sccsi.com (dFx International Digest) Subject: Re: *69 and Call Waiting Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 22:25:40 GMT *69 would ring back the person who was attempting to call you, not the person you were talking with. dfx@nuchat.sccsi.com ------------------------------ From: Eric A. Litman Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 2:05:47 EDT Reply-To: elitman@wam.umd.edu Organization: U. of Maryland, College Park. From the keyboard of PAT: > [Moderator's Note: An interesting question to me is what would happen > if those tones were sounded to a regular CO. For example what would > happen if I gave those to the CO here? Would they even break the dial > tone, and if they did, how would the CO react to them? I've heard of > cases where people used those tones as part of passwords on voicemail > systems, etc. Any answers? PAT] Well, here on a standard residential class C & P line in Silver Spring, MD the tones produce nothing but a fast busy -- immediately. When they are used as part of a phone number, I can dial it as a whole, and receive different intercept messages from different numbers. Perhaps there is some significance to this, perhaps not. Eric A. Litman #import NeXTMail, MIME accepted - please indicate in Subject line. U. of Maryland, NeXT Campus Consultant ------------------------------ From: danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Dan Odom) Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Date: 14 Aug 1992 02:38:32 -0500 Organization: Kansas State University No, they don't break the dialtone. They just make noise. ABCD are rather high pitched tones, and the ESS doesn't seem to notice them. Dan Odom danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu ------------------------------ Organization: cisco Systems, Inc. Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 00:59:47 MST From: kph@cisco.com Well, I just tried it on our local 5ESS switch, and here's what I found: If I enter any of ABCD as part of the prefix, I get a reorder tone (fast busy). If I try it as a suffix for a number within my LATA, it will let me finish the number and then give me a recording that my call could not be completed as dialed. If I try it as a suffix for a number outside my LATA, I get the same recording as soon as I press any of the ABCD keys. Kevin ------------------------------ From: MPA15AB!RANDY@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com Date: 13 AUG 92 21:27 Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? I've used my modem to dial ABCD strings (when I was bored) and my GTD-5 accepts them as valid 'digits' [but I haven't reached any DNs with them ;-)] Randy Gellens randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com >>>>>>> If mail bounces, forward to rgellens@mcimail.com <<<<<<<< Opinions are personal; facts are suspect; I speak only for myself ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 00:24 GMT From: John C. Fowler <0003513813@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Once, when I was living in White Rock, New Mexico, a friend bought a new modem and called me up to tell me about it. The modem was capable of generating the A-B-C-D tones, and he asked me what they would do if he dialed them on a normal phone line. I said I didn't know, so he went to three-way calling and tried them. I don't remember what A, B, and D did, so they probably weren't interesting, but when he dialed C, it hung up his second dial tone and transferred him back to me (as if he had flashed twice). Another friend, also with an A-B-C-D-generating modem, tried in San Diego, but got immediate reorder as soon as the switch heard A, B, C, or D. So I suppose it's dependent on the switch (or location or RBOC). John C. Fowler, 3513813@mcimail.com ------------------------------ From: James.VanHouten@f544.n109.z1.fidonet.org (James VanHouten) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 03:26:19 -0500 Subject: RE: 710 and ABCD? I have played around a bit with the ABCD on a DMS-100 in Washington, DC I found that the 'D' when dialed after a number would bridge a fast busy on the line (ie., if I called you at 312-555-5555D I would get you and a fast busy at the same time.) The 'D' could be press at anytime during a call and the fast busy would appear. The other keys did not even break dialtone. I have heard of people using them as voicemail passwords also, however I have never seen a 16 digit handheld DTMF encoder. Internet: James.Vanhouten@f544.n109.z1.fidonet.org 301.967.7220 (FAX) ------------------------------ From: aub@access.digex.com (Aubrey Philipsz) Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Organization: Express Access Public Access UNIX, Greenbelt, Maryland USA Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 22:16:51 GMT > [Moderator's Note: An interesting question to me is what would happen > if those tones were sounded to a regular CO. For example what would > happen if I gave those to the CO here? Would they even break the dial > tone, and if they did, how would the CO react to them? I've heard of > cases where people used those tones as part of passwords on voicemail > systems, etc. Any answers? PAT] They break the dialtone on a 1A ESS; I will have to try them on some other types. They does not seem to be accepted as "dialed digits". They might be useful as some sort of special control signals for something like 710, but the requirement of special hardware, like ABCD, would preclude the use of the service from "normal" phones that litter the land by the millions. Aub ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 00:38:06 PDT From: aimla!ruby!rudholm@uunet.UU.NET (Mark Rudholm) Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Since one of the telephones in my house has ABCD, I've been able to use them to pound on everything in sight. My dial tone comes from a 1AESS (213-930). ABCD tones do not break the dialtone but they do reset the timer that kills your dialtone after 20 seconds of not dialing anything, so if you want to hold a dialing circuit indefinately, you could send "A" every 15 seconds. Other than that, they seem to have no affect at all on the CO. I can insert ABCD tones between a valid dialing sequence with no effect. Inside my CLASS features, they don't seem to do anything except restart the instructions that the system is currently reciting. I couldn't get them to do anything interesting (like getting it to recite a "PRIVATE" entry in my lists"). ABCD did break dialtone on the GTECA DMS100 I was on when I lived in Venice Beach (310-452) but I couldn't get anything except "call cannot be completed as dialed" messages. As far as voice mail systems go, I couldn't get mine to accept ABCD as part of the password. Usually ABCD tones would just restart whatever I was doing. I've tried them on Octel's ASPEN (via L.A. Cellular's and PAC*TEL Cellular's voice mail systems). Mark D. Rudholm rudholm@aimla.com Philips Interactive Media ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 22:16:39 HST From: ldoming@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? I own a Computer Peripherals ViVa 9642 (v.32 v.42bis) external modem. Much to my surprise, I discovered that they are capable of emitting the "silver" ABCD tones (it's even mentioned in the manual!). To use them, I need only type ATDT15551212#,,D or ATDTA. I tried dialing A, B, C, and D. As soon as any of these tones are dialed, I immediately get a reorder signal (fast busy) and am unable to dial any further. I tried playing the D tone continuously into the phone after dialing 15551212. I'm not sure, but I believed it knocked the DA operator off the line and gave me my dialtone back. No "rapid dialtone pulse" was heard which would have indicated I was in ACD mode as someone described in another message here in the digest. By the way, I'm in GTE land and am pretty sure that I am on an ESS switch, although I'm not sure. It could be one of those GTE switches. I'll let you know if GTE security visit me tonight :'). Amadeus ------------------------------ From: Ken Thompson Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Date: 13 Aug 92 21:05:06 GMT Organization: NCR Corporation Wichita, KS Radio Amateurs use DTMF's including the ABCD for remote control of repeaters. Does anyone have an answer to the first part of the original question? Are there any portable tone generators available these days that inclule all 16 tone pairs? Ken Thompson N0ITL NCR Corp. Peripheral Products Division Disk Array Development 3718 N. Rock Road Wichita KS 67226 (316) 636-8783 Ken.Thompson@wichitaks.ncr.com ------------------------------ From: leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Reply-To: 70465.203@compuserve.com Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon. Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 05:00:28 GMT psw@vibes.mitre.org (Phil Wherry) writes: > It should be noted that Hayes-compatible modems are capable of dialing > the ABCD tones; just put them in a dialing command as you would any > number. Alas, many of the newer ones are capable of translating those "cute" numbers like 1-800-ABCDEFG. Which means that when you dial A, B or C you get 2. And you get 3 for D. *Older* Hayes and USR modems could dial the ABCD tones. Leonard Erickson leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com CIS: [70465,203] 70465.203@compuserve.com FIDO: 1:105/51 Leonard.Erickson@f51.n105.z1.fidonet.org (The CIS & Fido addresses are preferred) [Moderator's Note: When dialing letters on the modem aren't they required to be put in quotes, i.e. 'DIAL THIS'. I'd think the modem could see that 123-'ABCD' was different than 123-ABCD (no quotes). PAT] ------------------------------ From: dcg5662@hertz.njit.edu (Dave Grabowski) Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J. Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 20:34:40 GMT The ABCD tones are merely the same row-tones with a different (higher) column tone added. If you have a DTMF generator, they can be useful: If you have a Voice Mail Box, you can often use onf of the ABCD tones (back when I was a phreak, they were always referred to as autovon tones) in your passcode. It will prevent access to your box by just about anyone - the person would need to KNOW your passcode, and he/she would ALSO need something that would generate the tones (although, most AT-compatible modems can do them, these days). My two cents. Dave ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #627 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa11268; 15 Aug 92 1:32 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA13850 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 14 Aug 1992 23:37:11 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19320 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 14 Aug 1992 23:36:58 -0500 Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 23:36:58 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208150436.AA19320@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #628 TELECOM Digest Fri, 14 Aug 92 23:37:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 628 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Area Code Changes in Georgia? (Tad Cook) Re: Area Code Changes in Georgia? (Bill Berbenich) Re: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted (Arthur L. Shapiro) Re: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted (Darren Alex Griffiths) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Toby Nixon) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Fred Fierling) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Ken Levitt) ABCD as a Phreaking Tool (Ronnie Schnell) Re: Pacific Bell Ads for CLASS (Alan L. Varney) Re: Pacific Bell Ads for CLASS (Richard Nash) Re: Pacific Bell Ads For CLASS (John Higdon) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: hpubvwa!tad@ssc.wa.com (Tad Cook) Subject: Re: Area Code Changes in Georgia? Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 17:14:35 GMT In article scott@asd.com (Scott Barman) writes: > The other day I was trying to make a phone call to Athens, Georgia and > I got a recording that the area code was changed and to redial it with > the new area code (706, used to be 404). When was this changed? I > know I can still call Atlanta using 404, but what areas are effected > by this change (e.g., is Thomaston included in the change)? The split happened on May 3, 1992, although there was a permissive dialing period until August 3. Atlanta is still 404. Here is a list of prefixes within 404 that changed to 706: 208 278 354 468 549 597 657 724 778 828 883 213 282 356 472 553 598 660 731 779 829 884 216 283 357 481 554 602 663 733 782 831 886 217 285 358 485 556 613 665 734 783 838 891 219 290 359 486 557 625 667 735 788 845 893 226 291 367 492 560 628 672 736 789 846 895 232 293 369 495 561 629 673 737 790 849 896 234 295 374 506 563 630 674 738 791 855 931 235 318 375 517 567 632 675 742 793 856 935 236 322 376 537 568 635 677 743 795 857 937 245 323 379 538 569 637 678 745 796 858 947 259 324 384 539 571 638 682 746 797 860 965 265 326 397 540 574 643 685 747 798 861 966 268 327 398 541 575 645 687 754 802 862 989 269 328 437 542 576 646 689 757 812 863 272 334 444 543 579 647 692 759 820 864 273 335 453 544 582 648 693 764 821 865 274 337 456 545 585 649 694 769 823 866 275 338 462 546 592 650 695 771 824 868 276 342 465 547 595 652 721 776 825 878 277 353 467 548 596 654 722 777 826 882 Some exchanges will change later on; for that reason, the following exchanges will be dialable with either the 404 or 706 area code through March 28, 1993: 207 253 304 386 503 536 718 775 832 869 214 254 307 387 519 562 720 781 834 887 227 258 336 412 531 583 725 784 836 889 228 267 345 459 532 599 748 786 844 927 229 287 382 464 534 606 749 787 854 967 251 301 385 479 535 684 773 830 867 983 Tad Cook | Phone: 206-527-4089 (home) | MCI Mail: 3288544 Seattle, WA | Packet: KT7H @ N7DUO.WA.USA.NA | 3288544@mcimail.com | Internet: tad@ssc.wa.com or...sumax!ole!ssc!tad ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Area Code Changes in Georgia? Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 16:58:54 EST From: Bill Berbenich Reply-To: bill@eedsp.gatech.edu The interim, permissive dialing period, which began on May 3 ended on August 3. During this time, calls to either numbers in 706 or 404 could be dialed using either area code. The "Metropolitan Atlanta local calling area" retains AC 404. All other numbers in what was 404 are now in 706. There are a few disputed areas where the residents have expressed a desire to "keep" 404 and for which hearings are being held by the state PSC. Until the matter is decided for those areas, those areas ONLY can be reached using either 404 or 706. The information contained in this posting have been culled from local newspapers and from the Atlanta white pages phone book. Bill Berbenich, School of EE, DSP Lab Georgia Tech, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 uucp: ...!{backbones}!gatech!eedsp!bill Internet: bill@eedsp.gatech.edu ------------------------------ From: MPA15C!ARTHUR@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com Date: 14 AUG 92 15:04 Subject: Re: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted Pat, I've been pleasantly inundated with responses to this request, and as some folks were interested in what I found out, can I take a few lines to summarize? First of all, thanks everyone! There were far too many of you to easily send individual thanks, as our gateway to Internet is somewhat awkward. Many folks referred to the Radio Shack catalogue. I erroneously thought that the loud bells had been defenestrated from the RS catalogue, but it turned out my own catalogue had had that page mangled and folded under. My error. Interestingly, most Radio Shack stores used to carry that item in stock, but at least around here the several stores I frequent seem not to keep it out on the shelf. That contributed to my belief that it had been dropped. I received several mentions of Hello Direct, apparently a well-known firm but unfamiliar to me. Others talked of contacting support organizations for the hearing impaired, and others mentioned the devices that flash lights or strobes in response to detecting ring. Several folks suggested plugging obnoxiously loud things like blenders into such a device! There were other references to firms marketing ringers for such locations as factory floors and for farms. I ended up purchasing an old, pre-breakup Bell external ring unit from a gentleman who had it just gathering dust in the garage. It arrived yesterday, and seems quite (but not EXCRUTIATINGLY) loud. I'll be visiting the victim early next month, so we'll see if the unit suffices. If not, we'll go with one of the "heavy hitters". Arthur L. Shapiro ARTHUR%MPA15C@TRENGA.TREDYDEV.UNISYS.COM Software Engineering Unisys Corporation Speaking as a civilian, rather than for Mission Viejo, CA Unisys, unless this box is checked: [ ] ------------------------------ From: dag@ossi.com (Darren Alex Griffiths) Subject: Re: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted Organization: Open Systems Solutions Inc. Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 00:56:06 GMT MPA15C!ARTHUR@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com writes: > I'm trying to locate a supplemental ringer that will enable an > elderly, increasingly hard-of-hearing relative to be aware that the > phone is ringing. The lower tones of an electromechanical bell would > probably be a lot better than the frequencies typically produced by > electronic devices. It would be an asset if the unit did not require > external power, and if it didn't deplete my wallet too severely. It > wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the device should be > obscenely, unpleasantly clangorous. Recommendations are most welcome. Radio Shack used to sell a device that would flash a table light when the phone rang. Basically, you would plug it into to the phone and inbetween power and the light, when the phone rang the light would flash. I have no idea if they still sell them however. Considering as we all pay an FCC surcharge in order to help people with hearing difficulties I suspect you may have some good luck calling your local phone company and see what they can do for you. Cheers, Darren Alex Griffiths dag@nasty.ossi.com Open Systems Solutions Inc. (510) 652-6200 x139 Fujitsu Ltd. Fax: (510) 652-5532 6121 Hollis Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2092 ------------------------------ From: Toby Nixon Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Date: 14 Aug 92 11:26:39 EDT Organization: Hayes Microcomputer Products, Norcross, GA In article , TELECOM Moderator noted: > [Moderator's Note: An interesting question to me is what would happen > if those tones were sounded to a regular CO. For example what would > happen if I gave those to the CO here? Would they even break the dial > tone, and if they did, how would the CO react to them? I've heard of > cases where people used those tones as part of passwords on voicemail > systems, etc. Any answers? PAT] I tried this on our ROLM CBX. DTMF "A" breaks dial tone, but otherwise appears to be completely ignored no matter where it is used. DTMF "B", "C", and "D" all cause an immediate error if you dial them as the first digit; if you dial them after a "9", they cause an error (alternating high/low pitch tones) when you finish with all the digits. I don't even have an outside line here to try it direct to the CO. Toby Nixon, Principal Engineer | Voice +1-404-840-9200 Telex 401243420 Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. | Fax +1-404-447-0178 CIS 70271,404 P.O. Box 105203 | BBS +1-404-446-6336 AT&T !tnixon Atlanta, Georgia 30348 | UUCP uunet!hayes!tnixon Fido 1:114/15 USA | Internet tnixon@hayes.com ------------------------------ From: fff@microplex.com (Fred Fierling) Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Organization: Microplex Systems Ltd. Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 20:01:18 GMT In article James.VanHouten@f544. n109.z1.fidonet.org (James VanHouten) writes: > using them as voicemail passwords also, however I have never seen a 16 > digit handheld DTMF encoder. Radio Shack supposedly has one. Model # 43-139. Fred Fierling fff@microplex.com Tel: 604 875-1461 Fax: 604 875-9029 Microplex Systems Ltd 265 East 1st Avenue Vancouver, BC V5T 1A7, Canada ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 11:56:01 EDT From: levitt@zorro9.fidonet.org (Ken Levitt) Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? > Here's a thought (brought about by the recent thread on the ABCD > tones being used with AUTOVON): > What happen if I gave those to the CO here? Would they even break the dial > tone, and if they did, how would the CO react to them? I've heard of > cases where people used those tones as part of passwords on voicemail > systems, etc. Any answers? PAT] I have a phone with ABCD on it. Here at 508-653-xxxx ABCD does not break dial tone. We have a very old ESS at our CO. If you have any other specific tests you would like me to try, let me know. Ken Levitt - On FidoNet gateway node 1:16/390 UUCP: zorro9!levitt INTERNET: levitt@zorro9.fidonet.org or levitt%zorro9.uucp@talcott.harvard.edu ------------------------------ From: R Schnell Subject: ABCD as a Phreaking Tool Organization: MIT Media Laboratory Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 17:51:43 GMT I remember that phreaks used to use ABCD to hack directory assistance. Without getting into the specifics, you could use certain combinations during a call to DA, and you would be put in a trunk from which you could actually answer information calls. Ron ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 00:09:34 CDT From: varney@ihlpf.att.com (Alan L Varney) Subject: Re: Pacific Bell Ads for CLASS Organization: AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL In article 0005075968@mcimail.com (Jeff Garber) writes: > Pac Bell's advertising for CLASS services is really starting to get to > me. I just heard an ad that said, "Priority Ringing - another new > idea from Pacific Bell." How about, "another new idea *for* Pacific > Bell"? ... Are you sure it wasn't: "Priority Ringing(SM) - another new idea ..." ? {Priority Ringing(SM) is a Service Mark of Pacific Telesis} You see, you can offer a known product as a "service", give it a new MARKETING NAME, and claim/register it as your own. In fact, there are many lawyers making a good living off of the courts and this little gimick -- they register lots of names and acronyms as theirs, and then sell you the right to use them (because you won't find any desirable one's left). Another method of decreasing our national productivity ... Anyway, if they marketed it as "Distinctive Ringing", they'd have to say (somewhere): "Distinctive Ringing(SM) - a CLASS(SM) offering from ..." {Distinctive Ringing and CLASS are Service Marks of Bell Communication Research(CO), Inc., a research unit of Pacific Bell(CO), which is a subsidiary (for a while) of Pacific Telesis(CO). The company names are each Copyright by their respective owners, and this statement is also Copyright of Pacific Telesis. The use, mention, in anticipation or placement of a Distinctive Ringing(SM) call without the prior written consent of the owner may result in legal action toward all parties involved in the call or toward any party who could have placed such a call during the period of fault.} Seriously, with the many names of CLASS services across the country, it's no wonder non-telecom folks think the telephone system is in shambles. Interestingly enough, Illinois Bell doesn't use the word CLASS, but names (without SM, TM, or CO symbols) the CLASS services the same way Bellcore names them, except for "Repeat Dialing." Maybe the marketing folks weren't looking too closely... > ...(Doesn't everyone read TELECOM Digest or crack open the phone > book as soon as they get in their hotel room if they are traveling? :) You bet I do. In fact, I noticed that Ottawa, Canada, has one of the largest selection (in the Yellow Pages(TM)) of "Escort Services" I've ever seen. Big ads, with big ... Oh, you meant the Calling Instructions in the front. ... Never mind!! {Yellow Pages may be Trade Marked by some Telephone companies or by some computer companies that think electronic look-up originated with them.} Al Varney - just MY opinion ... really! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 20:06:28 +0100 From: rickie@trickie.uucp (Richard Nash) Subject: Re: Pacific Bell Ads for CLASS > Pac Bell's advertising for CLASS services is really starting to get to > me. I just heard an ad that said, "Priority Ringing - another new > idea from Pacific Bell." How about, "another new idea *for* Pacific > Bell"? Unfortunately, the general public does not know that CLASS > services have been available in states other than CA for years ... Is this not called deceptive advertising? Are there not laws in California that prohibit false advertising? > While they're so full of new ideas, why doesn't Pac Bell offer > Ringmate/Ringmaster (we have no name for it since it's not offered)? What about "Teen Ring" NT(tm)? A special coded ring to distinguish the teenagers calls from the regular households. Richard Nash Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6K 0E8 UUCP: trickie!rickie@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca Amatuer Radio Packet: VE6BON @ VE6MC.AB.CAN.NA VE6BON.ampr.org [44.135.147.206] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 01:28 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Pacific Bell Ads For CLASS lauren@vortex.COM (Lauren Weinstein) writes: > they don't explain that any calls from outside those codes > cannot make use of those CLASS features, nor could calls to/from > non-PacBell numbers (of major significance in areas like L.A. where > GTE has a *very* large base of subscribers intertwined all around and > through PacBell areas. A distinct advantage to having a miniscule GTE presence if there ever was one. Here in the Bay Area, non-Pac*Bell areas are insignificant to say the least (Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Novato, and Gilroy come to mind), so the features more or less work universally. Of course, GTE offers no CLASS features here whatsoever (after all, we are hundreds of miles from Thousand Oaks so there could not be anyone worth worrying about in this hinterland). So other than the GTE islands of telephone hell, Pac*Bell's CLASS services in the Bay Area are worthwhile. > All in all, these CLASS features seem to be another attempt at getting > money for semi-useless frills while the quality of "Plain Old > Telephone Service" (POTS) goes down the tubes while the rates go > through the roof. Not to be argumentative, but in what way has POTS gone to hell? GTE has always offered "hellish" POTS, but what else is new? I have not noticed any Pac*Bell deterioration (only improvements) since the Higdon Telco got "busted" back in the sixties! And remember, these features are entirely optional. If you think they are worthless, do not use them and save your money. IMHO, with the exception of GTE, local telephone service has improved dramatically since divestiture. It is faster, sounds better, is more reliable, what trouble there is is repaired faster, is easier and faster to order, and more flexible than ever before. What else do you want? Of course, GTE may have deteriorated, but I cannot imagine how it could get any worse. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #628 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa02720; 15 Aug 92 13:34 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA22938 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 11:52:03 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA25157 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 11:51:55 -0500 Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 11:51:55 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208151651.AA25157@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #629 TELECOM Digest Sat, 15 Aug 92 11:51:50 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 629 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: No Fun Anymore! (Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond) Re: No Fun Anymore! (Jim Harkins) Re: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY (Freimer Re: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY (Phillip Dampier) Re: Overblown Centrex (Jack Adams) Re: Overblown Centrex (Roger Fajman) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 11:20:03 +0100 Subject: Re: No Fun Anymore! On Thu, 6 Aug 92 18:42:15 CDT, wpd@gagme.chi.il.us (Bill Pfeiffer) provides comments regarding my initial article, posted a while ago: [Note: heavily edited message to save space - ocl] > I am sorry, but I dont see how these statements (even in their > entirity) constitute a rejection of science. If anything they I was perhaps a bit rough in using the term "rejection". Perhaps I should word this as a "feeling of unease towards the releasing into the public of inventions which are barely understood by the average user, and could thus be mis-used, whether intentionally or non-intentionally". This includes most examples of items of technological advance. > Usenet's technology is based upon trust and a general (alleged) > respect and maturity between users. Like Ham radio, Usenet had a > level 'a cut above' the average local BBS or CB radio channel. The > primary users were university students and corporations within the > general field of technology. I entirely agree with you. Unfortunately, the world of universities, research establishments, corporations in the general field of technology, is by nature out of touch with the rest of the world, simply because of its advance in technology, and its higher-than- average maturity of human resources. Having a network based upon trust and a general respect and maturity between users is only possible in such a closed, and I fear to say, utopic environment. It's all about money outside of those circles (I'll come back to that later), and maturity is simply inexistent in a lot of people's minds. [stuff deleted - ocl] > However, like the analogy of Ham radio and CB, the increasing size and > ease of entry, WITHOUT substantial changes to the workings of a > network which was never designed to handle such traffic, does present > a problem. Agreed, agreed. > In Ham radio, one must pass tests of technical competency, and learn a > binary code (Morse) to enter the airwaves as a legit Ham. This I am not entirely sure if that is true for all countries in the world. [stuff deleted - ocl] > I have no problem with requiring SOME minimal level of competence and > intelligence when piloting a global system of communication like > Usenet. There are thousands of local BBS's, where one can log-in and > be as un-intelligent and non-qualified as one wants. We don't give > drivers licenses to every kid who rides a bicycle. I don't think that this example is valid. Driving can both endanger your life, but most of all it also endangers other people's lives as well. With such matters, a license is REQUIRED. Like you, I deplore the fact that no minimal level of competence is required for piloting a system like Usenet. Like you, I would love to have something done about it. However the question is "What can we do about it ?" A system of license (like ham radio) is completely unacceptable IMHO. So what ? See later in my message ... [ stuff deleted - ocl ] > My point (and I believe Pat's) exactly. Cb'ers live in smaller arenas > and can, therefore, play their silly games without too much real > degradation of areas beyond. Usenet (like Ham radio) is > international, and therefore has much greater impact on our world. As > the uninitiated join our ranks, without respect for the traditions and > conventions of the network, the law of CB (talk loud, listen little > and pay no attention to the feelings/opinions/rights of others) is > becomming more and more the rule. While I agree with you, I have this inner fear that traditions are the weakest form of rules, whether scientifically, culturally, or legally. Traditions are being lost around the world. The problem with traditions is that they are not written, and hence can disappear if one doesn't keep them alive. If you want order, then you need written laws, and you need somebody to enforce them -- I cannot see that happening on Usenet, although I'd be glad to, to a certain extent. > Usenet is operated primarily through the courtesy of institutions of > learning, the military and major corporations. Most traffic is > handled on a big "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' basis. You'll have to forgive me for re-uttering that comment, but I think that this is a very utopic idea. While this has gone-on for some time due to the kindness and dedication of the people involved in Usenet, any financial person would be astonished by that system. > Most of the 'expense' is not borne by the average user, but by the > afore-mentioned orginizations. If the users had to pay the frieght > for all the connections and long-distance lines, I dare say (s)he > would be less frivolous with the flames and such. Usenet is also > propagated via hobbiest UNIX enthusiasts, who bear the brunt of most > local connections. Much of this is invisible to the 'newbie' user who > merely has to press a few keys and 'magically' their message is > propagated worldwide for the price of a local phone call. Well here we go! To keep enthusiasts and major corporations from pulling the plug, why not charge end-users towards the cost of communication, or perhaps only a percentage of it? I am thinking about a very cheap fee, say $0.05 per page; perhaps less. This would solve traffic issues by keeping down Mbytes on say, alt.sex.pictures which account for the majority of traffic on Usenet. This would deter users from quoting the entire message they are replying to and saying "yes" at the end. This would keep down the number of cross-postings to multiple groups. In short, this would separate the seeds from the haystack. Without wanting to sound posh, I think that Usenet is experiencing the same process as the rest of the world, that is, democratisation. What used to be enjoyed by an elite, is now available to everybody. It's the same phenomenon as people making money overnight, joining the circles of high flyers, moving up into society. While I guess that for most people (that is quantity-wise) this democratisation is a good thing, for the elite that was there before, it undeniably means some form of lowering in standard, perhaps even some sort of inconvenience. Take an example: airline prices are getting so cheap that most Europeans can afford now go on holiday, say, to Egypt, while in the past this was reserved for the privileged few. Package tours offer the pyramids, the nile, etc. etc. to more and more people, at a cheaper and cheaper price. The result is that monuments such as the pyramids, which used to be okay when visited by few people, are now suffering from this influx of tourists. Take any other example, say Greece, where the Greek monuments are getting attacked by car exhaust fumes, like in Italy where monuments in Rome suffer a same fate. This increase in exhaust release is no doubt cause by the fact that more people can now afford a car than at any other time in the past. The only way all of these problems are going to be solves will be to charge them; tax, entrance fee, etc. Usenet, the monument of computer telecommunications appears to enter that phase. It's unfortunate. > Many sites have already pulled the plug on alt.* groups, because of > space limitations and because many are mere jokes. Still other sites > have gone further and eliminated talk.* and even rec.* groups due too > the increase in the noise and the seemingly uncontrolled proliferation > of newsgroups dedicated to ever narrowing and esoteric interests. Elimination of groups is a sad thing to do, especially when it is undertaken in such broad sense. While some groups in alt.*, talk.*, rec.* may be pure noise. Others aren't. Generalisation is a danger in itself as lethal as stereotyping. > It is incorrect to assume that there is a bottomless pit for this > traffic. As more 'backbone' sites refuse the periferal groups, the > smaller sites 'below' them also lose the feed. All it would take is > for AT&T, Motorola, the military sites, and a few key Universities, to > clamp down on the costs of this network, and we would see a lot of > downstream sites dry up real quick. I sincerely hope this does not > happen, but dont believe for a minute that it *can't* happen. Forgive my radical attitude here, but clamping down on costs in such a way (ie: by cutting off services) is a stupid thing to do. Charging sounds better, although I'd hope that this would still mean affordable access. Organisations such as the ones that you mention don't only support Usenet 'for fun', but it has to be said, also as a means of publicity. Otherwise, can you explain to me why a computer like cis.ohio-state.edu has one of the highest Usenet traffic in the world? > Agreed, the technology won't disappear, but the 'free lunch' illusion > of Usenet is not carved in stone (except, perhaps the stone heads of > SOME users :->). One usually takes advantage, or should I say, abuses a free lunch; this is human nature. One comes back to reality with a cheap lunch, without suffering, and maybe (who knows) benefitting from better quality due to less quantity having to be produced. One starves if a free lunch is stopped abruptly without replacement. >> One thing before I go home: The decade of the eighties was the decade >> of computers for all. The decade of the nineties will see the same >> jump in technology, but this time with telecommunications. > True, but be prepared to pay the bill for the technology :-(. Technology is expensive. A "high bill" slows commercial implementation of technology. A "subsidised, affordable bill" promotes technology. "No bill" is a trip into utopia. Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond, Digital Comms. Section, Elec. Eng. Department Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London SW7 2BT, UK Internet/Bitnet: - Janet: ------------------------------ From: pacdata!jimh@uunet.UU.NET (Jim Harkins) Subject: Re: No Fun Anymore! Organization: Pacific Data Products Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 00:57:01 GMT : >> there were a few hundred nodes on the network, we mostly knew each other. >> There were fewer flames and nastygrams. I don't think so. There were fewer in number but I doubt the percentage has gone up or down. A lot of those early nodes were universities and students had access even then. Remember net.flame? Remember back in the early 80's when everybody looked forward to school vacations and dreaded September? Seems like it's the newbies who flame the most, I suspect it's because they either don't know better or they get P.O'd and leave. People like Jack Schmidling will always be with us but they'll always be a small minority. In article Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond writes: > But wait a second, chaps, am I detecting much "nostalgius malignius" > here? Yep. Like a lot of nostalgia people just remember the good. > You must understand that you were pioneering USENET/email/packet > transfer of data in the seventies. Indeed, what we are doing today, > this global conferencing system via Usenet, is still not available to > *everyone* around the planet. In that respect, we are still in the > pioneering stage. More and more people are both learning about Usenet and getting on it. Al Gore certainly knows what it is (What's Tipper gonna do, form the Parents Usenet Resource Center?). My computer illiterate brother in law got a Mac and a modem for Christmas; last month I got an email message from him. He was shocked when I replied, I don't think he understood what jim@pacdata.com really was. If my unionized brother in law can do it so can anyone :-) Face it folks, these *are* the good old days. Not just Usenet either. In 20 years you'll watch 3-D TV and say how much better 2D was in the old days. You'll eat a plastifood steak and say it's not as juicy as those in the old days. You'll get on your automated highway and reminisce about when you could actually turn the wheel and hit the gas. And you'll remember when you could say 'damn' on Usenet without getting a ticket from the Gore Police. And you know what? I'll bet there'll be a subspace TV network connecting select universities and research centers. People there will be pioneering holographic spread spectrum packet sending. They'll say how wonderful it is to talk to complete strangers via a video-tube without interference from the average Joe, who only wants to flame anyway. And they'll talk about the good ol' days when you actually had to use an archaic mouse to open the network window. Jim Harkins [ucsd|uunet]!pacdata!jim Pacific Data Products jim@pacdata.com ------------------------------ From: Robert Freimer Subject: Re: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853 Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 19:06:00 GMT DREUBEN@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU (Douglas Scott Reuben) writes: > exceptional service. Yet not being able to be reached from the second ^^^^^^ > largest city in New York state (at least in certain exchanges) is > troubling. AT&T should act quickly to remedy this shortfall. It's actually the third largest. You forgot about either NYC or Buffalo. Robert [Moderator's Note: Well, I doubt if he forgot to include Buffalo! :) PAT] ------------------------------ From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 10:44:44 -0500 Subject: AT&T EasyReach Problems in Rochester, NY Douglas Scott Reuben writes: > that this was not true, I was told that the "real" reason why > EasyReach calls couldn't be placed from SOME exchanges in Rochester > Tel's area is that they aren't running the proper software on their > ATT 5ESS machines. > I am generally quite happy with AT&T EasyReach ... it is an > exceptional service. Yet not being able to be reached from the second > largest city in New York state (at least in certain exchanges) is > troubling. AT&T should act quickly to remedy this shortfall. > BTW, two of the exchanges in question were 716-461 (Field St. CO) and > 716-263 (Stone St. CO). AT&T says there are many more :( Field Street (my CO in fact) and Stone Street are two of the largest exchanges in the entire city. Stone Street blankets the central business district and Field covers the southeastern "cultural" district and the wealthy suburb of Brighton, which is where I am stationed. It seems incomprehensible that two of the largest exchanges in two vital telecommunications areas of the city would be so handicapped. If the problem persists, you can call Rochester Telephone's Unresolved Telephone Related Problems Bureau between 8-4:30 ET at +1 716 777 1040 and let them do the research. By the way, Buffalo is still the second largest city (outside of Metro NYC), although we are quickly catching up to them. :-) ------------------------------ From: vixen!jadams@uunet.UU.NET (26070-adams) Subject: Re: Overblown Centrex Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 15:22:05 GMT In article , john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > Pac*Bell is cranking up with its borderline fraudulent Centrex > commercials once again. ...{Bandwidth conservation measures at work!} > But Pac*Bell's efforts to push the offering as the > answer to ALL communications requirements is not playing fair or even > honestly. The summary line says it all! Just be thankful the marketing critters aren't lawyers! How's that for a scarey thought? Jack (John) Adams Bellcore RRC 4B-259 (908) 699-3447 {Voice} (908) 336-2871 {Facsimile} jadams@vixen.bellcore.com kahuna@attmail.com ------------------------------ From: Roger Fajman Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 00:23:23 EDT Subject: Re: Overblown Centrex > We hear how the March of Dimes and other prestigious charitable > organizations have "selected" Centrex for this, that, or other bogus > reasons. Of course, the real reason that bonafide charities use > Centrex is a matter of accounting: they are not allowed to collect > capital assets, such as a PBX switch. It has nothing to do with cost, > practicality, reliability, or functionality. But Pac*Bell would have > us believe that these well-run organizations know something that we > ordinary mortals do not. Not allowed to collect capital assets? I don't believe that is the case. It's more like not being able to finance large capital assets. I'm on the board of directors of a small 501(c)(3) organization. It has a number of capital assets, including a small PBX (which I had nothing to do with selecting). But it isn't able, purely for financial reasons, to buy anything very big. There's no law against it, though. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #629 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa04277; 15 Aug 92 14:22 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA16373 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 12:41:07 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA02638 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 12:40:58 -0500 Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 12:40:58 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208151740.AA02638@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #630 TELECOM Digest Sat, 15 Aug 92 12:41:03 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 630 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Pacific Bell and CNID (Steve Forrette) Re: Pacific Bell and CNID (John Higdon) Re: Pacific Bell and CNID (Ben Harrell) Re: Pacific Bell Ads For CLASS (Justin Leavens) Re: Pac*Bell CLASS Features (Henry Mensch) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette) Subject: Re: Pacific Bell and CNID Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc., Seattle, WA Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 02:22:09 GMT In article tshapin@beckman.com (Ted Shapin) writes: > PACIFIC BELL'S PHONE PRIVACY RINGS FALSE, SAYS > COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY There is so much misinformation and misrepresentation in this press release, I'm not sure where to start. > PacBell's proposal will eliminate important safety and privacy > protections in the Commission's order, CPSR charged. CNID allows > businesses to collect the phone numbers of customers who call them. Allows BUSINESSES? Caller ID allows *any* subscriber access to the calling number. This statement is quite clearly aimed at generating an anti-Caller ID sentiment among people who are not familiar with the issues involved. Nowhere is it mentioned that the primary purpose of Caller ID is to enhance the privacy of residential customers, not businesses. Take a look at other states' imeplementations of Caller ID, and exactly who has ordered it. The overwhelming majority of Caller ID subsribers are residential customers, interested in protecting their privacy rights as recipients of calls (often from the evil businesses that CPSR appears to be against). Never mind the fact that Caller ID helps protect residential subscribers *against* the privacy intrusions of businesses who interrupt the dinner hour, family gatherings, and sleep patterns. Also, look at the telco marketing efforts. Have they marketed Caller ID as a wonderful new service to business, which will allow them to collect the numbers of people who call, then generate huge direct-mail lists? Not! The marketing consists of explaining to *residential* customers how Caller ID can enhance *their* privacy and convenience. > The Commission's order guarantees privacy protections for all > Californians. PacBell proposes to eliminate a key privacy protection > called Per-Line Blocking with Per-Call Unblocking. Not all Californians, not even a majority of Californians. It protects the privacy considerations of those who like to make anonymous calls. > This feature prevents home numbers from being collected by > businesses, unless the caller decides to give it to them. Phone > companies would prefer to only offer per-call blocking, a scheme in > which caller numbers are always given out unless the caller remembers > to dial a blocking code before dialing the desired number. "Being collected by businesses" Again, the CPSR is completely ignoring the facts of the record. The great majority of Caller ID subscribers are residential users. Thus per-line blocking has the biggest impact on individuals, not businesses. > "If this happens, Californians will inevitably receive more junk mail, > more annoying phone calls, and greater invasions of their privacy, > some of which may be dangerous," said CPSR Chair and user interface > expert, Dr. Jeff Johnson. Inevitably? Where has this happened elsewhere? Name one place. Caller ID is currently available in many states, and in some of these for a few years now. Why have we not heard of horror stories of people buried in junk mail? Why have we not heard of people being deluged with extra telemarketing calls because they placed a call to a business with Caller ID? In contrast, what we HAVE heard is an incredible drop in nuisance and harrassment calls, as well as greater control over one's telephone. Haven't the statistics shown that nuisance/harassment calls drop about 50% almost overnight? And CPSR, please don't try to tell us that Call Trace is the answer to all of our problems. Perhaps your police department is different than mine, but generally speaking, they don't have a huge surplus of resources to track down every junior high school kid that enjoys making crank calls. Sure, Call Trace is useful to track down and prosecute people who make threatening calls, but I don't think anyone would consider it a practical weapon against the mindles "crank" call. > PacBell claims that CNID would give people more control over their > privacy by providing the phone number from the calling phone. This is > the wrong technological answer to the problem according to Johnson. > "What people want to know is who is calling, not what phone is being > used. If my wife's car breaks down and she calls me from a pay phone, > that's a call I want to answer. CNID doesn't give me any information > that will help me do that." "If you don't find Caller ID useful, then don't buy it!" Since I (and many other people by the reports of the 50,000+ *residential* users in Chicago that signed up during the first week it was offered there) would find Caller ID very useful, I can't imagine why the Socially Responsible among us would want to take our right of privacy away. I hate to keep returning to reality, but the fact of the matter is that there are a great many people who have very real and frequent interruptions of their personal business in their homes by unwanted telephone calls, and no effective way to distinguish the desirable from the undesirable. As far as Caller ID causing an increase in unwanted calls as a result of "business" data collection, this is just a theory, and in fact has NOT come true in those areas with current Caller ID deployment. Why do we have to prohibit what a great deal of people would fine useful in enhancing their privacy when the arguments against it are theoretical (or is it heretial?) and have not happened as predicted in other juristictions? As far as the "wife at the unknown payphone" example goes, I agree that someone who took the stance of "I won't answer any calls from numbers I don't recognize" would be setting themselves up for problems. But, in practice, I seriously doubt that very many current Caller ID subscribers use the service in this manner. Should we also ban the policy that many families have of not answering the phone during the dinner hour? After all, an important call might be missed. At least with Caller ID, *some* of the important calls may be answered during private times, as opposed to none. On the other hand, actual reports from Caller ID subscribers reveal that although not perfect, it has been useful to a great many people. And if someone gets it only to find that they don't find it useful since it identifies the calling number, and not the identity of the caller, they can always cancel the service. Again, to the Socially Responsible among us, if you don't find a Caller ID box useful, "Then Don't Get One!" > In PUC hearings held last year, Johnson accused the phone companies of > designing a service that is more useful for businesses in gathering > marketing data than for consumers in screening calls. Phone companies > are opposed to per-line blocking because it would presumably result in > more numbers being kept private, thereby reducing the value of the > CNID service to business subscribers. Here we go again with the "business subcribers" argument again. One of the big sticking points of the CPUC decision is not the availabilitiy of per-line blocking, but that this would be the default for subscribers with unlisted numbers. Do people with unlisted numbers purchase some sort of right to make anonymous calls to other residential subscribers (who are the vast majority of Caller ID subscribers)? I think not. And as far as business "junk mail" list generation goes, where is a business going to get the addresses that go with the phone numbers? People with unlisted numbers will already be screened from this type of assault on their mailboxes, as the so-called "reverse directory" services are based on White Pages listings, which the unlisted subscibers are not in in the first place. > "Phone companies don't want you to block your phone number when you > call movie theaters or appliance stores. The more times your number > is revealed to businesses, the better! So they oppose reasonable > blocking options and are pushing an error-prone one," he said. Once again, the "business" misrepresentation. Is the CPSR's position against Caller ID so weak that they must base their argument on presumptions that are not true? > If only per-call blocking were available, residential phone customers > -- or their children, parents, grandparents, guests -- would often > forget to dial their blocking code before making a call, resulting in > frequent disclosure of private information to businesses without the > consent, and sometimes even without the knowledge, of the caller. Then why not allow per-line blocking, but with the default for the blocking off? This way, the privacy phreaks can have their way by having blocking enabled on their lines for all calls, and the people who prefer to enhance THEIR privacy by subscribing to Caller ID can have what they want as well. I don't understand why it is to be assumed that someone who has an unlisted number, so that people can't find their number based on their name, somehow will automatically want all of their calls to be anonymous. Is there really that great a need to make anonymous calls? By the way, it is interesting to note that in states where per-line blocking is free for the asking, the number of people who request it (having to pay nothing to do so) is dwarfed by the number of people who pay $60+ for a Caller ID box, plus the $5 or so per month for the service. Does this not tell you where public opinion is on this issue? > "Subscriber privacy is more important that Pacific Bell's profits." Subscriber privacy is also more important than Socially Responsible politics. The CPSR seems to have learned a lot from the RBOCs. The misinformation, disinformation, and twisted facts and arguments in the above press release are on the same level as the RBOCs PR to get into the information publishing industry. Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com, I do not speak for my employer. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 01:32 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Pacific Bell and CNID God only knows who actually wrote for Concerned Something or Other for Social Whatever: > "Unless PacBell is willing to live within the very reasonable bounds > set by the PUC decision, the concerns of Californians will be far > better served if CNID is simply not offered at all," said Johnson. Is it not wonderful that a group of self-appointed dieties has decreed that I would be better off if CNID is not offered at all? What a load of arrogant elitism! The fact of the matter is that the PUC decision goes way beyond the restrictions found in other states offering CNID and no one to this date has proven to mine or anyone else's satisfaction that such restrictions are necessary or even helpful. > "Subscriber privacy is more important that Pacific Bell's profits." Ah, yes. When the logic is vacant, resort to slogans. I am sorry, but having the calling number displayed at my residence does not invade my privacy. Having my number displayed elsewhere does infringe somewhat on my anonymity, but then I do not make as many anonymous phone calls as most, apparently. Of course, the real reason this organization is against CNID in any real form is that it gives to the little guy similar capability that business already has. Apparently the Computer/Social people only want big businesses to be able to know who is calling via 800/ANI and do not want small businesses and private people to have this power. IMHO, we can do without do-gooders such as these who would like to deprive the public of service and technology because of some unknown agenda. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: bharrell@garfield.catt.ncsu.edu (Ben Harrell) Subject: Re: Pacific Bell and CNID Organization: North Carolina State University Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 12:10:22 GMT tshapin@beckman.com (Ted Shapin) posted a publicity release for an organization as follows: > From: Nikki Draper > Subject: CNID press release > Sender: Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility > PACIFIC BELL'S PHONE PRIVACY RINGS FALSE, SAYS > COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY > PALO ALTO, Calif., August 10, 1992 -- Computer Professionals for > Social Responsibility (CPSR), a national alliance of professionals > concerned with the impact of technology on society based here, > expressed deep concern over Pacific Bell'sttempt to gut a recent > California Public Utility Commission (PUC) order on Calling-Number > Identification (CNID). Pacific Bell has requested a rehearing on the > PUC restrictions. PacBell's proposal will eliminate important safety > and privacy protections in the Commission's order, CPSR charged. CNID > allows businesses to collect the phone numbers of customers who call I am really getting tired of seeing such press releases from people and organizations who have seized upon the political issue of personal privacy to beat up on the local telephone companies over trying to offer calling line identification. If they would do just a little bit of basic research, they would know that there has never been any privacy of single party residential service in the US since AT&T started offering automatic number identification (ANI) service with their 800 Service offering and other IXC followed suit. Yes I know that ANI and CLID are not the same thing. ANI is the identification of the originating billing number, whereas CLID is the identification of the originating line number. However, for the vast majority of residential customers in the US, these are identical. So anytime you make an interexchange call using a long distance carrier other than the local telco, your orginating number will be delivered to any AT&T, MCI, Sprint, etc. terminating customer who subscribes to their ANI service. There are no rules, federal or state that prevent this from occuring. Also, the local telcos are obligated by their inter-LATA access tariffs to provide ANI to the carrier, if they request it. This is a BIG money maker for the IXCs (one cent per number delivered), and a major advantage to the IXC offerings over the local telco terminating business service offerings. CLASS CLID levels the LEC/IXC competitive playing field a little bit. As long as there are no restrictions on the delivery of ANI anywhere in the US be IXCs, I don't think there should any restricts on CLID either. Don't think I am a radical on this point however. I do think there should be SOME limits on the delivery of ANI/CLID. I just do not believe it is competitively fair to the local telcos to put such restrictions in place for CLID, when there are none for ANI. Ben Harrell bharrell@catt.ncsu.edu ------------------------------ From: leavens@mizar.usc.edu (Justin Leavens) Subject: Re: Pacific Bell Ads For CLASS Date: 15 Aug 1992 09:52:03 -0700 Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA In article lauren@vortex.COM (Lauren Weinstein) writes: > Greetings. The PacBell CLASS ads are somewhat misleading in a number > of ways. Their promotion of priority ringing strongly implies that > it's the person calling you who triggers the "special" ring, not that > it will only work if they are calling from the officially entered > number -- not from anywhere else (such as the proverbial payphone). [very true stuff about "distictive ringing and Repeat Dialing" deleted] > And while the ads say "available in the 213, 310, 818 area codes," > implying that you have to be in those areas to subscribe to the > services, they don't explain that any calls from outside those codes > cannot make use of those CLASS features, nor could calls to/from > non-PacBell numbers (of major significance in areas like L.A. where > GTE has a *very* large base of subscribers intertwined all around and > through PacBell areas. Neither company seems to be very interested in > inter-company SS7 hookups. Yes, this is very misleading on their part. Even the reps admit they're not really sure which prefixes will work and which won't. Their standard reply is "Well, if it said that the number won't work then it probably doesn't." Gee, thanks. That means that only 213 (Downtown LA and Hollywood), and a lot of 818 (San Fernando Valley) work, leaving most of 310 (West LA, East LA, areas south of LA) unable to work with these new "features". Another strange thing I noticed was that using Repeat Dialing to radio station choke prefix (520) in 818 didn't work (number not available) but a call to 213-520 worked fine (although we know that by the time we can get to the phone, the line will be busy again). > All in all, these CLASS features seem to be another attempt at getting > money for semi-useless frills while the quality of "Plain Old > Telephone Service" (POTS) goes down the tubes while the rates go > through the roof. I do find it annoying that they offer these services at a full price while offering such limited useage. $3.50 to redial any number in your area code? $3.50 to ring differently if someone you know and especially want to talk to (and doesn't live in Santa Monica) call you? I want to know when friends from out of state call ... I also dumped Message Center's Daily Reporter, the service that gave me news, sports, and financial information in my voicemailbox every morning. First problem was that it took at least 15 seconds (as long as a minute in peak useage periods) just to get through all the header info. Second problem was that I always have to check to see if anyone called me while I was in the shower before I leave for work, and with DR I _always_ had a message in the morning that I had to listen to before I could find out if I had any real messages. Besides, a 30 second radio news report generally had the same information ... Justin Leavens University of Southern California [Moderator's Note: Doesn't your system say *how many* new calls are waiting? If so, and there is one new call, you might assume it is the daily news report, and hang up if you are in a hurry; only choosing to follow up if there are two or more new messages waiting. PAT] ------------------------------ From: henry@ads.com (Henry Mensch) Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 06:26:21 -0700 Subject: Pac*Bell CLASS Features Reply-To: henry@ads.com andys@internet.sbi.com (Andy Sherman) wrote: > henry@ads.com (Henry Mensch) said: >> I just found this out, too. It almost seems pointless ... why bother >> when it only works with numbers in your neighborhood? > A LATA is a lot bigger than your neighborhood. It is usually much of > your state. But enough of my incoming calls are from out-of-state (and, often enough, outside the US) that the feature currently has diminished value. Still, being an optimist, I signed up for it. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #630 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa17886; 15 Aug 92 21:01 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12367 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 17:44:16 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17574 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 17:44:07 -0500 Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 17:44:07 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208152244.AA17574@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #631 TELECOM Digest Sat, 15 Aug 92 17:44:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 631 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Solicitation Slime (Glenn R. Stone) Re: Solicitation Slime (Bill Berbenich) Re: Solicitation Slime (Bryan Lockwood) Re: Ring Suppression (Kenneth Crudup) Re: Ring Suppression (Julian Macassey) Re: Ring Suppression (Richard Nash) Re: What Number am I Calling From? (Mike Rose) Re: What Number am I Calling From? (Dan Odom) Re: Ameritech Complete MasterCard (Wooed Sun) Re: Ameritech Complete MasterCard (Eric Iverson) Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone (Leonard Erickson) Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone (David Lemson) Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone (Scott A. McIntyre) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: gs26@prism.gatech.edu (Glenn R. Stone) Subject: Re: Solicitation Slime Date: 15 Aug 92 19:09:33 GMT Reply-To: glenns@eas.gatech.edu Organization: The Group W Bench In john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes concerning obnoxious {Chronicle} , and telemarketers in general: > Needless to say, I have notified the {Chronicle} concerning this. And I > have now been convinced that telemarketing is a practice that needs to > be eliminated -- by whatever means. Sue'em for harrassment. I have CLID (thank you, Georgia; no per-call block, but at least we got it), Call*Block, Call*Trace, and Call*Return ... anyone who thinks he can ring my line twice without permission and not catch legal hell for it is sorely mistaken. Granted, John suffers from a benighted local telco and can't use the electronic remedies, but after about the third one-ringer, I would have been on the phone to telco's Annoyance Center to have a tap and counter put on the line ... I'm of the firm opinion that ringing my phone line is like knocking on my door, and the complex I live in is posted "No Solicitation" ... so's my OGM, which plays to anything I don't recognize CLID-wise ... 'course, after a move and a switch to a dead non-pub number, I've had exactly one wrong number in a month ... I used to get two or three a week. Silence is golden. Glenn R. Stone (glenns@eas.gatech.edu) ------------------------------ From: mailrus!gatech!eecom!wberbeni@uunet.UU.NET (W. Berbenich) Subject: Re: Solicitation Slime Organization: Georgia Tech Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 21:18:43 GMT In article John Higdon writes: > This afternoon, my private line rang with someone who identified > himself as being from the {Chronicle}. I said, "I'm sorry, I do not > accept solicitation on this line", and hung up. The phone immediately > rang back and I was greeted with, "Rude dickhead [slam]". Since then > there has been a stream of one-ringers. One thing that may work, in the absence of CLASS services in your area. Next time a solicitation call occurs like this, be very cheerful and friendly and establish the identity of the caller. Once that is done, lower the boom and tell them not to call back. You have a name to go along with a date and time of the call now. "This sounds very interesting! What did you say your name is?" > Needless to say, I have notified the {Chronicle} concerning this. And I > have now been convinced that telemarketing is a practice that needs to > be eliminated -- by whatever means. Either that or just set up a data base of phone numbers for which the subscribers are willing to accept 'cold calls.' All other phone numbers are off-limits. Here in Atlanta, the big sequential-dial pest (at least for me) is Olan Mills Photo Studios. I am about to send them a letter asking them to please not call me. Bill Berbenich - School of EE, DSP Lab ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Solicitation Slime From: system@coldbox.cojones.com (Bryan Lockwood) Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 00:23:39 PDT During my dark and penniless college days (dark because my college was in Fairbanks, Alaska, where the sun stays down for an inordinate amount of time each winter day), I accepted a job as a telemarketer, selling tickets to benefit concerts arranged by some charitable organization. While my tuition and room were prepaid, I still had to work to eat. Sometimes I didn't eat much. The telemarketing operation probably reaped about 70% of the the concert proceeds, BTW. Now the operation I worked at was pretty simple. You got to work, were issued a page torn from the phonebook, the script, and an ashtray. You sat down at a desk and began making phone calls. The script was sacred and NOT to be deviated from. And we were paid to work the dinner hours (this always annoyed me). However, I soon tired of reading the same script, over and over, for four hours each night. I decided that the folks at the other end of the phone were just as tired of hearing such an obviously prepared spiel. So I began deviating from the script. Soon I began to enjoy the highest sales rate in the room. My formula? Simple. When Mr. or Ms. Phoneperson answered the phone, I would simply tell them that I was about to try and sell them something, then tell them that they could either continue listening or hang up now. Simple courtesy, and it worked very well indeed. I usually doubled the next-highest sales rate in the room. Another observation: many of the people I called seemed lonely and eager to talk. So I stayed often stayed on the line a bit longer than I should have. I get the impression that many people bought tickets to the show as a way of repaying me for chatting with them for awhile. I soon moved to commission sales ... at which point I quit and got an honest job as a freelance snow relocation expert (translation: have shovel, will work). While telemarketing did put food in my belly, I am still of the opinion that it was the least honorable job I have ever had (and I've also been a trash collector and sewage treatment plant operator)! Author: Bryan Lockwood (system@coldbox.cojones.com) Coldbox= Usenet: system@coldbox.cojones.com | WWIVnet: system#coldbox@501 ------------------------------ From: kenny@osf.org (Kenneth Crudup) Subject: Re: Ring Suppression Organization: Open Software Foundation Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 20:17:32 GMT In article jacksch@insom.eastern.com (Eric Jacksch) writes: > Does anyone know a simple way to stop the ring signal from getting to > the telephone without interfering with normal use? Well, this won't help you, but it does remind me of a story. (You might wanna use this method if you want to eliminate ringing *and* service :-). Back when I was a kid, I knew a little about electronics, in the "little knowledge" == "dangerous thing" sense. The telephone was the most fascinating electronic device of my poor childhood, so it was the source of a lot of experimentation. I had the idea of attaching a neon lamp to the ring and tip of the house phone, sans current limiting resistor, ( ...a little knowledge ... ), so that incoming calls would make it light. I had a couple of people call me to try out my new device, but they never seemed to call back, despite their reports to the contrary that they did. They also wanted to know why I kept hanging up on them. Turns out that the ring voltage would make the neon ionize to the point of conduction, and that was evidently enough time to make whatever Indiana BT switch that was serving Miller (a suburb of Gary) IN realize "off hook". Since the ringing voltage then ceased, the neon went back to open ciruit, the switch registered "on hook", and the line was again free. Because of the short period of the neon/IBT-switch "circuit", the mechanical bell clapper of our phones never had a chance to overcome inertia. Kenneth R. Crudup, Contractor, OSF DCE QA OSF, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142 +1 617 621 7306 kenny@osf.osf.org OSF has nothing to do with this post. ------------------------------ From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) Subject: Re: Ring Suppression Date: 15 Aug 92 03:01:27 GMT Reply-To: julian@bongo.info.com (Julian Macassey) Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood California U.S.A. In article jacksch@insom.eastern.com (Eric Jacksch) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 620, Message 10 of 12 > Does anyone know a simple way to stop the ring signal from getting to > the telephone without interfering with normal use? Can it be done > with a few diodes? Yes, it can be done with a few diodes. There is a device on the market that does just this. It is a diode bridge in line with the libe cord. There is an in-line switch to bypass it. This is how it works. The voice/dial part of the phone is DC. The ringer is AC. The diode bridge converts the AC ringing signal to DC and so the ringer ignores it. To make this diode bridge use 1N4001 or BY127 1000V 1A diodes. Anything smaller will eventually fail. Of course if you want to build a "ringer silencer", you may as well open the phone and put a simple SPST switch across the line to the ringer. On a 2500/500 set, put the switch between the ringer wire and terminal A or K. With an electronic ringer, put the switch in line with the 1.0 uF capacitor that acts as a DC blocker for the ringing circuit. Both systems will not interfere with normal operation of the phone. They just kill the ringer. In fact they produce an REN of 0. Radio Shack has these devices. It is called predictably "Ringer Silencer" and the part number is 43-127. It will cost about $8.00.It is a good plan when looking for a phone gadget to check out the local Rat Shack first. They have most of what the hobbyest would need. Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 08:34:18 -0600 From: rickie@trickie.uucp (Richard Nash) Subject: Re: Ring Suppression Eric Jacksch writes: > Does anyone know a simple way to stop the ring signal from getting to > the telephone without interfering with normal use? Can it be done > with a few diodes? What do you consider as interfering with normal use? If what you want is a telephone that doesn't ring, why not either purchase a telephone that has a ringer off switch, or just simply cut the wire that goes to the bell in the set you are presently using?? Richard Nash Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6K 0E8 UUCP: trickie!rickie@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca ------------------------------ From: mrose@prufrock.stsci.edu (Mike Rose) Subject: Re: What Number am I Calling From? Reply-To: mrose@stsci.edu Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 01:06:09 GMT In article , ricochet@spatula.rent.com wrote: > Is there a way to get the number of the phone you're calling from? > For example, the payphone in my laundromat isn't marked and the store > owner says he doesn't know what it is. There's times when it would be > more convenient to have somebody call me back, but if I don't know the > number, how can they? Here in Baltimore (C&P telephone), 200-212-1212 will tell you. Does anyone know how universal this is? Is it just a number C&P made up for the convenience of their installers? Perhaps anyone with caller-id and a voice-synthesizer could provide it. Mike Rose, mrose@stsci.edu, 410-338-4949 [Moderator's Note: This number changes in every community. No two places are the same. PAT] ------------------------------ From: danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Dan Odom) Subject: Re: What Number am I Calling From? Date: 15 Aug 1992 11:32:06 -0500 Organization: Kansas State University Well, everytime you call the operator or directory information the number that you are calling from lights up on their console. Unfortunately, in many states a search warrant is required before they can tell you that number. You could also try calling directory information from another phone and asking what the number for the laundromat is. Good Luck! Dan Odom danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu [Moderator's Note: Why bother calling from another phone? Call from that one. Of course you may get the number for a business phone the attendant uses instead, unless they get incoming calls on the line you are inquiring about. PAT] ------------------------------ From: wyg9633@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Wooed Sun) Subject: Re: Ameritech Complete MasterCard Date: 15 Aug 92 04:55:19 GMT Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana beirne@rtsg.mot.com (Michael G Beirne) writes: > In article <1992Aug3.092204.6510@samba.oit.unc.edu> Nigel.Allen@bbs. > oit.unc.edu (Nigel Allen) writes: >> As someone requested, here are the details on the Ameritech Complete >> MasterCard. I don't have one, so this information is taken from an >> Illinois Bell publication. >> Interest rate: >> 14.9 percent for balances of $2,000 and up >> 17.4 percent for balances under $2,000. (subject to monthly adjustments) > and 19.8 percent for balances under $500. Since the information given above didn't look like what I had seen, I checked a slip which came along with my monthly bill. OK, this is what I understand from the slip. Their APR is *no more fixed* starting 8/1/92; it varies from month to month. Say x is "the highest Prime Rate published in the {Wall Street Journal} on the third Tuesday of the month preceding that month in which the billing period begins". If your balance is $2000 or greater, the apr is (x+8.4)%. If your balance is less, the apr is (x+10.9)% The numbers quoted above (14.9 and 17.4) are the rates when x is *assumed* to be 6.5%. The monthly % rate is, of course, apr/12 (1.242% and 1.450% for the above case). But I do not find any special apr for balances under $500. That's my understanding. If I am wrong, please someone post a correction. email to: w-yang@uiuc.edu (wyg9633@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu) ------------------------------ From: eiverson@nmsu.edu (Eric Iverson) Subject: Re: Ameritech Complete MasterCard Date: 15 Aug 92 02:45:04 GMT Organization: Computing Research Lab Why don't y'all just go out and get a USAA card? 12.5% interest, no annual fee, and a 30 day grace period. Admitedly, some of you might get turned down, but I'm not in the armed forces (dad was during the 50's though), I'm still a poor student with a barely perceptible income, and I got one. 1-800-922-9092. Eric Iverson Internet: eiverson@nmsu.edu Computing Research Lab Box 30001/3CRL New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003-0001 VOICE: (505) 646-5711 FAX: (505) 646-6218 ------------------------------ From: leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) Subject: Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone Reply-To: 70465.203@compuserve.com Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon. Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 05:36:07 GMT mailrus!gatech!eecom!wberbeni@uunet.UU.NET (W. Berbenich) writes: > In article jongsma@esseye.si.com (Ken > Jongsma) writes: >> In the August 3rd {Business Week}... >> Cincinnati Microwave, Inc. [the radar detector people] figures >> executives and consumers will pay a small premium for cordless >> privacy. The company has developed a phone, to be marketed in October >> by its Escort division for about $300, that thwarts eavesdroppers with >> "spread spectrum" technology, which is similar to the encryption >> method that the military uses in secure radios. The signals between > I believe there may be a misstatement of fact in the BW piece. Is > there anyone who believes that spread-spectrum is a form of cipher or > encryption? I am quite sure that it isn't. The quotation above is > therefore a bit misleading. Since they *specificly* mentioned needing circuitry to keep the phones in synch, it sounds like they *are* encrypting it. The method is that the "key" required to receive things is the "pattern" of channel hopping used. Without this, you'll get fractions of a second of audio on any given channel, and you will have great difficulty seperating this from static or other calls made by phones with a different key. As a bonus, this tends to give noise immunity *and* allow more phones to work in the same bandwidth. *If* they have a decent keyspace they'll be relatively secure. The miltary uses the same technology. I'd think that these merely have fewer channels and simpler "keys". It's not like they have to redesign it much ... :-) Leonard Erickson leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com CIS: [70465,203] 70465.203@compuserve.com FIDO: 1:105/51 Leonard.Erickson@f51.n105.z1.fidonet.org (The CIS & Fido addresses are preferred) ------------------------------ From: lemson@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (David Lemson) Subject: Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 15:14:01 GMT While they should have left the 'encryption' word out, it is true that spread spectrum [was|is] used by the military because it is inherently more secure than plain old carrier-based transmissions. Also, maybe they actually are putting some sort of encryption chip in it so that it would be difficult to descramble without knowing the setting on a DIP switch or something. David Lemson (217) 244-1205 University of Illinois NeXT Campus Consultant / CCSO NeXT Lab System Admin Internet : lemson@uiuc.edu UUCP :...!uiucuxc!uiucux1!lemson NeXTMail accepted BITNET : LEMSON@UIUCVMD ------------------------------ From: unregistered@newcastle.ac.uk (Scott A. McIntyre) Subject: Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone Reply-To: S.A.McIntyre@durham.ac.uk Organization: NeXT Campus Consultant Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 14:08:34 GMT I'm fairly sure this is the same phone I saw advertised in the August issue of the Sharper Image Catalogue ... $299 USD was the selling price. Other features included twenty channel searching (I think) and ten number memory ... intercom, speakerphone from base and so on. My question is: is it legal in the United Kingdom? I'm in the market for a good cordless phone, but the best I've seen here is two channels, and very primitive at that ... (manual switching). Does anyone know if the 900MhZ is legal in the UK for public use? BABT approval aside that is ... Scott ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #631 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa17942; 15 Aug 92 21:04 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12965 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 19:17:52 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA31365 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 19:17:43 -0500 Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 19:17:43 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208160017.AA31365@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #632 TELECOM Digest Sat, 15 Aug 92 19:17:40 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 632 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Local Call Determination (Alan L. Varney) Re: Local Call Determination (Alan Boritz) Re: Local Call Determination (Leonard Erickson) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (S. Spencer Sun) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Richard A Hyde) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Harold Hallikainen) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Alan Boritz) Re: What Number am I Calling From? (Bill Berbenich) Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines (Fred Fierling) Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines (Dick Rawson) Best Sounding Phones (Gabe M. Wiener) Re: How Do I Run This Line? (Scott Fybush) Re: The Second Phone Call (Brad Hicks) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 14:50:37 CDT From: varney@ihlpf.att.com (Alan L Varney) Subject: Re: Local Call Determination Organization: AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL In article Peter M. Weiss writes: >> Randy Gellens randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com writes: >> In Telecom 12.599, booloo@framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov (Mark Boolootian) >> writes: >>> Additionally, can someone explain to me what distinguishes local calls >>> from toll calls? Are all calls within a LATA local? ... The terms "local" and "toll" are not exact opposites. Nor are they consistently used even within the telecom community. So let's just assign some arbitrary meanings here: Free call - one that costs you nothing Local call - untimed, but may have an initial charge Toll call - charge depends on duration Intra-LATA - call with origination and destination within LATA Inter-LATA - call with origination/destination in different LATAs IC call - places InterExchange Carrier between orig. and dest. Charges for a call are a "tariff" matter, negotiated with State PUCs and the FCC. In general, distance is a factor, as is the class of service and location of the originating line. For "normal" calls, the originating CO determines the type of AMA (billing) record by: + location - the collection of all lines that are considered to be at a single point for distance calculations is usually called a Rate Center (ideally, the Rate is set by distance from a Telco-determined Center point.) A single CO can serve multiple Rate Centers; from a rate-setting perspective, each Center is (or could be) a different CO. + distance - this is expressed by having logically disjoint tables for each Rate Center, with the "called number" as the key. The associated data will contain both Charging and Routing information -- sometimes called CHART information. Routing data indicates how to reach the "called number" -- could indicate intra-CO line or a sequence of Trunk routes to use. + class of service - each originator has both a Rate Center and a class of service; let's call the latter a COS. The COS reflects one of the categories the "tariff" used for rate- making purposes; for example, "1-party flat rate". The COS is used to index the CHART information to derive a Charge Index and Call Code. These together determine if an AMA record will be produced, whether the call is timed, and the content of the record. In theory, all of the charging information in a CO is also in the tariff. But the CO doesn't know about things like Night-time discounts, volume discounts, directory assistance credits, etc. That's the job of the Accounting Office, where the AMA data is processed and turned into "bills". Now, to (finally!) get to the questions. >>> Additionally, can someone explain to me what distinguishes local calls >>> from toll calls? Are all calls within a LATA local? Does physical >>> proximity have anything to do with determining whether a call is local >>> (i.e. is it always the case that calling a couple of blocks away will >>> be a local call)? Assuming physical proximity had something to do >> It is mostly distance based. Each prefix has a set of prefixes which >> are local from it (out here, one prefix away is local, further away is >> toll). The distance (fairly directly) between the originating Rate Center and the Rate Center of the terminating line are a major basis for rates of longer-distance calls. Since most COs cannot associate an Office Code (NXX, not a "prefix" - "1" and "10XXX" are prefixes) with more than 1 Rate Center, one could say the rate is a function of the distance between the originating or terminating NPA-NXXs. But for intra-LATA calls, that's only one of many factors involved in the rate -- after all, the inter-office circuit costs are a small part of the total call cost when the distance is very short. > It is my understanding that here in central PA (USA), that a call from > the 814-383 (Zion) exchange to 814-238 (State College) is a local > call, but vice versa is TOLL (intra-LATA). There are probably instances of this within every LATA. It is particularly common for Independent Telcos to have one rate for calling another LEC's lines and another for the call in the other direction. After all, the costs that are bundled in the rate calculation are going to be different for each company. Maybe one offers a large 'free' call area and recovers the cost partly from higher 'toll' charges. And since the COS of the callers could differ (let's say one is a business line), it's even more common than you might think. To justify my definitions, I tried to consider as "local" all the single Message Unit areas, hotels that charge $50 for what would be a "free" call, un-timed coin calls, etc. They aren't "free", but they aren't "toll" either. Note that there are also areas where ICs handle Intra-LATA traffic, where every call is timed, where LECs handle Inter-LATA traffic, etc. Add in FX and OPX lines, and it becomes very difficult to say which calls are "local". Al Varney - just MY opinion. ------------------------------ Date: 15 Aug 92 11:24:49 EDT From: Alan Boritz <72446.461@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: Local Call Determination dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) writes: >> Additionally, can someone explain to me what distinguishes local calls >> from toll calls? Are all calls within a LATA local? > In NYTel land (area code 516 - Long Island) local calls are CO based. > If the number being called is in an adjacent CO or the local one > (where your number is based), then the call is free depending on the > type of billing plan (Flat Rate or Message Rate). This can lead to > some very wierd situations. I just noticed a wierd one over here. I was going to make a "local" call to my apartment in Mahwah, NJ, from a LEC payphone in Ramapo, NY, the next town north by two or three miles. NY Tel's typically abusive cash price was over $2.50 for the first three minutes. It's literally cheaper to call California than it is to call to the next town from Ramapo, NY. So much for adjacent COs supposedly being cheaper ... Alan Boritz 72446.461@compuserve.com ------------------------------ From: leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) Subject: Re: Local Call Determination Reply-To: 70465.203@compuserve.com Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon. Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 05:22:14 GMT Peter M. Weiss writes: > It is my understanding that here in central PA (USA), that a call from > the 814-383 (Zion) exchange to 814-238 (State College) is a local > call, but vice versa is TOLL (intra-LATA). Such arrangements don't last too long. At least not once people figure it out. Here in Oregon, there was a similar situation between a couple of suburbs of Portland (back in the early 70s). Folks I knew in Tigard would call their friends in Milwaukie for free. If the friends wanted to call, they'd call up and say "Call us!". And then the real call would be free ... BBS operators use similar "tricks". Since you can call out on a line that has call forwarding without interfering with the forwarding, sysops in the "fringe" areas, get someone in the "core" area to set up a line that is call forwarded to their BBS. This lets folks in the *rest* of the fringe areas (which are usually toll calls from other fringe areas) make a free call to the core area. I recently heard of a BBS in CA (Long Beach?) where the sysop has such arrangements with people out to quite a distance. The person describing it on Fido said that the call went through four hops between his house and BBS! Leonard Erickson leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com CIS: [70465,203] 70465.203@compuserve.com FIDO: 1:105/51 Leonard.Erickson@f51.n105.z1.fidonet.org (The CIS & Fido addresses are preferred) [Moderator's Note: I did this for awhile with my recorded message service back in 1973-74. Someone living in Joliet, IL had a metro area unlimited line which included all of northern Illinois and Chicago. I paid the cost for a real cheap incoming only (no outgoing calls without extra expense) line for him to receive calls on. He made his outgoing calls on the unlimited line which he also left forwarded at all times to my number in downtown Chicago. People in Aurora, Joliet and Will County called that number locally. Eventually IBT got sore about it and we turned it off rather than argue with them. PAT] ------------------------------ From: spencer@phoenix.princeton.edu (S. Spencer Sun) Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Reply-To: spencer@phoenix.princeton.edu (S. Spencer Sun) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 21:11:33 GMT Something that came to mind as I read Paul's article (and mailed it to him thereupon) but which no one has mentioned publicly yet -- the low-tech solution. This should work for ANY beeper using touch tone, although I haven't tried it myself (disclaimer, disclaimer) Simply issue ATDT,,, and insert enough commas to get past the ringing. I think each comma is two seconds or something. (No guarantees, but someone please try this out and lemme know if it works :-) ) I guess you need a modem that's capable of dialing the # sign (let's NOT get into a thread on how to pronounce that) ... my Dad had three beepers and they all had you use # to signal the end of the number. Although if I remember correctly you could just wait like three seconds and it would assume you were done. The opinions expressed in this article are solely mine. sss/PU'94 Dept of CS (spencer@phoenix.princeton.edu)/JvNCnet (spencer@jvnc.net) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 19:13:54 PDT From: rah@btr.com (Richard A Hyde rah@btr.com) Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Organization: BTR Public Access UNIX, MtnView CA. I have a program that I wrote doing this at work. I use a Macintosh to periodically dial up and assess the health of a mainframe computer. Should the program detect anything wrong, it dials a series of pager numbers, pauses a bit for the pager beep-beep-beep prompt to complete,] and then sends a ten digit Touch-Tone(tm) code down the line. The recipient of the page then looks up the code to determine what should be done to correct the problem. No problem. It works the same as if you dialed the pager number from your phone. Richard Hyde RaH@btr.com ------------------------------ From: hhallika@zeus.calpoly.edu (Harold Hallikainen) Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 06:45:07 GMT I remember seeing an ad for a TSR program for PCs for driving pagers. It was called Pop Page. It costs $19.95 from: Statistical Control Systems 3430 27th Parkway Sarasota, FL 34235 +1 813 954 8816 Harold Hallikainen ap621@Cleveland.Freenet.edu Hallikainen & Friends, Inc. hhallika@pan.calpoly.edu 141 Suburban Road, Bldg E4 phone 805 541 0200 fax 544 6715 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7590 telex 4932775 HFI UI ------------------------------ Date: 15 Aug 92 11:25:24 EDT From: Alan Boritz <72446.461@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem pfalstad@phoenix.princeton.edu (Paul Falstad) writes: > Hi! My boss has a Bell South Mobilecom pager. Apparently, there's a > way to trigger it from a modem. Anyone know how to do this? Why not ask Bell South, or is that a too obvious solution? ------------------------------ From: mailrus!gatech!eecom!wberbeni@uunet.UU.NET (W. Berbenich) Subject: Re: What Number am I Calling From? Organization: Georgia Tech Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 21:22:58 GMT In article ricochet@spatula.rent.com (Rick O'Shea) writes: > Is there a way to get the number of the phone you're calling from? > For example, the payphone in my laundromat isn't marked and the store > owner says he doesn't know what it is. There's times when it would be > more convenient to have somebody call me back, but if I don't know the > number, how can they? If you are a subscriber to the AT&T EasyReach 700 service, you can forward your calls "to the number you are calling from." The service will read back that number to you. You can then abort the call without actually activating (or changing) the forwarding. I don't know whether it is ANI or another method which is used to identify the number you are calling from. I haven't experimented much with it yet. Bill Berbenich - School of EE, DSP Lab ------------------------------ From: fff@microplex.com (Fred Fierling) Subject: Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines Organization: Microplex Systems Ltd. Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 01:04:59 GMT In article gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) writes: > Most answering machines made today sound like unqualified pieces of > junk, particularly to the caller listening to the OGM. The condenser > mics in most machines sound tinny, and pick up motor noise. I felt the same way last time I went shopping for a machine. I found that the Sony TAM-50 has pretty good reproduction and it's OGM is digitally recorded so there's no moving parts nor tape to wear out. Fred Fierling fff@microplex.com Tel: 604 875-1461 Fax: 604 875-9029 Microplex Systems Ltd 265 East 1st Avenue Vancouver, BC V5T 1A7, Canada ------------------------------ From: drawson@sagehen.Tymnet.COM (Dick Rawson) Subject: Re: Good *Sounding* Answering Machines Date: 14 Aug 92 15:33:33 GMT Organization: BT North America (Tymnet) > Most answering machines made today sound like unqualified pieces of > junk, particularly to the caller listening to the OGM. The condenser > mics in most machines sound tinny, and pick up motor noise. First try an easy fix -- talk close to the microphone. Get it close, but to one side of your mouth to reduce sounds of breathing into the mic element. The automatic level control in the recording path usually reduces audio gain so as not to overload the recording - this cuts down the background noise, room echos, and motor noise. Talking closely also reduces the tinny sound. Whether it's enough of an improvement is a question you have to decide. I've found I like the result. Dick ------------------------------ From: gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) Subject: Best Sounding Phones Organization: Columbia University Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 14:13:51 GMT Since we've already discussed answering machines, I thought I'd throw this one out to net.land. Which phones made today have the best transmission/reception quality? So many of them are such *junk*, even many of the AT&T models. It's hard to beat the sound (or the ergonomics) of a good ol' WECO 500/2500. Several years ago I used a one-piece phone called a Krone (I think it was German made) and the sound quality in both directions was amazing. Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ. gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu N2GPZ in ham radio circles 72355,1226 on CI$ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 12:41 EDT From: fybush@unixland.natick.ma.us (Scott Fybush) Subject: Re: How Do I Run This Line? I guess I'm lucky. It's been my experience with New England Tel that what they call "dual service" is automatic when you move. On my last move three months ago, the number rang in both locations for three days, and on my next move next week, it will ring two places for a week. And unlike our Moderator, NETel does it for free! (or at least without charging anything above the $60 or so moving cost). N.B. These moves were/will be within the same switch, keeping the same number, so I don't know what NETel's policy is for moves to a different switch area. ------------------------------ From: mc/G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU=0205925@mhs.attmail.com Date: 15 Aug 92 16:21:34 GMT Subject: Re: The Second Phone Call And when he attempted the next phone call, poor Mr. Bell couldn't get through to Mr. Watson because his experimental telephone switch was being used to sell concert tickets. J. Brad Hicks mhs!mc!Brad_Hicks@attmail.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #632 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa19005; 15 Aug 92 21:42 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA08549 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 20:02:06 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20255 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 15 Aug 1992 20:01:56 -0500 Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 20:01:56 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208160101.AA20255@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #633 TELECOM Digest Sat, 15 Aug 92 20:02:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 633 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Old Dogs Learn Faster! (Mickey Ferguson) Re: Switching Systems (Steven S. Brack) Re: Fiber-Optic Cable Demo (Richard A. Hyde) Re: Neophyte Long Distance Questions (Leonard Erickson) Re: SupraFAXModem 14.4 Voice Upgrade - What is it? (Brad Hicks) Re: Brief Summary of Service From German Telekom (Christof A. Neumann) Re: Cellular Telephone Eavesdropping Scandal in Minnesota (Bill Sohl) Re: St. Louis Cable Thefts (Pat Turner) Re: Phone Voice-Changing Chip? (Dan Odom) Re: Panel Still in Use? (Steven S. Brack) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 16:22:45 PDT From: mickeyf@vnet.ibm.com (Mickey Ferguson) Subject: Re: Old Dogs Learn Faster! Organization: Rolm In TELECOM Digest V12 No. 615 (item 16) BOB VOGEL writes: ... much stuff omitted ... > How do we enrich our brain? By reading TELECOM Digest, of course. > And the 80+ year olds probably get more out of it than anyone younger > can. > [Moderator's Note: Blush ... thanks for your kind comments. PAT] Pat, depending on how one interprets the above, it could be a slam instead. The info in the Digest is only useful to the 80+ since anyone younger would already know it. :) Think about it ... but not too hard - don't want to tax the ol' noggin! :) :) :) Mickey Ferguson -- Rolm -- FergusoM at scrvm2 -- mickeyf@vnet.ibm.com ------------------------------ Date: 15 Aug 1992 23:21:42 -0400 (EDT) From: sbrack@jupiter.cse.UTOLEDO.edu (Steven S. Brack) Subject: Re: Switching Systems I have, over the year I've read the Digest, become fairly telecom literate. Recently, people have talked about a type of swiotch called a "panel" switch. Could someone tell me what panel is, and how it differs from crossbar or SxS switches? Steve Brack ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 20:14:35 PDT From: rah@btr.com (Richard A Hyde rah@btr.com) Subject: Re: Fiber-Optic Cable Demo Organization: BTR Public Access UNIX, MtnView CA I was walking along the CalTrain commuter line the other day, admiring the ATT, MCI *and* Sprint signs warning me not not dig up their fiber, when a question came to mind ... Suppose, on a dark night, (hypothetically, mind you), I dug up a major fiber trunk and sliced it in half. What would I see? Could I use it like a flashlight? Would the cut end sparkle (assuming that the computer continued to send data)? Would there just be a dim glow? Enquiring minds, and all that... :-) Richard Hyde | RaH@btr.com ------------------------------ From: leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) Subject: Re: Neophyte Long Distance Questions Reply-To: 70465.203@compuserve.com Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon. Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 05:35:19 GMT daniels@xstor.com (Daniel A. Segel) writes: > I have a few questions about just what is going on when I place a call > from work (near San Jose, CA) to, say, Japan. > There are two major variables that seem to change for every call I > make. > Number one is that sometimes there is a long delay between what I say > and the answer I get from the other person, which can lead to real > difficulty in carrying on a conversation. This delay is not always > there, however. > Secondly, the line noise is sometimes considerably higher than other > times. > Is this in some way related to calls going through a satellite versus > going through cables under the ocean? What are the distance involved? > I thought the satellite were in geosycnhronous orbit about 22,000 > miles out, but even that distance should only delay the signal about > .25 seconds (there and back). Is one method of carrying the signal > inherently more noisy than the other? Actually it's .5 seconds. You forgot that the signal has to travel the full loop. You say "Hello" .125 sec; voice reaches satellite .25 sec; voice reaches other party (variable delay in audio-electrochemical intrerface and processor :-) they respond .375+x; their response reaches satellite .5+x; you hear their response. With an undersea cable you've got a full loop distance of less than 12,000 miles. say .1 seconds? Leonard Erickson leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com CIS: [70465,203] 70465.203@compuserve.com FIDO: 1:105/51 Leonard.Erickson@f51.n105.z1.fidonet.org (The CIS & Fido addresses are preferred) ------------------------------ From: mc/G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU=0205925@mhs.attmail.com Date: 15 Aug 92 15:59:36 GMT Subject: Re: SupraFAXModem 14.4 Voice Upgrade - What is it? I have a SupraFaxModem V.32bis at home, and we're buying scads and scads of them here at MasterCard. (That's not an official MasterCard endorsement, just a statement of fact.) I personally think that they're the slickest thing on the market, other than a slight tendency on the part of my home unit to warm up a bit after it's been on for a while, and I know of nothing that beats it in price/performance. I paid $325 (to Software Plus, here in St. Louis) for a modem that supports all speeds up to 14.4 kbps V.32bis, data and fax, both MNP5 and V.42bis compression, and all error correction standards up through MNP10, including a cable that can handle hardware flow control, and your choice of DOS, Windows, or Mac software for terminal emulation and background and scheduled fax send/receive. The physical hardware is about 2/3 the size of a cheap paperback book, has an internal speaker, seperate line and phone jacks, and a clever front-panel: only a few lights (OH, SD, RD, and TR), and a two-character alpha-numeric display that shows the rest of the status. For example, when connected to another SFM V.32bis, it might rotate between "CD" (carrier detect), "144" (14.4 kbps), and "LP" (LAPM, or V.42bis data compression). (I know, "144" is three characters. It's a bit-mapped display, so they squeeze the first "14" onto one display character.) And it auto-buffers connect speeds, so if you want, you can just set your comm software to 57.6 kbps (or whatever your serial port can handle) and let it handle the difference. The Supra literature I've seen most recently says that there will be a PROM and software upgrade available soon that will allow it to handle voice mail as well, plus deliver Calling Number ID (presumably as part of the RING message). This was announced at the February (SanFran) MacWorld Expo for August, but now the ads read "3Q92" ... par for the course, their Macintosh fax software vendor ran them about a month over their last target date. On a reasonable analog line with uncompressed data, V.32 bis plus V.42 bis ought to average about 4 x 14.4 kbps, or 57.6 kbps. That's close enough to one ISDN B channel that I'm not going to work myself up into a lather waiting for ISDN. At a recent party, I got into a brief discussion with a bunch of people who were claiming that the Telebit T.3000 (?) did everything the SupraFaxModem V.32bis did plus Telebit's PEP and PEP2 protocols, for about the same price. Is this true? J. Brad Hicks Internet: mhs!mc!Brad_Hicks@attmail.com X.400: c=US admd=ATTmail prmd=MasterCard sn=Hicks gn=Brad I am not an official MasterCard spokesperson, and the message above does not contain official MasterCard statements or policies. ------------------------------ From: neumann@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Christof A. Neumann) Subject: Re: Brief Summary of Service From German Telekom Organization: Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Germany Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 10:56:18 +0200 In article Christopher Lott AGSE writes: > There doesn't seem to be an operator here! I had trouble calling > Koblenz one day (bad connection) and wanted help dialing, but there > did not seem to be any way of getting help. I even called the > damage-report people and they weren't too helpful. If you want to have assistance in placing a call you may call the "Fernamt": 010 (national) or 0010 (international). Christof A. Neumann Munich University of Technology ------------------------------ From: dancer!whs70@uunet.UU.NET (Bill Sohl) Subject: Re: Cellular Telephone Eavesdropping Scandal in Minnesota Reply-To: dancer!whs70@uunet.UU.NET Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 14:33:29 GMT In article bruce@zuhause.mn.org writes: > Here in Minnesota, there's been a political scandal over the > dissemination of a tape recording of a cellular telephone > conversation. The person who was recorded was someone (I believe a > lawyer or lobbiest) who was hoping to get a job from the state > administration, the person recording it was a state department of > transportation (DOT) employee (who recorded it at home), and it was > passed around the DOT. Stuff about political race deleted ... > Unfortunately for Grundseth (former gobernatorial candidate) , the > major repercussion seems to have fallen upon him and the man who taped > the conversation in the first place. More stuff deleted ... > There's been some thought to prosecuting Grundseth for sending > copies all over the place, but I don't think there have been any > formal charges yet. I'm not an attorney, but what could they prosecute Grundseth for? The only lawbreaker (ECPA violations) I can see is the guy that actually listened to and taped the cellular call. Possession of and/or distribution of copies of that recording wouldn't (to the best of my knowledge) be a violation of the law. Any attorney types out there that can shed more light on this. At worst, I'd say that Grundseth was "guilty" of unethical/dirty politics if he was involved in the passing around of the tapes, but that is all. Standard Disclaimer- Any opinions, etc. are mine and NOT my employer's. Bill Sohl (K2UNK) BELLCORE (Bell Communications Research, Inc.) Morristown, NJ email via UUCP bcr!dancer!whs70 201-829-2879 Weekdays email via Internet whs70@dancer.cc.bellcore.com ------------------------------ From: turner@Dixie.COM Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 18:11 EDT From: rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP Subject: Re: St. Louis Cable Thefts > Also, neither in the above nor in the TV news did anyone ask or > address one possible solution and prevention of this situation -- > replacing copper with fiber. I'm surprised the telco doesn't take the > opportunity to replace the aerial cable with fiber in these areas > where the cable was stolen. (Or would that cost a vast amount more, > requiring some sort of powered fiber-to-copper converters at every > line drop? They will steal fiber just as readily as copper, only to latter discover that is is worthless. I have been told by a MCI fiber tech that they have had fiber stolen, only to have the criminal return to cut even more of it because they felt they were cheated. When I installed some fiber in downtown Memphis we had to close up the hand-holds every night to protect the fiber (normally you could figure 8 the cable and leave it out.) Several telcos I know of have gone to using insulated grounding wire instead of bare bare copper, as it reduces the value if it is stolen. If you want to talk about really bad vandalism, one of the power companies in either New England or the West had a problem with people climbing high voltage transmission lines towers and stealing aluminum crossmembers off the pole. They had experienced several failures (read 360 kV line fell to the ground) and a lot of costs replacing the missing parts. An education program targeted at the scrap metals dealers in the state solved the problem. > Just how does a telco handle the transition from fiber strung between > the poles to copper pairs going into a house? What happens to > telco-line-powered devices in this circumstance? How is ring current > generated? Are there separate fiber-to-copper convrters for every > drop, or still a copper multi-pair cable for the neighborhood with one > central fiber-to-copper unit up a pole somewhere, with its own > electric meter and hooked to electric lines, mainline fiber, and > neighborhood copper distribution? Does having fiber-to-copper, or even > fiber to the home, mean that your phone service dies when electric > power dies? Or is the fiber paralleled with current-carrying wires to > provide CO battery to the drops?) Fiber in the Loop right now uses DLC (Digital Loop Carrier) such as a SLC-96 (tm AT&T) to convert hicap digital lines to analog or 2B1Q lines for either ISDN or digital pair gain. A SLC is usually provided with local mains power as well as battery backup. The SLC contains line cards like those used in a D4 channel bank to interface to the analog subscriber loop. These cards can be anything from loop start 2 wire POTS to various flavors of E and M to BRITE (Basic Rate Interface Terminal Equipiment) cards for delivering ISDN. The SLC can do some concentration or it can give every subscriber a digital bit stream back to the CO. Without concentration, it will deliver 96 loops from 5 T1s. The T1's can be fed from a colocated MUX, from a distant MUX or from a CO. The SLC can be pole mounted, located on a concrete pad or in a CEV (Controled Enviroment Vault), or located at the customers premise. Fiber terminating at a customer's premise can also be used to delever DDS service with a very low BER. Fiber is also used to connect to remote switches in rural and very populated areas. Pat Turner KB4GRZ turner@dixie.com. [Moderator's Note: This message appeared earlier in the Digest but due to technical errors had portions mixed up. It is repeated here as it should have appeared the first time -- I hope! PAT] ------------------------------ From: danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Dan Odom) Subject: Re: Phone Voice-Changing Chip? Date: 15 Aug 1992 17:33:15 -0500 Organization: Kansas State University astlc@acad2.alaska.edu (Tom Claydon) writes: > Recently I've seen ads for "voice changing phones which use some sort > of A-to-D real-time sample-and-hold chip to speed up/slow down the > voice information before it is transmitted. Does anyone have any > information on what type of chip they are using to accomplish this? It's not an A/D chip, it's a DSP chip, which is the same thing but a different name (I think). A DSP is a souped-up microprocessor that is designed to process analog data (i.e. sound). There's a schematic for the kind of thing you're talking about in the Spetember issue of {Radio Electronics.} Dan Odom danodom@matt.ksu.ksu.edu ------------------------------ Date: 15 Aug 1992 16:14:02 -0400 (EDT) From: sbrack@jupiter.cse.UTOLEDO.edu (Steven S. Brack) Subject: Re: Panel Still in Use? In article dave@westmark.com (Dave Levenson) writes: > I remember reading that the last panel dial office in the US was > retired from service in Newark, NJ, in the early 1980's. I don't know > how many step-by-step switches are still in service, but I think some > rural areas with very small telephone populations still use them. I remember seeing a human interest program called "Inside America," which talked about a telco called Century Telephone which serves subscribers in a little-populated rural area. All service is manual, with such beasts as 17 party lines not being uncommon. They had a short interview with one of the townspeople's daughter who went away to college in California. She talked about how none of the LD operators will believe the phone number she gives them, something like 3314TG (not exactly, but close). I'm intersted in knowing what is meant when one speaks of "panel." Is that another word for switchboard, or is it some anti-Strowger monstrosity? [Moderator's Note: Well, you are the second person today to ask for a more precise definition of panel (as in type of central office.) Maybe someone will write an article on the differences between panel and other older types of equipment. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #633 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa17975; 16 Aug 92 12:38 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA28914 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 16 Aug 1992 10:43:15 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA22202 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 16 Aug 1992 10:43:05 -0500 Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 10:43:05 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208161543.AA22202@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #634 TELECOM Digest Sun, 16 Aug 92 10:43:02 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 634 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Unreliable Call Return Feature on Southwestern Bell (Rex Black) Call Return vs. Call Forward (Jim Rees) CIDCO CID Unit Instructions Needed (Gantt Edmiston) AT&T SDN, New Calling Cards (Daniel Wynalda) Minor Error in New German Area Codes List (Thomas Diessel) Desperately Seeking Adam (All Digital Answering Machine) (Derek Andrew) Synchronous Modem Questions (Kamran Husain) Summer Telecom Internships in the Bay Area? (Neil Kruse) PC-Based Automated Messaging Systems Information Request (Gary Morrison) Who Administers the 800 Number Space? (Jon Krueger) Proposed Stratus Computer Newsgroup (shuford@cs.utk.edu) Toshiba Phone System For Sale or Trade (Jason Galanter) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 18:23:20 CDT From: rex@iqsc.COM (Rex Black) Subject: Unreliable Call Return Feature on Southwestern Bell I originally posted this article to the Risks Digest, where it generated a lot of comment and questions. A fellow reader suggested that the conversation be moved here so it could generate more light than heat. Rex -------ORIGINAL POSTING------- I know that caller ID has generated a number of discussions about privacy and risks to individuals. I'd like to pass on a personal experience I had with a related technology, call return. I was using my modem and computer to telecommute on Sunday afternoon. Shortly after hanging up, my phone rang. The caller asked with whom she was speaking. I responded by asking who she was trying to reach. It turned out that she had just been the victim of a harassing phone call. Southwestern Bell has a phone feature (call return) that allows a person to press a star-sequence (i.e., *1) to call back the last caller. According to the phone salesman who (aggressively) marketed it to me when I had my phone connected three months ago, it uses the same logic as caller ID. (He mentioned that Southwest Bell would offer caller ID in the fall.) He promoted call return as a "great way to deal with obscene or harassing callers." My experience Sunday afternoon points out a serious risk associated with such technology. Clearly, the system has a bug. That bug lead someone to believe that I was harassing them. Depending on what was said, the system identified me as a misdemeanant or a felon. On Monday, I called Southwestern Bell and explained my concern. While the person I spoke with understood my concern, he did not help. He repeated the standard disclaimer about "no phone system is perfect, the phone company can not guarantee accuracy, blah, blah, CYA, CSWBA..." I did manage to get from him some further information: First, this was hardly the first time this happened. He mentioned that incidents like mine occur frequently. Second, the phone company's policy requires that, before turning a case over to the police, someone must repeatedly call and harass someone. One instance does not suffice. I then called the P.U.C. I spoke with a woman there who, when she realized I was calling to voice concerns about caller ID and call return, adopted a very tired tone of voice. She gave me a docket number and said that I should send in my comments to the P.U.C. I asked about groups who may have joined fight against such technology. She said that SWB had just submitted the caller ID request, but she expected that a number of people would get involved in the ensuing discussion. She did not sound pleased at the prospect. Rex [Moderator's Note: It either identified you as one of those things, or it possibly identified the person who returned the call to you as a crackpot, which is not unheard of. Nothing is perfect, but I would not resist this technology simply because of occassional errors. PAT] ------------------------------ From: rees@dabo.citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) Subject: Call Return vs. Call Forward Reply-To: Jim.Rees@umich.edu Organization: University of Michigan IFS Project Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 01:34:57 GMT How does Call Return interact with Call Forwarding? If I forward my phone to an innocent third party, then make a nuisance call, and the victim of the nuisance call does a Call Return, will the victim ring me or the innocent third party? ------------------------------ From: sasbge@unx.sas.com (Gantt Edmiston) Subject: CIDCO CID unit instructions needed Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 02:30:23 GMT Organization: SAS Institute Inc. I just received my Caller ID box from Hello Direct. Unfortunately, the HD Inc. folks were so concerned about filling my back order that they failed to include the owner's manual! Now I'm all set but completely in the dark. I have a CIDCO Caller ID box, Model SA-60A-01. It has 60 call memory and runs off a 9 volt battery or an optional AC adapter. The "feature" list suggests that an "Owner's guide" is inside, but it's not. I called Hello Direct and they apologized and promised to ship out the manual as soon as they got some in. =-( According to the box, this unit will work with either CND or CNAM services. If someone out there on the net has one of these beasts, please send me some quick pointers to at least get this thing working. The box itself has two RJ11 jacks, a power jack and three push buttons marked "Delete" and << Review >> (back and forward). It has an LCD screen that, according to the box, is contrast adjustable. I can tell by inserting the battery, that the unit has a clock and date display along with the phone number, person's name and call position number. The unit is small, about the size of a pocket calculator. Best I can determine, it's programmable. Most probably via DTMF key sequences with the attached phone set. This is only a guess. Anyone who know, please tell me what's really the truth! Any help would be most appreciated. Email your responses to me and if you want to know what information I receive, email and I will forward the info to you as well. Thanks in advance. Gantt Edmiston QA Host Systems, V416 x6091 SASnet: ------------------------------ Subject: AT&T SDN; New Calling Cards Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 10:14:17 EDT From: Daniel Wynalda Today I recieved the following in the mail and thought it would be of interest to TELECOM Digest readers: --- begin quote --- Dear Network Service/AT&T Customer, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for using the AT&T private network. You can continue receiving large discounts and high quality on the AT&T SDN network. In our continuing effort to serve you better, I would like to announce two (2) new services that will save your company time and money. First, is the "Call America Preferred" calling card. If your company has people on the road, this card can save you 25% on local calling card calls and is 40% less than standard AT&T calling card rates for long distance. All calls are carried on the AT&T SDN network. Along with your savings, consider these added advantages: One (1) card is all you need for local or long distance calling. Calling card traffic is included in your AT&T bill with the summary reports you have come to expect. Because it's 800# access, you will never receive a bill from an alternate operator service that might cost 200% more. ALL calls will be carried by AT&T. Your PIN number is your social security number plus zero, so you don't have a lot of numbers to remember. If you would like cards for your company, please fill out the enclosed order form, or for further details please call our customer service department. There is no cost for the cards. The second service available is authorization codes which allow you to enter a two (2) digit code to add security and accounting capabilities to your specific location. These codes are also available to you at no cost. If you are interested or need additional details call us at 1-800-xxx-xxxx, we are here to serve you. xxxxxxx xxxxx Customer Service Manager --- end quote --- Things I notice of specific interest: 1. 800 number access to an *AT&T* long distance network (as opposed to 10288 or 10732 access) -- this is new to my knowledge. 2. Social security number plus zero for calling card number. I don't know that I really like giving out my social security number to the telephone company so I can make calls *AT WORK*. Something seems risky -- but still convenient. Just thought people might like to know some of the things going on in the SDN world... BTW I have been very happy with the service. I get listings of numbers called most often, longest calls, area code studies, line studies, etc all on my bill in the way I like them. -- All FREE, and cheaper than standard LD. Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Network Services/AT&T or any other company mentioned here other than as a satisfied customer. Daniel Wynalda | (616) 866-1561 X22 Ham:N8KUD Net:danielw@wyn386.mi.org Wynalda Litho Inc. | 8221 Graphic Industrial Pk. | Rockford, MI 49341 ------------------------------ From: diessel@informatik.unibw-muenchen.de (Thomas Diessel) Subject: Minor Error in New German Area Codes List Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 9:41:49 MET DST Dear Sirs, Unfortunately there is a minor error in the new German area codes list I sent to you. Just the day after I sent it I received a new area codes list from German Telekom (after some months of waiting). It shows that I forgot one of the last recent area code changes in (West) Germany. So, please make the following changes to the list (UNIX diff: < NEW, > OLD): 21c21 < Telekom, 1992, KNr 652 467 730-0 --- > Telekom, 1992 23c23 < FTZ, 1991, KNr 652 417 000-1 --- > FTZ, 1986 66,68c66 < 2064 Dinslaken (was 2134 until 9/30/91) < 2065 Duisburg-Rheinhausen (was 2135 until 9/30/91) < 2066 Duisburg-Homberg (was 2136 until 9/30/91) --- > 206 (unused) 72a71 > 2101 Neuss 77,80d75 < 2131 Neuss (was 2101 until 6/30/91) < 2132 Meerbusch-Bu:derich (was 2105 until 6/30/91) < 2133 Dormagen (was 2106 until 6/30/91) < 2137 Neuss-Norf (was 2107 until 6/30/91) The main thing is that now 206 is used. I also added the order number for the Telekom papers I used. I'm sorry for sending the incorrect list to you, having you to change it again. Sincerely yours, Thomas Diessel Federal Armed Forces University, Munich - Computer Science Department Werner-Heisenberg-Weg 39 - W-8014 Neubiberg Germany ------------------------------ From: andrew@jester.USask.ca (Derek Andrew) Subject: Desperately Seeking Adam (All Digital Answering Machine) Reply-To: andrew@jester.USask.ca Organization: University of Saskatchewan Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 18:33:34 +0100 This is a survey which attempts to find the best tape-less telephone answering machine on the market. I am restricting the search to standalone tapeless machines for the following reasons: 1. Mechanical machines may be subject to wear and tear; 2. Digital machines should have certain neat features such as being able to delete the second of three messages, or being able to playback the message at different speeds; 3. Not worrying about what else is required as in the case of a plug in board for a PC or a ZyXel modem. The machines I am aware of are listed below with my comments. I do not have personal experience with any of them and am soliciting your views. Please tell me about any machines that are not on this list. Prices are in Canadian dollars and are included only for relative comparison. All machines listed support remote operation from a DTMF telephone. General Electric 9821 This machine is a telephone with an answering machine built in. It uses the microphone in the telephone handset and the speaker is the earpiece. It does not include a speaker and does not allow call screening. It can record up to two minutes of messages. Cost is about $60 to $80. No record of time and date of the call is logged. This unit is being discontinued in favour of ... General Electric 9831 This model includes a telephone but also allows call screening (I assume through an external speaker.) It costs around $150 and records up to ten minutes worth of messages. Time and date of the call is recorded as well. ADAM (All Digital Answering Machine) from Phonemate This unit is a telephone and answering machine combined. Unfortunately, I have only seen it advertised on the Canadian Home Shopping Channel for about $250, regularly $300. The announcer claimed it had all the features you would want, but only detailed the following: it has a LCD display which told the time and date of the call during playback (I assume this was voice synthesized for remote operation); it could be programmed to phone a particular number after it had taken a message (a step up from you having to call it to get your messages); and the telephone could store several numbers. It could vary the speed that messages were played back. ATT 1337 This is a standalone unit capable of recording seven minutes of messages for about $150. It allows call screening and has a digital readout telling how many messages have been recorded. It does not appear to record the time and date of the call. Please send your responses to me at Andrew@Sask.USask.CA and I will post a summary. Please try to include suppliers and prices if you have them. Thanks. Derek Andrew, Manager of Computer Network & Technical Services University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Saskachewan, Canada, S7N 0W0 Andrew@Sask.USask.CA, +1-306-966-4808, 52 11 23N 106 48 48W ------------------------------ From: khx@se44.wg2.waii.com (K Husain) Subject: Synchronous Modem Questions Date: 16 Aug 92 16:53:37 GMT Reply-To: khx@se44.wg2.waii.com I recently acquired two synchronous astrocom modems from a junk sale. They are blue boxes, 9"wide x 11"long x ~2"high. From the switches on the front panel, I can switch from 2.4 up to 19.2 Kbps. There is analog / digital mode switch too. There are four screws at the back marked Receive tip/ring and Transmit tip/ring. The label at the back reads: Astrocom Corp. ST PAUL MINNESOTA DESC. MOS/2 1. I presume speed of xmission using these modems is inversely related to distance. Therefore going thru a SWBell phone connection may not be a good idea since the path to the CO and back may be miles. Is this a correct assumption? [The answer to the next question may be in an FAQ list, but I cannot find the FAQ list. ;(] 2. Does anyone know how I can hook these up to talk between two remote PCs? Since these are synchronous modems. I know it will be a pain not having the ability to dial, etc. But just as a thought, how difficult would it be to get one of these to talk to another asynch modem? In order to save bandwidth please send me direct response and if it's okay with Pat and I get enough responses I'll summarize later. Thanks, gang. Kamran khx@se44.wg2.waii.com [Moderator's Note: The FAQ will be found in the Telecom Archives which is accessible using anonymous FTP at lcs.mit.edu. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 16 Aug 92 10:52:00 -0700 From: KRUSE_NEIL@tandem.com Subject: Summer Telecom Internships in the Bay Area? My brother is a first year telecom graduate student at Golden Gate University, which is located in the San Fancisco Bay Area. He is interested in any sort of internship to get some experience outside of the classroom. If you have any leads of companies in the Bay Area that are hiring for these sort of positions, please drop me a line. Thanks. Neil Kruse or KRUSE_NEIL@tandem.com 1600 Villa Street #224 Mountain View, CA. 94041 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 17:27:57 PDT From: Gary Morrison Subject: PC-based Automated Messaging Systems Information Request Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada This is a request for information on the availability of electronic voice messaging systems (both software and hardware). I am looking for a system with the following capabilities: - stand-alone PC-based VOICE MESSAGING for 3-5 users. - IDEALLY, the system would use standard DAT technology recordings for input (thus I could record the voice messages (approximately 1,000 minutes worth) on any DAT machine, transfer them to the computer system, and store each message in its own file). The software would simply read the appropriate file as input when relaying a message to the user. AM I DREAMING? Q: Is software available to do this? Where? How much $$$? Q: Does each software vendor have their own "standard format" for storage of digital voice messages? Is it typical to be locked into of particular vendor once software has been purchased (i.e. if I want to add more messages later can I do it myself or must I send the message to the system vendor to be converted into the appropriate storage format)? - the system allows the caller (using a TOUCH-TONE phone) to select various options and listen to the appropriate messages. - must not be some monstrous PBX multi-user system (SIMPLICITY in maintenance is very important to me ... I don't mind putting in lots of time up front during implementation but after that I want to forget about the thing). - I'd rather have a one-user/one-line system than a high-maintenance multi-user system. If you have implemented a system similar to this, or know of a system (and its associated problems) I would greatly appreciate your suggeestions. Software that resembled C would be preferred (but anything will do ... how difficult can it be anyway!). I'm in the dark ... please enlighten me ... thanks! Gary Morrison ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 23:28:29 -0700 Subject: Who Administers the 800 Numberspace? Reply-To: jpk@Ingres.COM Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501 From: jpk@ingres.com (Jon Krueger) You can get an 800 number from MCI, Sprint, others. Who administers the numberspace? If I get (800) FOO-BARK from MCI, what tells Sprint they can't give someone else the number? Is the numberspace partitioned among carriers? Or what? Also, when someone dials 1-800-FOO-BARK, how does the right carrier make the connection? Jon Krueger jpk@ingres.com [Moderator's Note: Bellcore allocates the space. The prefix, or first three digits following the area code detirmine the carrier. Each carrier has a certain number of three digit codes they are allowed to use and all telcos recognize those codes as belonging to the carrier in question, and hand the call off to them. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 23:22:13 -0400 From: shuford@cs.utk.edu Subject: Proposed Stratus Computer Newsgroup The following Request for Discussion recently appeared in the Usenet "news.groups.announce". This may interest some readers of TELECOM Digest because the fault-tolerant machines made by Stratus Computer Inc. are often found controlling telephone switching equipment. The discussion will be conducted in "news.groups" on Usenet. > From: rmwise@mcigate.apdev.mci.com (Bob_Wise) > Subject: RFD: comp.sys.stratus > Keywords: Stratus, VOS, FTX, fault tolerant, news, mailing list > Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1992 18:45:05 GMT > comp.sys.stratus request for discussion > --------------------------------------- > Name : comp.sys.stratus > Charter : Discussions about the Stratus (and IBM System/88) hardware and > software. Note that the operating system software covered > will include VOS, FTX I (ATT 5.3), and FTX II, (ATT 5.4). > Status : Unmoderated. ------------------------------ From: n3hnr@hpb.cis.pitt.edu (Jason Galanter) Subject: Toshiba Phone System For Sale or Trade Date: 16 Aug 92 00:40:10 GMT Organization: University of Pittsburgh I have a Toshiba phone system for sale. It includes the following: 1 Strata VI Cabinet/backplane 2 MCOU-MF2 2 MSTU2 1 MCCU2 1 MTOU2 8 EKT2102 telephone sets. This system supports six CO lines and many extensions, music on hold, paging and much more. As of yesterday it was tested completely functional. Make me an offer. Jason Galanter / N3HNR n3hnr@hpb.cis.pitt.edu 322 Mall Blvd., Suite 306 galanter+@pitt.edu Monroeville, PA 15146 (412) 521-6042 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #634 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa22190; 16 Aug 92 13:06 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00893 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 16 Aug 1992 11:16:31 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10883 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 16 Aug 1992 11:16:24 -0500 Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 11:16:24 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208161616.AA10883@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #635 TELECOM Digest Sun, 16 Aug 92 11:16:23 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 635 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Agreement Reached At Pacific Telesis (Phillip Dampier) Union Continues to Talk With Bell Atlantic (Phillip Dampier) CWA on Free Trade (Phillip Dampier) Getting Ohio Bell to Fix my Line Noise (Steven S. Brack) US West Tries Again to Offer CLASS in Arizona (Ehud Gavron) AT&T Using AOS Slime Tactics? (Alan Boritz) ADA Elevator Telephone Requirements (Mike Miller) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 02:58:33 -0500 Subject: Agreement Reached At Pacific Telesis AGREEMENT REACHED AT PACIFIC TELESIS; BELL ATLANTIC TALKS CONTINUE HIGHLIGHTS OF PACIFIC TELESIS TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WASHINGTON -- Union and company negotiators at Pacific Telesis reached a tentative contract agreement late on Tuesday night, August 11, for 38,500 workers represented by the Communications Workers of America in California and Nevada. Highlights of that agreement follow. Negotiations continue with Bell Atlantic for some 52,000 union workers represented by CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Major stumbling blocks to an agreement at Bell Atlantic include retiree health care, wages, pensions, sales commissions, employment security, and the company's demand for telecommuting, according to union negotiators. The talks were recessed at 5:30pm yesterday and will likely resume at noon today. "We are still very far apart on the major issues," said CWA spokesman Pat Shelor, "and nowhere near reaching a settlement. But we will continue to negotiate as long as progress is being made." CWA - PACIFIC BELL/NEVADA BELL REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT SAN FRANCISCO -- The Communications Workers of America (CWA), Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell announced that they reached tentative agreement last night on a "progressive" three-year labor contract which provides greater employment security and enhanced wages and benefits to approximately 38,500 employees represented by CWA in California and Nevada. The new pact must be ratified before it becomes effective. "These weren't easy negotiations, but they have resulted in a contract which is fair to employees, customers and shareholders," said Mike Rodriguez, executive director - Human Resources and chief bargainer for the companies. "I'm especially pleased with the progressive aspects of the contract, including the establishment of several joint committees which will enable the companies and CWA to mutually tackle difficult issues early-on," he said. "This will benefit employees while giving the companies more flexibility to serve customers faster and meet the competitive challenges faced in today's telecommunications industry." According to Lorraine Wetle, assistant to Vice President Janice Wood of CWA District 9 and chair of the CWA bargaining team, the negotiations were tough. "However, the collective bargaining process has been tested and, in the end, we think it has met the test of producing a fair bargain -- a contract which makes winners out of both sides." "We are pleased that this tentative agreement achieves the major objectives set by our members and the union's bargaining committee," she said. "First, we achieved a compensation package which reflects the contributions that our members have made to the profitability of the company. Second, it greatly enhances the employment security of union members. Third, it provides a series of improvements and protections for current and future retirees." The wage package -- including job upgrades and special adjustments -- exceeds 12 percent over three years. It also offers an annual incentive award of 5% of an employee's yearly wages if the companies meet their financial and service goals. In the area of pensions, there will be a 13 percent increase effective October 31st, 1992. Employees will also be able to choose between receiving a monthly payment check or receiving a cash-out upon retirement, which could be rolled over into the companies' savings plan or an IRA. In another enhancement to pensions, Pacific Bell employees who are eligible for a service pension as of November 30, 1992 will have the option to retire with a pension computed with an addition of four years to their service and no age-related discount. Greater Employment Security: The new settlement includes several features which will enhance employment security. To help alleviate surplus conditions so that a formal surplus declaration might be avoided, the contract provides the following: involving the union earlier in decisions regarding potential surplus, rearranging potential surplus employees into groups with vacancies, and offering a voluntary early retirement incentive to eligible employees. To give employees and surplus work groups greater access to other jobs, the companies will implement an automated job posting and bidding system. A centralized database will identify available jobs, match employee resumes to current or future jobs, and report back to employees periodically on the status of their job request(s). Surplus employees will also be given priority placement status for jobs, wage protection if placed into a downgraded job, and relocation expense reimbursement if the new position is non-commutable. To further help employees prepare for new jobs, the companies will provide up to $9 million over the life of the contract for training/retraining programs, which will be created and jointly administered by the CWA and the companies. The program may include: training to help employees increase in skills and competitiveness for jobs they wish to apply for; pre-paid tuition, books and fees; retraining for employees who leave the company and want to transition to other employment; and low interest loans for educational expenses. Work and Family Life: In recognition of the increasing challenges involved in combining work and family life today, the contract provides for the companies to spend approximately $2 million to help employees locate practical help in four important personal areas: child care, elder care, adoption, and education for school-age children. By calling an 800 number, employees will be able to access a resource and referral service which can provide advice, consultation, and referrals to services in an employee's area and price range. Also in the area of work and family life, the companies will combine into one comprehensive leave of absence their Care of Newborn Child and Care of Immediate Family leaves. Under the renamed Family Care Leave, Pacific Bell employees will be able to take off up to 12 months in increments within a 24-month period. Life Insurance: To help terminally ill employees who are often faced with extraordinary medical and living expenses, the new contract offers early access to funds normally paid to their estate or beneficiaries upon death of the employee. Joint Union-Company Efforts: To promote increased teamwork between the companies and the CWA, the contract provides for joint committees in several important areas, including: technological change, training and retraining, career planning, monitoring, time off from work, health care plans, safety and health, and national health care reform. In addition, the companies and the union will establish two Workplace Innovation Councils (one in California and one in Nevada) to address issues of concern to employees and the companies as they face continuing change in the areas of technology, market demands, and in regulation and legislation. Health Care: In addition to continuing the companies' current comprehensive medical benefits, the new pact offers increased coverage of certain prescription drugs, modification to the mail order drug program, and increased coverage for mental health prescription drugs and various diagnostic and laboratory services. It also provides for increases in dental expense fee schedules. The companies and the union said that further details of the agreement will be available after employees have had a chance to be covered on the contract. Ratification results are expected around mid-September. ------------------------------ From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 04:58:12 -0500 Subject: Union Continues to Talk With Bell Atlantic UPDATE ON UNION TALKS WITH BELL ATLANTIC WASHINGTON -- Union negotiators for the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers resumed bargaining with Bell Atlantic at 10:00 am Wednesday. Following an afternoon break, negotiations resumed at 3:30pm and are continuing at this time. "We are still far apart on the major issues," said CWA spokesman Pat Shelor, "and we are nowhere near reaching a settlement. But we will continue to negotiate as long as progress is being made." ------------------------------ From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 03:45:01 -0500 Subject: CWA on Free Trade STATEMENT FROM CWA PRESIDENT MORTON BAHR ON NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WASHINGTON -- "Three cheers for President George Bush -- he keeps finding ways to make a bad situation in the American economy even worse. The so-called 'environmental President' -- who has presided over one of the worst recessions in recent American history -- now brings us a trade agreement which will accelerate environmental degradation and cause the loss of thousands of good American jobs. "The North American Free Trade Agreement announced by President Bush will put tens of thousands of American families out of work, and to send their jobs to people whose desperation makes them easy targets for corporate exploitation. "In the telecommunications industry, where the Communications Workers of America represents more than 450,000 American workers, the handwriting on the wall already shows us what will happen when this agreement goes into effect. AT&T -- one of the most profitable corporations in America -- has closed manufacturing plants here in the U.S., displacing people who made $9 an hour, and sent their jobs to Mexico to workers who make about 90 cents an hour. "We would be even bigger fools than Bush thinks we are if we believed that American corporations -- this century's new generation of robber barons -- will not fall all over themselves to dump American workers in favor of cheap labor free from environmental, health, safety, and workers' rights regulations in Mexico. This agreement will simply make it easier for them to export even more jobs than have already gone abroad, and to make even more money for themselves in the process. "Americans have to fear not only the loss of manufacturing jobs, but the loss of high tech, service sector jobs that are the future of our economy. Advances in telecommunications technology mean that companies can easily move work around the globe with the touch of a few buttons on a computer. The advent of satellite and computer communications allows any service job, such as billing and directory services, to be transferred to any foreign location. "We fear the NAFTA would lead to the expansion of the maquilladora system throughout Mexico -- not only for manufacturing, but for the service sector, too. "AT&T has moved major pieces of its manufacturing operations overseas. It has closed five production plants and downsized many others, eliminating an estimated 60,000 production jobs. At the same time, it has invested in 14 manufacturing facilities in five European and seven Asian countries, as well as several locations in Mexico. "The regional Bell telephone companies are moving overseas to expand into services, including some that they are blocked by law from entering here. This is why CWA opposes the North American Free Trade Agreement: we have yet to see any real benefit to our members or our nation as our employers expand their operations abroad. "The Bush Administration's negotiators learned nothing from the farsighted European Community. When the Europeans consolidated trade they protected the rights and the standard of living of workers -- the people who would be most affected by the changes. Their social charter made an excellent model for us to follow. The fact that Bush did not underscore that this agreement is designed to make the rich richer at the expense of the American people and is not in the best interests of our nation." ------------------------------ Date: 16 Aug 1992 03:27:09 -0400 (EDT) From: sbrack@jupiter.cse.UTOLEDO.edu (Steven S. Brack) Subject: Getting Ohio Bell to Fix my Line Noise I've had Ohio Bell out here twice to get rid of the line noise problem I'm having. The noise comes in short bursts, and almost always appears as the same set of characters. A sample: "}i{_~r}i}i}i{_}i Noise is much worse during the day, and diminishes at night. The line is quiet to the ear. The oddest thing is that when I call a BBS in my own CO, there is hardly, if ever, any noise. Only when I call other COs is noise a problem. Even long distance isn't noisy. Ohio Bell checks the line and says everything's fine. THe most I've been able to get them to do is turn it over to the CO techs to fix. It hasn't helped. What do I do now? ------------------------------ From: gavron@spades.aces.com (Ehud Gavron 602-570-2000 x. 2546) Subject: US West Tries Again to Offer CLASS in Arizona Date: 16 Aug 92 07:10:00 GMT Reply-To: gavron@ACES.COM Organization: ACES Consulting Inc. From an article in this Digest and even talking to US West representatives, it was my impression that US West had petitioned the PUC to offer CLASS features in AZ and had been denied. In fact, talking to the Arizona Corporation Commission Utilities people yields the following information: 1. US West had filed; 2. The PUC had approved the filing except that the per-line-blocking charge was limited to $5; 3. US West had refused to provide these services, claiming the PUC had turned them down. Now, I understand that US West has refiled, with the request so close to the previous that public hearings may not even be held [after all, the commission already approved this schtuff]. The only difference: They want the charge (#2 above) to be $8.xx. On other notes, now that I know what my second dial tone on the DMS-100 is I am sort of happy. The sporadic failure of *70 (1170, 70[wait]) does't amuse me, but what can I do ... Ehud Gavron gavron@ACES.COM ------------------------------ Date: 16 Aug 92 11:24:11 EDT From: Alan Boritz <72446.461@CompuServe.COM> Subject: AT&T Using AOS Slime Tactics? Telecom Moderator writes: > [Moderator Banging Head Against the Wall: Now I have heard everything! > Did you get the name or title of this so-called 'marketing person'? I > would have immediatly tried to reach the office manager wherever she > was located and urge that she be pulled off the phones until she had > been through some sort of training class. Oh, I've got an even BETTER AT&T LEC pay phone story.;) I was recently in Detroit and had the occasion to call a friend collect (at his reqest) from a Michigan Bell pay phone. I used the usual 0+ dial sequence (AT&T was the PIXC), got the AT&T jingle and AT&T operator, told her I was calling collect, gave her my name, and she began to put the call through. My friend answered the phone and another AT&T operator came on the line and said she had a collect call for anyone, will you accept the charges and what is YOUR name (to my friend). My friend, who thought is was a scam, wouldn't give HIS name, so the AT&T operator abrubtly disconnected, told me the party would not accept the charges and then hung up on me. I was rather puzzled at what seemed like a Telesphere- or ITI-style manuever, so I tried placing the call again. The next time a male AT&T operator took my billing information and a female operator came on the line with the same "will you accept the charges, and who are you?" routine. This time I asked the operator why she didn't tell the other party who was placing the collect call and she said, in a snotty tone, that she had just picked up the call and didn't know. Now, I hope you're sitting down Pat, 'cause the best part is yet to come. When I lost my patience and told the AT&T operator to, "... forget it, I'll use MCI," the phone went dead! Not just that call, but the phone itself for about 10 minutes! Have you ever heard of AT&T using sleazy AOS tactics like that? And has Michigan Bell moved from an arm's length of AT&T, to a finger, or whisper's length (or closer yet) to allow AT&T to disable pay phones at will (perhaps some imagined anti-fraud protection)? Do you think Michigan Bell gives the OCC's the same access to their pay phones to help THEM cut down on fraud? Alan Boritz 72446.461@compuserve.com [Moderator's Note: That is indeed a strange story. Any ideas, anyone? PAT] ------------------------------ From: mmiller1@attmail.com Date: 16 Aug 92 02:46:10 GMT Subject: ADA Elevator Telephone Requirements I have a question reguarding the recent American Disabilities Act. In reguards to telephones installed in elevators, my questions are: 1. Is it mandatory for telephones to be installed in elevators? 2. In all the elevators or just designated elevators? 3. What regulation stiplulates this? 4. Where can I obtain the "code" for this? 5. Is this an old requirment or a new one based on the ADA? Thanks, Mike ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #635 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa26751; 16 Aug 92 15:10 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19898 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 16 Aug 1992 12:56:23 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA31184 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 16 Aug 1992 12:56:15 -0500 Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 12:56:15 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208161756.AA31184@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #636 TELECOM Digest Sun, 16 Aug 92 12:56:18 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 636 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Deterioration of POTS (Lauren Weinstein) Phone Rental Increases 67% in NZ (Pat Cain) Slamming Still Going on in GTE Land (Andy Jacobson) Have I Been Slammed or Haven't I? (Phydeaux) Yet Another Reason to Hate MCI F&F (Jeff Hibbard) Another 800 Mixup (Rich Greenberg) Telenazis (Robert L. McMillin) GTE Thinks I Live in 213 (David Gast) MCI Account Creation (Eddie Maise) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 01:08:19 PDT From: lauren@vortex.COM (Lauren Weinstein) Subject: Deterioration of POTS John Higdon asks how I think POTS has deteriorated. Perhaps not from the standpoint of "techies" (the category into which many of us reading TELECOM Digest could be classified). But for the average telephone subscriber, phone service is becoming increasingly confused and expensive. Much of what was included in basic installation fees in the past are now extra cost items. Inside wiring, for example, is simple if you know what you're doing. But for most people, it's another expense and an additional confusion. When something goes wrong, many people end up paying overpriced repair shops to "repair" phones or answering machines that weren't broken, simply because telephone repair claimed (often inaccurately) that a problem must have been "on the subscriber side." Perhaps most of us in this forum are in a position to make a clear determination of whose side of the protector a loose connection may be on, but most subscribers aren't, and they can get taken to the cleaners as a result. I'll bet that many of you have had the experience of a friend or relative calling you in total confusion about a telephone related matter, and having to untangle the mess yourself and help get them out from under the telco finger-pointing. There is more to service than price. For the moment, let's skip a detailed discussion of the continuing moves to eliminate flat rate service, increase access charges, and in general shift as much burden as possible onto the local POTS subscribers who have nowhere else to go (wait until the latest round of "rate restructuring" comes through in California! You'd better be making lots of intrastate toll calls if you're going to absorb the basic service increases that have been requested!) Let's also skip over the confusion, slams, and ripoffs related to long distance service competition -- soon to be intrastate competition ... The bottom line is that basic no-frills telephone service has become much *less* convenient for most average subscribers. More hassle, more confusion, and more potential for technically unknowledgeable people to be the losers. I weigh such factors into the equation when I say that POTS has deteriorated. There are lots of great aspects to telephone service for those of us with a technical bent. But we are not the majority (by far!) and an understanding of how the changing face of telephone services affects everyone else is increasingly important. --Lauren-- [Moderator's Note: Let's face it, Lauren: Between Judge Harold Greene who disgraced his robe and courtroom to wreck the public telephone network in the USA; the ripoff companies who moved in to feed on the remains of AT&T after he got through dismembering them and the poorly trained people hired in the past decade by the telcos, the stage has been set ultimatly for a total collapse of the network. Do you remember when the old Bell System *never* allowed a new employee to be in contact with the public (either as a service representative, repair clerk or operator) until they had undergone 8-10 weeks of training? When you were hired by Bell, the first thing you did was go to their school all expenses paid at full salary for a couple months of training in the 'way things are done in the System ...'. It is to the credit of the old Bell System and a century of fine-tuning that the network has held together as well as it has over the past ten years since Greene's assault. Regards confusion, deterioration, higher prices and public discontent, you are more right than you realize. I've devoted this issue of the Digest to some of the typical horror stories I hear each day here. I would publish more of these -- I get plenty of them -- but I simply get too angry and upset. Anyway, what follows are some of the more recent submissions. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Pat Cain Subject: Phone Rental Increases 67% in NZ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 12:39:46 NZT New Zealand's ex-state owned telecommunications company, Telecom New Zealand (Bell Atlantic is a major shareholder) yesterday announced major price rises for residential customers. These price rises have attracted very widespread criticism from groups representing consumers, disabled people and the elderly; and come just after their annual profit announcement -- $402 million (NZ's population is only 3.5 million). Telecom are blocked from rising line charges above the rate of inflation (currently less than 2%) by an agreement known as "The Kiwi Share". Line charges were last raised in January by 1.5%. Telecom in their pursuit of higher profits have got around this by charging more for the telephone at the end of the line instead. These latest price rises are in the areas where Telecom holds a monopoly. PHONE RENTAL INCREASES 67%: At a time when inflation is below 2%, the cost of renting one phone is to rise by 67%, from NZ$28.80 to NZ$48.12 per year. The cost of a phone line is around NZ$400 (~US$200) per year. Telephones are sold for $12.95 upwards, reconditioned versions of the phones that Telecom hire out sell for NZ$25! LOCAL PAYPHONE CHARGES DOUBLED: Local payphone calls are currently 20 cents/min (around 5 years ago these were 6 cents with no time restriction), these are to double to 40 cents/minute. International calls from payphones will rise in cost 20% to 40%. ------------------------------ Date: 16 Aug 92 00:46:00 PST From: Jacobson, Andy Subject: Slamming Still Going on in GTE Land I honestly thought that spate of lawsuits would have cleared this up, but its still alive and well ... On Aug 3 a friend of mine moved into a house where some other friends were moving out. Instead of the usual changeovers, the lease was simply sublet, and the phone service was kept with the same number but under the new name. This is a procedure called "supercedure" or some similar neologism by GTE. The old service had Sprint, the new service was specified to be AT&T. A week after the service was turned over, a letter was recieved from GTE confirming the order, explaining the charges, and noting that AT&T was the selected long distance carrier. I happened to be there on Monday the 10th, and decided to make a call using my calling card. I dialed 0 + AC + number, and I get "welcome to MCI" An hour and 20 minutes on hold, and four -- that's right FOUR! -- GTE reps later, I am told that it will all be straightened out in an hour and a half. I got excuses like "the old service must not have been changed over yet", and "I'm sorry sir, but we only handle billing problems in this office" (I had dialed the right number, but had been handed off to the wrong department by the first twit I talked to). I even got, I'm sorry sir, I'm in the Torrance office and I can't pull up your records here, just the bill" One rep, after asking for the address and my reply that it was Los Angeles said "Sir, you should probably call Pac Bell, GTE doesn't serve Los Angeles." (This as I'm reading from the piece of GTE paperwork with the address on it.) Oh when ... oh when ... oh when will it end???!!! (They did finally get it to AT&T later that day.) A. Jacobson [Moderator's Note: It won't end; it will only get worse. Watch and see if in a few years, dissatisfied with the number of customers they can legitimatly convert to their service (I use 'legitimatly' in a loose way, allowing a lot of questionable marketing tactics and slamming to go unchallenged) -- the OCC's will go to court again to challenge AT&T and ask the court to have subscribers arbitrarily assigned to carriers without any choice (by the subscriber) in the matter. But in the case you wrote about, it was not slamming so much as stupidity. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 02:07:11 PDT From: reb@ingres.com (Phydeaux) Subject: Have I Been Slammed or Haven't I? I've got a cellphone with service from Cellular/One-Chicago. I've had MCI long distance on the phone for well over a year. I've gotten bills from MCI for my long distance during this time. Today I got one from AT&T for $0.00. I called Cellular/One. They tell me I have MCI. I called MCI. They tell me I have MCI. I called AT&T and *they* tell me they were told to switch me over to AT&T by Cellular/One on 6/26/92 -- and that *only* Cell/One can switch me over ... Of course the drones on the phone at Cell One don't know anything and will never let you talk to *anyone* who does. Talk about useless! So, I'm pretty much convinced that I'm still with MCI, (I checked with 700-555-4141 to make sure) but I am rather disturbed at the fact that this whole thing happened. reb ------------------------------ From: jeff@bradley.bradley.edu (Jeff Hibbard) Subject: Yet Another Reason to Hate MCI F&F Organization: Bradley University Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 03:53:13 GMT I know I can be hard to catch on the telephone. I'm in and out of my office a lot at work, and I don't spent a lot of waking hours at home. However, unanswered calls at work go to a voice mail system, and I have an answering machine at home. Both are smart enough to discard short, empty messages, even if the caller does hang on for a few seconds after the beep. Both call my pager when they think they really have a message for me. For a couple of weeks recently, I got lots of "messages", both at home and at work, which consisted of nothing but around 15 seconds of office background noise. I try to check my messages promptly and it was getting really annoying to be paged so frequently for these non-messages. Then, early last week, I got a call at work from MCI. It seems that the woman I'm dating (who lives in a different LATA) had given MCI my home and work telephone numbers when adding me to her Friends and Family list. I tried talking to the MCI person for a while, but it was a waste of time. She didn't understand why I didn't consider it fair or meaningful to compare MCI's pre-paid plan to AT&T's normal rates. She tried to convince me that MCI's calling card would soon be more convenient because AT&T was about to completely discontinue 0+ dialing and start forcing their customers to use some 800 number. When I refused to believe this, she got a supervisor who assured me of the same thing. It has since occurred to me that level of background noise when talking to her was about the same as in these annoying "messages", and that the empty messages stopped right after she caught me in the office. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but I doubt it. Jeff Hibbard, Bradley University, Peoria IL [Moderator's Note: It's too bad you did not get the supervisor's name, office address and telephone number along with a tape recording of her claiming that AT&T was going to discontinue zero-plus. Then you could have made copies of the tape and sent it to a few departments at AT&T including Security, Public Relations, Legal, and maybe the Chairman. They'd have enjoyed listening to the tape just as much as you did preparing it for them! :) PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 11:45:25 PDT From: richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg) Subject: Another 800 Mixup In today's (8/13) {LA Times} in a story datelined Sacramento (state capitol of CA for the geographically challenged), Times staff writer Carl Ingram describes how the CA state legislature requested the number 800 MY MONEY to give taxpayers a place to vent their anger. Pac Bell told them the number was in use, but would be available for the scheduled start of the service on 9/1. The Senators concerned with the project had a press conference 8/12 and announced that starting Sept 1, Californians could call the catchy 800 MY MONEY number and make their cost saving suggestions that would be examined by the Wilson administration and the legislature. [Moderator's Note: Can't you already see what's coming next? PAT] (continuing ...) News broadcasters picked up the story and passed it on along with the 9/1 starting date, but callers couldn't wait. They swamped all 23 lines of Basic Mortgage Group in Orange CA. (714 area code, a different LATA) The owner, Bill Verostek, said he would not give the number to the state of California. "I own this number and there is no way, shape, or form that I am going to give it up," he said. "If people want a loan, they can call my number. If they want to gripe, call some other number." While the article doesn't state this, what I read between the lines is that Verostek was asked to give the number up, said "no", and this word never got back to anyone in the legislature that cared. It was left unsaid if the failure happened on the PacBell or the Legislature side. Either is equally likely as I see it. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 10:06:01 -0700 From: rlm@ms_aspen.hac.com (Robert L. McMillin) Subject: Telenazis I heard a story on National Public Radio's program, "Morning Edition", about political organizations using telemarketing devices to spread propaganda. In this case, the operators were an unidentified Minneapolis-area neo-Nazi group. The message began with something like, "If you are a white Christian, please stay on the line to hear an important message..." and continued by asking "Are you tired of your neighborhood getting darker?", and stated that America's current problems stem from African-Americans and the foreign "scum" that have immigrated here from banana republics -- you know, the usual people the Nazis blame for everything. The NPR reporter doing the story interviewed some legal eagle in the Minneapolis civic structure, who said that it would be damned difficult to prosecute the Telenazis, since their speech is political in nature. ("Offensive" and "dumb" were the adjectives that came to my mind, but what do I know ...) (Unrelated, but it occurs to me that perhaps the Nazis anticipated the current postfix locution, "Not!", by adopting it as a syllable of their very name, and taking it to heart in their political goals: France -- Not! Poland -- Not! Czechoslovakia -- Not! ...) Robert L. McMillin | Voice: (310) 568-3555 Hughes Aircraft/Hughes Training, Inc. | Fax: (310) 568-3574 Los Angeles, CA | Internet: rlm@ms_aspen.hac.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 22:34:23 -0700 From: gast@CS.UCLA.EDU (David Gast) Subject: GTE Thinks I live in 213 Yesterday I received some mail from GTE, no doubt at ratepayer's (that is, my) expense. They want me to convert my XXX card to a GTE card, where XXX should be immediately obvious to all loyal telecom readers. (GTE is just a little behind the Baby Bells in implenting the change). While the information is full of what might be called misinformation, the best part is that the marketing blurb says only GTE can offer me a calling card with my home telephone number, but the printed information has my phone number in the 213 area code. Astute readers of this forum have no doubt noticed that the 213 area code split nine months ago and my new area code is 310. I can think of an explanation, but it still looks funny seeing my phone number with the 213 area code. I will not be getting a GTE calling card for several reasons, among them that many of their "advantages" are actually disadvantages. For example, I'd rather not have my "home phone number plus PIN" as my calling card number. I also don't like "automatic acceptance" by every known slime long distance company -- you know, the ones that charge $8.00 for a $1.00 call. GTE's claim that "there's no cheaper way to make your call without dialing direct!" is also false. First, I could get connected to a gouging AOS. Second, a consumer could get some kind of discount by using a long distance company credit card. (I won't mention any of the specific plans by name so I won't have to hear from any attornies about TMs and SMs :-(). The PUC should be regulating this kind of nonsense. And, of course, they try to invade the customer's privacy by including a "Customer Servie Questionaire." David ------------------------------ From: gt5878b@prism.gatech.edu (Eddie Maise) Subject: MCI Account Creation Date: 16 Aug 92 08:04:53 GMT Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology In kovar@world.std.com (David C Kovar) writes: > 3) MCI requires a credit card and a SSN before opening a calling > card account. No credit card was requested in this case, and the SSN > was bogus. No surprise there. I worked as a temp in the credit approval department for MCI, at their Atlanta office. This information is over two years old, so it may have changed. A credit card was not "required" or "requested" to open a stand-alone calling card account (as opposed to a calling card that was billed to a local phone company account). What was necessary was that you pass a credit check. Having a credit card that you make prompt payments on will show up in the credit check and make it likely that you will pass, but other forms of credit can show up as well and can be enough to pass the check. MCI could not "require" a Social Security Number (see the SSN FAQ in news.answers). The number was asked for on the credit application and was used for two main purposes: to help with the credit check and to use as an identifier in the customer accounts database. If we received an application without a social security number, we would try to contact the applicant and ask them for it. I never had anyone refuse when I explained that it was for the credit check. I was never told what to do if someone refused to provide their SSN, and it never came up. Cards would sometimes be issued to persons with no established credit history if they either had a full-time job or were a student and had the approval of their parents. These would be verified by phone. Note that this was (is?) a wonderful opportunity for would-be criminals to use "social engineering" a.k.a. lying to obtain an account. Eddie Maise gt5878b@cad.gatech.edu Serving Donuts on Another Planet [Moderator's Note: While neither GTE or any other company may REQUIRE an SSN, neither are they required to afford you an extension of credit. Credit is a privilege, not an automatic right, so it works like a trade-off. You make yourself easy to identify and locate; they'll consider allowing you to pay later. Please note no SSN is required when calling from a payphone and paying with coins. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #636 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa28004; 16 Aug 92 15:41 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19276 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 16 Aug 1992 13:57:48 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11593 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 16 Aug 1992 13:57:40 -0500 Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 13:57:40 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208161857.AA11593@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #637 TELECOM Digest Sun, 16 Aug 92 13:57:43 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 637 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Pager Fraud Conviction (1012breuckma@vmsf.csd.mu.edu) 66-Block Wiring Help (Pat Turner) CFP and Preliminary Program for Feature Interaction Workshop (N. Griffeth) AT&T Digital Answering Machine II (Michael Schuster) Monitoring Dialtone for Voicemail Indicator (Aninda V. Dasgupta) Answering Machine Won't (Answer) (Michael T. Davis) Educational Materials Sought (Walter Mathews) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: 1012breuckma@vmsf.csd.mu.edu Subject: Pager Fraud Conviction Date: 16 Aug 92 16:40:07 GMT Reply-To: 1012breuckma@vmsf.csd.mu.edu Organization: Marquette University - Computer Services From {The Milwaukee Journal} 8/16/92 Angry Callers Help Convict Man Behind Beeper Scheme New York, N.Y. - A Manhattan man has been convicted of leaving messages on thousands of beepers for a telephone number that cost $55 to call. While the defendant, Michael Brown, 23, never made a dime, prosecutors said he stood to make millions before he was caught last year. They said he tried to defraud thousand of potential victims. US Atty. Otto Obermaier said Brown hooked up two computers in his apartment and then attached them to two telephone lines. On one line, the computer placed more than 4,000 calls a day to pagers that people carry with them. A message said that a return call for telephone- based informational services should be made to a special 540 number on Brown's second line tied to the second computer. What the unsuspecting people who returned the calls were not advised is that it would cost them $55 a call, in violation of a New York State Public Service Commission regulation requiring operators of toll numbers to advise incoming callers of the cost so they can hang up before being charged. But Brown devised a scheme in which the computer kept callers on the line for at least 20 seconds, the time required so they could be billed for $55 by the telephone company. In a six-day period in February 1991, the first computer spewed out a total of 26,000 calls. But the fraud did not last long because irate subscribers inundated New York Telephone with complaints of the $55 charge. By the time the company notified federal prosecutors and disconnected Brown's two lines, he had billed a total of $198,000. But prosecutors said that he never collected a dime, and that New York Telephone made no efforts to collect the bills. After his conviction last week, Brown faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced on Oct. 28. He is free on $30,000 bail. ------------------------------ From: turner@Dixie.COM Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 08:13 EDT From: rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP Subject: 66-Block Wiring Help Gabe Weiner writes: > The clips in a given row are connected to each other. On a standard white 66M1-50 block the left two clips are connected, as are the right two. The left two clips are designed for wire to enter above and to the left of the clip. The wires for the right two clips should enter from to top and exit to the right. 66 Blocks are also available in several other formats such as all four clips connected, or pink "feature blocks" used in 1A2 key systems with five rows of clips, four designed for wire to enter on the right and one for wire to enter on the left. All five clips are connected. 66 blocks can also be had with a RJ21X jack with the wires either attached to the back of the block or punched down on one row of clips. The RJ21X looks like an overgrown Centronics connector. > Tip is wired over ring Yes. > A particular row is "free" if it is connected at one side only. If > there is only one wire in a row, there's nothing connected to that > pair, at least at that block. Unless the is a RJ21X jack and something is connected to it. > Tracing a particular pair involves putting a tone genrator on one > side, and then waving an inductive probe around on the other end until > the matching pair is found. This is one way of doing it. Usually wires are tracked by the color code and cable/block number > Wires do not need to be stripped before being punched in, since > the clips will break through the insulation as the wires are > punched down. Exactly. Everything works really well as long as proper tools and parts are used. > Is there any significance to the colors in a 50-pair cable? (i.e. > are certain colors used for tip/ring or for certain line numbers? Or > are they solely for the purpose of differentiating one from another > in the cable?) Wires with a White, Red, Black, Yellow or Violet stripe on a Blue, Orange, Green, Brown or Slate wire are ring. The matching wire is Tip. To compute pair number add the values for the two colors from the list below. If there is a binder add the values for it's colors, subtract one and multiply by 25, then add this to the sum of the values for the pair colors. Blue 1 White 0 Orange 2 Red 5 Green 3 Black 10 Brown 4 Yellow 15 Slate 5 Violet 20 For example pair 16 would be Yellow Blue/Blue Yellow. Orange White binders contain pairs 26-50. If for some reason you want to number wires rather than pairs for a 66 block or 50 conductor cable, Tips are numbered from 1-25 and Rings from 26-50. This is really only an issue when RJ21X jacks are used. > Sometimes I see more than one wire punched into the same clip when > there are vacant clips in the same row. Is there any reason for doing > this? I can't think of any reason to punch down more than one wire per clip. A wire can be punched down w/o cutting it by reversing the blade in the punchdown tool. > When running down a 66-block with one lead of a test set, what's > the best thing to do with the other lead? Just ground it somewhere? > or connect it to the other side of one of the lines in the box? This depends on what you are trying to do. Grounding one clip will allow you to find the tips and rings of live pairs. > Any other tips in this sort of work would be appreciated. Buy a good impact punchdown tool such as Dracon's. Paladen has a new punchdown tool out that may be cheaper and still give acceptable results. Pat Turner KB4GRZ turner@dixie.com ------------------------------ From: nancyg@banshee.bellcore.com (Nancy Griffeth) Subject: CFP and Preliminary Program for IEEE Feature Interaction Workshop Organization: Morristown Research and Engineering Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 17:12:05 GMT International Workshop on Feature Interactions in Telecommunications Software Systems St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, December 3-4, 1992 Sponsored by Bellcore and the IEEE Communications Society This workshop is planned to encourage researchers from telecommunications and from a variety of computer science specialties (software engineering, protocol engineering, distributed artificial intelligence, formal techniques, and distributed systems, among others) to apply techniques from their disciplines to the feature interaction problem that arises in building telecommunications software systems. The feature interaction problem refers to interference between two features of a telecommunications system. This interference hinders the development of new features; it can be thought of as a special case of the extensibility problem for software. A number of papers will be presented at the workshop on prevention, detection, and resolution of feature interactions, using various approaches. We hope to promote a dialogue among researchers in various related areas, as well as the designers and builders of telecommunications software. To this end, the workshop will have sessions for paper presentations, including relatively long discussion periods. There will also be two panel discussions and a short tutorial on issues in the feature interaction problem. Preliminary Program December 3-4, 1992 Wednesday, December 2 --------------------- 7-9 p.m. Reception Thursday, December 3 -------------------- 7:30-9 a.m. Continental Breakfast 9-10 a.m. Keynote Address: Robert L. Martin, Vice President Software Technology and Systems, Bellcore 10:30-12 a.m. Tutorial: E. Jane Cameron (Bellcore) Pamela Zave (AT&T Bell Labs) 12-1:30 p.m. Lunch 1:30-3 p.m. Technical Session: Management J. Aitken, ``Feature Interaction in Main-Stream IN Applications", Logica Space and Communications Ltd., England. M. Cain and D. Gillespie, ``Automatic Generation of Efficient Run--Time Feature Management Data Structures from High-Level Feature Relationships", US WEST Advanced Technologies, USA. E. Kuisch, R. Janmaat, H. Mulder, and I. Keesmaat, ``A Practical Approach towards Service Interactions", PTT Research, The Netherlands. A. Ranade and J.C. Petrides, ``A pragmatic view of feature interaction management'', Bellcore, USA. 3:30-5 p.m. Panel on Industry Experiences and Requirements: Chair: Stuart D. Personick (Bellcore) Members: Steve Harris (Bell Northern Research) Michael Cain (US West) Roshan Chaddha (Bellcore) Dave Smith (AT&T Bell Labs) Harm Mulder (PTT Research) Yasushi Wakahara (KDD R&D Labs) 6-8 p.m. Dinner Friday, December 4 ------------------ 7:30-8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast 8:30-10 a.m. Technical Session: Detection R. Boumezbeur and L. Logrippo, ``Specifying telephone systems in Lotos and the feature interaction problem'', Newbridge Networks Corporation and University of Ottawa, Canada. Y. Inoue, K. Takami, and T. Ohta, ``Method for Supporting Detection and Elimination of Feature Interaction in a Telecommunication System", ATR Communication Systems Research Laboratories, Japan. Y. Wakahara, M. Fujioka, H. Kikuta, H. Yagi, and S. Sakai, ``A method for detecting interactions among services and service features'', KDD R&D Labs, Japan. 10:30-12 a.m. Technical Session: Platforms M. Erradi, F. Khendek, R. Dssouli, and G. von Bochmann, ``Dynamic extension of object-oriented distributed systems specifications'', Universite de Montreal, Departement d'Informatique et de Recherche Operationelle, Canada. D.A. Lamb, ``Applying quilt To Feature Configuration", Queen's University, Department of Computing and Information Science, Canada. J. Mierop, S. Tax, and R. Janmaat, ``Service interaction in an object-oriented environment'', PTT Research, The Netherlands. 12-1:30 p.m. Lunch 1:30-3 Technical Session: Short Presentations 3:30-5 Panel on Contributions of Theory to Practice Chair: Alfred V. Aho (Bellcore) Members: Victor Lesser (Univ. of Massachusetts) Luigi Logrippo (Univ. of Ottawa) David Notkin (Univ. of Washington) (others to be announced) 5:30 p.m. Buses to airports and Globecom hotels in Orlando Attendance Workshop attendance is limited to 75 people. Attendance will be by invitation only. There are still a few openings left at the workshop, so prospective attendees are asked to submit a single page description of their interests and how they relate to the workshop to: Nancy Griffeth Bellcore, MRE 2L-237 445 South Street Morristown, NJ 07962-1910 USA E-mail: nancyg@thumper.bellcore.com Tel: (201) 829-4538 Fax: (201) 829-5889 Location and Travel Arrangements: The workshop will be held at the Hotel Don CeSar in St. Petersburg, Florida. The hotel is 35 minutes from the Tampa International Airport and 30 minutes from the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport. Several airlines are offering special fares for workshop attendees. If enough of the workshop attendees are interested in traveling to Orlando (either for GLOBECOM or to visit DisneyWorld) after the workshop, we will arrange transportation to a DisneyWorld hotel to leave at 5:30 on Friday. The airlines will allow a round-trip passenger to fly into one of the above airports and out of Orlando. Workshop Co-chairpersons: Nancy Griffeth (Bellcore, USA) Yow-Jian Lin (Bellcore, USA) Program Committee Chair: Hugo Velthuijsen (PTT, The Netherlands) E. Jane Cameron (Bellcore, USA) Steven Harris (BNR, Canada) Gerard J. Holzmann (AT\&T Bell Laboratories, USA) Michael Huhns (MCC, USA) Luigi Logrippo (University of Ottawa, Canada) Harm Mulder (PTT, The Netherlands) Jan-Olof Nordenstam (ELLEMTEL, Sweden) David Notkin (University of Washington, USA) Akihiro Shimizu (NTT, Japan) Yasushi Wakahara (KDD R\&D Laboratories, Japan) Pamela Zave (AT\&T Bell Laboratories, USA) ------------------------------ From: schuster@panix.com (Michael Schuster) Subject: AT&T Digital Answering Machine II Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 09:25:57 GMT Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC A long time ago far far away, Randy Borow posted here about having seen an enhanced version of the AT&T 1337 Digital Answering Machine -- one having voice prompts, time/date stamping, etc. When I asked him about it, he said that the AT&T store that had it on display no longer did. Nobody was able to find this animal, or verify its existence. Now I see the AT&T 1339 being advertised and guess what new features it has ... Mike Schuster NY Pub. Access UNIX/Internet: schuster@panix.com | 70346.1745@CompuServe.COM The Portal (R) System: schuster@cup.portal.com | MCI Mail,GEnie: MSCHUSTER ------------------------------ From: add@philabs.philips.com (Aninda V. Dasgupta) Subject: Monitoring Dialtone for Voicemail Indicator Organization: Philips Laboratories, Briarcliff, New York Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 15:45:19 GMT At work we have a Meridian-1 PBX system with Voicemail facilities. The problem is that if I have a new Voicemail message I have no way of finding out unless I lift the handset. If I have any message(s) I get a breaking dialtone, otherwise a normal one. I wish to find a solution so that I can see a little lamp on my phoneset glow when I have messages. One obvious solution would be to rig up a circuit which periodically goes off hook and a one-shot gets triggered in case of a breaking dialtone. However, if everybody (there are 300 of us at these labs.) did that then the PBX could potentially run out of lines and give delayed dialtone to "real" users. My questions to netfolk/telecom-gurus is : Is this really such a whacky solution? I mean, if my circuit went off hook once every two minutes to monitor the dialtone, would that create a huge problem for the PBX when everybody had such a device? What might be a better interval to monitor the dialtone? Is there any other way to monitor the break in dialtone voltage without going off hook? If so, where can I get a good reference/source for such information (about the four wires that come into my phoneset?) Any help will be greatly appreciated, by me and all my co-workers. Thanks much. Aninda DasGupta (add@philabs.philips.com) Ph : (914) 945-6071 Fax : (914) 945-6552 Philips (No, we don't produce Gas, we make lightbulbs) Labs. 345 Scarborough Road\n Briarcliff Manor\n NY 10510 ------------------------------ From: DAVISM@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Michael T. Davis) Subject: Answering Machine Won't (Answer) Organization: The Ohio State University Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 02:42:19 GMT I have a single line coming into my apartment on which I have two phones, a MODEM and an answering machine. I only picked up the answering machine this past weekend (Aug. 9, to be precise) and have yet to have it work properly. The problem is that it doesn't answer. I have followed the directions explicitly and from what little trouble-shooting advice is provided, the only thing that might be hampering its answering ability is the number of devices I have on the line. I did discover that if I only have one phone and the machine connected, it answers (albeit after five rings, instead of three, as the manual states). This would seem to reinforce my suspicion. Is there any way to determine if the devices I have connected are generating too much of a load and/or is there a device which can boost the ring signal sufficiently? The model is a BellSouth 1175. I discovered a single variable resistor on its main PCB; could this by any chance be a sensitivity adjustment for ring detection? Thanks, Mike Internet: davism@KCGL1.eng.ohio-state.edu -or- DAVISM+@osu.edu BITNET: DAVISM+@OHSTMAIL.BITNET ------------------------------ From: FR130801@ysub.ysu.edu Subject: Educational Materials Sought Organization: Youngstown State University Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 08:14:36 GMT I teach in the department of Communication at Youngstown State University. I am writing to get information or suggestions about education in telecommunication. Our program is not an engineering program, although we try to give our students some exposure to technology and examine its possible consequences. I am looking for either video tapes or computer instructional programs concerning: o basic telecommunication technology o ISDN (I have a demo program from Bellcore) o Broadband ISDN, or SONET o any material on telecommunication management Our program is an undergraduate program only. We give students experience with our computer system, our LAN and programming our campus subcarrier frequency. Any information would be appreciated. Walter Mathews FR130801@ysub.ysu.edu ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #637 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa12233; 18 Aug 92 3:07 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA22831 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 00:30:30 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11485 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 00:30:22 -0500 Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 00:30:22 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208180530.AA11485@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #638 TELECOM Digest Tue, 18 Aug 92 00:30:18 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 638 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Why Can't I Break Dialtone? (Stephen Friedl) NYTel LATAs (Dave Niebuhr) 2500 Picturephone in the News (Jeff Jonas) Trademark Infringement (Robert L. McMillin) Trademarks and Service Marks (David Leichter) What Does a CO Switch Cost? (Henning Schulzrinne) What is Open Network Provision? (Hannu Toyryla) Cutting Fiber Optic Cables (Pat Turner) Help Needed Wiring an Old Phone (David Davidson) T1 Card For ISA Bus (Mark Ferris) Small Key Systems (Peter Capek) NPA/NXX Data Source? (Tom Libert) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Why Can't I Break Dialtone? Date: 18 Aug 92 15:52:40 PDT From: friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US (Stephen Friedl) Hi folks, What would cause a central office to reject Touch Tones? I have sporadic problems with TT not breaking dialtone on several of my lines -- very hard to reproduce -- and I am tired of the very LOUD hang-up-the-damn-phone noisemaker. It is amazing how a little 1.5" speaker can make a noise that carries all the way through the house. It was only recently that I realized that this was a result of the TT not breaking dialtone, but I figured that my modem was just out of alignment or something. There was no reproducable pattern on when it would fail and when it wouldn't. I have since upgraded the Telebit T2500 to a Telebit WorldBlazer and the problem remains. Finally it happened to *me* a couple of times. I picked up my fax line and dialed the number, and it never broke dialtone. After I hung up and tried again, it worked fine. So far I have seen this problem on at least four different devices (two modems, a phone, and a fax machine) and three different CO lines, but I cannot reproduce it often enough to complain to Pac*Bell. I bet I get this maybe one in 200 dials on my modem line, and it's only happened twice in my voice or fax lines. Anybody got any ideas on this? Stephen J Friedl | Software Consultant | Tustin, CA | +1 714 544-6561 3b2-kind-of-guy | I speak for me ONLY | KA8CMY | uunet!mtndew!friedl [Moderator's Note: Your CO has a bad piece of equipment which it is offering to you and other callers who go off hook. Probably all the subscribers in your CO get it from time to time. When they can't cut dial tone they hang up, then go off hook and try again. In the meantime, in the instant after they released the line, the troubled equipment is freed up for another call and another seizure occurs almost instantly. Now some other poor devil has the broken equipment and the caller who originally had it gets a different (and working) one instead. The second caller has the same problem, hangs up and starts over, and frees the common equipment for yet someone else. Eventually it is your turn ... Several years ago I made a lot of calls in the early morning hours and eight or nine out of ten calls went nowhere after dialing. Repair told me when it happened again to keep that line up on hold while calling them; someone then went in the frames looking for me. When they found me, they found the switch which was bad. Because it nearly always happened to me at night and rarely or never during the day, we made the reasonable assumption that the troubled equipment was the first or second of its kind to be selected if available. After all, at night one is likely to get the first of anything in the CO common equipment; during the day it is unlikely one would always or nearly always get the first selection. They looked at the first selector in a group of several offered to people going off hook; sure enough it was broken. During the busy parts of the day, many various subscribers 'shared' this between them, depending on who happened to go off hook when the first of these switches in a group of several happened to be available (albiet not working right). The night plant foreman thanked me and as a reward, gave me his direct number saying, "Don't bother fooling around with those young ladies who answer 611; they don't know sh--." Problems in the common equip- ment in the CO are hard to find and difficult to get a repair clerk to open a trouble ticket on. After all, what would you know about it? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 11:15:12 EDT From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: NYTel LATAs This was probably kicked around in some previous posts concerning the subject "LATAs Crossing State Lines" but I'll give it a go anyway. The following information is taken from my most recent NYTel bill so I am considering it authorative. NYTel is broken into six LATAs serving broad parts of the state plus small portions of Connecticut, Massachussetts and Pennsylvania. The LATAs by area are: New York Regional Calling Area: New York City (212/718/917 area codes); Long Island (516) except Fisher's Island; Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and the southern portion of Orange County (Greenwood Lake, Highland Falls & Tuxedo) - Area Code 914; the Greenwich/Byram section of Connecticut (area code 203) which is served by NYTel; Pughkeepsie Regional Calling Area: The remainder of Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan Counties - all of Area Code 914. Also includes Area Code 717 exchanges 296, 491, 559, 686 and 828; Albany Regional Calling Area: Capital District and Adirondack Region - all of Area Code 518 and Hancock, Massachussetts in Area Code 413); Syracuse Regional Calling Area: All of Area Code 315 and the northern-most portion of Area Code 607, including Cortland, Ithaca, Newfield, Lansing, Groton, McLean and McGraw; Binghamton Regional Calling Area: Area Code 607 except the area covered by the Syracuse Regional Calling Area; includes Pennsylvania Area Code 717 exchanges 461, 537, 549, 596, 623, 635, 663, 882 and 888. Buffalo Regional Calling Area: Area Code 716 except Rochester; includes Pennsylvania Area Code 814 exchanges 228, 6907 and 698. Dave Niebuhr Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 16:46 EDT From: jeffj@krf.com (Jeff Jonas) Subject: 2500 Picturephone in the News In the "home" section of the Thursday August 13 {New York Times}, there's an article by N.R. Kleinfield about his two week long test of the AT&T Videophone 2500. It's pleasantly written about how he, his friend and family used the pair of phones, how the pictures were constantly getting scrambled and how having pictures affected how they use the phones and the nature of the converations. Due to the low frame rate, motion is very quantized. I wonder how long before 900 numbers offer video services? On the technical side: I've never seen any real technical specs for the 2500 posted to TELECOM. I wonder -- could I use my PC's modem to get the picture in a window? Anybody hear of such a product to let the PC show or even generate Videophone images? Will videotext/Minitel and Videophone be in direct competition? I'd love to see a voice messaging system that gives me a screen of choices instead of speaking them to me. Jeffrey Jonas jeffj@synsys.uucp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 09:46:29 -0700 From: rlm@ms_aspen.hac.com (Robert L. McMillin) Subject: Trademark Infringement Alan Varney writes: > {Yellow Pages may be Trade Marked by some Telephone companies or by > some computer companies that think electronic look-up originated with > them.} British Telecom was the outfit. I recall getting our most recent version of SunOS for our Sun 386i workstations some little notes explaining that Sun couldn't sell their software in the U.K. without infringing on BT's copyright, so out went the name "yellow pages" and in went "Network Information Service". (Or is that "Server"? My office didn't get a complete set of docs.) A bit silly, really: in this country, we have plenty of examples of companies doing business using similar trade names without people getting huffy. An example would be the MacIntosh line of custom stereo equipment made by a company of the same name and the Macintosh computer line made by Apple Computer. Heck, Apple Computer had to come to an understanding with the faux record label started by the Beatles in order to business in the first place ... the original agreement was that Apple Computer wouldn't get involved with music, and Apple, the non-recording record label, wouldn't make computers. But there's an unhappy ending: now that Apple Computer is getting big orders from recording studios, I understand that lawyers for the Beatles' Apple are suing Sculley's Apple Computer. Robert L. McMillin | Voice: (310) 568-3555 Hughes Aircraft/Hughes Training, Inc. | Fax: (310) 568-3574 Los Angeles, CA | Internet: rlm@ms_aspen.hac.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 16:02:03 EDT From: Jerry Leichter Subject: Trademarks and Service Marks Alan Varney writes: > Are you sure it wasn't: > "Priority Ringing(SM) - another new idea ..." ? > {Priority Ringing(SM) is a Service Mark of Pacific Telesis} You see, you can offer a known product as a "service", give it a new MARKETING NAME, and claim/register it as your own. In fact, there are many lawyers making a good living off of the courts and this little gimmick -- they register lots of names and acronyms as theirs, and then sell you the right to use them (because you won't find any desirable one's left). Sorry, no, not under US trademark law. A trademark (or service mark; the latter is a recent innovation, but as far as I know it follows the same rules) is established by "use in trade", NOT by registration. Many trademarks are never registered. (Registration is useful if you ever want to sue anyone for misuse of your trademark, but it doesn't ESTABLISH the protection, it just helps you enforce it. Registration is like posting the borders of your land; it's your land anyway, but it's much easier to go after trespassers if the postings are there.) The only way to CLAIM a trademark is to use it in trade: That is, present it to the public as an identifying mark of a product or service that you are offering for sale. A normal registration has to include information about where the trademark had been used in trade; without that, the registration will be rejected. Congress amended the law a couple of years ago to allow a kind of pre-registration in anticipation of use of a new trademark. This was done in recog- nition of the expense and time involved in introducing a new trade name. The pre-registration procedure is intended only for this purpose, and you can only pre-register for a limited amount of time (I think up to one year). If you haven't started using the trademark "in trade" by the end of that period, you lose any special rights to it. Hence, it's impossible to "save up" useful trademarks, either for your own eventual use, or for sale to others. Note again that this is all under AMERICAN law. Laws in some other countries do permit registration of trademarks that are not in active use. This is particulary true in Asia, where speculators used to make money by registering the names of Western companies on the theory that those companies would reach their country sooner or later, and would have to pay for the right to use the same name there as at home. Western businesses these days make sure to register any trademark they have any expectation of ever using world-wide as soon as, and as widely as, they can. Mr. Varney also later jokes about companies copyrighting their names. This would be just about impossible to do; a company name is not the kind of thing that copyright law protects. (It would also be the wrong kind of protection -- it would prevent newspapers from citing the name of the company in news reports. How many companies would give up the free publicity?) Jerry ------------------------------ From: hgschulz@gaia.cs.umass.edu (Henning Schulzrinne) Subject: What Does a CO Switch Cost? Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 15:13:48 EDT Just curious: how much does a CO switch cost? I realize that this question is about as precise as asking "how much does a car cost", but I'm interested in any examples, be it a small rural switch or a large tandem switch. I'm trying to get some feeling for the costs of switching bandwidth. Henning Schulzrinne (hgschulz@cs.umass.edu) [MIME mail welcome] Dept. of CS and Dept. of ECE; Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst Amherst, MA 01003 - USA === phone: +1 (413) 545-3179 (EST); FAX: (413) 545-1249 ------------------------------ From: htoyryla@evv01.dnw.tele.nokia.fi Subject: What is Open Network Provision? Organization: Nokia Telecommunications Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 20:11:45 GMT Anybody out there who could explain what does the concept ONP (Open Network Provision) mean in the context it is being used in current developments in Europe, especially within E.C. There is, I hear, going to be specs for "ONP for leased lines access requirements". Does this mean that there is going to be E.C. wide applicable specs and approvals for equipment connected to leased lines (analogue or digital). Hannu Toyryla htoyryla@ntc01.tele.nokia.fi Nokia Telecommunications (Nokia Cellular Systems, Private Mobile Radio) P.O.B 77 SF-02610 ESPOO FINLAND TEL + 358 0 5118366 FAX + 358 0 5118400 ------------------------------ From: turner@Dixie.COM Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 17:24 EDT From: rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP Subject: Cutting Fiber Optic Cables Richard A Hyde writes: > Suppose, on a dark night, (hypothetically, mind you), I dug up a major > fiber trunk and sliced it in half. What would I see? Could I use it > like a flashlight? Would the cut end sparkle (assuming that the > computer continued to send data)? Would there just be a dim glow? Unless the things have changed since I installed OSP fiber a few years ago you wouldn't see anything. Virtually all fiber operates at one of a few wavelengths such as 850 or 1300 nm. If I remember these wavelengths are all below that of visable light. Otherwise you could see the light if you were near the transmitter, despite the low power levels, as the output is very coherent. I tried to look up these wavelengths in my CRC and a physics text but they didn't list the range of visable light. I am almost posative these are IR though. Cutting the fiber is a chore in itself as most OSP cable uses steel tension members embedded in the jacket while the fibers are in a buffer tube. You generaly need cutters designed for ACSR power cable to cut it. When doing some blasting, I droped a 60lb rock on top of some fiber after it fell about 40'. The fiber was supposed to be protected by split pipe, but someone with the telco had failed to do their job. The fiber was undamaged though. OB MCI story: A few years ago I was installing fiber for MCI along side of a Union Pacific Railroad ROW. We had a rather sharp civil engineer from MCI supervising the installation as well as a splicing tech just in case. The tech and I were trying to explain loss budgets to the CE, as he couldn't understand why the repeaters had to be so close together. He finally thought he understood and came up with a solution: If we could increase the power from 30 dbm (an example figure we gave him) to 90 dbm we could double the spacing of the repeaters by increasing the power 300%. 90 dbm is of course not three watts, but one megawatt!! I thought this would prove a real deterent to cutting the cable. Got a cable cut? No need for a OTDR, just look for the smoldering backhoe :-) Seriously, fiber technology is changing fast. In the future look to see photonic switches, erbium amplifiers, and a few other twists. The ISDN guys, after using 2B1Q to get bidirectional data transmission on a twisted pair loop, are now looking at running bidirectional BISDN links over a single fiber using two frequency bands, much as is done with CATV. (Don't know if they would like that analogy.) Pat Turner KB4GRZ pturner@dixie.com ------------------------------ From: davidson@ccrs.emr.ca (David Davidson) Subject: Help Needed Wiring an Old Phone Organization: Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Ottawa Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 13:08:13 GMT I bought an old phone; a 1947 Sweedish Ericsson LM. It only has three wires coming out of it, and is missing the green which I need to hook it up. I have descibed the terminal setup inside. If this makes any sense to you, and if you can tell me which wires to move to hook it up properly, I would be greatly in your debt. If you can't, well I can take it to a shop, but I would love to have a go at it myself. Do you have any ideas? There are two rows of terminals, offset like two steps on a stair case. The top row of screw-down terminals is 1,3,5,7,9. The bottom row is 2,4,6,8,10. There are wires attached to the top of these terminals by screws, and to the bottom by solder. The wires attached to the top of the terminals: *the dial has three wires: - term #1=red - #2=blue - #3=white *the handset has three wires: -#5=red -#7=black -#9=yellow *the line out has three wires: - #6=red - #8=black - #10=yellow The wires soldered to the bottoms of the terminals: The bell, hook, and "guts" are strung together into a bundle, which are attached to the bottoms of the terminals. It would be difficult to sort them out. Please accept my thanks in advance. Regards, David D. davidson@ccrs.emr.ca ------------------------------ From: markf@techbook.com (Mark Ferris) Subject: T1 Card For ISA Bus Reply-To: markf@techbook.com (92) Organization: TECHbooks --- Public Access UNIX --- (503) 644-8135 Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 19:32:18 GMT Does anybody know of a T1 card I can plug into an ISA bus slot on a 386 PC to allow me to access the full 1.544 mbps data bandwidth? I need this under SCO UNIX. Thanks for any information. Mark Ferris markf@techbook.COM Not affiliated with TECHbooks ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 00:55:21 EDT From: capek@watson.ibm.com Subject: Small Key System Wanted I'm interested in advice on choosing a key system for a small office, with four lines and about six phones. The present system is a (Northern Telecom?) Vantage system, and it is felt to be too difficult to use and a bit unreliable. Comments on "must have"s or things to watch out for, as well as suggestions of specific products to consider are most welcome. I'll summarize if there's interest. Peter Capek ------------------------------ From: Tom Libert Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 14:19:59 EDT Subject: NPA/NXX Data Source Wanted I'm looking for a (hopefully low-cost) source for NPA/NXX numbers (i.e. telephone area codes and exchanges). I have information on Bellcore V&H files, which currently may not be redistributed without paying hefty licensing fees. However, I have also heard about something called "NECA 4" and "NECA 10" tariffs which are reportedly in the public domain, and thus freely redistributable. I've also been told that "NECA" may stand for something like "North American Exchange Association" (I know the acronym doesn't match the name...) I'd really appreciate it if anyone could shed some light on this. I plan to provide the data to the Internet through the Geographic Name Service. Please reply directly to me, and thanks. Tom Libert Center for Information Technology Integration University of Michigan libert@citi.umich.edu (313) 936-0827 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #638 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24941; 18 Aug 92 9:40 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA15121 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 07:49:12 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12253 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 07:49:03 -0500 Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 07:49:03 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208181249.AA12253@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #639 TELECOM Digest Tue, 18 Aug 92 07:49:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 639 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Long Distance Radio-Phones: Who Knows About Them? (Paulo de Souza) CWA/US West Reach Agreement (Phillip Dampier) Information Needed on Mitel SX-200 (Wayne Jones) What Are People Using For "Telnet" (James H. Moore) LEC Bypass w/o Least-Cost-Routing (Jeff Wasilko) MCI and Sears Lost Me? (Thomas Lapp) Information Wanted: Toryo Model CT-100 Phone System (Tony Harminc) Phone Company Writes to a Public Telephone (Warren Burstein) What CLASS Features Are Available? (Holt Sorenson) Are Online Phone Books Available? (Dave Grabowski) Looking for a Good Deal (David M. Miller) Embassy Telecom Arrangements (Nick Sayer) 25 Years of 800 Service (Thomas Lapp) Telephone Company Tone Service Charges (David Sangurima) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: desouza@math.Berkeley.EDU (Paulo de Souza) Subject: Long Distance Radio-Phones: Who Knows About Them? Date: 17 Aug 1992 07:50:00 GMT Organization: U.C. Berkeley Math. Department. Recently I had a request from a friend in Brazil to get him a phone-radio system here in the US that he could use to connect a remote place in a farm to his phone at home, and the rest of the world. I have never heard of these kind of systems before that are essentially a phone <=> radio <=> phone kind of link, and that allows one to install a phone on a remote place, with distances up to 60 miles, so I went on the search for some information. Then I learned that there are some companies here that sell these systems (mainly manufactured in Japan); that they are illegal to use here in the US; and since them I have been in touch with a couple of companies that sells these systems: Phone Masters and Megatronics International; both of the LA area, but getting information on these systems and on their reliability has been hard. For example I have not been able to get the answer for the simple question: What happens if there is a mountain in between? Does it only get worse? Does it work at all? Where can I get some information on these radio-phones being sold in US? Paulo de Souza desouza@math.berkeley.edu ------------------------------ From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 13:39:10 -0500 Subject: CWA/US West Reach Agreement DENVER (AP) -- A tentative contract between U S West and unions representing more than 37,000 phone company workers in 14 states left Bell Atlantic the only Baby Bell without an agreement Monday. Negotiators for U S West and two unions worked past a strike deadline of midnight Saturday and announced the agreement Sunday night. A ratification vote by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is expected to take two to three weeks. Informal talks with Bell Atlantic continued Monday in Washington, said company spokesman Ken Pitt. Philadelphia-based Bell Atlantic serves customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. U S West said its pact provides for a pay raise of five percent this year and three percent in each of the following two years. "We're pleased to reach an agreement with the CWA that is beneficial to our employees, the company, the union and our investors," said Gary Ames, president and chief executive of U S West Communications. "The workers are very happy for the most part. They're glad they don't have to strike," said Kevin Mulligan, vice president of the Denver local of the CWA, which represents nearly all the workers involved. The unions represent 37,662 U S West directory-assistance and long-distance operators, service representatives, installers and repair technicians. They had sought a 12 percent increase over three years. U S West operates in Washington state, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Tentative agreements were announced last week by four other regional phone companies created by the 1984 breakup of American Telephone & Telegraph Co.: Ameritech Corp., BellSouth, Southwestern Bell and Pacific Telesis. The seventh Baby Bell, NYNEX, which serves New York and New England, is operating under an agreement in effect until 1995. