Phoenix Rising BBS/phoenixrising.zip/phoenixrising/tele-dig/td14-026.txt

Text File | 1994-01-12 | 31KB | 744 lines

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 12 Jan 94 00:38:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 26

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: All Wire Isn't The Same (Carl Oppedahl)
    Re: All Wire Isn't The Same (Kriston J. Rehberg)
    Re: How are VCR Plus+ Numbers Generated (Aninda Dasgupta)
    Re: How are VCR Plus+ Numbers Generated (John T. Grieggs)
    Re: Surcharge for Tone Dialing to be Dropped (Dave O'Shea)
    Re: Surcharge for Tone Dialing to be Dropped (Carl Oppedahl)
    Re: Surcharge for Tone Dialing to be Dropped (Dave Niebuhr)
    Re: How to Phone US 0800 Numbers From the UK? (A Alan Toscano)
    Re: How to Phone US 0800 Numbers From the UK? (A. Padgett Peterson)
    Re: Looking For Cordless Headset Telephone (Subodh Bapat)
    Re: Caller ID in Pennsylvania (Jeffrey J. Carpenter)
    Re: ITU Method For Writing Telephone Numbers (Carl Oppedahl)
    Re: Methods to Prevent Stalking and Phone Harrassment (Dan Borkowski)
    Re: Technical Description of PBXs Wanted (Mike Renault)
    Re: User Interface From Hell (Kriston J. Rehberg)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
Subject: Re: All Wire Isn't The Same
Date: 11 Jan 1994 07:40:07 -0500
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In <[e-mail]> John Warne <[e-mail]>
writes:

> There has been discussion recently regarding crosstalk between pairs
> of wires in two-pair cable ("Two Phone Lines to One Phone Jack").

> A recent BELLCORE bulletin pointed out that two-pair inside wire (AKA
> station wire or JKT) can be found to have been made in two quite
> different ways.

> The cross-sectional view of one wire reveals the plastic outer sheath
> is formed around the conductors in a cloverleaf-like pattern, holding
> a certain relationship between the conductors for the length of the
> cable (AT&T *used* to make their two-pair stuff this way), resulting
> in less crosstalk between pairs.

> The sheath of the other type (which AT&T is using now) does not hold
> the conductors in any particular alignment, but is a loose outer
> covering. This wire exhibits greater crosstalk when used for two
> telephone lines.

> You can detect the second type of cable easily -- it's smaller in
> overall diameter, the conductors slide within the jacket, and it
> simply *feels* cheap (editorial comment).  In my opinion, the new
> stuff is junk, and, probably, at a higher cost to the purchaser.

> I have a roll of General Wire at the shop that is constructed in the
> "good old way," but several of our suppliers can't seem to find any
> more of it in their warehouses.

> I'd recommend the second pair in the new stuff be used only for backup
> in case the first pair is damaged in some way, and not used for a
> second service.

I am sure the person posting this is well-intended, but I fear that
through inadvertence the phrasing used may make people buy wire other
than the stuff they wanted to buy.

Let's define four colors - R G Y B - and with that, here is a typical
so-called "quad" wire.

   R  G

   Y  B

And the point is, you could cut the wire anywhere along its length,
and you would see the same cross section, differing only in that all
four wires may have rotated, e.g.

   Y  R

   B  G

but, as you will appreciate, the relative configuration remains the
same, R has Y to one side and G to the other, for example.

This is Bad Wire For Two-Line Use.  It is the cloverleaf type wire
mentioned above.  Many Readers Have Reported Cross-Talk With Such
Wire.

Now let's define four numbers, corresponding to color codes as follows:

1 - white with blue stripe
2 - blue with white stripe
3 - white with orange stripe
4 - orange with white stripe

These numbers are arbitrary -- they are only meaningful in the following
diagrams.

1  2

3  4

This is one typical configuration for "twisted pair" wire, which is
what you *should* use for two-line (or more-line) work.  At points
along the way you may find any of these:

2  1

4  3

or

1  2

4  3

or

2  1

3  4

The main point, as you will have guessed, is that if you stripped off
the outer jacket of the cable for some length, you will find 1 and 2
twisted around each other, and 3 and 4 twisted around each other.

Often, indeed almost always, this kind of wire has an outer jacket
that is of constant thickness.  It has a cylindrical hollowness that
contains the twisted pairs.

