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Text File | 1994-01-16 | 24KB | 624 lines

TELECOM Digest     Sun, 16 Jan 94 12:51:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 34

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Circa 1977 Rotary-Dial Trimline (Rev. Michael P. Deignan)
    Why the Rotary Phones? (Steve Kass)
    Book Review: "Basics Book of X.25" by Motorola (Rob Slade)
    Small Cellular Phones With Data Capability (James Cook)
    Article on the Net in the 1/7/94 Economist (Robert L. McMillin)
    Is .mil Going Away? (Network World via Robert L. McMillin)
    Long Distance Weather Calls? (Anthony E. Siegman)
    FAQ Not Quite Forgotten (David Leibold)
    Wanted: Mobile Cellular Speaker (Orator) (Robert J. Keller)
    Looks Like a Hacker (Clarence Dold)
    Modem With DTMF and MF Tones (Bob Erdman)
    PBX Features On LAN Hubs? (Kevin Tanner)
    Anyone Using Touch 1? (Arnold Robbins)
    New Area Code 360 in Washington State (Paul Cook)
    How Does Inmarsat Work? (Koos van den Hout)
    PBX Vendors With Isochronous Interface (George Nazi)
    Telephone System in China and in the US (Min Hu)
    Answering Machine Question (Tim White)
    Learning Experience (Thomas Hinders)
    Telephone Numbers in France (Richard Cox)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of
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long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers.
To reach us:  Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone
at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: [e-mail].

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TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rev. Michael P. Deignan)
Subject: Circa 1977 Rotary-Dial Trimline
Date: 16 Jan 1994 14:39:49 GMT
Organization: Small Business Systems, Inc., Esmond, RI 02917


I have just retired a circa-1977 rotary-dial "Bell System Property"
Trimline phone from years of trusty service in our kitchen. (The pulse
dial occasionally caused my modem to decide to pick up and answer the
call in the midst of dialing a number -- quite annoying).

Anyway, since I know there are folks here who collect these things, I
thought I'd offer it up for sale. It works fine. The handset itself
has a few minor cracks from years of dropping the handset on the
kitchen floor. It could use a good dose of Fantastic or 409.

Best offer takes it!


Michael P. Deignan, KD1HZ      Internet: [e-mail]
UUCP: ...!uunet!anomaly!kd1hz  AT&TNet: 401-273-4669

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

From: [e-mail] (Steve Kass)
Subject: Why the Rotary Phones?
Date: 16 Jan 94 10:58:15 EST
Organization: Drew Univ Academic Computing


In Volume 14, Issue 31, several contributors discuss the merits of
NYTel's installing rotary phones to thwart drug dealers.  Some writers
were cynical of the move, pointing out that pocket tone dialers are
widely available, but others suggested DMTF filters to prevent their
use.

NYTel _already_ has the capability to detect both keypad-generated and
pocket-dialer generated tones and disconnect a call after some number
of these tones.  This "service" was in effect on many East Village
telephones a year or two ago, and caused me to give up trying to use
my voice mail from those phones.

My experience is that NYTel is not forthcoming about how their phones
are configured, so I'll offer a guess as to the real reason for rotary
phones:

If a phone has a keypad, the average customer expects to be able to
use voicemail.  At such a phone where tones don't work, (we've had
this experience with COCOTs), s/he is likely to make several attempts,
then call operators for credits or repair service to report problems.
(I speak from experience.  As a result of all this, I also had my
calling card number stolen, having been asked to speak the number each
time I asked for credit from a failed call.)  Money is lost and ill
will is generated.  The AOSs don't care about this (and often don't
provide access to operators or service personnel).  But NYTel does
care about this.  The rotary phone says "Don't try to use voice mail
from this phone."

I suspect tone dialers won't work from these rotary phones, so some
honest customers will still be frustrated, but fewer than before.