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 11:03:22 MDT From: jones@sunspot.sunspot.noao.edu (Wayne Jones) Subject: Information Needed on Mitel SX-200 Rumor has it that we are going to replace our old AT&T Dimension 400 pbx with a Mitel SX-200. Can any of you knowledgeable folks tell me of your experiences with this system? The boss is planning on sending me to school to learn how to install, program and maintain this thing. As a general electronics technician with some telephone experience how should I expect this to go? Will I be in over my head or what? We have about 120 phones and an attended console. We're on top of a mountain and the AT&T keeps getting wiped out by lightning. Will this system be any easier/cheaper to repair/protect? Any information on the system, Mitel's school or anything else you think I should know would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Wayne Jones National Solar Observatory P.O. Box 62 Sunspot, NM 88349 505-434-7043 email: jones@sunspot.noao.edu ------------------------------ From: jmoore@pixel.kodak.com (James H. Moore 726-0322) Subject: What Are People Using For "Telnet" Organization: Eastman Kodak Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 19:41:11 GMT This is a naive question. I was told that to do terminal emulation and connect over a tcp/ip network, that I should get NCSA Telnet, and the Clarkson packet drivers. I got the latest and greatest from NCSA and went to Clarkson to get the "packet drivers", and found a "This Stuff is Outdated" file in Clarkson's telnet directory. I went back to our overworked networking person to ask why NCSA has two different versions of Telnet for the PC and Mac (2.3, and 2.5), and he suggested using the Clarkson packet drivers only on the PC version of Telnet (version 2.3). Someone else is looking into the Mac version. Well, here I am with limited access to either a PC or a Mac, needing Telnet for others who do have PCs and Macs to use to reach us. What configurations are in use around the net? Any advice/pointers are welcome. Are the versions of NCSA Telnet for PCs and Macs different in extension just because PCs and Macs are so different? If you want to be able to open an interactive session on to a Unix server, and have a mechanism for transferring files back and you have the following scenarios: using tcp/ip (ethernet) from DOS from Mac from MSWindows novell (ethernet or token-ring) from DOS from MSWindows Appletalk from Mac serial line (by modem) from DOS from Mac from MSWindows What would you do? What is freely redistributable or public domain? We want anyone within our company to be able to access us easily, and with least cost. Thanks in advance for your insights!! James H. Moore, The Software Warehouse, Eastman Kodak Co. 726-0322 jmoore@pixel.kodak.com, PROFS: EKSMTP(JMOORE) VMS: UX047A::JMOORE ------------------------------ From: Jeff@digtype.airage.com (Jeff Wasilko) Subject: LEC Bypass w/o Least-Cost-Routing Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 18:52:03 EST Organization: Univ of Fnord; Roslyn's Cafe Div. Reply-To: jeff@digtype.airage.com How is LEC bypass usually done? Is it a function of the LCR capability of a switch? If so, is there any hardware that could be added to a switch that doesn't do LCR to route instate calls via another carrier? Thanks, Jeff Jeff's Oasis at Home. Jeff can also be reached at work at: jwasilko@airage.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 14:19:46 EDT From: Thomas Lapp Subject: MCI and Sears Lost Me? When I got my local service installed, I didn't request a LD carrier. Instead, I used "Sears' Long-Distance" service, which is really just MCI service billed to your Sears credit card. I get a bill from MCI each month, and it lists the total amount and the breakout, and shows the same total billed to my Sears charge card. Along about April, I had a bill go long and ended up double paying it. The result was that on my April bill, I had a small credit. Sears said that they would issue a check if there was still a balance on the account the next month. Lo and behold, next month a check for that amount comes. But the MCI billing still shows that they are billing my account -- which isn't showing the billing. So, I guess the MCI to Sears connection broke down somewhere and I haven't paid a dime on my LD charges all summer, since they haven't got billed! (Yes, I'm an honest guy, and have my MCI records to tell me exactly what I owe. I figure one of three actions will probably trigger something which will get it all going again: 1. I cash the check (I've been saving it to apply it toward the next bill); 2. I make a charge to my Sears account and it picks up all the other billing; 3. Sears/MCI's billing audit will discover it after a period of time and I'll get a bill; I guess the only thing I have to watch for is that Sears doesn't try to charge me interest on the account for the stuff past due (since I've not received a bill for the last three months!)) I just called the automated system for billing and determined that my bill is indeed $0.00 and hasn't had any charges since my last statement! tom internet thomas%mvac23@udel.edu (home) lapp@cdhub1.dnet.dupont.com (work) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 01:12:25 EDT From: Tony Harminc Subject: Information Wanted: Toryo Model CT-100 Phone System A place where I am doing some contract work has an old interphone system installed but not in use. The sets have twelve button keypads which do not emit tones. The numbering scheme seems to be two digits, though the system as installed has only six or seven sets. There appears to be no central switch -- each set is wired to a common five pair cable. There is a central 24V power supply. Each set has a plug -- a clip really, that appears to set the address, though it's not clear how the dialed digits are related to the plug setting. The sets look like something from the early 1970s, but if so, I'm surprised that enough electronics of that vintage fits in quite small packages. Has anyone heard of these or at least of the company ? I would like to get a manual. Many thanks, Tony Harminc tony@vm1.mcgill.ca ------------------------------ From: warren@worlds.COM (Warren Burstein) Subject: Phone Company Writes to a Public Telephone Date: 17 Aug 92 15:44:24 GMT Reply-To: warren@nysernet.org Organization: WorldWide Software The August 14 edition of Yerushalaim (a Jerusalem local newspaper) contains a copy of a letter that Bezeq, the Israeli telco, mailed to a phone booth which it owns. The form letter is addressed to "Bezeq, Inc." at the address at which the phone booth is located (155 Costa Rica Street), and informs the subscriber that while in the past, its bill was computed by reading a meter, which made it impossible to obtain a listing of calls made, this will now be possible (at a fee, of course, something that Bezeq did not mention to the phone booth). The letter-carrier delivered the letter by placing it inside the phone booth. Bezeq responded that the program that sends out mailings will be corrected. The phone booth was unavailable for comment. warren@nysernet.org ------------------------------ From: hps@sdf.lonestar.org (Holt Sorenson) Subject: What CLASS Features Are Available? Organization: sdf Public Access UNIX, Dallas Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 11:02:45 GMT Hi. The switches that are digital in my NPA are #1 ESS, #5 ESS, and DMS-100. I was wondering what CLASS features are available for these switches. I've heard of the SS7 switch. How does it fit in with the above and what are it's capabilities? Thanks in advance. ------------------------------ From: dcg5662@hertz.njit.edu (Dave Grabowski) Subject: Are Online Phone Books Available? Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J. Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 23:03:10 GMT A simple quesion: Is an online phone book, either as a database or file (geez it would be _HUGE_) available via telenet or ftp? Dave ------------------------------ Reply-To: dmiller@elli.une.edu.au Subject: Looking For a Good Deal Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 01:54:05 -0500 From: dmiller@elli.une.edu.au I saw an article in the June 22nd issue of {Communicationsweek International} which discussed "alternative calling services". For example, the AT&T "WorldConnect" service was cited as giving the ability for an overseas caller to connect to a third country. Does anyone have any information on this, or an address/phone number? On a related note, I've noted the discussions in the Digest mentioning 800 numbers which map to a customer's normal service. Does anyone know if anyone offers a service whereby calls to an American 800 number can be "transferred" to an Australian number, but with the calls billed at the (lower) American rates? Best regards, David M Miller Internet: dmiller@elli.une.edu.au PO Box 695 CompuServe: 100032,341 Hornsby NSW 2077 GEnie: D.MILLER3@GENIE Australia [Moderator's Note: You could have one of several providers of 800 service forward 800 calls to a regular phone line then have that line on call forwarding to the Australian number at direct dial rates. PAT] ------------------------------ From: mrapple@quack.sac.ca.us (Nick Sayer) Subject: Embassy Telecom Arrangements? Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: +1 408 249 9630 Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 00:26:22 GMT I was watching "Mission: Impossible" today and one of the scenes showed a (phony) telephone lineman waltzing into the Russian embassy in Washington, snooping around, etc, etc. Even back in the pre-divestiture days, I can hardly believe that this sort of thing was a possible scenario. Nowadays, of course, since there are demarcs to limit how far the telco can go, but what did an embassy of a foriegn nation do for local telecom without letting Bellco in? Did they have an arrangement with the State Department? Did they even use Bell? Have the arrangements changed since divestiture? Thanks in advance for any information. Nick Sayer N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA 37 19 49 N / 121 57 36 W +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest' ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 15:50:34 EDT From: Thomas Lapp Subject: 25 Years of 800 Service A cover story appeared in today's Wilmington, Delaware {News-Journal} discussing the 800 telephone number service. I thought some of the pieces from the articles (written by staffer Jane Brooks) would be of interest to TELECOM Digest readers. It appears that the majority of the articles were based on data obtained from AT&T. Some factoids: o The number of calls per year made to 800 numbers has skyrocketed from 7 million during the first year to an estimated 11,000 million (11 billion) this year. o In France, Italy, Norway and Denmark, they're known as "green number" services. In Japan, they are "auto-collect calls." In Germany, they're "130 Service." o About 40% of the calls going through AT&T's network during a typical business day are 800 calls. Contrast this to Canada (20%), France and Germany (less than 10%). However, this number went over 50% during the airline price promotions. o Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines has 384 lines coming in for travel agent use. o Breakdown for usage? 49% for sales, 21% for product inquiries, 19% for employees/internal use, and 5% for reservations (other:6%). (Source is AT&T.) The main article discussed some history: "For 20 years, AT&T was the sole provider of 800 service, which evolved through three separate phases: -> In the Automated Collect Call phase (1967-76), 800 usage grew slowly. It was created as a technology solution to meet an anticipated shortage of telephone company operators and was not part of a marketing strategy. ->The second phase (1977-86), coincided with the coming of age of the AT&T Worldwide Intelligent Network, and was marked by explosive growth. The installation of common channel signaling made it possible to connect calls faster than ever and the creation of computerized databases in the network allowed businesses to advertise a single 800 number anywhere in the nation ..." (It then goes on to say that consumers and baby boomers found out how easy it was to use 800 numbers for shopping, etc.) "-> In the third phase, from 1987 to the present, the 'Electronic Storefront' unfolded. Competition emerged. Changes in the regulation of telecommunications brought prices down, making the service affordable even for the smallest businesses. Shrinking leisure time led consumers increasingly to shop by phone ..." (the rest of this section talks about AT&T is facing competition from other LD carriers, as well as from resellers who sometimes use AT&T's name when making sales, causing headaches from purchasers who think that they are getting AT&T follow-up service as well. It mentions how the local companies are getting into the act as well for intrastate (sic) phone service (I think they actually meant intra-LATA?), since Delaware has a huge credit-card banking industry which relies heavily on 800 service.) Finally, a side article discusses how small businesses are using 800 service by profiling several of the companies. However, the headline is somewhat ironic, since the title is "With 800, Business Has Got Your Number" (followup page says "Call 800: Business Has Your (toll-free) number"). I was looking to see if there was anything in the article about how businesses can get call detail on their 800 numbers, thus getting ANI from callers. But not a word about it. I guess they didn't want to scare off the 800-using population too much. :-). tom internet: thomas%mvac23@udel.edu (home) lapp@cdhub1.dnet.dupont.com (work) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 11:53:33 PDT From: David Sangurima Subject: Telephone Company Tone Service Charges Howdy, I'm curious about the touch-tone monthly service charges that telcos apply to most of their users. Is it necessary to request the tone service or is this some abuse on the part of the telcos? Thanks in advance for any feedback. David Sangurima New York Internet: sangu@igc.org ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #639 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa23477; 18 Aug 92 23:13 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA31317 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 21:16:14 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00519 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 21:16:05 -0500 Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 21:16:05 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208190216.AA00519@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #640 TELECOM Digest Tue, 18 Aug 92 21:15:45 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 640 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Mobile Data News (Motorola) (Roger Theriault) Downside of Automation (David Fay) Phone in Bathroom (Laurence Chiu) Internet Access in Italy (Alfredo Cotroneo) Multiple Terminating Numbers For Single 1-800? (Phil Trubey) Bizarre Answering Machine Behavior (Roger Black) Pounding on an Octothorp (James Arconati) Dial a #, Connect Quicker? (Javier Henderson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: theriaul@mdd.comm.mot.com (Roger Theriault) Subject: Mobile Data News (Motorola) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 7:35:22 PDT Organization: Motorola, Mobile Data Division, Vancouver, CANADA Here's a couple of Mobile Data industry press releases from Motorola (I'm just posting this information; for press inquiries, contact the people listed at the top of the release; for product inquiries, the product manager listed at the end) Reference: Motorola ADN9223 Date: August 10, 1992 Contact: Erin Kingston 604-241-6132, Mike Doheny 708-576-6931 MOTOROLA INTRODUCES PRIVATE DataTAC* SYSTEM: NEXT GENERATION WIRELESS MOBILE INFORMATION SYSTEM SEATTLE -- Motorola's Mobile Data Division introduced the Private DataTAC System, an advanced wireless mobile information system, today at the 58th Annual Conference for the Associated Public-Safety Communications Officers (APCO). DataTAC* is a complete system that represents an evolutionary convergence of state-of-the-art personal computing, mobile communications, and connectivity technology for mobile workforces. DataTAC* extends the information systems and networking resources enjoyed by office workers to the field. It includes a family of intelligent and rugged user devices, a set of high-message throughput infrastructure products, and a core radio data technology that delivers significantly higher data traffic volumes over land mobile radio channels than currently available systems. A key benefit of the DataTAC system is its ability to place more information and processing power in the hands of the mobile worker through high speed data transmission (up to 19.2 kbps per radio channel), programmable user devices, and alignment with several computer industry standards (such as TCP/IP, X.25, LU6.2 connectivity, and DOS-compatible user devices). A complete system, the Private DataTAC System, supports traditional mobile applications such as computer-aided dispatch, database inquiry and vehicle fleet management; and provides the platform for future mobile applications such as enhanced report writing, E- mail, graphics and imaging. Motorola is actively working with key application developers, software houses and system integrators to develop new applications to enhance the mobile workers information access, productivity and effectiveness. "Public safety personnel and other mobile workers will now be able to run the same types of applications that headquarters personnel use," said Glen Brownlee, general manager of Motorola's Mobile Data Division. "With the ability to quickly access critical information, complete reports and process additional "paperwork" on the street." The DataTAC system allows customers to effectively plan and manage system migration from their current system. Most DataTAC products support the radio channel protocols of installed systems, allowing new products to be introduced to these systems over a period of time. When the majority of products are DataTAC products, the customer can switch to DataTAC's higher throughput radio channel protocol and take full advantage of DataTAC's capabilities. This approach enables customers to capitalize on their current investment and upgrade their systems in stages avoiding a major one-time system replacement. The DataTAC system includes the RNC6000 radio network controller, the DSS II controller and base station, and a powerful family of programmable mobile, portable and modem devices. The enhanced radio data signalling technology and high capacity data infrastructure controllers allow large volumes of data to be transmitted efficiently across radio channels supporting more users and data intensive applications. "The DataTAC system puts computing power at the finger tips of the mobile worker with instant access to critical information and the ability to communicate in real time -- resulting in a dramatic increase in productivity and effectiveness," said Brownlee. Motorola, Inc., headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, is one of the world's leading providers of electronics equipment, systems, components, and services for worldwide markets. Products include FM two-way radios, pagers and telepoint systems, cellular telephones and systems, semiconductors, defense and aerospace electronics, automotive and industrial electronics, computers, data communications and information processing and handling equipment. Motorola was a winner of the first Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1988, in recognition of its superior company-wide quality processes. * - Trademark Product inquiries should be directed to Ken Chaddock, product manager, Mobile Data Division. Phone: (604)241-6215. Fax: (604) 241-6042. ------------------ Reference: Motorola ADN9222 Date: August 10, 1992 Contact: Erin Kingston 604-241-6132, Mike Doheny 708-576-6931 MOTOROLA INTRODUCES NEW INTELLIGENT MOBILE WORKSTATION FOR COMMERCIAL IV/HS VANCOUVER, B. C. -- Motorola's Mobile Data Division today announced the 9100-386 Mobile Workstation, the latest member of their family of mobile data terminals. Motorola mobile data terminals are currently used in thousands of vehicles for real-time dispatching as part of Commercial Intelligent Highway/Vehicle Systems. The 9100-386 Mobile Workstation adds the capability of computing in a vehicle with applications written for MS-DOS* and Windows*. With a 9100-386 Mobile Workstation mounted in the vehicle, mobile workers such as utility field service personnel or police officers can benefit from a rugged and reliable computer that can handle dispatching, remote database inquiries and messaging. Workers can be sent to perform their function based upon computerized management-set priorities. At the same time, they can use the terminal for local processing applications such as word processing or expert systems for trouble shooting. Local processing allows for completion of time-consuming "paperwork" such as reports and time sheets while in the vehicle. In addition, expert systems help mobile workers to handle situations as well as the most experienced worker. An example of an expert system is an application that can provide directions to handle a hazardous material spill. These applications can be developed with the familiar MS-DOS* and Windows* environment and modified to work in the mobile environment. "Field personnel no longer have to go back to the office to complete paperwork -- it can be done from the vehicle." "The 9100-386 mobile workstation preserves the investment in dispatching software while providing the local processing capability of a laptop computer. The rugged mobile environment is often too tough for laptop computers permanently mounted in vehicles." The 9100-386 Mobile Workstation includes removeable storage (two standard RAM cards) which makes it ideal for this type of routine communication. This information can be directly downloaded at the beginning or end of the day rather than transmitted via radio, thereby reserving air time for more timely communications. The screen in the 9100-386 is VGA quality with a resolution of 640 by 480 and 64 shades of gray. In addition, the 9100-386 supports a wide range of peripherals such as bar code readers, mobile printers, and GPS positioning devices for use with Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) applications. There are connections for other peripherals qualified for the mobile environment. The 9100-386 is designed to run continuously on vehicle power at temperatures ranging from -30C to 60C (-22F to 140F). The terminal is designed to withstand the type of vibration experienced in vehicles. The case and keyboard are designed to withstand extreme humidity conditions and be resistant to fluid spills often experienced in the mobile environment. Other features include support for Motorola's existing over-the-air data protocols and future higher speed protocols. The 9100-386 supports the recently announced RD-LAP protocol that offers the highest radio channel utilization available for wide area radio systems at 19,200 bps. Motorola, Inc. headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, is one of the world's leading providers of electronics equipment, systems, components and services for worldwide markets. Products include FM two-way radios, pagers and telepoint systems, cellular telephones and systems, semiconductors, defense and aerospace electronics, automotive and industrial electronic equipment, computers, data communications and information processing and handling equipment. * - Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Product inquiries should be directed to Bill Hughes, Product Manager, Mobile Data Division. Phone: (206) 487-5943 Fax: (206) 283-4300 ------ Roger Theriault theriaul@mdd.comm.mot.com I am not a spokesman for Motorola or anyone else besides myself. ------------------------------ From: daf1@gte.com (David Fay) Subject: Downside of Automation Date: 18 Aug 92 15:08:32 GMT Organization: GTE Laboratories Incorporated, Waltham MA I thought the readers of this newsgroup would be amused at the following item I found in the Police News column of the Bolton (MA) Common. It illustrates an unanticipated disadvantage of automating collect calls. I would guess that in the old days the whole affair could have been quickly straightened out by an operator. "A series of 25 or more collect calls to [a] Lancaster Road residence was reported to police Sunday night, August 2. The caller, who was calling a wrong number, talked over the computerized message that announces a collect call and accused the resident of having the caller's girlfriend with him, Police Chief Warren Wilson told the Common. The resident had advised New England Telephone. He later told police that the calls continued into the night." David Fay daf1@gte.com GTE Laboratories 40 Sylvan Rd. Waltham, MA 02254 ------------------------------ From: lchiu@animal.gcs.co.nz (Laurence Chiu) Subject: Phone in Bathroom Organization: GCS Limited, Wellington, New Zealand Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 02:44:45 GMT This may be a silly question but anyway ... A couple of years ago I had a phone installed in my bathroom. For some reason I kept on getting calls when in the bathroom rather than leave the machine on I wanted to pick them up. The phone I put in was a ATT trimline type phone but made in the East somewhere. Well two years of steam from showers etc. and I think the phone has suffered. Callers tell me the sound is muffled now (I don't think it has a carbon mic) and leaving it out to dry for a couple of days has not fixed the problem. Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem. What kind of phone should I be looking at? Should I enclose it in some steamproof covering? Thanks, Laurence Chiu lchiu@animal.gcs.co.nz ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 15:49:52 +0200 From: alfredo@quickt2.it12.bull.it (Alfredo Cotroneo) Subject: Internet Access in Italy Does anybody know how to get possibly_free Internet (email, news, ftp, etc.) access via dialup lines from Italy? (or from any other location in Europe? e.g. Germany, Switzerland, ...) Thanks, Alfredo E. Cotroneo Milano, Italy email: a.cotroneo@it12.bull.it ------------------------------ From: ptrubey@netcom.com (Phil Trubey) Subject: Multiple Terminating Numbers For Single 1-800? Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 15:53:39 GMT Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Simple quick question: do the long distance carriers in the US have the capability to offer a single 1-800 number that terminates to multiple phone numbers strewn throughout the US -- the number that a caller would be terminated to would be based on their geographic calling location. Phil Trubey | Internet: ptrubey@netcom.com Systemhouse Inc. | Voice: 613-834-6919 | Fax: 613-236-2043 [Moderator's Note: Yes indeed, they do. At least several (most, all?) can configure it that way, although obviously it is more expensive than a single termination style 800 number. Likewise, the 950 prefix is available in many areas to accomplish the same thing. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jrblack@csn.org (Roger Black) Subject: Bizarre Answering Machine Behavior Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc. Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 17:07:19 GMT I am in desperate need of some help with an AT&T "Answering System Telephone 1532". It's a two-line answering machine that uses minicassettes and has all sorts of fancy bells and whistles, all of which seem to work fine except for the most basic and important function -- i.e., answering the phone and taking a message. The problem is this: When the unit hits the appropriate ring, it dutifully answers the phone -- and then drops the line. The caller does not hear the outgoing message, does not get a beep, has no opportunity to leave a message; all he/she gets is a deep silence followed by a disconnect. The little red "in use" light flashes as it is supposed to while the phone is ringing, but goes out as soon as the phone is answered and never comes back until the next call. I have been through this several times with AT&T's 800 help number, to no avail. They were very kind and apologetic, and talked me through all the standard stuff -- swapping the cassettes, resetting the microprocessor, verifying all the switch settings, etc. -- but in the end they gave up and said they didn't have a clue. I also talked to U.S. West and even had a repairman come out and look at the line, also to no avail. Since it was still under warranty, I took the machine back and got a replacement unit of the same model, but the new unit does exactly the same thing as the old one. Finally I borrowed a "PhoneMate" answering machine (i.e, one *not* made by AT&T) and it seems to work just fine. Unfortunately, I don't know whether that really exonerates U.S. West and puts the blame on AT&T, or whether the PhoneMate just happens to be a little more tolerant of some out-of-spec condition in the local circuit that AT&T can't (but shouldn't have to) handle as well. The people at AT&T did suggest that maybe the local line voltage was too low, so I put a meter on it. It shows 50 volts when waiting for a call or ringing, but drops to about 8 to 12 volts when the phone is answered. I asked the U.S. West repair service if that was normal, and they told me they didn't know anything about voltage levels and had no way of finding out. Ditto with the repairman. As you can imagine, that failed to instill in me a deep sense of security about the quality of our local service. Any of you phone wizards out there have any idea what the hell is going on? I'm about ready to swear off answering machines for life. James Roger Black jrblack@csn.org ------------------------------ From: mc/G=James/S=Arconati/OU=0105390@mhs.attmail.com Date: 17 Aug 92 14:44:56 GMT Subject: Pounding on an Octothorp In Telecomm Digest V12 #632, Spencer talks about the pronounciation of the # symbol used on DTMF pads. When I worked for Mother, some 'official' publications said that it was called an "octothorp." Seems to me that "pound sign" is readily understood by most North Americans. [Moderator's Note: We covered this in excruciating detail in a special edition of the TELECOM Digest back in 1989. "Octothorpe" (with an \e\ on the end) seems to be the designated name. In another message in this issue, a reader asks if pounding off at the end of certain dialing sequences is a normal, acceptable thing to do. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jhenderson@pomona.claremont.edu Subject: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? Organization: Pomona College Date: 17 Aug 92 22:28:55 PDT Hello, On a dialing instructions booklet I received from AT&T recently, it suggests to dial a # after the last digit on international calls, so the call can be completed quicker. Since then, I've been dialing a # after the last digit on all my long distance calls, both domestic and international, and they all seem to complete faster. Is this just my imagination, or is the # really helping? My LD company is MetroMedia, in case it makes a difference (I have no idea why AT&T sent me the booklet, they've never been my LD carrier.) Javier Henderson jhenderson@pomona.claremont.edu [Moderator's Note: In Metromedia's case, I think pounding off in the middle of a call will reset the dial tone for you, and allow another call to be dialed. At least that's my experience with that carrier. I think maybe AT&T allows this also on calling card calls, no? In the dialing sequence, the # acts like a carriage return and forces the processing to begin on what has already been dialed without waiting for a timeout. I don't think it makes any difference with domestic calls since 11 digits is expected and you have entered that many when you pound off. But since international numbers can be of variable length, it certainly helps in those cases, sometimes saving up to 30 seconds or so in the time you wait for the call to set up at the other end. It also matters on the few variable-length dialing situations we have in the USA; ie, zero-pound eliminates the wait required to see if your intention was to dial zero-zero or zero plus ten digits; and in the case of placing a (Bell) credit card call to the number to which the card is assigned, dialing just the PIN after the "dial your card number now" prompt is permitted. Pounding off after those four digits is a good idea, as it relieves the tension which you might experience while waiting for the equipment to decide what to do about the mere four digits you dialed (proceed at that point, wait for six more, etc). Likewise, service codes like 72 and 73 process faster with the # appended, but will work without it. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #640 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa27229; 19 Aug 92 1:03 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00369 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 22:20:05 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA28126 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 22:19:56 -0500 Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 22:19:56 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208190319.AA28126@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #641 TELECOM Digest Tue, 18 Aug 92 22:20:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 641 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Status of Bell Atlantic Talks (Phillip Dampier) Sony IT-A4000 Digital Answering Machine Review (Mark Lottor) RS-422-A: Which Way is Up, Polarity Wise? (J. Porter Clark) Where Can I Get a VME Board POTS Interface? (Howard Katseff) What Does This "Western Electric" Box Do? (Ron Newman) Make Mine Extra Dry, Please, and Hold The Olive (Mike Coleman) What are Personal Communication Services (PCS)? (Robert Perlberg) Somalia Phones Down (Carl Moore) A Peculiar Event During a Phone Call (Bryan King) Mag-Stripe Reader Phones (Will Martin) No Information For 900 Numbers (David Cantor) Looking For Bell Labs Writeup on Cellular (David Dodell) Not Yet, Anyway ... (James Arconati) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Phillip.Dampier@f228.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) Reply-To: phil@rochgte.fidonet.org Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 15:15:44 -0500 Subject: Status of Bell Atlantic Talks STATUS UPDATE ON UNION CONTRACT TALKS AT BELL ATLANTIC Communications Workers of America WASHINGTON -- CWA's chief negotiator at Bell Atlantic emphasized that union bargainers stand ready to talk at any time, and he strongly denied the company's assertion as reported in the news media that the union had "broken off talks" yesterday. "The top negotiators for both CWA and IBEW are on hand and available to talk at a moment's notice, and our full committees are on call and ready to return for formal negotiations whenever there is a prospect of making real progress at the table," said CWA Vice President Vincent Maisano. "But the ball is in the company's court, and from our perspective, it's really Bell Atlantic that has shut down the bargaining process," he said. Bargaining hit a snag yesterday, Maisano said, when company negotiators reintroduced a proposal they had previously withdrawn from the bargaining table. "We're actually losing ground and getting farther from a settlement if the company is going to start resubmitting issues that had been disposed of in earlier talks," he noted. Maisano said that local leaders and members "are disappointed and angry at the snail's pace of bargaining since August 11th" when the company put its last offer on the table. Among the issues prolonging the talks, he said, were retrogressive demands in the area of health benefits for retirees that were laid on the table just prior to contract expiration on August 8th. "They gave us an unacceptable last-minute demand, and now they're resubmitting others, Maisano noted, adding: "We don't view this as good faith bargaining." Among unresolved issues are wages, compensation, employment security, and others, CWA and IBEW negotiators reported. The collective bargaining agreement had been extended since August 8 by mutual agreement, but the last extension expired at midnight last night. The 51,000 CWA and IBEW members have remained on the job. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 12:02:08 PST From: Mark Lottor Subject: Sony IT-A4000 Digital Answering Machine Review The Sony IT-A4000 has been out for a while now. It is a speakerphone and digital answering machine. It has a very hi-tech design and a real nice backlit LCD display. The answering machine has three outgoing messages, which can be your own or ones from ROM. The first is the normal please leave a message message. Another is for when your recording memory is full. And another is for when you put the machine in announce only mode. When leaving a message, a caller can push *1, *2, or *3 to have the message tagged for a particular recipient. The phone does not tell them to do this, you put it in your message if you want to, otherwise things go into box one by default. The phone has three LEDs on three buttons; the corresponding one blinks when a message is left "in" a particular "mailbox". Also, the display shows how many messages are in each box. Then the recipient can just hit one of the buttons to play back that box. However, don't get the impression that this is a voice-mail system. Messages are time and dated. A memo button lets you record from the local speakerphone mic or the current phone call into message area three. The phone can also be set to call another number after a message is received. It will try calling every 30 minutes until you answer (or read the new messages). It plays a recorded message (your own or from ROM) and waits for your password to access it. You could potentially record touch-tones into your "remote access" message if you wanted it to call your pager, although I haven't tried this. The remote mode is voice-synthesized but has only minor prompting. You can do most functions from the remote mode, including turning the machine on/off, call transfer on/off, change transfer number, and change OGMs. However, you can not delete individual messages, only complete mailboxes (you can play, delete, and skip individual messages from the front panel). It is slightly annoying when you call it because it doesn't tell you if there are new messages or not; you need to try the play command (or use toll-saver mode). Also, it will only listen to DTMF commands when it is finished prompting you, which can be annoying but the wait is never more than a second or two. The sound quality of digitized messages is OK but not great. However, it does hold up to 16 minutes worth of messages. The phone has CPC, toll-saver modes, and speed dials. The LCD display shows time, modes, number dialed, minutes talking, and number of messages. It can only be set to answer after three or five rings, or TS mode. In summary, its a nice phone. It has some minor annoyances, mostly because you know they could have just added a few lines of code to make it do something differently. However, it easily beats having a machine with tapes or paying someone for voice-mail service. It sells for around $199. ------------------------------ From: jpc@avdms8.lambda.msfc.nasa.gov (J. Porter Clark) Subject: RS-422-A: Which Way is Up, Polarity Wise? Organization: NASA/MSFC Date: 18 Aug 92 18:20:08 GMT Over here in the space hardware world we're trying to resolve a documentation conflict about the polarity of the RS-422-A signals. If I send a "1" (a *real* "1"), which lead, A or B, is positive with respect to the other? I know this has been a controversial topic in the past, with one vendor doing one thing and another the opposite, but what is the current thinking? Send mail, I'll summarize. J. Porter Clark jpc@avdms8.msfc.nasa.gov or jpc@gaia.msfc.nasa.gov NASA/MSFC Communications Systems Branch ------------------------------ From: hpk@vax135.att.com Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 14:28:00 EDT Subject: Where Can I Get a VME Board POTS Interface? I am interested in interfacing POTS telephone lines to a VME computer. I would like a board with modular phone jacks (to which I can connect either a phone line or a telephone set). It should contain A/D and digitization hardware and allow full-duplex connections. Detection of touch tones and other progress signals would be a plus. Where can I buy such a beast? If VME isn't available, I will settle for a SBus board. I am also interested in a similar interface to ISDN lines. Howard Katseff Room 4G-622, AT&T Bell Laboratories, P.O. Box 3030, Holmdel, NJ 07733-3030 UUCP: att!vax135!hpk Internet: hpk@vax135.att.com 908 949-5337 ------------------------------ From: rnewman@bbn.com (Ron Newman) Subject: What Does This "Western Electric" Box Do? Date: 18 Aug 1992 21:09:46 GMT Organization: Bolt, Beranek & Newman, Inc. I moved into a new apartment this weekend, and found a mysterious box plugged into an electric outlet, with wires running into a telephone junction box. Various writing on the box reads: Western Electric 2012C Trnsf. PRI: 105-125V 60Hz 4.7 VA MAX SEC: 6-8V 1.75 VA CAUTION INDOOR USE ONLY UL Listed Class 2 786D Trnsf. OK, it's some kind of electric transformer. But what is it for, and why is it there? I unplugged it from the wall and unscrewed the wires in the junction box, my phone service seems unaffected. All of the phones still have dial tone, all of them still ring. I called New England Telephone, but neither the Business Office nor the Repair Service knew anything about it. One person suggested that it was a step-up transformer that was needed to power a Princess phone with lighted dial. But I have an AT&T Trimline phone, and its dial still lights up just fine without the transformer plugged in. Anyone know more? Ron Newman rnewman@bbn.com [Moderator's Note: It is indeed a transformer to light the dial on a Princess phone ... a style long since replaced by the Trimline models. The reason you do not need it on the Trimline is because instead of an actual little light bulb under the case of a Princess phone, the newer Trimline model uses LED's under each push button and they light up from line voltage, eliminating the need for an external source of power to light the dial. On the old Princess models, the light, being independently powered from the transformer you have via the second pair of wires in the cord to the phone did not go out when you punched the buttons as it does with the newer Trimlines when you momentarily steal the voltage to send tone signals. Did you ever see a *two line* Princess phone with a turn-button to select the line? It had four pairs of wires coming in: one pair for each line, one pair to illuminate the flashlight size light bulb, and a fourth pair to handle the momentary press down/release turn button to signal another station when one line was used as an intercom. Talk about a mess of wires inside the little tiny plastic housing! PAT] ------------------------------ From: coleman@twinsun.com (Mike Coleman) Subject: Make Mine Extra Dry, Please, and Hold the Olive Organization: Twin Sun, Inc Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 22:50:57 GMT I was sitting in traffic behind a PacBell repair van and noticed two large weatherproof socket covers (the kind of thing you see on outdoor power receptacles) on the upper rear of the van. One was labeled "DRY" and the other "WET". I'm puzzled; anyone know what these are? ------------------------------ From: perl@dwrsun4.UUCP (Robert Perlberg) Subject: What are Personal Communication Services (PCS)? Date: 18 Aug 92 20:49:00 GMT Organization: Dean Witter Reynolds Inc., New York I have seen mention in many industry magazines of Personal Communication Services (PCS). The major discussion at this time seems to center on the allocation of frequencies for these services, but I haven't read or heard anything about what these services are. They keep alluding to the concept of people being able to carry around a telephone in their pocket. But I've already seen people with pocket sized cellular phones. How is PCS different from/better than cellular? Robert Perlberg Dean Witter Reynolds Inc., New York {murphy | philabs}!dwrsun4!perl ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 9:33:27 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Somalia Phones Down News article referring to the Somalia relief effort said that basic services were down. Among other things, it said that the telephone system was destroyed. [Moderator's Note: Yes, it is true. Almost entirely wiped out. :( PAT] ------------------------------ From: bxbmts::bxbmts::mrgate::bxb::msbcs::am_msbcs::king@msbcs.enet.dec.com Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 09:51:36 EDT Subject: Peculiar Event During Phone Call I recently called a friend when a strange thing happened during the call. The call was placed from within the Eastern Massachusetts LATA (508/617). The destination of the call was to Norwood, MA where I believe the switch is a DMS-100. During the conversation his line went silent a couple of times. It was as though I was on the 'waiting' end of call waiting. The line has call waiting but no calls came in during our conversation. At one point the line went silent for about ten seconds and then I heard the ringing sound. He did something, hit the the on-hook switch I assume, and we started talking again. Apparently their line has recently been having alot of problems just like this. I'm curious what would cause this and what the problem is? Thanks, Bryan King Digital Equipment Corporation [Moderator's Note: I hope responses to Mr. King get through okay. The address on his email is one of the strangest I have ever seen. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 9:43:35 CDT From: Will Martin Subject: Mag-Stripe Reader Phones I noticed a magstripe-reader SW Bell phone on a St. Louis city bus the other day -- they have a few of these on some of the special Greyhound-bus-like busses used for highway-travel express service and which are used during non-rush hours for a shuttle service between downtown and a fancy new shooping mall -- The Galleria -- in a suburb. It charged a $1 per/call fee plus 50 cents per minute. It said it would accept MC, Visa, American Express, Diners Club, or a telco calling card. I didn't have any need to use it, so I didn't try it, but it got me to wondering. I have an AT&T Universal Card, which I use instead of a "Calling Card" in order to get the 10% discount on calls, when I call LD while away from home. I wondered what the phone would read if I swiped my AT&T Univeral Card thru it -- the regular MC number, and bill it as an MC charge, or the AT&T calling card number, and bill it on the separate phone-bill portion of my Universal Card bill with the 10% discount? I just called the Universal Card people, asked them, and gathered that it would read it as an ordinary MC card and bill it as a regular MC charge. So it wouldn't be wise to use it in this circumstance. But how would I get that phone to take the calling card number imprinted on my Universal Card? It is set up to just read the number off the swiped-through card, not to take it from the keypad (unless it *will* take keypad input and I am misinterpreting the instructions and appearance). But since it isn't an AT&T phone, but SW Bell instead, would that Universal Card number be invalid to the SW Bell database? Will AT&T issue me an AT&T Calling Card with the Universal Card calling-card number imprinted on it and encoded in the magstripe, so that I can use the magstripe reader phones and still get the benefit of the 10% discount on Universal Card phone calls? (I already had one with my home phone number on it, as opposed to the artificial Universal Card number.) Or can AT&T magstripe phones read that particular special calling card number off the Universal Card magstripe, even though other brands of phones will see only the MC card number? Regards, Will wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil OR wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 00:44:04 PDT From: Dave Cantor Subject: No Information For 900 Numbers I tried to get 900 directory assistance tonight from Nashua, NH (603-888). I got the following intercept: "Due to a change in network architecture, the 900 information number has been disconnected. This is no further information available at this time." David A. Cantor cantor@star.enet.dec.com Digital Equipment Corp., Nashua, NH 03062, USA The views expressed herein are my own, except where attributed to someone else. They are neither the opinion of, nor the responsibility of, Digital Equipment Corporation. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 01:13:16 MST From: ddodell@stjhmc.fidonet.org (David Dodell) Subject: Looking For Bell Labs Writeup on Cellular Last year, someone sent me email telling me about the Bell Lab monograph that explained the workings of cellular. I actually think it was a publication in the format of a book about 150 pages long. I was also given the number of Bell Labs to order this monograph. If anyone is familiar with this, I would like to order a copy again and would appreciate the help in tracking this down. David Internet: ddodell@stjhmc.fidonet.org FAX: +1 (602) 451-1165 Bitnet: ATW1H @ ASUACAD FidoNet=> 1:114/15 Amateur Packet ax25: wb7tpy@wb7tpy.az.usa.na ------------------------------ From: mc/G=James/S=Arconati/OU=0105390@mhs.attmail.com Date: 18 Aug 92 13:53:33 GMT Subject: Not Yet Anyway In TELECOM Digest V12 #636, Esteemed Moderator is comenting on credit and SSN: > Please note no SSN is required when calling from a payphone and > paying with coins. To which I absolutely must add ---> YET ! [Standard disclaimer - my opinion only.] [Moderator's Note: What do you think they will do, have a recording come on saying 'enter your social security number now' ... 'please hold while we verify the number you have entered' ... 