Quad wire, on the other hand, typically fills the spaces between the
wires, so that when you strip off the jacket it has a cloverleaf-
shaped hollowness.

For two-line use, don't buy quad.  Buy twisted pair.

Usually you can recognize twisted pair phone wire from the use of the
striped color codes, such as blue with a white stripe etc.

Usually you can recognize quad wire from the use of the R G Y B color
codes.


Carl Oppedahl AA2KW    Oppedahl & Larson (patent lawyers)
Yorktown Heights, NY   voice 212-777-1330

------------------------------

Subject: Re: All Wire Isn't The Same
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 94 10:32:53 EST
From: [e-mail]


In-reply-to: John Warne's message of Sat, 08 Jan 94 19:42:49 EST:
[quad wire crosstalk discussion]

> I'd recommend the second pair in the new stuff be used only for backup
> in case the first pair is damaged in some way, and not used for a
> second service.

In light of NY Telephone's (now NYNEX) use of the quad wire, yet
consistently not using it for two-line phones, is probably due to the
fact that they'd rather not rewire a building with faulty cabling and
would rather use the second pair for both as a backup and as a
reinforcing agent to make the wire strong enough not to break as
easily as two-lead wire can.  When I moved out of my parents' house,
they needed to use the wire left over from my computer phone line
because theirs had deteriorated.


Kriston J. Rehberg                  Internet External :[e-mail]
Associate Programmer/Analyst        FSC Internal RSCS :V2ENA81 AT OWEGO
ENSCO, Incorporated                 FSC Internal AFS  :[e-mail]
Loral Federal Systems Co, Owego, NY Tel: [phone] :Tieline: 662-2180

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 94 08:42:53 EST
From: [e-mail]  (Aninda Dasgupta)
Subject: Re: How are VCR Plus+ Numbers Generated


Magnavox sells a Voice Recognition remote that:

- allows programming of VCR
- is a universal remote
- recognizes commands from more than one person.

So, for about $100 to $150, you can hold up the remote in your hand
and say something like : "Record, Thursday, Start 9:00 pm, End 9:30
pm, Channel 4."  And the remote does the rest.  No need to look up
codes and punch them in.  Training the remote to recognize your voice
takes a few minutes as the user is prompted on an LCD screen to read
out a few numbers and words that appear on the screen.  Very user
friendly. See your local Magnavox/Philips dealer for demonstrations.


Aninda DasGupta ([e-mail]) Ph:[phone] Fax:[phone]
Philips Labs\n 345 Scarborough Rd\n  Briarcliff Manor\n NY 10510

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John T. Grieggs)
Subject: Re: How are VCR Plus+ Numbers Generated
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 19:09:25 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Arthur Rubin <a_rubin@dsg4.
dse.beckman.com> wrote:

> Well, you do need to program in the translator from the "published"
> channel numbers (the ones used to encode the VCR+ code) to the channel
> numbers your VCR and/or cable box use, and to program the box to learn
> how to program your VCR and/or cable box, but I don't THINK there's
> anything more that needs to be done.  (Of course, all of this was
> intended for those people whose VCR is blinking "12:00" (actually,
> mine blinks "--:--" when not set), so do you really expect them to
> attempt to tell you how to program a "universal remote".)

Well, actually, I got mine because my cable company delivers scrambled
signal to my house.  The chintzy plastic box they rent me as a decoder
is able to be controlled via IFR.  Which is a darn good thing, because
the VCR it is attached to must be tuned to channel 3 all the time if
it wants to see any signal at all.

VCRPlus is able to handle this situation.  I give it codes and leave
my VCR turned off and with tape.  When it's time to tape, the VCRPlus
unit changes channels on the cable box, turns on the VCR, and starts
taping.  When the programmed time elapses, it stops and turns off the
VCR.

Once in a while, I need to run a little program I got from the net a
while back, to manually generate a VCRPlus code, when I want to tape
something from a local station which is not listed in TV Guide.

I assure you, none of my VCR clocks blink.  Perhaps you should
consider broadening your somewhat patronizing definition of whom the
product is intended for?


John T. Grieggs (Telos @ Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, Ca. 91109 M/S 525-3660    [phone]
Uucp: {cit-vax,elroy,chas2}!jpl-devvax!grieggs
Arpa: ...jpl-devvax![e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave O'Shea)
Subject: Re: Surcharge for Tone Dialing to be Dropped
Date: 11 Jan 1994 18:36:23 GMT
Organization: WilTel


A. Padgett Peterson ([e-mail]) wrote:

>> In addition, it is phasing out the optional business Flat Rate and
>> untimed Message Rate plans for businesses in upstate NY and imposing
>> timed message rate for them.