Steve Kass/Math & CS/Drew U/Madison NJ/201-514-1187  [e-mail]

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 1994 20:38:19 MDT
From: Rob Slade  <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Basics Book of X.25" by Motorola


BKBSX25.RVW   931125

Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
Kelly Ford, Promotion/Publicity Coordinator
P.O. Box 520   26 Prince Andrew Place
Don Mills, Ontario   M3C 2T8
416-447-5101  fax: [phone]
or
Tiffany Moore, Publicity  [e-mail]
John Wait, Editor, Corporate and Professional Publishing [e-mail]
1 Jacob Way
Reading, MA   01867-9984
800-822-6339  617-944-3700 Fax: [phone]
5851 Guion Road
Indianapolis, IN   46254
800-447-2226
"The Basics Book of X.25 Packet Switching", 0-201-56369-X

In contrast to other of the "Basics" series, this one has no stated
audience or objective.  (It is also the first one I've seen that
strongly pushes the Motorola Codex product line, even including a
business reply card bound into the back of the book.)

The coverage of X.25 is fairly detailed and reasonably complete.  The
conceptual description, however, is oddly lacking.  While there is a
description of the advantages of circuit reduncy in packet networks,
there is no such discussion or illustration of the efficiency of
network or link resources using packetization.

A brief introduction to X.25 and packet networks.  Useful for data
communications people who need a "fast start" on the topic, and can
pick up the pieces later.  It won't, however, make life with Datapac
any easier.

Ceterum censeo Datapac delendam essc.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993   BKBSX25.RVW   931125
Permission granted to distribute with unedited copies of the TELECOM
Digest and associated mailing lists/newsgroups.

DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters
Editor and/or reviewer [e-mail], [e-mail], Rob Slade at 1:153/733
DECUS Symposium '94, Vancouver, BC, Mar 1-3, 1994, contact: [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (James Cook)
Subject: Small Cellular Phones With Data Capability
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 1994 20:01:22 GMT


I'm wondering if any of these small, flip style cell phones can
accomodate data transfer from laptops?  Ideally, just a direct means
of connection the laptop modem to the cell. phone. Available? Pros and
cons?


TIA,

James Cook                       Internet:  [e-mail]
San Francisco Bay, California    Compuserve:      76520,2727

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 94 08:27 PST
From: [e-mail] (Robert L. McMillin)
Subject: Article on the Net in the 1/7/94 Economist


The British magazine, {The Economist}, has an article in its 1/7/1994
double issue on the Internet.  Mostly, it's about the explosion in
private digital networks -- including the furious pace of the private
expansion of the Net.  Somehow, they managed to miss Netcom in all
this; but there's good reading therein.


Robert L. McMillin  | [e-mail] | Netcom: [e-mail]

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 94 08:23 PST
From: [e-mail] (Robert L. McMillin)
Subject: Is .mil Going Away?


According to a headline article in the January 10, 1994 issue of
{Network World}, in an attempt to reduce the exposure of military
computers to viruses, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
wants to take many military computers off the Net.  According to the
article, the DISA wants to rename all .mil domain addresses and hide
them behind a single firewall.  This has met with quiet but widespread
disapproval from miltary users who cherish their Internet freedom.

Military network managers say the plan may be technically unfeasible,
and that a better way to improve system security would be to force all
Internet-connected .mil sites to have MX firewalls.

According to the article, "Leaked Defense Department e-mail suggests
DISA made its decision about disconnecting the DDN without informing
the Pentagon, which is now in the awkward position of explaining
DISA's actions."  The future of the DISA plan is unclear at the
moment.


Robert L. McMillin  | [e-mail] | Netcom: [e-mail]

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 94 17:59:25 PST
From: Anthony E. Siegman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Long Distance Weather Calls?


Calling Directory Assistance at 1-617-555-1212 from my residence in AC
415 got me the number 936-1234 for telco (NYNEX) weather service in
Boston.  But then dialing 1-617-936-1234 repeatedly only gave me loud,
intermittent, very scratchy static -- no ringing, no answer.

When I called the long distance operator at 00 about this, her
attempts got essentially the same result.  She then went through an
"inward long distance" operator in Boston, which did get me connected
to the weather message.

Anyone else encounter this same problem?  Also, the local PacTel
weather message is 936-1212; wouldn't it be handier if every LOC had
the same number, so you could get the weather in any area code in the
same way as you get Directory Assistance?  (Maybe some AC's are so big
one recording couldn't handle it?)

P.S., Pat: Boston weather for next two days said daytime highs 8 to 12
F, nighttime lows -3 F, windchill factors -20 to -30 F; why am I even
going there!