'Sorry, you have not been authorized by the government to place calls from coin operated telephones ... Press 1 if you are Socially Responsible; Press 2 if you wish to announce your identity to the number you are calling; Press 3 if you intend to hack whatever answers at the other end." PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #641 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa28223; 19 Aug 92 1:32 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA31637 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 23:45:04 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA13250 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 18 Aug 1992 23:44:56 -0500 Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 23:44:56 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208190444.AA13250@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #642 TELECOM Digest Tue, 18 Aug 92 23:45:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 642 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Deterioration of POTS (Jack Adams) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Armando P. Stettner) PreGreene (Bob Frankston) In Defense of the Judge (John Higdon) Re: GTE Thinks I live in 213 (Mark Rudholm) Re: GTE Thinks I live in 213 (Mark Eklof) Re: AT&T Using AOS Slime Tactics? (John Higdon) Re: Solicitation Slime (Paul Schmidt) Re: Solicitation Slime (Mike Coleman) Re: LEC Bypass w/o Least-Cost-Routing (John Higdon) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: vixen!jadams@uunet.UU.NET (26070-adams) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 12:53:07 GMT In article , lauren@vortex.COM (Lauren Weinstein) writes: > John Higdon asks how I think POTS has deteriorated. Perhaps not from > the standpoint of "techies" (the category into which many of us > reading TELECOM Digest could be classified). But for the average > telephone subscriber, phone service is becoming increasingly confused > and expensive. (Extremely salient material deleted for bandwidth considerations.) (And our Esteemed Moderator underscores Lauren's points well ...) > [Moderator's Note: Let's face it, Lauren: Between Judge Harold Greene > who disgraced his robe and courtroom to wreck the public telephone > network in the USA; IMHO, Judge Greene was not alone in this caper. We, yes you and I, let him and a bunch of ambulence chasers in the Justice Department fiddle in an area where none of them was familiar, let alone competent. Where were our laments when this whole affair started? (I'm attempting to calm down now.) I am convinced more than ever in a letter I wrote to my then Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick in April,1 982 concerning then HR5158 correcly summarizes the role of numerous bureaucrats, lawyers, low rent lobbyists, etc.: ... direct quote from letter ... "I offer the following irony: There are two large forces at work shaping the future of communications policy in the United States. The larger of the two has brought about: Vietnam, Watergate, Abscam, an 18-cent postcard, double digit inflation, a $90 billion budget defict, shortages (contrived or otherwise), and many others. The other was responsible for: Information theory, the transistor, the first communications satellite, the finest communication system in the world, the first electrical digital computer, magnetic bubble technology, gainfully employing 1+ million people, earning a fair rate of return for three million stockholders, and many others. Can you guess which one is trying to tell the other how to run the telephone business? ... (other, slightly libelous attacks on politicians deleted) ... In national telecommunications policy, as in virtually every other issue facing the United States, it is lucid that the government can not deal with the problem, since it is the problem." Jack (John) Adams Bellcore RRC 4B-259 (908) 699-3447 {Voice} (908) 336-2871 {Facsimile} jadams@vixen.bellcore.com kahuna@attmail.com [Moderator's Note: Judge Greene's dislike and prejudice against AT&T was never disguised. A year or so before the proceedings began he made it very plain to a couple cronies in the Justice Department that his courtroom would be a friendly place for anyone who wanted to work over AT&T. And his defenders always say, "But the judge didn't do anything! AT&T agreed to divestiture and signed off on it!" Of course they did; how long can any large corporation fight the federal government until its resources are totally depleted? AT&T wisely quit before they were totally ruined. I am reminded of a couple years ago when the City of Chicago aldermen decided they would take over Commonwealth Edison here. The very idea that the people who run the public schools, the public housing and the public transportation here would start running the nuclear reactors as well scared the bejeezus out of everyone but the aldermen. Only when several large companies flatly said they would move out of town and the aldermen realized how much they would miss the *big* franchise fees Edison paid did they recant. The same thing should have happened in the AT&T case: several major corporations ganging up on Justice at the same time, using all the pressure they had available would have turned the tide. PAT] ------------------------------ From: aps@world.std.com (Armando P. Stettner) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 03:58:50 GMT I remember a time when there was a great deal of determinism regarding how to dial a given phone number ... aps [Moderator's Note: But do you remember the Anti-Digital-Dialing League which formed in Berkeley, CA in the early 1960's to fight the conversion of named exchanges into three digit numbers? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Bob_Frankston@frankston.com Subject: PreGreene Date: Tue 18 Aug 1992 22:43 -0400 Sorry, I couldn't resist responding to our Moderator's defense of the good old days when phone companies were Phone Companies and users were pampered children who couldn't be trusted. Somewhere in my basement I've got a whole pile of DAA's (Data Access Arrangements) which the old Bell required I install in order to protect their sacred network from us users. Protected monopoly's can afford to provide very very good service. After all, we have to pay for it. Having the option of not paying for unwanted "services". At a hotel, I should have the option of not paying for a person to turn my blankets at night and leave two $.25 mints which I don't eat. Sad to say, competition is messy and inefficient and does impose the burden of decision. Things I don't like. Remember when banks charged for all checks, didn't pay interest and closed at 3 PM? The good old days? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 14:41 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: In Defense of the Judge Our Esteemed Moderator devoted an entire Digest to the reinforcement of the attitude that "the breakup was bad". There were horror stories concerning customer dealings with telcos and long distance companies. There is another perspective. Our telephone network and the services offered are exponentially more complex than anything dreamed of during the reign of the Bell System. Think of some of the services you now take for granted and I can guarantee you that not only were they not offered by Ma Bell, they probably would STILL not be offered if Ma Bell was alive today. Yes, it is confusing to select a long distance carrier. The former Soviets and Henry Ford used to deal with that problem quite effectively. But it boils down to this: either you have choice or you do not. With choice comes the need for responsibility. For all those who find this responsibility burdensome, would you rather we all had no choice? There were stories about GTE run-arounds. Folks, GTE has ALWAYS been the ultimate standard in incompetence. That is the one thing that has not changed with divestiture. Do not blame GTE's excuse for telephone service on divestiture; it has a longer history than that. And is PAT or anyone else going to claim that there were not royal run-arounds from the Bells before the His Honor's decree? My memory is longer than that and I remember trying to get weird problems in the crossbar looked at, or billing problems resolved, or any of a number of other things corrected and finding a brick wall at every turn. Did some of us kind of conveniently forget all about that stuff? Yes, life was much simpler before the mid-eighties. And so was telephone service. Sure, there was no problem at all with slamming. There was only one way to make calls. Confused by "calling plans"? It sure was not a problem in the old days: there weren't any. If I had even a fraction of the voice and data traffic that flows between my Victorville facility and my San Jose residence in 1980, the cost would have compared to the national debt. A PBX in my home? Sure just hand a fortune over to Mother and it would appear, telco trucks and all. Data transmission? What could beat the DataPhone 300? The list goes on and on. And do not waste my time asserting that all of these things would have eventually materialized in the world of Ma Bell at a price you could afford. Monopolies have no reason to advance. Yes, The Bell System was reliable. Stogy, but reliable. Why? Because it was cheaper that way. Recent failures of STP switches started a whole lot of lip flapping about things not being as bulletproof as they used to be. Yes, cutting edge technology has rough edges and sometimes a few bugs. But is that a reason to take GTE's stance and just sit back and collect the revenue and do nothing to advance? Pine all you want about "the good old days" of the Bell System. I am damn glad it is gone. I thank Judge Green and all who had a hand in shaking telecommunications loose from the iron grip of the most stogy, conservative, lackluster corporate behemouth in history and finally letting it soar. Of course, my bank account has benefitted in many ways as the result of divestiture and that might slant my attitude slightly. But as good as Bell Laboratories might have been, the field is too dynamic to be entrusted to one, single entity. When Don Peters (former Pacific Telephone regional manager) came to my family home to investigate the "Higdon Telco" that was strung around the neighborhood decades ago, my mother quipped that "maybe John will end up working for the phone company some day". Mr. Peters replied, "Not likely. He is much too creative to work for us!" Whether or not I deserved that compliment is open to question, but it is interesting that an influential agent of The Bell System had that kind of insight regarding his own firm. But thanks to divestiture, I and many others HAVE joined the telecommunications industry and I believe that we have all brought something to the party. People may resent the marketing tactics, sleazy tricks, AOS scams, 900 shadiness, etc., etc., but we have a vibrant and useful industry now that moves our society along at a resonable cost. A whole industry cannot be based on concerns of how Aunt Martha will cope with POTS. There are others of us out there. And I beg to differ: we ARE the majority! The Bell System is dead. Long live telecommunications. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! [Moderator's Note: There is certainly no doubt that the old Bell System was badly in need of reform during the years before divestiture. But instead of a decree which forced them to interconnect on a fair and arms-length basis with all competitors and possibly some transition assistance from the court to help the newcomers, we wound up with the whole System dismembered and total confusion among the remains. Naturally this fueled the public discontent even more. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 18:49:12 PDT From: aimla!ruby!rudholm@uunet.UU.NET (Mark Rudholm) Subject: Re: GTE Thinks I live in 213 In Telecom Digest V12, I636, message 8 of 9, gast@CS.UCLA.EDU (David Gast) writes in reference to a GTE card promotional: > While the information is full of what might be called misinformation, > the best part is that the marketing blurb says only GTE can offer me a > calling card with my home telephone number, but the printed > information has my phone number in the 213 area code. Astute readers > of this forum have no doubt noticed that the 213 area code split nine > months ago and my new area code is 310. I can think of an > explanation, but it still looks funny seeing my phone number with the > 213 area code. God help us! This is evidence of GTE California's complete stupidity in light of the fact that since the 213/310 NPA split, GTE has NO subscribers in 213, None, zero, zip, 0. 213 has been for some time now the exclusive domain of Pacific Bell! Can't somebody put GTE out of our misery??!!! Mark D. Rudholm rudholm@aimla.com Philips Interactive Media ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 16:26:24 EDT Reply-To: me@stile.stonemarche.org Organization: Stonemarche Network Co-op From: me@stile.stonemarche.org (Mark Eklof) Subject: Re: GTE Thinks I live in 213 In comp.dcom.telecom, article , David Gast writes: > Yesterday I received some mail from GTE, no doubt at ratepayer's (that > is, my) expense. They want me to convert my XXX card to a GTE card, > where XXX should be immediately obvious to all loyal telecom readers. > (GTE is just a little behind the Baby Bells in implenting the change). I got one of these from GTE last month. Given my past experiences with GTE, it wasn't all that surprising, even though the phone number/account for which they wanted to issue this card had been closed over eight months ago, when I moved to a different town (having phone service provided by someone other than GTE was an explicit requirment I gave to real estate agents while looking for a house). Mark D. Eklof Brookline, New Hampshire, USA me@stile.stonemarche.org ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 11:38 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: AT&T Using AOS Slime Tactics? Alan Boritz <72446.461@CompuServe.COM> writes: > When I lost my patience and told the AT&T operator to, "... forget > it, I'll use MCI," the phone went dead! AT&T's connections that allow it to process coin-paid calls (TSPS and later) also give it virtually total control over the telephone. All the operator in question had to do was fail to hit the 'release' key and the phone would stay connected to the AT&T system indefinitely. > Have you ever heard of AT&T using sleazy AOS tactics like that? And > has Michigan Bell moved from an arm's length of AT&T, to a finger, or > whisper's length (or closer yet) to allow AT&T to disable pay phones > at will (perhaps some imagined anti-fraud protection)? AT&T cannot disable pay phones at will, but it can fail to release a phone that has connected to it for the purpose of making a call. This is nothing new, is not a conspiracy to grab business for AT&T, is not a new partnership between Michigan Bell and AT&T, and IS available to the other carriers if they wanted to get off their respective cans and put it in. But then, the ability to carry coin-paid calls does not really excite the three-piece suits at MCI and Sprint. > Do you think Michigan Bell gives the OCC's the same access to their > pay phones to help THEM cut down on fraud? This has nothing to do with fraud. It does have something to do with the OCCs' lack of interest in the relatively low-profit ability to handle coin-paid calls from utility pay phones. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: tijc02!pjs269@uunet.UU.NET (Paul Schmidt) Subject: Re: Solicitation Slime Organization: Advocates for Self-Government - Davy Crockett Chapter Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 13:46:28 GMT john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > This afternoon, my private line rang with someone who identified > himself as being from the {Chronicle}. I said, "I'm sorry, I do not > accept solicitation on this line", and hung up. The phone immediately > rang back and I was greeted with, "Rude dickhead [slam]". Since then > there has been a stream of one-ringers. > Needless to say, I have notified the {Chronicle} concerning this. And I > have now been convinced that telemarketing is a practice that needs to > be eliminated -- by whatever means. I have also been annoyed by telemarketters, but not in the form of harrasment you described. I have been harrassed, though, and other people in my family have been harrassed. I think that it is easier to rid the problem of telephone harrassment by concentrating on the incedents rather than focussing on an industry or group of people, many who are not harrassing people. Banning a collective group for the actions of one can lead to strange conclusions like banning taxis because of poor cab drivers, or all animal rights groups because of the illegal actions of individuals in one group. Actions are committed by individuals, and punishments should be levied against individuals. Paul Schmidt: Advocates for Self-Government, Davy Crockett Chapter President 706 Judith Drive, Johnson City, TN 37604, (615)283-0084, uunet!tijc02!pjs269 ------------------------------ From: coleman@twinsun.com (Mike Coleman) Subject: Re: Solicitation Slime Organization: Twin Sun, Inc Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 22:06:06 GMT [John Higdon receives bad treatment my a tele-sales-slime crank, and says telemarketing needs to be outlawed.] To paraphrase a similar adage regarding the difference between liberals and conservatives, I think the difference between those who think telemarketers are wonderful and those who think telemarketing should be outlawed is that the former have not had a horrible telesleaze experience. *Yet*. Mike ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 10:42 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: LEC Bypass w/o Least-Cost-Routing Jeff@digtype.airage.com (Jeff Wasilko) writes: > How is LEC bypass usually done? Is it a function of the LCR capability > of a switch? Bypass is done in one of two ways. Larger customers order a number of direct trunks from the IEC of their choice and simply place any and all calls over those trunks. The only reason LCR capability is required is to assure that the calls are properly routed and to append or insert any necessary digits required on those trunks. For instance, on most IEC trunks a '1' is not used, but calls made within the same NPA require the area code. It is much easier to have the switch do this than to expect all the employees of the company to remember special dialing instructions. Smaller companies use FGB bypass. This involves using a 950 number and a code to make calls that would normally be carried by the LEC. > If so, is there any hardware that could be added to a switch that > doesn't do LCR to route instate calls via another carrier? Some of these companies with FGB access would be very happy to install automatic dialers on each of your trunks to automatically route calls. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #642 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa02847; 19 Aug 92 3:41 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20713 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 19 Aug 1992 01:46:07 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30237 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 19 Aug 1992 01:45:59 -0500 Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 01:45:59 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208190645.AA30237@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #643 TELECOM Digest Wed, 19 Aug 92 01:45:45 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 643 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Unreliable Call Return Feature on Southwestern Bell (Jeff Sicherman) Re: Unreliable Call Return Feature on Southwestern Bell (Lars Poulsen) Re: Call Return vs. Call Forward (Derek Andrew) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Roy M. Silvernail) Re: 710 and ABCD? (Fred Fierling) Re: ABCD as a Phreaking Tool (Rop Gonggrijp) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (John Gilbert) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (S. Spencer Sun) Re: Fiber-Optic Cable Demo (Terry Kennedy) Re: Fiber-Optic Cable Demo (Daniel M. Rosenberg) Re: Who Administers the 800 Numberspace? (Joel M. Snyder) Re: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted (Mark A. Holtz) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Jim Haynes) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 16:51:57 -0700 From: Jeff Sicherman Subject: Re: Unreliable Call Return Feature on Southwestern Bell Organization: Cal State Long Beach In article rex@iqsc.COM (Rex Black) writes: > I originally posted this article to the Risks Digest, where it > generated a lot of comment and questions. A fellow reader suggested > that the conversation be moved here so it could generate more light > than heat. [ most of story deleted ] > On Monday, I called Southwestern Bell and explained my concern. While > the person I spoke with understood my concern, he did not help. He > repeated the standard disclaimer about "no phone system is perfect, > the phone company can not guarantee accuracy, blah, blah, CYA, > CSWBA..." I did manage to get from him some further information: > First, this was hardly the first time this happened. He mentioned > that incidents like mine occur frequently. Second, the phone > company's policy requires that, before turning a case over to the > police, someone must repeatedly call and harass someone. One instance > does not suffice. > [Moderator's Note: It either identified you as one of those things, or > it possibly identified the person who returned the call to you as a > crackpot, which is not unheard of. Nothing is perfect, but I would not > resist this technology simply because of occassional errors. PAT] As a long-time computer-type, I would never propose or require that a system be (provably) perfect before deployment, but perhaps the phone companies should take a bunch of those marketing dollars and legal fees that are being used to push Caller-ID and other CLASS features and put them into further quality control ... oops, please forgive me, but that doesn't generate any revenue. And if it doesn't work reliably for call return, what does that imply about Caller-ID and Call-Trace, the latter of which they charge a pretty premium and may, in many cases, be used for and carry some legal purpose and weight. With these kind of unreliable technologies people may find themselves fingered by and, in effect, convicted by machine and/or having to prove their innocence because the equipment wouldn't lie. Jeff Sicherman ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 10:29:51 PDT From: lars@CMC.COM (Lars Poulsen) Subject: Re: Unreliable Call Return Feature on Southwestern Bell Organization: CMC Network Systems (Rockwell DCD), Santa Barbara, CA, USA In article is written: > I originally posted this article to the Risks Digest, where it > generated a lot of comment and questions. A fellow reader suggested > that the conversation be moved here so it could generate more light > than heat. Indeed, the TELECOM list would have more readers with specific telephone knowledge than would the RISKS list. However, you should be forewarned that the TELECOM Moderator has had more than his fill of Caller*ID mail and now routinely refers all such discussions to the telecom privacy group on USENET. > I was using my modem and computer to telecommute on Sunday afternoon. > Shortly after hanging up, my phone rang. The caller asked with whom > she was speaking. I responded by asking who she was trying to reach. > It turned out that she had just been the victim of a harassing phone > call. Southwestern Bell has a phone feature (call return) that allows > a person to press a star-sequence (i.e., *1) to call back the last > caller. The activation code for "Call Return" is usually *69. What you probably witnessed is known as a "service interaction" between the service features "Call Return" and "Call Forward". Some prankster registered a "Call Forward" on his phone, requesting that all calls to his number be sent to you instead. He then made a harassing phone call. The victim used "Call Return" and the return call was forwarded. Both features worked as designed. I am cc-ing RISKS. Lars Poulsen, SMTS Software Engineer Internet E-mail: lars@CMC.COM CMC Network Products / Rockwell Int'l Telephone: +1-805-968-4262 Santa Barbara, CA 93117-3083 TeleFAX: +1-805-968-8256 ------------------------------ From: andrew@jester.USask.ca (Derek Andrew) Subject: Re: Call Return vs. Call Forward Reply-To: andrew@jester.USask.ca Organization: University of Saskatchewan Date:Tue, 18 Aug 1992 16:27:45 -0600 In article , by rees@dabo.citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) wrote: > How does Call Return interact with Call Forwarding? If I forward my > phone to an innocent third party, then make a nuisance call, and the > victim of the nuisance call does a Call Return, will the victim ring > me or the innocent third party? In Saskatchewan (and probably the rest of Canada) this will work as suggested, however ... The Call Return service as delivered by the telcos will first repeat back the caller's number and then ask you to press '1' to complete the call. The number read back will the the nuisance (you). Further, if they have Caller ID, it will be *your* number that is displayed. Unfortunatly, the telephone that you have forwarded your calls to will get no indication that you were an intermediary. In effect, the line that you made the nuisance call to will appear to be calling directly to the line you have your phone forwarded to. Please note that this description may perform differently elsewhere. For example, I understand that some telco's implementation of Call Return does *not* read back the caller's number. Derek Andrew, Manager of Computer Network & Technical Services University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Saskachewan, Canada, S7N 0W0 Andrew@Sask.USask.CA, +1-306-966-4808, 52 11 23N 106 48 48W [Moderator's Note: The version here in Chicago does not read back the number and I got a note yesterday from someone at IBT who said maybe the software will be changed soon so that 'return call' will ring through absolutely to the true calling party, ignoring forwarding instructions. There are both good and bad points to this. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? From: cybrspc!roy@cs.umn.edu (Roy M. Silvernail) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 17:37:15 CDT Organization: Villa CyberSpace, Minneapolis, MN ckd@eff.org (Christopher Davis) writes: > I wonder what 1-710-555-ABCD would do ... (probably nothing, right)? > [Moderator's Note: An interesting question to me is what would happen > if those tones were sounded to a regular CO. For example what would > happen if I gave those to the CO here? Would they even break the dial > tone, and if they did, how would the CO react to them? I just tried it here in Minneapolis. ATDTAABBCCDD did not break the dialtone. ATDT588AABC went nowhere, presumably because the ABCD tones are completely ignored. Due to failure of my mail connection, please use the following emergency addresses to reply: roy%cybrspc@tfsquad.mn.org cybrspc!roy@tfsquad.mn.org roy@tfsquad.mn.org ------------------------------ From: fff@microplex.com (Fred Fierling) Subject: Re: 710 and ABCD? Organization: Microplex Systems Ltd. Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 17:34:36 GMT In article fff@microplex.com (Fred Fierling) writes: > In article James.VanHouten@f544. > n109.z1.fidonet.org (James VanHouten) writes: >> Radio Shack supposedly has one. Model # 43-139. > ^^^^^^^ Wrong!! Abject apologies; it appears I am responsible for some of the noise that netters complain about. Model 43-139 does NOT have the ABCD keys. A respondent to my original posting and I had a misunderstanding. Fred Fierling fff@microplex.com Tel: 604 875-1461 Fax: 604 875-9029 Microplex Systems Ltd 265 East 1st Avenue Vancouver, BC V5T 1A7, Canada ------------------------------ Subject: Re: ABCD as a Phreaking Tool From: rop@hacktic.nl (Rop Gonggrijp) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 23:54:31 WET/D Organization: Hack-Tic Magazine R. Schnell writes: > I remember that phreaks used to use ABCD to hack directory assistance. > Without getting into the specifics, you could use certain combinations > during a call to DA, and you would be put in a trunk from which you > could actually answer information calls. Your message implies past tense. If this is not possible anymore, I would like to know more about what was going on. I'll tell you another nice thing one could do with ABCD up until about a month ago: If you called AT&T USA Direct from here (Holland) and got their computer, you gave it the number you wanted to call. After the bong you gave it a calling card. Any number in the format NPA-XXX-XXXX-ABCD worked, even if you used numbers in the 555-XXXX range. In other words, ABCD worked as a PIN on any card, even if the card did not exist. Needless to say we COULD have used this to give a lot of people very high phone bills, we did not. Within a few months after our discovering it, the hole disappeared as part of a routine upgrade. We believe AT&T never knew what 'hit' them. There is no guessing how many other people have discovered this, maybe years before we did. Guess this does show what 'capable minds' set up the technology that we are supposed to trust. Yet in the eyes of US law enforcement, we would have been the criminals for experimenting with this (using 555-XXXX numbers), and AT&T the poor victim. [Moderator's Note: That is correct. AT&T would be the victim and you would be the criminal. The reason we can trust the technology is because the minds which set it up are still infinitely more capable than 99 percent of the public. All things are relative. PAT] ------------------------------ From: johng@comm.mot.com (John Gilbert) Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Organization: Motorola Inc, Land Mobile Products Sector Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 22:59:50 GMT I have been using a program from Telair Technologies called PC Page Director. It features: Automatic installation Transaction history log Unlimited page recipients Unlimited broadcast lists Optionally memory resident Date and time stamp It is available for $89.95 from: Telair Technologies 800-925-9132 301 Yamato Road 407-998-9132 Suite 4100 Boca Raton, Fl 33431 This company has other interesting products such as PC based paging terminals and attendant systems for alpha paging transcription. John Gilbert johng@ecs.comm.mot.com ------------------------------ From: spencer@phoenix.princeton.edu (S. Spencer Sun) Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Reply-To: spencer@phoenix.princeton.edu (S. Spencer Sun) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 16:18:43 GMT FYI, two people have mailed me to say that the ATDT ,,, does work. So there's no need to rush out and get a BellSouth beeper or whatever it was :-) The opinions expressed in this article are solely mine. sss/PU'94 Dept of CS (spencer@phoenix.princeton.edu)/JvNCnet (spencer@jvnc.net) ------------------------------ From: terry@spcvxb.spc.edu (Terry Kennedy, Operations Mgr.) Subject: Re: Fiber-Optic Cable Demo Date: 18 Aug 92 04:51:23 EDT Organization: St. Peter's College, US In article , rah@btr.com (Richard A Hyde rah@btr.com) writes: > Suppose, on a dark night, (hypothetically, mind you), I dug up a major > fiber trunk and sliced it in half. What would I see? Could I use it > like a flashlight? Would the cut end sparkle (assuming that the > computer continued to send data)? Would there just be a dim glow? Well, short-haul runs (in the few thousands of feet) such as you find used for campus networking uses relatively large diameter (62.4 micron) multimode fiber with low-power LED's, usually operating near the infrared area. These are visible if you look at them straight on, and it's relatively harmless to do so. Extended runs (like the cross-country runs you're looking at) use 8 micron single-mode fiber. These are lit with genuine lasers. While the smaller fiber diameter makes it harder to see, these would be _very_ bright if you viewed them end-on. I wouldn't do it 8-). As to the illumination you'd get, I don't think they'd be very useful. These are a large number of tiny point sources (one per fiber), not a wide beam the size of the cable. Most of the cable is steel bands and stiffeners. Terry Kennedy Operations Manager, Academic Computing terry@spcvxa.bitnet St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA terry@spcvxa.spc.edu +1 201 915 9381 ------------------------------ From: dmr@rugrat.Corp.Sun.COM (Daniel M. Rosenberg) Subject: Re: Fiber-Optic Cable Demo Date: 18 Aug 1992 23:19:47 GMT Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Reply-To: dmr@rugrat.Corp.Sun.COM In article 3@eecs.nwu.edu, rah@btr.com (Richard A Hyde rah@btr.com) writes: > Suppose, on a dark night, (hypothetically, mind you), I dug up a major > fiber trunk and sliced it in half. What would I see? Could I use it > like a flashlight? Would the cut end sparkle (assuming that the > computer continued to send data)? Would there just be a dim glow? At least from my experience ... one end would be dark (that's the end that goes to the receiver) and the other end would show a reasonably bright red light (if that's the kind of laser used in the sending equipment). It's not quite enough to use as a flashlight. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Who Administers the 800 Numberspace? From: jms@misvax.mis.arizona.edu Date: 18 Aug 1992 10:21 MST Reply-To: jms@arizona.edu Organization: University of Arizona MIS Department In article , jpk@Ingres.COM writes: > You can get an 800 number from MCI, Sprint, others. Who administers > the numberspace? > [Moderator's Note: Bellcore allocates the space. The prefix, or first > three digits following the area code detirmine the carrier. Not true starting either in November/December or early Spring, 1993. As part of the Justice Department involvement in the phone company(ies), this will be phased out in favor of a seven-digit 800-number database. The argument, which has some merit, is that if you have 1-800-HOLIDAY, this is something of value, and you shouldn't be kept from changing LD carrier just because AT&T (for example) owns the 800-HOL exchange. Naturally, there is substantial opposition to this from a variety of interested parties, including parts of the phone company who don't want to do seven-digit database lookup for every 800-number call (can you say "increased rates?" I knew you could.) and some of the large businesses who don't want to see call set-up times increase during the high volume Christmas season. Nevertheless, if it doesn't happen this winter, it'll happen shortly thereafter. Not just a mediocre idea, it's the law. Joel M Snyder, 1103 E Spring Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719 Phone: 602.882.4094 (voice) .4095 (FAX) .4093 (data) BITNET: jms@Arizona Internet: jms@arizona.edu SPAN: 47541::telcom::jms ------------------------------ From: mholtz@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Mark A. Holtz) Subject: Re: L O U D Indoor Ringer Wanted Organization: Sacramento Public Access Unix Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 18:24:08 GMT After reading over the discussion over the need of a LOUD telephone ringer, I'll tell you of our experience. A few years ago (aprx. 1984), the business I worked for (a family owned business) moved from a garage to a regular building. Since we have heavy machinery making loud noises while in use, we needed a loud ringer. The first thing we tried was a Radio Shack outdoor ringer. No good. Then, we tried what was originally supposed to be a flasher for the hearing impaired, and hooked up a old burglar alarm horm. Bingo, it worked, although from that point on, whenever we had a new person visit the shop, we had to watch them jump as they heard that horn for the first time. UUCP: PacBell.COM! -> mholtz!sactoh0 ucbvax!csusac! Internet: mholtz@sactoh0.sac.ca.us ------------------------------ From: haynes@cats.ucsc.edu (Jim Haynes) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Date: 19 Aug 1992 05:56:22 GMT Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz > [Moderator's Note: But do you remember the Anti-Digital-Dialing League > which formed in Berkeley, CA in the early 1960's to fight the > conversion of named exchanges into three digit numbers? PAT] Known within the phone company as the "2335 committee" (from what you get when you dial A-D-D-L). haynes@cats.ucsc.edu haynes@cats.bitnet ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #643 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa03317; 19 Aug 92 3:59 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09358 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 19 Aug 1992 02:09:31 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19512 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 19 Aug 1992 02:09:19 -0500 Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 02:09:19 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208190709.AA19512@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #644 TELECOM Digest Wed, 19 Aug 92 02:09:00 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 644 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson CPSR and Class: Rebuttal to Forrette, Harrell and Higdon (David Gast) Re: Getting Ohio Bell to Fix my Line Noise (Jeff Sicherman) Re: Switching Systems (John Higdon) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 17:52:47 -0700 From: gast@CS.UCLA.EDU (David Gast) Subject: CPSR and Class: Rebuttal to Forrette, Harrell and Higdon Steve Forrette, John Higdon, and Ben Harrell all go ballistic over a CPSR press release forwarded to the Digest. What is most interesting is the way they contradict themselves on the issue of business access to CNID data. Steve Forrette is extremely vociferous in his denunciations of CPSR for mentioning the words business and CNID in the same sentence. (That is, for stating the obvious -- that CNID is more useful to businesses than individuals). I personally have not seen such a strong denial in the several years since a Gilbert Amine of Rochelle Communications made similar claims. Shortly afterwards Gilbert Amine announced new software for use by businesses integrating CNID and a database of callers on a PC. I wonder if Forrette has a vested financial interest in CNID? Mr. Higdon says that small *businesses* should be able to get what large *businesses* have now. And Mr. Harrell says that why should anyone complain about CNID when there is ANI? He also says it is only fair to the LEC to let them deliver CNID to *businesses* if the IXCs can deliver ANI data to *businesses*. I would like to note that the CA PUC claims no ability to regulate ANI; they can regulate CNID. Further, by analogy just because the FCC has decided to minimize regulation of rates does not mean that the CPUC should also. Now to the specifics. Steve Forrette writes: > There is so much misinformation and misrepresentation in this press > release, I'm not sure where to start. Just substitute "your posting" for "this press release" and we agree. >> CNID allows businesses to collect the phone numbers of customers who call > Allows BUSINESSES? Caller ID allows *any* subscriber access to the > calling number. Just because A allows B does not imply that A does not allow C. I think if the CPUC banned businesses from getting CNID some of the controversy would end. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that computers like numbers, humans prefer names and faces. If the service were really geared to humans, a name, not a number would be sent. A name would not be good for a computer needing that unique key, however. > Nowhere is it mentioned that the primary purpose of Caller ID is to > enhance the privacy of residential customers, not businesses. Do you really believe what you have written? The primary purpose of CNID is to generate revenue for the phone company. They don't care about your privacy or mine. Further, no one ever said the purpose was to protect the privacy of business, rather one of the purposes is to enable businesses to collect information about who calls them. (See Mr. Harrell's posting). > Never mind the fact that Caller ID helps protect residential > subscribers *against* the privacy intrusions of businesses who interrupt > the dinner hour, family gatherings, and sleep patterns. An answering machine works just as well, if not better, and at lower cost. Anyway, many of the solicitions are from out of state because long distance costs and wage rates are lower. CNID doesn't do diddly for these, at least yet. > Also, look at the telco marketing efforts. The first thing you ought to know is that business rarely markets the truth. Mostly they try to sell sex -- better use our X or members of the opposite sex won't be attracted to you. Sometimes they take their weakest point and pitch it as plus. You probably noticed some recent comments in this newsgroup about PacBell's advertising for other class features. (One of the ads, incidentally, uses sex, but does not tell the truth about how the product works.) In this case, the telcos use fear of obscene callers as the reason for CLID. > Have they marketed Caller ID as a wonderful new service to business, > which will allow them to collect the numbers of people who call, then > generate huge direct-mail lists? I have seen plenty of advertisements and "news stories" to this effect. >> The Commission's order guarantees privacy protections for all >> Californians. PacBell proposes to eliminate a key privacy protection >> called Per-Line Blocking with Per-Call Unblocking. > Not all Californians, not even a majority of Californians. It > protects the privacy considerations of those who like to make > anonymous calls. First note what CPSR says PacBell proposes to eliminate -- not Per-Line Blocking, but Per-Line Blocking with Per-Call Unblocking. Actually, PacBell is hoping for at most a 3% penetration rate. That is, most Californians would rather not subscribe to CNID, at least with the current rate structure. With 40% or higher rates of unlisted numbers in major CA cities, more citizens see blocking rather than CNID as the way to protect their privacy. > "Being collected by businesses" Again, the CPSR is completely ignoring > the facts of the record. No, the fact is that people are more concerned about giving out their numbers to businesses than their friends. Most people probably don't care if their number gets delivered to parents or friends, but there are some cases where delivery is a problem. There are also ethical problems. For example, if a doctor is making a house call, it would be a violation of his ethics to call someone else and have the recipient of the call know where the doctor is calling from. >> "What people want to know is who is calling, not what phone is being >> used. If my wife's car breaks down and she calls me from a pay phone, >> that's a call I want to answer. CNID doesn't give me any information >> that will help me do that." > "If you don't find Caller ID useful, then don't buy it!" And the way I don't buy it is with free per-line blocking. Suppose that were many local loop providers instead of just one. In that marketplace, I would go with the one who promises not to use SS7, and not to implement CNID. Since I don't have choice, I favor a regulatory requirement. > I hate to keep returning to reality, but the fact of the matter is > that there are a great many people who have very real and frequent > interruptions of their personal business in their homes by unwanted > telephone calls, and no effective way to distinguish the desirable > from the undesirable. Call screen with an answering machine. Works great. Also, keep your name off of mailing lists and telephone lists. Does wonders to reduce those calls. If you never answer the phone, and never respond to junk mail, they have less incentive to bother you. You can also do things like subscribe to magazines with accidental spelling mistakes for your name or address, and a statement that you are only subscribing provided they never release any information about you to others. If you see the magazine selling your name, cancel your subscription. > As far as the "wife at the unknown payphone" example goes, I agree > that someone who took the stance of "I won't answer any calls from > numbers I don't recognize" would be setting themselves up for > problems. But, in practice, I seriously doubt that very many current > Caller ID subscribers use the service in this manner. If you still pick up unknown numbers, then you can still be interrupted by calls you don't want. The best way is to screen with an answering machine. Most telemarketers hang up immediately. When you hear a voice you want to talk to, pick up the phone, otherwise don't. > And if someone gets it only to find that they don't find it useful > since it identifies the calling number, and not the identity of the > caller, they can always cancel the service. Yes, I'd like to cancel it with per line blocking. > Do people with unlisted numbers purchase some sort of right to make > anonymous calls to other residential subscribers (who are the vast majority > of Caller ID subscribers)? They pay for it. I think so. > And as far as business "junk mail" list generation goes, where is a > business going to get the addresses that go with the phone numbers? Of all your questions, this has got to be the most disingenuous. First, they might call back. (We know how they got your phone number.) Second, there are many ways to get addresses. The post office, for example. Also credit bureaus, DMVs (but not in CA), etc, etc. I bet PAT could write an article on how easy it is. > People with unlisted numbers will already be screened from this type > of assault on their mailboxes, People with unlisted numbers get plenty of junk mail. > Then why not allow per-line blocking, but with the default for the > blocking off? I'd have no problem with this solution. > By the way, it is interesting to note that in states where per-line > blocking is free for the asking, the number of people who request it > (having to pay nothing to do so) is dwarfed by the number of people > who pay $60+ for a Caller ID box, plus the $5 or so per month for the > service. I think the cost is generally at least $6.00 per month. And I would like to see some hard statistics on the your claim. I have heard that very few people actually get CNID. Even touch tone dialing is not universally used and the cost is much lower. John Higdon writes: > The fact of the matter is that the PUC decision goes way beyond the > restrictions found in other states offering CNID. Not really. > but then I do not make as many anonymous phone calls as most, > apparently. It's not so much the number, but the ability to decide when I should be anonymous and when I should not be. If I go the supermarket, for example, I don't -- and you have said you don't -- pay with some card that allows them to build a database on our purchases. The same should be true if I decide to call them. > Of course, the real reason this organization is against CNID in any > real form is that it gives to the little guy similar capability that > business already has. Apparently the Computer/Social people only want > big businesses to be able to know who is calling via 800/ANI and do > not want small businesses and private people to have this power. Now Steve Forrette says that businesses aren't that interested, that CLID is for residences. As I have said many times, in this forum, to the PUC, and elsewhere, CLID and ANI should be banned. PUC says they don't have jurisdiction. Just provide equal access for the local loop, and I will pick the company that does not use SS7. Ben Harrell writes: > If [people like me] would do just a little bit of basic research, > they would know that there has never been any privacy of single party > residential service in the US since AT&T started offering automatic > number identification (ANI) service with their 800 Service offering > and other IXC followed suit. I already know that; I have already campaigned against it. I just don't make 800 number calls from home anymore. I would, however, like to have some use for my phone. > CLASS CLID levels the LEC/IXC competitive playing field a little bit. > As long as there are no restrictions on the delivery of ANI anywhere > in the US be IXCs, I don't think there should any restricts on CLID > either. The solution is ban the delivery of ANI information to the recipient. BTW, there are documented cases of the ANI data being used incorrectly. John provided one himself in an early post. David ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 17:05:57 -0700 From: Jeff Sicherman Subject: Re: Getting Ohio Bell to Fix my Line Noise Organization: Cal State Long Beach In article sbrack@jupiter.cse. UTOLEDO.edu (Steven S. Brack) writes: > I've had Ohio Bell out here twice to get rid of the line noise > problem I'm having. The noise comes in short bursts, and almost > always appears as the same set of characters. > A sample: "}i{_~r}i}i}i{_}i > Noise is much worse during the day, and diminishes at night. > The line is quiet to the ear. The oddest thing is that when I call a > BBS in my own CO, there is hardly, if ever, any noise. Only when I > call other COs is noise a problem. Even long distance isn't noisy. > Ohio Bell checks the line and says everything's fine. THe > most I've been able to get them to do is turn it over to the CO techs > to fix. It hasn't helped. PAT, this appeared some time ago, in a previous Digest. Seems possibly applicable; you might want to reprint it: Date: Fri, 28 Sep 90 10:24:23 PDT From: Brian Kantor Subject: Re: References/Fixes Needed For "Slippage" on Dialins When you get "twinklies", consisting of characters having a lot of bits on (especially high order bits) like }, you are probably seeing your modem attempting to resynchronize. (1200 bps 212 modems use synchronous transmission between each other even though you are using async to talk to them.) My experience is that the A-#1 cause of this is a defective or misconfigured interface card on one or both ends of one or more of the circuits that connect your university's phone switch to the local telco's digital switch. What happens is that the a/d and d/a conversions at opposite ends of the trunk occasionally drop a little data. In other words, one or more of the 8k/sec samples was damaged and was discarded at the receiving end. This has NO measureable effect on voice -- completely inaudible -- but it makes the modems lose sync and they blow 1's bits at each other until they resync, so you see lots of twinklies. Sometimes they switches are misclocked so that they drop one sample out of every N, so you see a periodic burst of twinklies every M seconds. This is always repairable, but it will probably take a transmission specialist to bring his special test equipment and check for it as the normal telco voice quality measurement stuff won't show the problem. We had this problem big-time here at UCSD when the main campus was on one machine and the student housing on another in the same telco office -- the two switches in the same building couldn't talk to each other without sync slips. The DMS-100 switch was famous for this -- I heard they had a production run of line cards that came from the factory misconfigured slightly so that they worked ok for voice but got lots of slips. I understand they had to pull every single card out of the switch to check the jumpers or some equally boring task. Now that PacBell has fixed that problem with our local switch, we see sync slip storms only once or so a year -- typically when they've just upgraded one of the central office switches in some other part of town. A quick call to their technical people handling the campus gets it fixed right fast. I get the impression we find out about it before they do, sometimes. (We've got over 200 dialup lines and about 8,000 students and faculty using them 24 hours a day, so we have a large window of opportunity.) My experience parallels others in this regard -- once you get high enough in the telco to find someone who can understand what you're saying, they'll get it fixed. If you're not in a position to bang on them from an official campus position, try to talk to whoever runs the switchroom in your campus phone facility and explain to them what's going on. They can get to the right people in the telco, eventually. Jeff Sicherman ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 00:50 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Switching Systems sbrack@jupiter.cse.UTOLEDO.edu (Steven S. Brack) writes: > I have, over the year I've read the Digest, become fairly telecom > literate. Recently, people have talked about a type of swiotch called > a "panel" switch. Could someone tell me what panel is, and how it > differs from crossbar or SxS switches? The panel switch was (for its day) an amazing monstrosity. It was also the first major attempt at "common control", where a pool of components would complete calls on a non-dedicated basis. Unlike the SXS switch which operated in lock-step with the pulses from the subscriber's dial, the panel system recorded the dial pulses and then operated under its own timing and rudimentary programming to complete the call. And unlike the crossbar switch which uses a complex system of relays known as a "marker" to control relatively simple mechanical crosspoint mechanisms (crossbar), the panel switch used gigantic panels of contacts over which carbon brushes would travel. The size of these panels was responsible for the high ceilings found in old, metropolitan central offices. The carbon brushes were mounted at the end of rods which were propelled by an archane system of motors and rollers. The common-control equipment would signal a rod to start moving over a column of contacts and then would count the pulses returned from the panel. When the count was correct, the rod would be halted. Common control equipment in one office could control the sliders in another office. This was accomplished by passing the "revertive" pulses back to the controlling office. Due to the mechanical complexity, as well as the sheer size of the actual call-connecting mechanism, maintenance was a nightmare. Contamination of the carbon brushes and the contacts would cause noise in the connections and would be noticable particularly during call setup. Indeed, PAT has referred to an old Chicago panel office as "the Wabash Cannonball" as the sound was similar to constant gunfire. For a number of reasons, panel switching was only found in major cities of the thirties. This included New York, Chicago, other areas of the Midwest, and San Francisco/Oakland. They were also only found in the Bell System. To my knowledge, GTE never used them, probably because in their day they were very advanced and we all know about GTE and innovation. Los Angeles never had panel, even in the Bell areas. Panel switches were completely incompatible with SXS, and sending a call from one to the other involved much headache. On the other hand, early #1 crossbar was intentionally designed to mimic revertive pulses, making the integration of crossbar into panel areas very easy. Some of these switches have been maintained in working condition by members of the Telephone Pioneers. One such switch remains in San Francisco. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! [Moderator's Note: I thought the original 213-464 (back then, in the 1940's it was known as HOllywood) exchange was panel. I guess I am mistaken. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #644 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24702; 20 Aug 92 3:12 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17683 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 20 Aug 1992 01:06:54 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA16641 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 20 Aug 1992 01:06:37 -0500 Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 01:06:37 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208200606.AA16641@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #645 TELECOM Digest Thu, 20 Aug 92 01:06:35 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 645 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? (John Higdon) Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? (Carl Moore) Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? (Laird P. Broadfield) Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? (Steve Forrette) Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? (Curtis Sanford) Re: Pounding on an Octothorp (Steve Forrette) Re: Pounding on an Octothorp (Richard Cox) Re: Who Administers the 800 Numberspace? (Otis Jean Jones) Re: Who Administers the 800 Numberspace? (John McHarry) How Do I Reach Bryan King? (Carl Moore) Bryan King's Address (Nigel Roberts) My E-Mail Address (Bryan King) Re: What Number Am I Calling From? (Darren Embry) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Guy Hadsall) Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem (Hans Ridder) Re: What Does a CO Switch Cost? (David G. Lewis) Re: 2500 Picturephone in the News (Mark R. Jenkins) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 22:35 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? jhenderson@pomona.claremont.edu writes: > Since then, I've been dialing a # after the last digit on all my long > distance calls, both domestic and international, and they all seem to > complete faster. One place it will help is on "sequence calls" made on AT&T. For some unknown reason, AT&T has started waiting after dialing subsequent calls on a calling card. "You may dial another AT&T-handled call now" is the announcement. After you dial the call, there is a long pause and then, "Thank you." If you press the '#' after the number, the "Thank you" comes immediately and the call is instantly processed. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 12:12:57 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? # is useable when placing AT&T Calling Card calls; it gets you a prompt about being able to dial another AT&T-handled call now. What domestic calls are you talking about for # to speed up the processing, aside from the cases discussed by the Moderator? Phone numbers are of fixed length in country code 1. Time-out cases NOT discussed by the Moderator: 0 + seven digits in area code 213. At least back before the 213/818 split, this was the published way in the phone book for making 0+ calls within 213, even though this made a time-out necessary to distinguish between, say, 0-413-xxxx and 0-413-xxx-xxxx. When 215 area (southeast PA) gets N0X/N1X (any such prefixes there yet?), it will make a time-out necessary in some direct-dial calls from Adamstown and Denver (say, if a 907 prefix is installed in Philadelphia, you will have 1-907-xxxx and 1-907-xxx-xxxx). Adamstown and Denver are to convert in 1994(?) to conform to the rest of 215 (i.e. change to 1+NPA+7D for local calls to another NPA, and drop leading 1 for toll within 215 -- probably need to do this in separate stages). ------------------------------ From: lairdb@crash.cts.com Subject: Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? Date: 19 Aug 92 19:32:10 GMT In jhenderson@pomona.claremont.edu writes: > On a dialing instructions booklet I received from AT&T recently, it > suggests to dial a # after the last digit on international calls, so > the call can be completed quicker. [Pat mentions some situations when a pound terminator helps, and some when it doesn't.] Probably worth mentioning that if you're behind a modern PBX, the odds change a lot. When the PBX is eating up the digit string, some of the strings are ambiguous, and since it wants the entire string for ARS, the PBX may wait for a timeout on certain strings ("9,0" being a notable example.) Some switches will take the pound as a terminator, in the same way that the carriers take it during CC calls. Laird P. Broadfield lairdb@crash.cts.com ...{ucsd, nosc}!crash!lairdb ------------------------------ From: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette) Subject: Re: Dial a #, Connect Quicker? Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc., Seattle, WA Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 21:14:13 GMT The Moderator mentions how hitting # at various phases of a calling card call would speed the process. One question that I have not been able to answer myself is why it helps to hit # after entering an additional destination number for a calling card call (that is, after hitting # to terminate the first call). I can't think of a situation where it would be expecting more than 11 digits, but it definately waits for more. If you hit # after the 11th digit, you get a "Thank you for using AT&T" message right away. With no #, there is a timeout on the order of a few seconds. Does anyone know why this is? Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com ------------------------------ From: sanford@ascend.com (Curtis Sanford) Subject: Re: Dial a #, Cconnect Quicker? Date: 19 Aug 92 16:35:21 GMT Organization: Ascend Communications, Alameda CA Recently pounding off international numbers has produced dramatic results. Our Definity PBX is connected to ATT by a PRI line. Dialling a UK number and ending with the # will result in a call setup so rapid that the number is ringing as your finger comes off the key. On the other hand, making a local Pac Bell call (our connection to Pac Bell is by a T1 with robbed bit signalling) takes two or three seconds to connect. I understand that they have been bringing ISUP signalling up on selected trunks to the UK, and this may be responsible for the recent speedup in connections. ------------------------------ From: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette) Subject: Re: Pounding on an Octothorp Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc., Seattle, WA Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 21:16:54 GMT > [Moderator's Note: We covered this in excruciating detail in a special > edition of the TELECOM Digest back in 1989. "Octothorpe" (with an \e\ > on the end) seems to be the designated name. In another message in > this issue, a reader asks if pounding off at the end of certain > dialing sequences is a normal, acceptable thing to do. PAT] Since pounding off is not necessary for domestic calls, you may not want to do it, as you might wear it out. Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com [Moderator's Note: Alright now, cute innuendos are my department, not yours! :) PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 12:11 GMT From: Richard Cox Subject: Re: Pounding on an Octothorp Reply-To: mandarin@cix.clink.co.uk In the UK, some people did call it an "octothorp" at first. But no "e" on the end !. We *don't* call it the pound sign, however, for faily obvious reasons (like we have a pound sign all of our own !) The common name for it here, is "hash": but BT, when they introduced facility codes for PABXs and Network Services, decided they would give it their own name. They sold phones with the "thorps" missing from the octothorp symbol: and then told us all to call that key the "square". Even today, when you set up any diversion or call barring, an automated voice tells you what the network is about to do, adding "If incorrect, dial square." Richard Cox Mandarin Technology, Cardiff Business Park, Llanishen, CARDIFF, Wales CF4 5WF Voice: +44 222 747111 Fax: +44 222 711111 VoiceMail: +44 399 870101 E-mail: mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk (Off Internet until 31/8/92) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 10:15:29 EDT From: jean@aaahq05.aaa.com (otis Jean Jones) Subject: Re: Who Administers the 800 Numberspace Does this mean that you will be able to dial the same 800 number on MCI, Sprint, Etc., and preface it with a five-digit access code once the seven-digit lookup for 800 numbers takes effect? Jean Jones American Automobile Association Natl HQ Heathrow, Fl. [Moderator's Note: No. You will never be able to decide which carrier will handle the call you place on anyone else's 800 number. By virtue of them paying for the call, they make the decision which carrier will be used. What will happen is that owners of 800 numbers will be able to switch carriers while keeping the same 800 number, something they cannot do now. People calling an 800 number will continue to dial it as always: the LD carrier or local telco on the originating line will have nothing to do with it; the local telco will see the number dialed and hand it off to the appropriate carrier for processing. PAT] ------------------------------ From: mcharry@mitre.org (John McHarry) Subject: Re: Who Administers the 800 Numberspace? Organization: The MITRE Corporation Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 17:11:42 GMT In jms@misvax.mis.arizona.edu writes: > Naturally, there is substantial opposition to this from a variety of > interested parties, including parts of the phone company who don't > want to do seven-digit database lookup for every 800-number call (can > you say "increased rates?" I knew you could.) This puzzles me. I would think the LEC would get a bigger piece of the pie for doing the translation, plus increased revenue from churning the tables. On top of all this, they can justify putting SS7 equipment in the rate base and then use it for all sorts of new services. It sounds to me like chucking the rabbit into the briar patch. (Just my ill-thought-out musings.) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 12:22:43 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: How Do I Reach Bryan King? The following From header turned up in a message in the TELECOM Digest in a message from Bryan King. I don't know if that person gets telecom through the email or via news (in the latter case, his email address might not be readily available). Anyway, the "answer" option in the mailer I have here at BRL yielded zilch when I attempted reply to the From header: From: bxbmts::bxbmts::mrgate::bxb::msbcs::am_msbcs::king@msbcs.enet.dec.com ------------------------------ From: "eddf12::roberts"@frais.enet.dec.com (Nigel Roberts) Subject: Bryan King's Address Organization: IC Software AG (on contract at DEC) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 15:07:30 GMT > From: bxbmts::bxbmts::mrgate::bxb::msbcs::am_msbcs::king@msbcs.enet.dec.com > Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 09:51:36 EDT > Subject: Peculiar Event During Phone Call > [Moderator's Note: I hope responses to Mr. King get through okay. The > address on his email is one of the strangest I have ever seen. PAT] This sort of address may be generated when a user on an ALL-IN-1 or other Message Router based mail system sends mail out to a VMSmail-style Internet address. You may be able to reply to it, by putting double-quotes around everything to the left of the @-sign,; e.g. "bxbmts::bxbmts::mrgate::bxb::msbcs::am_msbcs::king"@msbcs.enet.dec.com This may or may not work, depending on the vagaries of various mailers between you and him. Looking closer at the address, it looks like Bryan King is on node MSBCS at the Boxboro (BXB) MTS site. You should be able to reach him by using either of the following more 'normal'-looking Internet addresses: Bryan.King@bxb.mts.dec.com king@msbcs.enet.dec.com Hope this is of use, Nigel Roberts | roberts@frais.enet.dec.com | Tel. +44 206 396610 European Engineer | P O Box 49,Manningtree,CO11 2SZ | & +49 6103 383 489 G4IJF | "Life is but a tale . . . " | FAX +44 206 393148 ------------------------------ From: "bxbmts::bxbmts::mrgate::bxb::msbcs::am_msbcs::king"@msbcs.enet.dec.com Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 09:34:34 EDT Subject: My Email Address From: NAME: BRYAN P. KING / VSS-SPE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT TEL: DTN: 293-5677 ADDR: BXB1-1/J11 (BOXBORO) Pat, I'm using DEC MAILworks as my mail user agent. This used to be known by other names such as ALL-IN-1 Mail and X.400 mail but the confusion it caused with another well known Digital product called ALL-IN-1 IOS prompted a name change. If people send me mail via king@msbcs.enet.dec.com it will still get to me as I have forwarding set on VAXmail. Thanks for the notification and for posting my article. Bryan ------------------------------ From: guest%@rutgers.edu (GUEST Account) Subject: Re: What Number Am I Calling From? Organization: Information Technology, University of Louisville Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 20:40:43 GMT In article wdp@gagme.chi.il.us (Bill Pfeiffer) writes: > In a recent TELECOM digest, ricochet@spatula.rent.com (Rick O'Shea) > writes: >> Is there a way to get the number of the phone you're calling from? >> For example, the payphone in my laundromat isn't marked and the store >> owner says he doesn't know what it is. There's times when it would be >> more convenient to have somebody call me back, but if I don't know the >> number, how can they? > We used to have to call collect to a pre-arranged person who would > refuse charges and request the number so the fictitious party could > allegedly call back. > Now-adays, why not just call someone with caller ID and get the number > that way? > Keep in mind that not all pay phones are set up to receive incoming > calls. I would test it before waiting for that 'important' call-back. > As far as I know, there is no other way to get a number of the pay > phone. How about looking up the ANAC codes list in TELECOM Digest, Volume 11, Issue 408. It was published May 30, 1991, but if you can't look back that far, I can mail it to you if you want. dembry@nyx.cs.du.edu Darren Embry ------------------------------ Organization: The American University - University Computing Center Date: Wednesday, 19 Aug 1992 19:23:01 EDT From: GHADSAL@AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem PC, Mac, UNIX, etc platforms for IXO Protocols: ================================================= Metriplex Cambridge, Mass. Pres: Steve Stuckman I make no claims towards or for the product other than its *good* and I would recommend it. Guy Hadsall ------------------------------ From: Hans Ridder Subject: Re: How to Trigger a Pager From a Modem Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation - DECwest Engineering Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 00:16:52 GMT In article spencer@phoenix. princeton.edu (S. Spencer Sun) writes: > FYI, two people have mailed me to say that the ATDT > ,,, does work. So there's no need to > rush out and get a BellSouth beeper or whatever it was :-) I'd like to point out that in my experience this type of "open loop" paging is probably not something you want to "bet your business" on, as it is not very reliable. With our pager company, the time between the last digit dialed and the answer was so variable that you could never have the correct number of commas (waits) in the dial string. This meant that it was likely that either the beginning of your message was chopped off (if it didn't answer soon enough/you didn't wait long enough) or the message was lost (if it answered to soon/you waited to long.) I'd suggest using one of the dial-up paging protocols which actually get an acknowledgement from the paging system, thus "closing the loop." Hans-Gabriel Ridder Digital DECwest Engineering ridder@rust.zso.dec.com Bellevue, Washington, USA {pacbell,pyramid,uunet}!rust.zso.dec.com!ridder ------------------------------ From: deej@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (david.g.lewis) Subject: Re: What Does a CO Switch Cost? Organization: AT&T Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 19:46:14 GMT In article hgschulz@gaia.cs.umass.edu (Henning Schulzrinne) writes: > Just curious: how much does a CO switch cost? I realize that this > question is about as precise as asking "how much does a car cost"... Actually, I think it's more along the lines of asking "how much does an airplane cost?" Depends -- are you talking a Cessna 172 or a B2 Stealth Bomber? David G Lewis AT&T Bell Laboratories david.g.lewis@att.com or !att!houxa!deej Switching & ISDN Implementation ------------------------------ From: MARCUS@CPVA.SAIC.COM (Mark R. Jenkins) Subject: Re: 2500 Picturephone in the News Date: 18 Aug 92 19:45:42 PST Organization: Science Applications Int'l Corp./San Diego In article , jeffj@krf.com (Jeff Jonas) writes: > In the "home" section of the Thursday August 13 {New York Times}, > there's an article by N.R. Kleinfield about his two week long test of > the AT&T Videophone 2500. [... text removed...] > I wonder how long before 900 numbers offer video services? Some of them already do. West Coast Swingers, a California personals magazine, has a 900 number with video phones. Other than knowing that they have them, I have no other knowledge of how much it costs, how well they work, etc ... Mark Jenkins ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #645 ****************************** ^A^A^A^A ^A^A^A^A From telecom Thu Aug 20 01:49:35 1992 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA28418 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for \telecom@eecs.nwu.edu); Thu, 20 Aug 1992 01:49:28 -0500 Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 01:49:28 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208200649.AA28418@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: \telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #646 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 20 Aug 92 01:49:30 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 646 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Deterioration of POTS (Charlie Mingo) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Marvin Sirbu) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Paul M. Wexelblat) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Pat Fargo) Re: Information Wanted on CDMA (Ted Marshall) Re: Information Wanted on CDMA (Brinton Cooper) Re: Information Wanted on CDMA (Louis A. Mamakos) Re: Looking for Intercom/Baby Monitor (Todd Inch) Re: Trademark Infringement (Robert L. Ullmann) Re: Monitoring Dialtone for Voicemail Indicator (Matthew Waugh) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Charlie.Mingo@p4218.f70.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Charlie Mingo) Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 16:00:15 -0500 Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Our esteemed Moderator writes about Judge Greene and the MFJ: > [ ... And his defenders always say, "But the judge didn't do > anything! AT&T agreed to divestiture and signed off on it!" Of course > they did; how long can any large corporation fight the federal > government until its resources are totally depleted? AT&T wisely quit > before they were totally ruined. How long can a large corporation fight an antitrust suit? A lot longer than the government can! Both the AT&T suit, and a similar suit filed the same day in 1969 against IBM, were defended by large, corporate law firms, who totally out-manouvered the DoJ every step of the way. (Indeed, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure had to be rewritten to ban some of the dialatory tactics invented by the defendents in both suits.) By 1982, the Reagan antitrust division wanted to get both cases off their dockets (because they had been consuming inordinate resources for 13 years with no sign of a conclusion), and decided to settle. IBM refused to concede anything, and their suit was just dropped. The same day, AT&T and the DoJ announced their preliminary agreement on divestiture. I recall discussing divestiture in early 1984 with several management types from AT&T Long Lines, and they were quite gung-ho about it because (i) they felt they were getting the growth-oriented part of the market, and (ii) the MFJ let them out of a 1956 Consent Decree which banned them from the computer business (which they thought they could dominate). My strong impression was that AT&T *wanted* divestiture; indeed, it is hard to see how it could have happened otherwise, since the antitrust suit was over BOC purchases from WeCo, and had nothing to do with divestiture. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 23:44:27 -0400 (EDT) From: Marvin Sirbu Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Excerpts from netnews.comp.dcom.telecom: 15-Aug-92 Deterioration of POTS by Lauren Weinstein@vortex. > [Moderator's Note: Let's face it, Lauren: Between Judge Harold Greene > who disgraced his robe and courtroom to wreck the public telephone > network in the USA; the ripoff companies who moved in to feed on the May I point out that the breakup of AT&T was a CONSENT DECREE entered into at the request of AT&T and presented to Judge Greene for his approval. It is not correct to blame Judge Greene for the breakup. As various scholarly histories of the breakup have recorded (Temin, Coll, Cole) AT&T chose divestiture over the other options presented by Assistant Attorney General Baxter or by legislation then pending in the Congress. Marvin Sirbu [Moderator's Note: Yes, you may point out that it was a consent decree, as in I hold a gun to your head and you consent to be robbed after I have offered you that choice versus being killed. Then later I say I did nothing wrong: after all, you agreed robbery was best under the circumstances. You'll note IBM refused to settle at all and their case was dropped. I think AT&T should have continued stonewalling in the same way as IBM, flooding the court with semi-trailer vans full of paper to read each day as part of the discovery, etc. For all I know, some court employees somewhere are still trying to log in and file all the paperwork IBM dumped on them. Obviously AT&T felt it was prudent to take the best they thought they could get and walk away. I fault Greene for stirring it up to begin with, and AT&T for not finishing what Justice started. They should have rallied as many major corporations in America as possible to aid in their defense and taken a very aggressive stance like IBM did. After all, what 'Justice' and Judge Greene did to AT&T and tried to do to IBM can be done to any large corporation. PAT] ------------------------------ From: wex@cs.ulowell.edu (Paul M. Wexelblat) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Reply-To: wex@cs.ulowell.edu Organization: Univ. of Lowell CS Dept. Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 15:24:01 GMT In article , aps@world.std.com (Armando P. Stettner) writes: > I remember a time when there was a great deal of determinism regarding > how to dial a given phone number ... > [Moderator's Note: But do you remember the Anti-Digital-Dialing League > which formed in Berkeley, CA in the early 1960's to fight the > conversion of named exchanges into three digit numbers? PAT] Indeed I do, I remember (in those days when operators asked for numbers) that my number was: Two billion, one hundred fifty-six million, six hundred forty five thousand, four hundred thirty two" (last n digits changed to protect my mother who still lives in (now) twelve billion, one hundred fifty x) (Philadelphia) Once or twice an Operator actually tried to parse the number -- I think Philadelphia was amongst the last to do away with the letters. Wex [Moderator's Note: Indeed, Philadelphia was the last, with Pennypacker and a couple other curious exchange names. PAT] ------------------------------ From: ebupaf@ebu.ericsson.se (Pat Fargo 6266) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Reply-To: ebupaf@ebu.ericsson.se Organization: Ericsson Business Communications, Inc. Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 13:20:05 GMT Back in the days when I worked at the Labs, I was lucky enough to go on Operating Company Assignment Program (OCAP). I was hosted by Southern Bell in Charlotte, NC. The most amazing part of Ma Bell were the volumes of standards for all aspects of the phone company. AT&T regulated maintenance, answer times, response time, and a million other control parameters to insure good service. I agree with John that we would not have as many new features, or the complexity we do now without competition, but have always felt it had to deteriorate because there was no more Ma Bell to look over the Opco's shoulders. Each Opco must now make money, and the first thing to go is the excess maintenance, and those characterisitics that made the service high quality. Its too late now to talk about it. Its gone. Bellcore was supposedly set up to be somewhat of a controlling body, but from my last experiences with it, nobody listened to it. Patrick A. Fargo Ericsson Business Communications, Inc. Anaheim, California ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 11:31:42 PDT From: ted@airplane.sharebase.com (Ted Marshall) Subject: Re: Information Wanted on CDMA Organization: NCR/ShareBase Corporation X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 623, Message 2 of 11 > NOTE: ethernet adds another feature to it, CDMA/CA (CA = collision > avoidance) Ethernet is actually CSMA/CD (Carrier SENSE Multiple Access / Collision DETECT). > There is always the ability for two transmitters to decide at the same > time, its free, jump on the line. This causes a collision. In pure > CDMA, the collision just wipes out the data, and a timeout retry will > pick it back up. Other than the "D", the above is correct. The timeout is done by a layer higher than data link (typically by transport). > Ethernet, uses CA, where each station first transmits a pre-amble > before the data. They also listen to see if the pre-amble got stepped > on. If it does, they back off and avoid the collision. Then the data > makes it out, or everyone backs off, and a 'retry timer' is used. This is quite wrong. Although Ethernet does use a preamble, its only purpose is to allow the receiver to synchronize on the packet. A collision on the preamble is treated like any other collision: both transmitting stations "jam" the Ethernet to make sure that all receivers notice the collision and then the transmitters do exponential backoff (modified by a random-number generator) before trying to retransmit the packet. This is all done by the data link layer and does not require intervention by higher layers (unless 16 consecutive transmits fail with a collision). A collision in the preamble is not "safe" because without a clean preamble, the receiver cannot synchronize to receive the packet. This is why it is called "collision detection" instead of "collision avoidance". Ted Marshall ted@sharebase.com (408)369-5574 NCR Corp. (ShareBase Div.) 2055A Logic Dr., San Jose, CA 95124 The opinions expressed above are those of the poster and not his employer. ------------------------------ From: Brinton Cooper Subject: Re: Information Wanted on CDMA Date: 19 Aug 92 19:31:35 GMT Organization: The US Army Research Laboratory In article syd@dsi.com writes: > murthy@solomon.technet.sg (K.R.S.Murthy) writes: >> Can anybody explain to me briefly in layman's words how CDMA >> technology works? > Here is a very simple explaination of CDMA (Carrier Detect Multiple > Access): > Before sending, listen to the line, if there is no carrier, then send. > NOTE: ethernet adds another feature to it, CDMA/CA (CA = collision > avoidance) The foregoing is incorrect according to common usage. (Most likely, the responder confused CDMA with CSMA-carrier sense multiple access, and it's ethernet instantiation, CSMA/CD, denoting collision detection.) CDMA is "Code Division Multiple Access." CDMA denotes the use of "spread spectrum" signaling waveforms to achieve addressability on a common channel. If you have much faith, I can give you something of a layperson's explanation. We will use frequency hopping as the paradigm; there are others: One way to use a large channel bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz) to support multiple users is to divide it into a large number of narrowband cells (e.g., 20 KHz). Each user's "carrier" does not remain stationary within one of these cells but "hops" according to a pre-assigned pattern over a large (perhaps all) of these cells in a periodic fashion with a very long period. A receiver and transmitter agree on a common code; this code is very distinct from (orthogonal to) the codes used by all other transmitter/receiver pairs sharing the same wideband channel. This frequency hopping code functions as an address, hence the name "code division multiple access." It works because the codes are so distinct (orthogonal) that mutual interference between any two codes is very, very small. You can read on CDMA to your heart's content in any text on spread spectrum and in many networking references. Brinton Cooper , , or ------------------------------ From: louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) Subject: Re: Information Wanted on CDMA Organization: University of Maryland College Park Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 22:00:41 GMT In article syd@dsi.com writes: > Here is a very simple explaination of CDMA (Carrier Detect Multiple > Access): Wrong. CDMA is commonly used as an acronym for Code Division Multiple Access. You are thinking about CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access), as in CSMA/CD used on Ethernet. Louis Mamakos ------------------------------ From: toddi@mav.com (Todd Inch) Subject: Re: Looking for Intercom/Baby Monitor Organization: Maverick International Inc. Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 20:03:25 GMT In article johnk@secondsource.COM (John Kennedy) writes: > If one were looking for a baby/nursery monitor, is it a fair > assumption to use the same criteria as when looking for a cordless > phone? Am I right in assuming that they would use the same > frequencies, similar designs, etc.? I own pieces to about three different brands of baby monitors. They are all quite similar and all have an A/B channel switch. The channels seem quite compatible between different brands, and with the neighbor's units as well, unfortunately. The frequencies aren't compatible with my older wireless Radio Shack intercoms, which also have an A/B channel switch. Fortunately, they are FM so the noise is lower than AM and you can't hear the neighbors if your transmitter is nearer and turned on. Some have batteries in the transmitter as well as AC, which I've used on occasion when travelling to allow me to leave the sleeping baby in the car with the monitor (for VERY brief periods) while I used the rest stop facilities. My biggest gripe is that the last one I bought had the same plug but different polarity AC adapter, and immediately blew up when I plugged in an adapter of different polarity but correct voltage. I tend to leave an AC adapter in each room and carry the monitor to the room, so it is a MAJOR problem to have two receivers with different polarity plugs. I ended up adding a polarity guard diode and reversing the wiring in the offending unit to match the majority of my AC adapters and hide the other adapters far away. Of course, if you don't try to mix and match, you don't have to worry about these issues. ------------------------------ From: ariel@world.std.com (Robert L Ullmann) Subject: Re: Trademark Infringement Organization: The World in Boston Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 23:06:32 GMT I'll give you two more examples of friendly agreement on trademark issues. My present employer, Process Software Corporation, advertised our product (TCPware for VMS; shameless plug ;-) with the slogan "Hot Stuff", and a picture that included a small bottle with a roughly familiar diamond logo. Yup, we heard from their lawyers. The agreement is beneficial to both sides: we still use the picture, but now it says TABASCO, McIlhenny Island, and all the rest. And the small print acknowledges their trademark. The other example is better. DEC ran into a problem with the "VAX" trademark in the UK (which belongs to a vacuum cleaner company), and that company wanted to sell their product in the U.S. (It should be noted here that in the "Prior US Class", computers were in 35, and vacuums in some other class; under the international trademark classes, they are both in 8, hence the conflict as both firms went multinational.) The rumor is that DEC agreed to exchange licences, on condition that the vacuum cleaner company stop using their slogan: "Nothing SUCKS like a VAX!!" Robert Ullmann Ariel@World.STD.COM +1 508 879 6994 x226 ------------------------------ From: waugh@rtpnet05.rtp.dg.com (Matthew Waugh) Subject: Re: Monitoring Dialtone for Voicemail Indicator Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 19:29:33 GMT Organization: Data General Corporation, RTP, NC. In article add@philabs.philips.com (Aninda V. Dasgupta) writes: > Is this really such a whacky solution? I mean, if my circuit went off > hook once every two minutes to monitor the dialtone, would that create > a huge problem for the PBX when everybody had such a device? What > might be a better interval to monitor the dialtone? Is there any other > way to monitor the break in dialtone voltage without going off hook? > If so, where can I get a good reference/source for such information > (about the four wires that come into my phoneset?) Any help will be > greatly appreciated, by me and all my co-workers. First of all a plug. As mentioned a while ago, we did start up a mailing list for Northern Telecom switches, anybody who wants to join should send mail to telswitch-nt-request@dg-rtp.dg.com. I should think going off-hook every two minutes would give your PBX a nervous breakdown. There are only so many slots configured to provide dial-tone, and when you go off-hook you compete for one of those. Everybody going off-hook every two minutes, I expect lots of people would not get dial-tone at all. Sounds like your company balked at paying $25 for replacing your phones with new phones with message waiting lights. What you need to do is retro-fit your phones with lights. You can do this in many ways, places like Graybar will supply just the LED, or a new faceplate with the LED installed, or gadgets with modular jacks that will plug into your phone line. All these will respond to the 90 to 130VDC that the PBX will put on your line when you have a message waiting. Note that having a message waiting light or stutter dial-tone is an either-or option; you can't have both. The people who administer your PBX will have to switch each line from stutter dial-tone to message waiting light as you equip the phones. Hope this helps. Matthew Waugh waugh@dg-rtp.dg.com RTP Network Services Data General Corp. RTP, NC. (919)-248-6034 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #646 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa08459; 20 Aug 92 10:15 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA18262 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 20 Aug 1992 08:06:26 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA04339 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 20 Aug 1992 08:06:16 -0500 Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 08:06:16 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208201306.AA04339@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #647 TELECOM Digest Thu, 20 Aug 92 08:06:15 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 647 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Telephone Company Tone Service Charges (Dave Niebuhr) Re: Getting Ohio Bell to Fix my Line Noise (Dave Niebuhr) Re: Looking For Bell Labs Writeup on Cellular (Jon Rohed) Re: Phones in Germany (Eric Tholome) Re: Cellular Telephone Eavesdropping Scandal in Minnesota (Jon Gefaell) Re: What Are People Using For "Telnet" (Julian Macassey) Re: What Number am I Calling From? (Jahangar Momin) Re: Call Return vs. Call Forward (Jon Baker) Re: 2500 Picturephone in the News (David Wuertele) Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone (Brinton Cooper) Re: Why Can't I Break Dialtone? (Jon Baker) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 06:37:22 EDT From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Re: Telephone Company Tone Service Charges In TELECOM Digest V12 #639 David Sangurima writes: > I'm curious about the touch-tone monthly service charges that telcos > apply to most of their users. Is it necessary to request the tone > service or is this some abuse on the part of the telcos? In NYTel land, touchtone is a separate charge of $1.50(U.S) per line per month. I seem to remember reading in some filing not too long ago that it was going to be reduced at some time in the future (pre-1993). Personally, I feel that it is an abuse and should be thrown out by the Utility Service Commission (oops, I mean Public Service Commission). Dave Niebuhr Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 06:47:12 EDT From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Re: Getting Ohio Bell to Fix my Line Noise In a recent TELECOM Digest issue (V12 #643, I believe) Jeff Sicherman writes: > In article sbrack@jupiter.cse. > UTOLEDO.edu (Steven S. Brack) writes: >> I've had Ohio Bell out here twice to get rid of the line noise >> problem I'm having. The noise comes in short bursts, and almost >> always appears as the same set of characters. >> A sample: "}i{_~r}i}i}i{_}i [ Description of problem deleted ] > PAT, this appeared some time ago, in a previous Digest. Seems possibly > applicable; you might want to reprint it: [ Description of what is happening is deleted ] I had that problem not too long ago and it was corrected at the CO end the day after I reported it to them. Luckily, I had a person working on the problem who understood right off the bat what I was talking about. Dave Niebuhr Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ From: Rohed_Jon@macmail.rtsg.mot.com (Jon Rohed) Subject: Re: Looking For Bell Labs Writeup on Cellular Organization: Motorola Cellular Subscriber Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 11:43:50 GMT In article ddodell@stjhmc.fidonet.org (David Dodell) writes: > Last year, someone sent me email telling me about the Bell Lab > monograph that explained the workings of cellular. I actually think > it was a publication in the format of a book about 150 pages long. > I was also given the number of Bell Labs to order this monograph. > If anyone is familiar with this, I would like to order a copy again > and would appreciate the help in tracking this down. Perhaps what you are looking for is {The Bell System Technical Journal} dated: January 1979, Volume 58, No. 1, ISSN0005-8580 Topic: "Advanced Mobile Phone Service". It is about 278 pages long, very useful. Jonathan L. Rohed Amateur Radio: N9NJB Electrical Engineer Tel.: 708-632-2047 Motorola Inc. International Cellular Subscriber Div. Arlington Hts. IL Disclaimer: I speak for myself only. I have no idea what my employer thinks. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Phones in Germany Organization: ESF Headquarters, Berlin, FRG Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 14:26:53 +0200 From: tholome@bangalore.esf.de Since I got phone service in Germany at the beginning of the year, I thought I'd follow-up on this one... Christopher Lott AGSE writes: > We placed the order in person at the phone store, and three weeks > later a fella arrived with our phone. This was apparently fairly > quick. I also placed the order in person at the phone store, and four MONTHS later a fella arrived. Maybe that's because the person renting the apartment before me didn't have the phone, therefore it wasn't just a matter of turning the phone on. He indeed had to go down to the cellar to find out where my line was arriving and to hook it up to my appartment. But no wires had to be run, nothing. It took the guy around 20 minutes to do the job, including tests and everything. > They make no distinction between touch-tone and pulse dialing, as far > as I know. Our phone had to be told to send tone, and the switch > understands it fine, but I don't think that I requested it specially. Well, here, it is a little bit different: they don't even know about touch-tone ... Now, maybe you think I leave in one of those remote places where progress just never arrives, but in fact, this all takes place in Berlin ... I've been told (and I'm ready to believe it) that the German phone company has enough trouble trying to unify both telephone networks in Berlin (that is, by the way, done, now) ... So, after hearing two quite different stories, can anynody tell us what the AVERAGE situation is, in Germany? Is it mine or Christopher's? Eric Tholome ESF Headquarters internet: tholome@esf.de Hohenzollerndamm 152 UUCP: tholome@esf.uucp D-1000 Berlin 33 Ph.: +49 30 82 09 03 25 Germany Fax: +49 30 82 09 03 19 ------------------------------ From: jon@Turing.ORG (Jon Gefaell (KD4CQY)) Subject: Re: Cellular Telephone Eavesdropping Scandal in Minnesota Organization: The Turing Project, Charlottesville Virginia. Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 03:22:07 GMT In article dancer!whs70@uunet.UU.NET writes: > I'm not an attorney, but what could they prosecute Grundseth for? The > only lawbreaker (ECPA violations) I can see is the guy that actually > listened to and taped the cellular call. Possession of and/or > distribution of copies of that recording wouldn't (to the best of my > knowledge) be a violation of the law. Any attorney types out there > that can shed more light on this. At worst, I'd say that Grundseth > was "guilty" of unethical/dirty politics if he was involved in the > passing around of the tapes, but that is all. No, you're not a lawyer, neither am I. But lemme clue you in on some of the law regarding intercepted communications ... It is illegal to disclose anything heard on any Radio Frequency in any mode other than public broadcast, Amateur Radio, and that's about it. This means that you can own a scanner and listen to the police, even covert operations (I listen to very interesting operations from time to time) but you _may not_ disclose those communications to any one else. Various states have laws restricting scanner use and such, but these are violations of federal law. Of course, due to intense lobbying by the Cellular folks, and an advanced state of imagination and fantasy by congress, the ECPA explicitly forbids _any_ interception of Cellular telephones. Feh, Ha .... We had a interesting case here in Virginia where somethin similar occured with the Governor, and the person who intercepted, and recorded, and then disclosed Cellular communications was convicted; I forget what he was sentenced for. ------------------------------ From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) Subject: Re: What Are People Using For "Telnet" Date: 19 Aug 92 04:21:34 GMT Reply-To: julian@bongo.info.com (Julian Macassey) Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood California U.S.A. In article jmoore@pixel.kodak.com (James H. Moore 726-0322) writes: > This is a naive question. I was told that to do terminal emulation and > connect over a tcp/ip network, that I should get NCSA Telnet, and the > Clarkson packet drivers. If you want to do telnet over ethernet from an MS-DOG machine into a Unix host, you have three Public Domain type choices: Kermit (MSKERMIT V3.11) The best VT100 terminal emulation NCSA The next best VT100 terminal emulation KA9Q Terrible ansi/nansi terminal emulation All of the above three use the "Clarkson Packet drivers". Now the KA9Q stuff has other advantages besides telnet. It will let you do ftp, ping, SLIP, amd SMTP (unix style email). But wait. There's more! If you load KA9Q on your MS-DROSS machine, it can become a host and other machines can send it mail, ftp files from it etc. Now for those who want Telnet with so-so VT-100 emulation and ftp, slip ping etc, there is Sun's PC-NFS. This will cost you about $350.00 per machine. > Someone else is looking into the Mac version. There is a Mac version of KA9Q. Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495 ------------------------------ Organization: City University of New York/ University Computer Center Date: Wednesday, 19 Aug 1992 08:52:23 EDT From: Jahangir Momin Subject: Re: What Number am I Calling From? I had a similar problem once, but then I wasn't in a 'hurry' to find out the number, and as I planned to use'that'phone 'frequently', I decided to place a call from that phone using my calling card. The next phone bill dsiplayed 'that' number. Jahangir Momin (lyncc@cunyvm.cuny.edu) ------------------------------ From: bakerj@gtephx.UUCP (Jon Baker) Subject: Re: Call Return vs. Call Forward Organization: AG Communication Systems, Phoenix, Arizona Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 23:40:30 GMT In article , rees@dabo.citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) writes: > How does Call Return interact with Call Forwarding? If I forward my > phone to an innocent third party, then make a nuisance call, and the > victim of the nuisance call does a Call Return, will the victim ring > me or the innocent third party? From TR-NWT-215, CLASS Feature : Automatic Callback (this is basically the same feature as Call Return): Interactions With Call Forwarding Don't Answer : 'If the called station has the Call Forwarding Don't Answer feature, and the called party does not answer, the call should be forwarded to the remote station.' The interaction can depend on what type of CF you have, whether you have SCR active, and it might be different for Call Return (though I doubt it). But you can extrapolate the above requirement to indicate that, in most circumstances, the call would be forwarded. J.Baker enuucp!gtephx!bakerj I am not an official representative of AG Communication Systems. ------------------------------ From: dave@pipi.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp (David Wuertele) Subject: Re: 2500 Picturephone in the News Organization: Institute of Industrial Science, University of tokyo. Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 06:40:40 GMT Mark Jenkins writes: > In article , jeffj@krf.com (Jeff > Jonas) writes: >> I wonder how long before 900 numbers offer video services? > Some of them already do. West Coast Swingers, a California personals > magazine, has a 900 number with video phones. This is a little off of the videotelephone question, but: Video Jukebox Network uses 900 numbers in conjunction with cable tv broadcast to allow subscribers to order music videos using a 900 number. Conceivably, other video services could be offered as well. What I want to know is how they make sure that only the person who dialed the 900 number gets the video? Or do they just broadcast to everybody? David Wuertele, Yasuda Lab, Electronic Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo. dave@windsor.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Moderator's Note: Much like in a restaurant when you put money in a jukebox everyone gets to listen whether they paid or not, the television version operates the same way. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Brinton Cooper Subject: Re: New 900 MHz Cordless Phone Date: 19 Aug 92 17:16:19 GMT Organization: The US Army Research Laboratory In article mailrus!gatech!eecom! wberbeni@uunet.UU.NET (W. Berbenich) writes: > In article jongsma@esseye.si.com (Ken > Jongsma) writes: >> In the August 3rd {Business Week}... >> Cincinnati Microwave, Inc. [the radar detector people] figures >> executives and consumers will pay a small premium for cordless >> privacy. The company has developed a phone, to be marketed in October >> by its Escort division for about $300, that thwarts eavesdroppers with >> "spread spectrum" technology, which is similar to the encryption >> method that the military uses in secure radios. The signals between > I believe there may be a misstatement of fact in the BW piece. Is > there anyone who believes that spread-spectrum is a form of cipher or > encryption? I am quite sure that it isn't. I don't know the "rules," if any, for cordless phones, but the FCC requires radio amateurs experimenting with spread spectrum to use a known, LINEAR, generator for the spectrum spreading code. The code generated by a linear shift register, pseudorandom code generator having n stages can be "broken," by solving 2n+1 linear equations. Also, linear codes are much easier to generate than are nonlinear codes, suggesting that Cincinnati Microwave, in an effort to control development costs while being able to choose codes from a very large set, may well be using linear codes. It sounds as if the sets described are effective only against unsophisticated users who tune in using an older TV with a tuner that covers through channel 84. It wouldn't take much more than a code demodulator and a PC with suitable interface to give a savvy eavesdropper the ability to continue his/her hobby. In fact, if truely secure encryption were this easy, Cincinnati Micro would be making big bucks on the encryption technology alone and wouldn't worry about selling phones. Brinton Cooper , , or ------------------------------ From: bakerj@gtephx.UUCP (Jon Baker) Subject: Re: Why Can't I Break Dialtone? Organization: AG Communication Systems, Phoenix, Arizona Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 17:58:24 GMT In article , friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US (Stephen Friedl) writes: > What would cause a central office to reject Touch Tones? I have > sporadic problems with TT not breaking dialtone on several of my lines. > [Moderator's Note: Your CO has a bad piece of equipment which it is > offering to you and other callers who go off hook. Probably all the > subscribers in your CO get it from time to time. When they can't cut > dial tone they hang up, then go off hook and try again. > Problems in the common equip- > ment in the CO are hard to find and difficult to get a repair clerk to > open a trouble ticket on. After all, what would you know about it? PAT] Pat, I concur that this sounds like a bad receiver, but it should not be so difficult for the CO to detect a bad receiver. In the scenario you described: 'When they can't cut dial tone they hang up, ...' This action, of going offhook, being connected to a receiver, then not dialing any digits, is detectable and measurable by a central office. After this happens too many times for a particular receiver or line, the CO may report the problem to maintenance personnel and/or take corrective action (remove the receiver from service). It is reasonable to expect the CO switch to detect and report this type of problem, and for the telco to fix it, without the subscriber having to dork around with a repair clerk. Unfortunately, it seems that this has not happened in Mr. Friedl's case. Fruitless as it may be, he will probably have to go through the telco's repair clerks. J.Baker enuucp!gtephx!bakerj I am not an official representative of AGCS. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #647 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa09884; 21 Aug 92 2:16 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19502 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 21 Aug 1992 00:30:37 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA16019 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 21 Aug 1992 00:30:25 -0500 Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 00:30:25 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208210530.AA16019@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #648 TELECOM Digest Fri, 21 Aug 92 00:30:30 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 648 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: My Email Address (Darren Alex Griffiths) Re: My Email Address (John Rice) Re: 2500 Picturephone in the News (Laurence Chiu) Re: 2500 Picturephone in the News (Ang Peng Hwa) Re: GTE Thinks I live in 213 (John Higdon) Re: What Does This "Western Electric" Box Do? (John Higdon) Re: I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up! (Todd Inch) Re: Bizarre Answering Machine Behavior (Andy Sherman) Re: WE 392A Wiring Information Needed (Todd Inch) Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? (Toby Nixon) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dag@ossi.com (Darren Alex Griffiths) Subject: Re: My Email Address Organization: Open Systems Solutions Inc. Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 22:29:39 GMT > [Moderator's Note: I hope responses to Mr. King get through okay. The > address on his email is one of the strangest I have ever seen. PAT] What you're seeing in the address is the wonders of poor man's routing when combined with the equally daunting features of DECnet Phase IV. Presumably Mr. King is connected to the system am_msbcs, in order to get to that system you have to go through all of the others starting from the left most bxbmts. In reality it probably isn't that bad. I have worked looked at DECs internal network a couple of times and it is fairly well designed, at least as well as DECnet will allow. The chances are some crucial router was down and DECnet managed to figure out a route around it, one of the few things DECnet does well. Cheers, Darren Alex Griffiths dag@nasty.ossi.com Open Systems Solutions Inc. (510) 652-6200 x139 Fujitsu Ltd. Fax: (510) 652-5532 6121 Hollis Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2092 ------------------------------ From: rice@ttd.teradyne.com Subject: Re: My Email Address Organization: Teradyne Inc., Telecommunications Division Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 01:17:44 GMT > [Moderator's Note: I hope responses to Mr. King get through okay. The > address on his email is one of the strangest I have ever seen. PAT] The address is a string of DEC VAX machines with mail routed Via DECNET/VAXMAIL. Each name is a separate machine and you only see this when the message is manualy routed ie: the user actually has to type in the exact route. You really have to understand the associated network to do this, since it's usually not ever documented this way. John Rice K9IJ rice@ttd.teradyne.com ------------------------------ From: lchiu@animal.gcs.co.nz (Laurence Chiu) Subject: Re: 2500 Picturephone in the News Organization: GCS Limited, Wellington, New Zealand Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 22:14:47 GMT In article dave@pipi.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp (David Wuertele) writes: > Mark Jenkins writes: >> In article , jeffj@krf.com (Jeff >> Jonas) writes: >>> I wonder how long before 900 numbers offer video services? >> Some of them already do. West Coast Swingers, a California personals >> magazine, has a 900 number with video phones. > This is a little off of the videotelephone question, but: Video > Jukebox Network uses 900 numbers in conjunction with cable tv > broadcast to allow subscribers to order music videos using a 900 > number. Conceivably, other video services could be offered as well. > What I want to know is how they make sure that only the person who > dialed the 900 number gets the video? Or do they just broadcast to > everybody? > [Moderator's Note: Much like in a restaurant when you put money in a > jukebox everyone gets to listen whether they paid or not, the > television version operates the same way. PAT] Is that true? This is kind of off topic now but I recall when I was last in the US my friends had a cable channel which was pay for view. You saw a preview of the movie you were about to see and if you wanted to see if, you called some 800 number and they would unscramble that movie for you. So no one else who did not pay would not be able to see it. Presumably the music video could be sent our scrambled and they send down a signal to unlock your particular decoder only. Laurence Chiu [Moderator's Note: Yeah, but not true with the Jukebox Channel or whatever it is called. I will defer to Bill Pfieffer here since he knows more about the one in Chicago, but I think you 'put money in the jukebox and make your selection' via a 900 number; eventually (a few minutes or so later) whatever you selected is played. If two or more people selected the same thing, then like with a regular jukebox it still plays one time and lets each paying party assume *they* are the one who is paying. :) When (whatever you picked) is played, all pending requests for the same song are cleared from the stack. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 10:51:51 SST From: Ang Peng Hwa Subject: Re: 2500 Picturephone in the News I'm thinking of getting two Picturephones to connect my sis-in-law in the US and my wife in Singapore. Is the picture quality so bad that it is not worth doing it? (There are two cute nephews whom we miss.) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Aug 92 00:00 GMT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: GTE Thinks I live in 213 aimla!ruby!rudholm@uunet.UU.NET (Mark Rudholm) writes: > Can't somebody put GTE out of our misery??!!! Well, you could always do what a major client of mine is in the process of doing. Ignoring advice to not locate a billing center in GTE area, this outfit took space in a Long Beach industrial park. For the past year the GTE horrors have been non-stop. The first problem was so typical GTE: "Sorry, we don't have the facilities in your area to give you additional lines." GTE NEVER has enough facilities for ANYTHING. If you need 100 lines, it has twenty available. If you need one, it has none. Mind you, Long Beach is a major city in Los Angeles County -- very much a part of the LA metro area. The billing center was located in an industrial park, not an isolated residential district. Yet GTE did not have enough lines. The next problem was T1 delivery of MCI. GTE missed deadline after deadline installing the hi-cap circuit. Finally when legal action was threatened, it appeared that GTE hired an outside firm to engineer the circuit and to install it. In other words, apparently GTE did not even have a clue as to how to provide that type of service! There have been billing errors, service outages, and a host of other problems. At all times, GTE reps were snotty, uncooperative, and exuded the distinct air of "we are the phone company -- where the hell else are you going to go?" Answer: Anaheim. These people were actually considering just pulling the plug and going out of business when they finally came to their senses. It turns out that the move to Anaheim will pay for itself within a couple of months, after which their costs will be substantially less. When asking Pac*Bell for due dates in Anaheim, the responses have been, "When do you need it?" Indeed, my experience with Pac*Bell is that circuits frequently get turned up early. When you call GTE asking why an order was not installed, you find they lost it. Trust me. My quarter-century of exhaustive experience is telling you that if telephone service is important to you and you live in California, avoid GTE like the plague. If you have a business, never, ever, locate it in a GTE service area. If you do, you might just as well get your chapters ready to file now. I am in the process of compiling a list of businesses that would love to put a contract out on GTE. Within my circle, possibly a hundred or so people, GTE is the devil incarnate. So next month Long Beach will lose a thriving company and Anaheim will gain one. Is it any wonder that the Town Council of Los Gatos passed a resolution condemning GTE? John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! [Moderator's Note: No, but it wouldn't surprise me if GTE passed a corporate resolution condemning you! PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Aug 92 00:26 GMT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: What Does This "Western Electric" Box Do? rnewman@bbn.com (Ron Newman) writes: > But I have an AT&T Trimline phone, and its dial > still lights up just fine without the transformer plugged in. The best thing you could do was to unplug it. Those little transformers were responsible for starting many fires. People would plug non-lighted-dial phone into the outlets and sometimes the transformer secondary would be shorted. These transformers have no thermal or over-current protection, so the frequent result was a nice cozy fire. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! [Moderator's Note: Like the fires which had your home surrounded on three sides all day Thursday, eh? Best wishes from all of us here as you deal with Mother Nature there at the base of the mountain, John. Let us know everything is alright when the fires are extinquished. PAT] ------------------------------ From: toddi@mav.com (Todd Inch) Subject: Re: I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up! Organization: Maverick International Inc. Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 19:33:14 GMT In article msb@pegasus.att.com (Michael Scott Baldwin) writes: > My grandmother is in need of one of these infamous devices. > There is a company, Emergency Response Systems, at +1 800 548 8805, > that sells a device that is pretty much exactly that, but it is $410. > Does anyone know of a more reasonably priced device, or have any > suggestions on how I could make one of these things out of some cheap > off-the-shelf parts? I'd be a bit careful about this one -- you want very high reliability to make sure she DOES get the help when needed, but also very low falsing so she DOESN'T get help when the neighbors change channels on their TV or open their garage door, turn on their baby monitor, key the CB, etc. Most alarm system suppliers have both remote-controls (which should be good quality) and autodialers, but I wouldn't be too kludgy if I were you. North Supply is supposed to be wholesale, but they have everything you could want in commercial-quality alarms and have sold to me before -- they are also one of the largest telecomm wholesalers in the US. I would think the best solution is to have the autodialer go into speakerphone mode after making the connection so the callee can try to listen and/or talk to the caller. Also I would want an alarm so your grandmother knows when it's dialing, rather than silent operation, so she can abort any false alarms. You probably DO NOT want to directly call the emergency services due to the "boy who cried 'wolf'" syndrome. It wouldn't surprise me if they start totally ignoring automated calls and/or charging big bucks for false alarms. Personally, I'm not sure I'd use a DAK or DAMARK quality product for this, unless maybe you bought and installed two for 100% backup coverage. I guess how much you spend should be proportional to how likely she will actually need this to save her life. Do please follow up with your solution if you find a good one. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 16:06:31 EDT From: andys@internet.sbi.com (Andy Sherman) Subject: Re: Bizarre Answering Machine Behavior In article 6@eecs.nwu.edu, jrblack@csn.org (Roger Black) writes: > The problem is this: When the unit hits the appropriate ring, it > dutifully answers the phone -- and then drops the line. The caller > does not hear the outgoing message, does not get a beep, has no > opportunity to leave a message; all he/she gets is a deep silence > followed by a disconnect. The little red "in use" light flashes as it > is supposed to while the phone is ringing, but goes out as soon as the > phone is answered and never comes back until the next call. ... > The people at AT&T did suggest that maybe the local line voltage was > too low, so I put a meter on it. It shows 50 volts when waiting for a > call or ringing, but drops to about 8 to 12 volts when the phone is > answered. I asked the U.S. West repair service if that was normal, > and they told me they didn't know anything about voltage levels and > had no way of finding out. Ditto with the repairman. As you can > imagine, that failed to instill in me a deep sense of security about > the quality of our local service. You shouldn't have to, but perhaps you should have asked the local folks about *loop* voltage. If they disclaim all knowledge of what loop voltage might be, ask for their bosses. Meanwhile, the data you have are quite suggestive. I assume that the answering machine is crapping out because the loop voltage drops to an unacceptably low level. Here's a couple more experiments for you to try. Measure the loop voltage for the following situations: a) phone in the answering machine off hook; b) AT&T answering machine off hook; c) PhoneMate answering machine off hook; d) some other working phone off hook. If they are all consistently low, check your inside wiring and/or yell at U.S. West. If only one is low, have that device checked out. Andy Sherman Salomon Inc - Unix Systems Support - Rutherford, NJ (201) 896-7018 - andys@flatline.sbi.com or asherman@mhnj.sbi.com "These opinions are mine, all *MINE*. My employer can't have them." ------------------------------ From: toddi@mav.com (Todd Inch) Subject: Re: WE 392A Wiring Information Needed Organization: Maverick International Inc. Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 20:06:35 GMT In article pierpont@snax.enet.dec.com (HOWARD PIERPONT) writes: > Well, I have a Western Electric 392A with two bells and a > single gong. There are four wires coming off the back that are > unattched and two wires that are hooked to an item a the back of the > 392A. All four-wire WE bells with the colors Black, Slate/Red, Red, Slate (where slate means grey) are/can be connected as follows: Put a 0.5 microfarad non-polarized capacitor rated at at least 200 Volts between the Slate and Slate/Red (available from Radio Shack or an old phone.) Connect the other two wires to the phone line. Inside a phone, the Slate and Slate/Red are connected to "A" and "K" on the block/circuit board, which are just the ends of a capacitor and don't connect to anything else. The Red and Black connect to Tip (Green - L1) and Ring (Red - L2) of the phone line. I may have some of my polarities backwards, but it will all work either way. None of this applies to party lines. The bell is NOT normally disconnected from the line by the hookswitch -- it's always connected to the line. There are essentially two windings in the bell which you are connecting in series with the capacitor in between the two. I understand that the purpose is to allow rewireability for party line ringing. Hope this is the type of bell you have -- I believe the big black old outdoor ones only have two wires to the bell windings, so you just put the capacitor in series with it. I still don't know what the blue wire is for on the Trimline bells, but they can also be wired as above with the blue wire left unconnected and insulated. You can also "tune" the individual phones by removing a different gong from each, or putting both "A" gongs in one phone and both "B" gongs in another, or wrapping the gong-hammer in tape or taping the gongs in one phone so they don't resonate well. When everyone in an office has the same model phone you have to get creative. Keep your fingers off the bare wires if you're tuning while it's ringing! Everytime I post, our newsfeed immediately breaks for two weeks -- please send me mail if you really want me to read it! ------------------------------ From: Toby Nixon Subject: Re: Portable DTMF Generator With ABCD? Date: 20 Aug 92 17:40:29 EDT Organization: Hayes Microcomputer Products, Norcross, GA In article , leonard@qiclab.scn.rain. com (Leonard Erickson) writes: > Alas, many of the newer ones are capable of translating those "cute" > numbers like 1-800-ABCDEFG. Which means that when you dial A, B or C > you get 2. And you get 3 for D. *Older* Hayes and USR modems could > dial the ABCD tones. > [Moderator's Note: When dialing letters on the modem aren't they > required to be put in quotes, i.e. 'DIAL THIS'. I'd think the modem > could see that 123-'ABCD' was different than 123-ABCD (no quotes). PAT] Hayes has specified that alphabetic dialing be as Pat states it, except I think we say it should be a double-quote character ("). This is necessary to avoid confusion with dial modifiers such as T, P, W, R, and S, and the dial digits A, B, C, and D. I think Practical Peripherals has already implemented this in at least one of their modems, and Hayes will soon (if we haven't already; I just come up with the ideas, I don't write the code!). Toby Nixon, Principal Engineer | Voice +1-404-840-9200 Telex 401243420 Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. | Fax +1-404-447-0178 CIS 70271,404 P.O. Box 105203 | BBS +1-404-446-6336 AT&T !tnixon Atlanta, Georgia 30348 | UUCP uunet!hayes!tnixon Fido 1:114/15 USA | Internet tnixon@hayes.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #648 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa13525; 21 Aug 92 3:56 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA26834 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 21 Aug 1992 01:56:41 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10683 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 21 Aug 1992 01:56:29 -0500 Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 01:56:29 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208210656.AA10683@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #649 TELECOM Digest Fri, 21 Aug 92 01:56:35 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 649 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Deterioration of POTS (Mark D. Wuest) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Paul M. Wexelblat) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Fred R. Goldstein) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Bob Goudreau) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Don Ford) Our Moderator and Monopolies (Jim Graham) Re: Trademark Infringement (Mark Brader) Re: Pounding on an Octothorp (Dave Johnston) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: mdw@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (mark.d.wuest) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Organization: AT&T Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 14:37:21 GMT I think another side effect of the break-up is the shift away from pure research at Bellcore. They're laying off more people as I type. Bell Labs is rumored to be headed toward a market-driven approach to development (but *that* rumor's been flying around for awhile now ...). Who know what the end result will be? OTOH, as American business (hopefully) shifts more toward long-term goals (thinking in terms of 10 years instead of quarters), the "market" may demand more pure research. Most anyone would agree that Japan is doing more pure research now than ever before ... Mark Wuest *MY* opinions, not AT&T's!! mark.wuest@att.com mdw@cheshire.att.com (NeXT Mail) ------------------------------ From: Paul M. Wexelblat Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 12:44:44 EDT In article was written: > Two billion, one hundred fifty-six million, six hundred forty five > thousand, four hundred thirty two" (last n digits changed to protect > my mother who still lives in (now) twelve billion, one hundred fifty > x) (Philadelphia) > Once or twice an Operator actually tried to parse the number -- I > think Philadelphia was amongst the last to do away with the letters. > [Moderator's Note: Indeed, Philadelphia was the last, with Pennypacker > and a couple other curious exchange names. PAT] The exchange included the area with Pennypack Park (through which Pennypack Creek flowed) [Is "flew" the past participle? -- Oh yes, and it was/is pronounced "crick"]. I think the exchange was really Pennypack, but always called Pennypacker for some spurious reason. One more real Philadelphia exchange obscurity; The phone books always listed (in the front the book) the exchanges with the relevant names capitalized (as I'm sure all co's did this). In Phila, the exchange names were ALWAYS the first n letters e.g. GRA xxxx (then GR2 xxxx) (then GR n xxxx) except for Chestnut Hill; that was listed as Chestnut Hill n xxxx > (which was the same as CHestnut hill), but always listed that strange way. Oh well, enough of this sillyness that you probably aren't overly excited about. Best, Wex [Moderator's Note: One exchange whose origin is obscure here (if there ever was any 'story' behind it -- I don't know) is BITtersweet (312-248). Another one is NORmal (667) whose origin in Hyde Park might have come from its proximity to the Chicago Normal School a long time ago. Another Hyde Park exchange is FAIrfax (324), which it is said was named in honor of a University of Chicago trustee, Fairfax Cone. MUseum-4 (684) references the Museum of Science and Industry, and the much earlier World's Columbian Exposition on the same spot a century ago in 1892-93. (The MSI is an exhibition hall left over from the 1892-93 fair.) Incidentally, the telephone directory for the village of Hyde Park, IL in 1892 showed the administrative phone number for the Columbian Exposition to be 'Hyde Park 6'. PAT] ------------------------------ From: goldstein@carafe.enet.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA USA Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 21:03:30 GMT >> [Moderator's Note: Let's face it, Lauren: Between Judge Harold Greene >> who disgraced his robe and courtroom to wreck the public telephone >> network in the USA; the ripoff companies who moved in to feed on the > [Moderator's Note: Yes, you may point out that it was a consent > decree, as in I hold a gun to your head and you consent to be robbed > after I have offered you that choice versus being killed. Then later I > say I did nothing wrong: after all, you agreed robbery was best under > the circumstances. But the case didn't even begin with Judge Greene! The 1956 Final Judgement was in Newark, and was moved to Greene's court after the consent decree was originally drafted. Greene's job was to take it, leave it, or modify it. He did the latter. As Marvin Sirbu pointed out, nobody sued AT&T for divestiture of the operating companies, but of Western Electric. It was axiomatic that local service lost money and long distance made money; AT&T management may have concluded that they'd do best by keeping the latter. Of course the cast-off Bells realized that they could make money with their monopolies too! AT&T management wanted in to the computer biz, and lost their starchy white shirts! I thank the judge for saving us from a much worse deal. The original agreement was about "interexchange" traffic, which literally would have given AT&T Comms inter-neighborhood calls (at least in Boston, which is divided into several separate exchanges). The LATA is an improvement. Of course, Lauren and Pat seem to like having the Judge as a whipping boy. I guess they so worship Ye Olde Bell System that they don't recognize the overpaid mucky-mucks who cooked up divestiture as a way to rid themselves of a low-profit capital-intensive line of business. Fred R. Goldstein goldstein@carafe.tay2.dec.com k1io or goldstein@delni.enet.dec.com voice:+1 508 952 3274 Standard Disclaimer: Opinions are mine alone; sharing requires permission. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 17:33:16 -0400 From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS In article Charlie.Mingo@p4218.f70. n109.z1.fidonet.org (Charlie Mingo) writes: > I recall discussing divestiture in early 1984 with several > management types from AT&T Long Lines, and they were quite gung-ho > about it because (i) they felt they were getting the growth-oriented > part of the market, and (ii) the MFJ let them out of a 1956 Consent > Decree which banned them from the computer business (which they > thought they could dominate). My strong impression was that AT&T > *wanted* divestiture; indeed, it is hard to see how it could have > happened otherwise, since the antitrust suit was over BOC purchases > from WeCo, and had nothing to do with divestiture. Indeed. An interesting sidebar to the "Breaking up IBM" cover story in a recent edition of {Fortune Magazine} explored this topic too. There were a lot of similarities between the AT&T and IBM antitrust cases: both were filed in the waning days of the Johnson administration; both dragged on for over a decade, generating millions of pages of evidence, depositions etc. (not to mention employing hundreds of lawyers); and both were bought to quick termination by the Reagan administration. There the similarities ended: IBM "won" by keeping itself intact, while AT&T "lost" by consenting to break itself up. A clear case of IBM doing better than Ma Bell, right? As it turns out, no. {Fortune} points out that the holder of a share of AT&T stock in 1981 has since enjoyed a vastly higher return on his investment (including dividends and shares of the derivative companies which Ma begat) than has the owner of a share of IBM stock. The irony is that IBM is now *voluntarily* splitting itself up in the same manner that it so strenuously resisted for years. As {Fortune} notes, Judge Greene's divestiture order may be one of the best things that ever happened to AT&T! Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive +1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA ------------------------------ From: dwford@uswnvg.com (Don Ford) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Date: 20 Aug 92 17:32:32 GMT Organization: U S WEST NewVector Group, Inc. Pat Fargo 6266 (ebupaf@ebu.ericsson.se) wrote: > Bellcore was supposedly set up to be somewhat of a controlling body, > but from my last experiences with it, nobody listened to it. Bellcore was specifically NOT supposed to be a controlling body. That is what the anti-trust suit was all about. They are a resource jointly owned by the seven RBOCs and Cincinnati Bell. Their charter only allows the enforcement of standards in areas that affect the interworking of the local phone companies for national defense purposes. Don Ford U S WEST NewVector Group, Inc. (206) 450-8585 #include ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 22:35:14 CST From: Jim Graham Subject: Our Moderator and Monopolies Our Moderator notes: > [Moderator's Note: Let's face it, Lauren: Between Judge Harold Greene > who disgraced his robe and courtroom to wreck the public telephone > network in the USA; the ripoff companies who moved in to feed on the > remains of AT&T after he got through dismembering them > It is to the credit of the old Bell System and a century of > fine-tuning that the network has held together as well as it has over > the past ten years since Greene's assault. OK, Pat, here's the deal: we go back to a monopoly. We "advance" to the point where, as was once the case, we had to accept a "take it or leave it" response, since we had no other choice in the matter. As for pricing, well, you pay the only price you get, and if that's too high, too bad. If the responses you get when you ask for any type of customer service are along the lines of "we will get there when we are d*mned well ready, and you will gladly wait until then" well, that is clearly an improvement, right? ***WRONG*** Sorry, but I simply can't support your attitude at all. Competition is a GOOD thing, not a bad thing. As others have pointed out, if a company has no competition, what have they got to lose? They can charge any price, just about, and if people need that service, well, they don't have a choice, do they? On the other hand, if there is competition, if one company takes the attitude that you take what they offer, and that's all you get, and another company comes along and makes you a better deal (btw, I *DO* include customer service, problem resolution, etc., in this), hey, the company with the take it or leave it attitude loses. Too bad, they should have adjusted their attitude. That's *THEIR* problem, not mine. I, personally, anxiously await the day when there is competition for local dial tone. Yes, there are potential problems here. Yes, these do have to be resolved first. But once that's said and done, think about it ... instead of the take it or leave it attitude that you get today, you can instead look at the alternatives and vote with your wallet. I also (though not as seriously, since, let's face it, TV doesn't have much to offer anyway) await the day when there is competition for cable TV too. Prices right now are sky-high. Reason? Simple: you have no choice if you want the service (OK, unless you can put up a satellite dish). Competition is a good thing. It forces companies to stay on their toes, keep the level of service high, and the prices competitive. If one company can't/won't do that, and another can, so be it. And if, after all is said and done, the Bell companies still provide the best service/price, hey, good for them! But if they don't, I personally would like to have the option of going with someone who can. The funny thing is, what you're complaining about (quality of POTS), is really a function of that monopoly, and not the breakup of long distance services. After all, if the general subscriber wants dial tone, they don't have much choice, do they? Now, to give a perspective on this: I've avoided AT&T service for some time, due to the "oh, you have a problem? Too bad. Three months at least till we can bother to do something about it" attitude that I used to see. Well, things *HAVE* changed. AT&T has (at least, in some departments) gotten rid of this attitude, and have actually gotten me to switch back. The reason is simple: they have a service that I need, that the other companies don't offer: AT&T EasyReach service. My attitudes are not anti-AT&T, not anti-Bell, but rather, they are anti-monopoly, pro-competition. Competition is a good thing. The results can be confusing, and can force the consumer to do a little more research in order to get the best deal, but hey, better that than to be *FORCED* to accept the *ONLY* deal, take it or leave it. As another example ... there is a computer company whose name consists of three letters (in no particular order, those letters are I, B, and M). This computer company took the attitude (and yes, I even got this statement *DIRECTLY* from a SE from that company) that anytime they did anything in the computer world, even if it went against the way the rest of the world did things, that *THEY* were right, and the rest of the world was wrong ... and who the h*ll did I think I was questioning their perfection... oddly enough, this same company is now seeing serious competition from other companies, and is gradually being forced to either change their attitudes and show more respect (ok, show respect, period) for their customers, or lose business to those companies that will. Yep, sounds like a bad thing to me ... NOT! OK, the song on the radio right now just said something about putting out the flame ... guess I'd better do that about now. :-) Our Moderator clearly doesn't live in the same world as many of us do. I suppose in a perfect world (the kind that only lasts until you wake up), all of the anti-competition preaching might work. But that has not been supported by *ANYTHING* that I've ever seen while awake. Later, jim INTERNET: jim@n5ial.chi.il.us | grahj@gagme.chi.il.us | j.graham@ieee.org UUCP: gagme!n5ial!jim@clout.chi.il.us AMATEUR RADIO: n5ial@n9hsi (Chicago.IL.US.Earth) 73s, de n5ial/9 [Moderator's Note: You are correct. I live in a different world than many of the readers here. I live in a dirty, very impoverished, crime- ridden and rapidly dying inner city. Much of my life has been spent drawing welfare from large corporations. And let's face it: we all are receiving welfare. Some of us get it from the government or social agencies; others of us get it from large corporations or institutions and bureaucracies where we show up and spend much time idling every day. I don't bite the hand that feeds me and sees to it our little one gets new shoes when he needs them, etc. Big business has paid my rent, clothed and fed me and my cats for many years. I've no complaints about it at all. I have NOTHING against competition. But I have NOTHING against legal, lawfully maintained monopolies either. I greatly admire the men who started the big companies in the early years of this century and only wish I were half as smart and had the business acumen of a Rockefeller, a Morgan or a Ted Vail. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 09:22:00 -0400 From: msb@sq.com (Mark Brader) Subject: Re: Trademark Infringement Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada > The rumor is that DEC agreed to exchange licences, on condition that > the vacuum cleaner company stop using their slogan: > "Nothing SUCKS like a VAX!!" Can we squeeze in one more article before the thread is killed for being off-topic? Here's what the Jargon File (version 2.9.10) says about that. | :VAX: /vaks/ n. 1. [from Virtual Address eXtension] The most | successful minicomputer design in industry history, possibly | excepting its immediate ancestor, the PDP-11. Between its release | in 1978 and its eclipse by {killer micro}s after about 1986, the | VAX was probably the hacker's favorite machine of them all, esp. | after the 1982 release of 4.2 BSD UNIX (see {BSD}). Esp. | noted for its large, assembler-programmer-friendly instruction set | --- an asset that became a liability after the RISC revolution. | 2. A major brand of vacuum cleaner in Britain. Cited here because | its alleged sales pitch, "Nothing sucks like a VAX!" became a | sort of battle-cry of RISC partisans. It is sometimes claimed that | this slogan was *not* actually used by the Vax vacuum-cleaner | people, but was actually that of a rival brand called Electrolux | (as in "Nothing sucks like..."); your editors have not yet | been able to verify either version of the legend. It is also | claimed that DEC actually entered a cross-licensing deal with the | vacuum-Vax people that allowed them to market VAX computers in the | U.K. in return for not challenging the vacuum cleaner trademark in | the U.S. Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com ------------------------------ From: Dave Johnston Organization: Santa Rosa Junior College Date: 20 Aug 92 08:06:03 PST Subject: Re: Pounding on an OctothorpReply-To: No, this isn't another attempt to start the whole pound/octothorp issue again. However, all this talk of octothorps does bring to mind a humorous story from a previous job. Well, at least I thought it was humorous, I guess we'll find out if Pat thinks so. I was working for a company that ran both a long distance resale operation as well as an Interconnect business in the mid-80s. We had hired a new receptionist about a week previously and she had been working out quite well. One of her functions was to operate our PBX console (Mitel SX-200) and she seemed to take to it very nicely. The only problem she had was that she couldn't seem to make the paging system work. She would dial the code, but the speakers would never activate. It worked for the rest of us from our phones, but for some reason wouldn't work for her. The paging access code was #7. Or as we had told her "Pound Seven". One day after she was frustrated with not being able to get the paging to work and numerous funny looks from the rest of staff, since it worked OK for us, she said, "I don't know why it won't work, I pick up the phone and _pound_ the seven key, but nothing happens. Once we explained that "pound" referred to the octothorp key and not how hard she pressed the other keys, things worked much better for her. I hope the humor of the situation came through my feeble description. Dave Johnston, WD6AOE Santa Rosa Junior College Supervisor, Campus Data/Telecom 1501 Mendocino Ave. dave@cs.santarosa.edu Santa Rosa, CA 95401 Voice +1 707 527 4853 Fax +1 707 527 4816 [Moderator's Note: Thanks for a smiling conclusion to this issue. I'll see you all again over the weekend. :) PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #649 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa23193; 22 Aug 92 0:37 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19918 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 21 Aug 1992 22:51:40 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05488 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 21 Aug 1992 22:51:31 -0500 Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 22:51:31 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199208220351.AA05488@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: "\\telecom"@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V12 #650 TELECOM Digest Fri, 21 Aug 92 22:50:35 CDT Volume 12 : Issue 650 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Deterioration of POTS (vs. Monopolies) (Lauren Weinstein) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Jeff Sicherman) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Charlie Mingo) Re: Deterioration of POTS (John Higdon) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Bob Frankston) Re: Deterioration of POTS (Jack Adams) Re: Deterioration of POTS and Judge Greene (Marvin Sirbu) Re: Our Moderator and Monopolies (Nick Sayer) Re: Our Moderator and Monopolies (Bob Frankston) Re: Our Moderator and Monopolies (Jon Gefaell) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 12:08:02 PDT From: lauren@vortex.COM (Lauren Weinstein) Subject: Deterioration of Pots (vs. Monopolies) From: goldstein@carafe.enet.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) > ... Of course, Lauren and Pat seem to like having the Judge > as a whipping boy. I guess they so worship Ye Olde Bell System that > they don't recognize the overpaid mucky-mucks who cooked up divestiture > as a way to rid themselves of a low-profit capital-intensive line of > business. If Fred will review my message that started the current "Pots Deterioration" discussion, he'll find that I did *not* mention or blame Judge Greene nor did I point to the lack of a monopoly Bell System as the essential causes of POTS deterioration. Nor will he find statements from me in there suggesting that the old Bell System monopoly should have been maintained. He appears to have taken Pat's comments to my message and assumed that I agree with all of Pat's views. I do not. In the world of telecommunications there are many points on which Pat and I agree, and there are many on which we disagree (we're both cat lovers, however!) The point of my original message was that the fragmentation of phone service has caused problems for non-techie users, who have not been, are are unlikely to become, the beneficiaries of most of the competitively driven advances in telecommunications technology. Lots of fascinating alternatives and services will be opening up for business users, but nobody really wants to spend a lot on the residential POTS market (since it is mostly all regulated services) -- and things are getting tougher for exactly that segment. And contrary to some opinions we've seen, I do feel that it is important for the technologists (that's us!) to watch out for "Aunt Martha" and her needs as well. There is an insanity to having to call umpteen different companies and deal with seemingly endless finger-pointing to solve "simple" (let alone complex!) service problems. There are ways these problems could be solved while still allowing competition and avoiding monopolies, through coordinated service organizations and oversight, for example. However, it seems unlikely that this will be accomplished by the involved organizations themselves acting only of their own volition. --Lauren-- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 11:53:40 -0700 From: Jeff Sicherman Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Organization: Cal State Long Beach In article mdw@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (mark.d.wuest) writes: > I think another side effect of the break-up is the shift away from > pure research at Bellcore. They're laying off more people as I type. > Bell Labs is rumored to be headed toward a market-driven approach to > development (but *that* rumor's been flying around for awhile now ...). > Who know what the end result will be? I'm not sure from the tone of this post whether there's any sadness and nostalgia for the 'good old days' in it. If there is, it's not very to me that much of that research found it's way into the actual domestic phone system under the pre-breakup regime. That's not to say that they weren't doing great science or serving a valuable societal function, but was it appropriate to be funded by our payments to a regulated monopoly when the results weren't generally and aggressively applied to the improvement of service? > OTOH, as American business (hopefully) shifts more toward long-term > goals (thinking in terms of 10 years instead of quarters), the > "market" may demand more pure research. Most anyone would agree that > Japan is doing more pure research now than ever before ... Probably, but what is more outrageous and self-defeating for ourselves is that they are buying semi-exclusive access to the results of American university research on the cheap by partially funding such research at institutions which are hungry for the money. That's OK, they'll make more products based upon the technology and sell it back to us. Now tell me, where is this long-term thinking really happening in the U.S.? Jeff Sicherman ------------------------------ From: Charlie.Mingo@p4218.f70.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Charlie Mingo) Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 01:07:20 -0500 Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Our esteemed Moderator writes about antitrust suits by the federal governnment against IBM and AT&T: > [Moderator's Note: Yes, you may point out that it was a consent > decree, as in I hold a gun to your head and you consent to be robbed > after I have offered you that choice versus being killed. Then later I > say I did nothing wrong: after all, you agreed robbery was best under > the circumstances. You'll note IBM refused to settle at all and their > case was dropped. I think AT&T should have continued stonewalling in > the same way as IBM, flooding the court with semi-trailer vans full of > paper to read each day as part of the discovery, etc. [...] > Obviously AT&T felt it was prudent to take the best they thought > they could get and walk away. Is that "obvious" at all? If IBM could 'Just Say No,' then why couldn't AT&T? Remember, this was the Reagan antitrust division, which had already rejected the legal theory on which the AT&T suit was based; it is hard to imagine them as zealots forcing AT&T to dismember itself. Also, your explanation founders on the issue of why AT&T would choose to "cure" a problem concerning BOC equipment purchases from WeCo by offering to dismember itself. The government was seeking some way of getting the BOC's to have an arm's-length relationship with WeCo, and this did not require splitting the BOC's from AT&T. To me, the "obvious" explanation is that no one was remotely thinking of divestiture until AT&T itself sugested it for its own reasons. You can argue about whether this was a smart move on AT&T's part, but I can't see how divestiture could have happened in this case except at AT&T's initiative. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 02:41 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS goldstein@carafe.enet.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) writes: > As Marvin Sirbu pointed out, nobody sued AT&T for divestiture of the > operating companies, but of Western Electric. It was axiomatic that > local service lost money and long distance made money; AT&T management > may have concluded that they'd do best by keeping the latter. Of > course the cast-off Bells realized that they could make money with > their monopolies too! AT&T management wanted in to the computer biz, > and lost their starchy white shirts! Yes, the line we were all fed and that which some still believe is that long distance subsidized local service. The actual truth is that long distance and other business services subsidized the bloated, inefficient, lethargic cow that was The Bell System. You will note (putting emotion aside and letting reality prevail) that local service rates have not even kept up with inflation and long distance rates have fallen through the floor. Did we all get something for nothing? No. What we did was cast the telcos into the sea of real economics. Sink or swim. Gone are the "firemen" and "brakemen" of the switchrooms. Gone are endless levels of supervisors in the business office. Gone are the casual over-ordering of supplies and the "replace-it-whether-it-needs-it-or-not" mentality that was part and parcel of Bell. The LECs had to survive without that "subsidy" and they did -- marvellously. They have so much money that they cannot decide whether to go into cable TV or Cellular or Voicemail or information providing or ... No, folks, the only thing that long distance used to subsidize was an archaic, bloated dinasour whose time had come and gone. With that dead and buried, our telecom dollars can now actually buy telephone service. It is this very concept that companies such as Bell Canada do not want people to find out about. That subsidy line is being pushed at this very moment in Canada in order to convince the Canadians that Competition Is Bad. What hooey! Does anyone in the US really still believe that old baloney about cross subsidy of long distance/local service? The truth of the matter is that the marketplace is the only truly effective regulator of business and commerce. "Regulated Monopoly" is an oxymoron. There is not enough regulatory horsepower in the universe to ensure the lean and mean machine that results from nice, cut-throat competition. Are the long distance companies more efficient than the old AT&T? You bet. Are the LECs more streamlined and responsive? Of course. IMHO, it is always wise to examine any "natural monopoly" to see if technological progress has changed the playing field. In the long run, effective competition (COCOTs are not included since there are factors that disable a true competitive situation) will always win hands down over monopoly as a method for delivering value to the end user. I, for one, will be most interested to see what happens when Pac*Bell is not the only game in town. Hopefully, GTE will just simply go out of business (after it loses its regulatory fight trying to avoid competition). John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: Bob_Frankston@frankston.com Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Date: Fri 21 Aug 1992 09:44 -0400 One of the big threats in the 70's was that IBM would be split up just like ATT. It has taken a while, but IBM is now doing it voluntarily in order to stay competitive. Was ATT simply more farsighted? ------------------------------ From: vixen!jadams@uunet.UU.NET (26070-adams) Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 14:05:04 GMT In article , dwford@uswnvg.com (Don Ford) writes: > Pat Fargo 6266 (ebupaf@ebu.ericsson.se) wrote: >> Bellcore was supposedly set up to be somewhat of a controlling body, >> but from my last experiences with it, nobody listened to it. > Bellcore was specifically NOT supposed to be a controlling body. That > is what the anti-trust suit was all about. They are a resource > jointly owned by the seven RBOCs and Cincinnati Bell. Their charter ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Not true! Nor is SNET, nor any other than the original seven. > establishment only allows the | enforcement of standards in areas > that affect the interworking of the local phone companies, > interexchange carriers AND for national defense purposes. ^^^^^^^ Not quite ..."emergency preparedness" (earthquakes, hurricanes, as well as defense matters) Jack (John) Adams Bellcore RRC 4B-259 (908) 699-3447 {Voice} (908) 336-2871 {Facsimile} jadams@vixen.bellcore.com kahuna@attmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 11:44:33 -0400 (EDT) From: Marvin Sirbu Subject: Re: Deterioration of POTS and Judge Greene The Moderator writes: > I fault Greene for stirring it up to begin with, and AT&T for not > finishing ... The Antitrust suit was filed in 1974 under the Republican Ford administration by Attorney General Saxon. Judge Greene was not assigned to the case until several years after it had been filed. As for AT&T stonewalling the antitrust case, had they done so, the House would likely have passed the legislation that had already cleared the Senate. In AT&T's judgement, the legislation would have been worse then the consent decree. If a gun was held to the head of AT&T, it was not by Judge Greene. Marvin Sirbu ------------------------------ From: mrapple@quack.sac.ca.us (Nick Sayer) Subject: Re: Our Moderator and Monopolies Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'. Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 20:55:19 GMT Our Moderator Notes: > I've no complaints about it at all. I have NOTHING against > competition. But I have NOTHING against legal, lawfully maintained > monopolies either. Once again, we have the perpetual warfare between theory and practice. In theory, the RBOCs should all be setting rates that allow a reasonable return, should be kept from cross-subsidizing competing and regulated subdivisions, should provide services that people want ... everything should be sweetness and light and everyone can live happily ever after. It doesn't happen. Government has proved time, and time, and time, and time again that it cannot hope to be as clever at regulating RBOCs as the RBOCs are at evading regulation, bribing regulatory officials and ripping off the public. The answer is not government. The answer is free markets. Nick Sayer N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA 37 19 49 N / 121 57 36 W +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest' [Moderator's Note: By 'legal, lawfully maintained monopolies', I did NOT mean monopolies started by or protected by the government. I meant those monopolies which got that way through the hard work, effort and brains of the company founder, and which continue to remain a monopoly despite *completely obeying the law*. In other words, I supported AT&T intact before the breakup and Standard Oil before it was divested at the turn of the century. I do not support gangsters who maintain a 'monopoly' by force, threats and violence. I agree, the free market should be the only consideration. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Bob_Frankston@frankston.com Subject: Re: Our Moderator and Monopolies Date: Fri 21 Aug 1992 10:50 -0400 Monopolies are not necessarily bad. In fact, the patent system is a way of granting monopolies. But patents have a limited lifetime. ------------------------------ From: jon@Turing.ORG (Jon Gefaell (KD4CQY)) Subject: Re: Our Moderator and Monopolies Organization: The Turing Project, Charlottesville Virginia. Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 20:58:54 GMT In article Jim Graham writes: > [Moderator's Note: You are correct. I live in a different world than > many of the readers here. I live in a dirty, very impoverished, crime- > ridden and rapidly dying inner city. Much of my life has been spent > drawing welfare from large corporations. And let's face it: we all are > receiving welfare. Some of us get it from the government or social > agencies; others of us get it from large corporations or institutions > and bureaucracies where we show up and spend much time idling every > day. I don't bite the hand that feeds me and sees to it our little one > gets new shoes when he needs them, etc. Big business has paid my rent, > clothed and fed me and my cats for many years. I've no complaints > about it at all. I have NOTHING against competition. But I have > NOTHING against legal, lawfully maintained monopolies either. I > greatly admire the men who started the big companies in the early > years of this century and only wish I were half as smart and had the > business acumen of a Rockefeller, a Morgan or a Ted Vail. PAT] Well, I'm curious to see whether this will make it to the group, or if PAT will reply personally, or if it'll make it to the cutting room floor. I don't know about you PAT, but in the world I live in, I *WORK* for my money, and I work *HARD*. I see around me people like you, who 'draw welfare from [the beaurocracy I work for, U.Va.]' and just 'show up and spend much time idling ...' But, I've got a diferent set of ethics. I value and admire those far more than 'business acumen'. Obviously, we do live in diferent worlds, and I think yours is probably closer to the real thing. In that world, I have to agree with you, AT&T should have been left to it's own devices, and given continued monopoly. But, perhaps like the previous poster, I'd like to give competition and innovation a chance, I'll go ahead and brave this 'dirty, impoverished, crime ridden and rapidly dying world' without the attitude you've adopted. One more comment while we're airing our personal philosophy. Your earlier [Moderator's Note;] regarding Amateur Radio (and what can a person who is not a participant say about it?) show this same negative, heel biting tendency ... face it, life (and technology, business, culture... all it's components) is what you make it. It reflects your state of mind, and the approach you take to it. 'nuff said ... 'cept this; I very much enjoy both this group and it's participants as well as the admirable job you in moderating it :) Thank you. [Moderator's Note: Well, I work for a living also, but I don't know anyone who is really worth all they get paid. But with inflation and economic conditions as bad as they are right now, how could we work for less? You are correct that I haven't hidden my dislike for Chicago for many years, and if *you* would like to come here and ride the subway a couple times a day late at night between Jackson/State (a zoo to be plain about it) and the Loyola/Rogers Park station (robberies, drug sales, extensive grafitti everywhere and escalators constantly out of order), then comment on your stay in our fair city, I'll print that message also. Thanks for your kind comments about the Digest. I'm glad you enjoy it. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V12 #650 ******************************