> This is the scary part simce everywhere I go I see regional carriers
> attempting to eliminate "flat" and "unmetered" plans. As telecommuting
> and information hightway access begins to take hold, the elimination
> of unmetered local service is the biggest threat to individual
> connectivity that I can imagine.

Well, in a word, no. It will mean that those of us who have been tying
up a trunk for six hours at the same price as a 30-second call will
have to stary paying for the privilege -- though I wouldn't be
terribly surprised to see some alternative local loop providers
selling a "flat-rate"-type service to people who are priced out of the
market by the LEC's.

As it is, I probably burn up seven or eight hours a month of modem
time, and virtuaally all of it is long-disatance anyway. Considering
that I can do ~18kb/s with a Telebit 3000, I'm probably saving money
compared with using PC Pursuit or some similar service.

One of the big reasons that long distance rates seem to "bottom out"
somewhere in the 10 cents/minute rate, even for the most humongous
customers is that the LD carriers have to pay most of that to the LEC
for the local loop. Perhaps as the RBOCs are able to recoup something
for those millions of unbillable hours of local connect time, this
will ease up.

> Of course, the biggies (Compu$erve, Plodigy, etc.) will have 800
> numbers and just pass the cost along, but one might expect amateur
> BBSs, SLIPs, and the like to become much less popular. The biggest
> threat would be to the infant telecommuting industry and the home
> office which relies on unlimited local service and the best means for
> achieving the Clinton/Gore "20% reduction in commuting" would go up in
> smoke.

If an employee is worth telecommuting, even a $4/hour connection
charge is fairly minor in the face of, say, a $65,000 salary/benefits
package. Even if you get charged that for eight hours a day, it's minor.
Most employees who would best benefit from telecommuting are the ones
who are well into long-distance calling areas.

And who knows -- I don't follow ISDN or related services too closely,
but it (and similar services) will become more widely available as the
cost of bandwidth falls.

Keeping the local connection price artificially low is a disincentive
for LEC's to provide higher capacity and better services.

> True, TANSTAAFL still applies and I suppose metering is inevitable
> particularly since it is both cheap and desirable for the Telcos. The
> only advantage that I can see for the consumer would be that with
> metered service, the subscriber would have a right to a call detail
> listing the individual calls by called number, time, and duration.

Desirable, probably. Cheap, no. All those CDR records mean gags of new
storage, more throughput needed on billing systems, and a near complete
re-working of billing software and tariffs.


Dave O'Shea                         [e-mail]
Sr. Network Support Engineer        201.236.3730
WilTel Data Network Services        Do I *look* like a WilTel spokesman?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
Subject: Re: Surcharge for Tone Dialing to be Dropped
Date: 11 Jan 1994 07:41:19 -0500
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (John R Levine)
writes:

>> Of course, the biggies (Compu$erve, Plodigy, etc.) will have 800
>> numbers and just pass the cost along ...

> Unlikely.  An 800 number costs at rock bottom ten cents a minute,
> while message rates are usually more like two cents.  Even with
> metered local service, calling direct is considerably cheaper.

> Note that in New York City, the calls are metered, but local calls are
> charged one unit (about a dime) per call, no matter how long the call
> is.  If ever there were a rate plan that favors modem users, that's
> it.

Uh, this is the case, in New York City, only for residential callers.
If you have a business line a lengthy local call costs much more than
a brief one.

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave Niebuhr)
writes:

> In TELECOM Digest V14 #19 [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl) writes:

>> In <[e-mail]> Eric De Mund <[e-mail]>
>> writes:

>>> Given that backwards state of affairs, maybe my dad *is* telling me
>>> the truth when he says that he can't even *get* touch-tone service at
>>> his home in central Nassau County (Westbury), Long Island, New York,
>>> telephone number (516) 333-xxxx. Incredible.

>> I don't know the situation now, but a few years ago a friend in
>> Westbury had three lines in the house, one of which was a 516-333.
>> The 516-333 had been in place for a decade or more, and he kept it
>> because it was a flat-rate line -- no charge for local calls.

> Flat Rate is available to all residence customers and maybe some small
> businesses.

Flat rate might mean two things -- local calls never cost anything, or
local calls cost one message unit no matter how long you are connected.
For most phone exchanges in New York state, residence customers get
the latter, not the former.  Only a relatively small number of exchanges
in NY state have true flat rate, where all local calls never cost anything.

In NY Telephone's service area (most of NY State) nearly all business
service (no distinction made between large or small businesses) is
charged so that lengthy local calls cost more than brief ones.

> Here are the exchanges in the 33X series for Area Code 516:

>             0     1     2     3    4     5     6     7      8    9
>          -------------------------------------------------------------
>      33X |     |PtJef|GdnCy|<----Westbury--->|Hksvl|GdnCy|Wstby|     |

> Code: PtJef - Port Jefferson; Hksvl - Hicksville (a small tale here);
> GdnCy - Garden City.

> Note that all except 331 are in Nassau County and all are next door so
> to speak from each other and there are a plethora of businesses and
> government offices is that area.  I don't think that they'd put up
> with rotary only dialing.

I find that in general the numerical nearness of telephone exchange
numbers has little or no correlation with geographical nearness.  I
suggest that it would have even less correlation with central office
equipment types.  By this I mean that while you will sometimes see a
"run" of exchange numbers that are clearly closely related (e.g. 333,
334, 335) once the "run" has a break (e.g. from 336 to 337) then I
suggest that there is probably no correlation of geographic areas and
no particular correlation of central office equipment types.

The 337 wires fan out from one building to cover Garden City, while
the 336 wires fan out from a *different building* to cover Hicksville.
Once we appreciate that they are different buildings, we can see that
there is no particular reason to assume anything in common about the
type of equipment inside.



Carl Oppedahl AA2KW     Oppedahl & Larson (patent lawyers)
Yorktown Heights, NY    voice 212-777-1330

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 94 14:35:03 EST
From: [e-mail] (Dave Niebuhr)
Subject: Re: Surcharge for Tone Dialing to be Dropped


In TELECOM Digest V14 #19 there was a question as to whether 516-333
was touchtone equipped.

I checked yesterday with the business office (since NYTel is now known
as NYNEX, I ended up in a Rockland County (upstate) office instead of
one on Long Island) and found out the following.

516-333 (Westbury, NY) does have touchtone available and the switch is
a DMS-100.  All CLASS (SS7) features are enabled for anyone who wants
them.

Therefore, I would suspect that whoever said that touchtone was not
available in that exchange didn't know what was available or not.


Dave Niebuhr      Internet: [e-mail] (preferred)
                            [e-mail] / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Senior Technical Specialist, Scientific Computing Facility
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (A Alan Toscano)
Date: 11 Jan 94 00:01:07 GMT
Subject: Re: How to Phone US 0800 Numbers From the UK?


In article <[e-mail]> MAARUF ALI, <[e-mail].
kcl.ac.uk> writes:

> Could someone please tell me how to phone US 0800 numbers from the UK?

Several previous replies suggested AT&T's USA Direct Service, but
stated that the service could only be used to call AT&T-serviced "800"
numbers. THERE IS NO LONGER ANY SUCH REQUIREMENT.

AT&T previously filed a tariff, allowing the Service to pass "800"
calls to the local exchange carrier (serving whatever "gateway city"
is processing the USA Direct traffic), for subsequent routing to the
appropriate long distance (interexchange) carrier.

Generally, then, the following three requirements are necessary to
complete a call via AT&T's USA Direct Service, to a USA "800" number:

1. There must be USA Direct access for the country you're in. This is
usually a toll-free access telephone number. Alternatively, in a few
countries, you may use special public telephones. In even fewer
countries, both access methods exist. (To learn more about USA Direct,
from outside of the USA, call collect: [phone].)

2. You must be calling an "800" number which does not have a
geographic restriction against calls from the "gateway city" (in the
USA) which serves USA Direct traffic from the country you're calling
from. (This is unlikely, but possible. Most USA "800" numbers have no
such restriction.)

3. You must have an AT&T Calling Card to which the cost of the
international segment of the call may be billed. International
customers holding an acceptable bank credit card may request an
application for an AT&T Calling Card by calling (collect): +1 816 654
6004.

It's my impression that AT&T will not, due to international
agreements, knowingly complete USA Direct calls to Canadian or
Carribean numbers.

Ideally, with North America's increased awareness on global trading,
American businesses will, over time, become better educated on
international telecommunications issues. In the mean time, I hope the
above will be helpful to those businesses which, due to their
specialized needs, for example, must trade with American corporations
in spite of any current naivete.

Disclaimer: I don't work for AT&T. I'm just a customer.


A Alan Toscano   <[e-mail]>
Postal: P O Box 741982; Houston, TX 77274-1982
Voice Mail: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 94 08:40:30 -0500
From: [e-mail] (A. Padgett Peterson)
Subject: Re: How to Phone US 0800 Numbers From the UK


Clive D.W. Feather <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Some of us would *love* to be able to call US 800 numbers and pay for
> the calls. Or have a way to find out the POTS number. Even in UK-only
> publications, I *still* see US companies only quoting their 800
> numbers.

Pat mentions one possibility. Another is that the copmpany is too
small to handle its own marketing and has "outsourced" the order
business to a mass order taking (is there a one word description?)
organization. In this case, the 800 number may be the only way the
order-taker knows which company's name to answer with. (Remember when
you were supposed to ask for a particular "operator number" and this
told the outsourcer which company to respond as).

Thus an "800 only" number is a flag to me that 1) The company has
probably outsourced the order system and 2) They do not have anyone at
their office to take orders.

At one time I used to be amazed at the "one-man" operations operating
out of their home with giant advertising. Being somewhat more cynical
now, I accept that "allow four to six weeks for shipping" means the
company has no stock and is waiting for sufficient paid orders to
qualify for volume discounts before ordering any.


Warmly,

Padgett


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Either that, or they also farm out the
orders to be filled elsewhere on a drop ship basis.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Subodh Bapat)
Subject: Re: Looking For Cordless Headset Telephone
Date: 11 Jan 1994 00:34:41 -0500


[e-mail] (Gregory Corbett) writes:

> Can anyone help me?

> I am looking to obtain a cordless, "Headset" telephone that operates
> with a small microphone and "walkman-like" earpiece.

> Where can I obtain such a phone?

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Try the "Hello Direct" mail order
> catalog. Phone 1-800-HI-HELLO for details. "Hello Direct" is now
> an official supplier of equipment to Illinois Bell customers through
> telco's 'work at home center'.    PAT]

I just saw a Ginzu-knife commercial on TV advertising a do-it-yourself
device. What this seems to be is a flat metal headset that goes on
your head but has absolutely no electronics in it. Instead, one of the
"earpieces" is a round metal plate with a Velcro patch on it. You get
another adhesive Velcro patch which goes onto the back side of a
regular cordless phone. When you put on the "headset" and attach the
two Velcro pads together, you essentially get hands-free operation and
mobility -- which is what the original poster wanted.  (Of course, you
could use this with a wireline phone too, if all you want is
hands-free operation and not mobility.) I have no idea how well it
works or how comfortable it is.

If you already have a cordless phone, this alternative will cost you
$19.95, as opposed to the $399.95 cordless headset from Hello Direct.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jeffrey J. Carpenter)
Date: Tue, Jan 11 06:15:40 1994 GMT
Subject: Re: Caller ID in Pennsylvania


In article <[e-mail]>, is written:

> My understanding is that although the State's PUC has ruled on
> Caller ID service, deployment (by local carriers) is being held by a
> State Supreme Court challenge.

This Act is meant to overcome the wiretap law problems previously
found by the courts.

> Is the Bill mentioned under consideration, or has it passed?

It was signed into law last month.


Jeffrey James Bryan Carpenter |* Go Orioles! * Catch the Fever! *|
Computing and Information Services, University of Pittsburgh
600 Epsilon Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238-2887
[e-mail], [phone], FAX [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
Subject: Re: ITU Method For Writing Telephone Numbers
Date: 11 Jan 1994 07:55:08 -0500
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Erik Thomas
Mueller) writes:

> By the way, I'm posting this message from a Minitel. Everyone in France now
> has USENET and Internet mail access via 3617 EMAIL on the Minitel. A Minitel
> costs about $3.50/month. ISDN is available everywhere. Plus we also have
> Bibop!

I am very interested to see this message which suggests that everyone
in France with a Minitel has Usenet and Internet access.  But can I
send email to everyone on Minitel?  If so, what is the general
addressing format?  Or is 3617 EMAIL a private company that is
offering a gateway between Minitel and the Internet?  What is
"email.teaser.com"?


Carl Oppedahl AA2KW     Oppedahl & Larson (patent lawyers)
Yorktown Heights, NY    voice 212-777-1330

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dan Borkowski)
Subject: Re: Methods to Prevent Stalking and Phone Harrassment
Organization: GTE Laboratories
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 12:57:47 GMT


Don't assume that changing a home telephone number (even to unlisted)
will stop harassing phone calls.

Case in point:

My sister was in a situation with a former *friend* who was harassing
her (phone calls, stalking, rocks through windows, etc.), so she
started by getting a restraining order and an unlisted phone number.
The phone was quiet for about two weeks, but the calls started again.
At this point she noticed that she hadn't received a phone bill that
month.  Well, it turns out that she probably did, but her former
*friend* probably had stolen it from her mailbox (yes, that's a crime,
but try proving it w/o witnesses!)  and read her new phone number
right off the bill.  So she paid to get another new unlisted phone
number.  Her former *friend* was then arrested on a charge of
violating the restraining order, and while in the police department,
her former *friend* read her new phone number off the police report.
So she paid to get another new unlisted phone number.  This scenario
probably would have continued, but fortunately this was college, and
she graduated soon thereafter and left that town forever.


Dan Borkowski   GTE Laboratories Incorporated   [e-mail]
All opinions are my own.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mike Renault)
Subject: Re: Technical Description of PBXs Wanted
Organization: Motorola Codex, Canton, Massachusetts
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 15:06:24 GMT


Don Pelton <[e-mail]> writes:

> I'm looking for sources of good technical descriptions of PBX
> technology and standards. Can anyone suggest books, articles,
> newsgroups and/or other internet resources? Standards documents?

PBX standard for the US is ANSI/EIA/TIA-464-A-1989.

Title is "Private Branch Exchange Switching Equipment for Voiceband
Application".

My copy cost $67.00.  This document is aimed towards the designers of
PBXs.  Call Electrionic Industries Association in Washington DC to
order, sorry I don't have their phone number.


Michael Renault  <[e-mail]>    (617)-821-7613

------------------------------

Subject: Re: User Interface From Hell
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 94 10:10:10 EST
From: [e-mail]


[e-mail] wrote:

> I just received the user guide for our ROLM PBX voice mail system.
> Although I like to think of myself as technologically literate, the
> user interface for the voice mail system intimidates me.  The rather
> thick user guide lists many features, options and user commands.  The
> system structure is summarized in 6 pages of decision tree diagrams.
> User commands are things like "*73" (replay a message), and there are
> alot of them.  I already have an 89 page user guide for my ROLM
> telephone.  Does anyone else find this as frustrating as I do?  The
> local phone company uses similar commands to access the new features
> that have been added to their switch software.

At first glance, the ROLM phonemail (voice mail) system is extremely
difficult to master at first, especially if you DON'T have a
ROLMphone.  The ROLMphones have templates on them with most of the
phonemail commands like delete, save, listen, record, skip, etc., plus
extra keys which on our phones are mostly inactive.  If you DON'T have
a ROLM phone, you can still use the DTMF touch-tones and flash feature
of your existing phone, but I weep for you.  The ROLM phones seem to
use a digital-style link between the PBX and the phone itself for the
special buttons and fancy blinking lights, but it will still accept
that white-bread DTMF fone with flash capability you may have floating
around.

At least on our system, which was put into full operation sometime in
the spring and early summer of '93, the phonemail prompts are very
descriptive, but can drive a new user crazy.  Follow the tutorials in
the user manuals.  I, unfortunately, didn't have that luxury until
after I cut my teeth on it.  Be SURE to beg, borrow, or steal one of
the flip-chart-style help indices that stick to your phone.  It gives
you all the commands in a handy flip-chart format.

Disclaimer: I am not an employee or representative of ROLM, who seems
to make very good PBX's and phones.  At least better than the Northern
Telecom PBX's I've been a captive customer of before.


Kriston J. Rehberg                  Internet External :[e-mail]
Associate Programmer/Analyst        FSC Internal RSCS :V2ENA81 AT OWEGO
ENSCO, Incorporated                 FSC Internal AFS  :[e-mail]
Loral Federal Systems Co, Owego, NY Tel: [phone] :Tieline: 662-2180

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End of TELECOM Digest V14 #26
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