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Some of the weather forecasts are now
on 976 numbers such as the one for Chicago. I don't think you can get
those at all since most telcos no longer connect with the 976 numbers
of other telcos. I get my local area time and temperature along with
a recorded advertisement from Centel by dialing 708-296-7666. And PS
to you too: our temperature here has been sub-zero (like ten or more
degrees below zero) for nearly two days. Why am I staying here?   PAT]

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 94 22:05:14 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: FAQ Not Quite Forgotten


Last month, I announced an intention to finally update the FAQ. A bit
of updating has been achieved so far, but will still require a bit of
time to finish off. This is just about the last chance to get any new
or improved things for the next edition of the telecom FAQ. Send to
[e-mail] or [e-mail].


David Leibold ...  [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: David Leibold has worked on this
project for several years now along with help from other devoted
Digest readers. Every year we get an updated FAQ as a result and
we owe djcl and the others involved our thanks. Please contribute. PAT]

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

Reply-To: [e-mail] (Robert J. Keller)
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 1994 20:14:16
Subject: Wanted:  Mobile Cellular Speaker (Orator)
From: [e-mail] (Robert J. Keller)


A large computer hardware manufacturer is planning a conference in
mid-February for its sales, marketing, and technical support
personnel.  They are seeking someone who could do a presentation on
the future of computers in the wireless marketplace (e.g., cellular,
PCS, etc.).  If you qualify and are available, send me via e-mail a
brief synopsis of your background and qualifications as well as
complete information on where/how you can be contacted.  I will be
collecting this information next week and passing it on to the
manufacturer.

FWIW, I am not financially involved in this, but am merely posting
this feeler as a favor to a friend who works for the manufacturer and
is charged with looking for this particular speaker.


Thanks,

Bob Keller     CompuServe: 76100,3333     Internet: [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (Clarence Dold)
Subject: Looks Like a Hacker
Organization: a2i network
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 1994 20:12:23 GMT


An "800" customer of mine called to complain that a lot of calls were
on her bill from the same caller, but she tried calling the number
back, and it was disconnected.

I checked the SMS database, and there was no record found.  I checked
against a small run of telephone logs, and found a lot of calls from
the same ANI, mostly into our 800-voicemail.  Smells like a hacker ...

Then I saw some not-so-malicious patterns.  I called PacBell security,
to track the ANI down.

        510 893-0781    Cellular One Outbound Trunk

Hmm ...

        How many ANI are like this?  Does anyone have a table?

V&H data only shows it as Oakland, CA, which is true.


Clarence A Dold - [e-mail]
                - Milpitas (near San Jose) & Napa CA.

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 1994 11:58:23 -0500
From: Bob Erdman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Modem With DTMF and MF Tones


Has anyone ever heard of a device that can connect to an RS232 port to
accept commands, and then use these commands to generate MF tones as
well as DTMF tones?

The application is to hook a PC up directly to a trunk to make calls,
and then to control an end device with DTMF tones.

Thanks in advance for any input.

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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: PBX Features On LAN Hubs?
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 94 08:06:48 PST
Organization: WilTel


Greetings all ...

Does anyone out there know of any LAN hub manufacturers who are
working on hubs which will eventually include PBX chip sets and/or
PBX-like features?  (The underlying LAN technology doesn't really
matter to me at this point, whether it's ATM, Fast Ethernet, or
something else.)  With the much-talked-about and much-anticipated
coming of CTI, it seems logical (at least to me) that LAN hubs should
become even more intelligent by adding PBX-like features.  Or, will
all this great CTI we keep hearing about simply be a bridge between
the data world (the LAN) and the voice world (the PBX), as with the
Novell-AT&T concept?  Any help and/or opinions on the subject will be
greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.


Kevin D. Tanner     WilTel, Inc.
Telephone:  [phone]
FAX:        [phone]
E-mail:     [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (Arnold Robbins)
Subject: Anyone Using Touch 1?
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 1994 16:51:16 GMT


Greetings. We were recently solicited by a long distance company
called "Touch 1".  Their thing is that they (apparently dynamically)
select amount ATT, Sprint, and MCI at the time of your call for the
one with the lowest rates.

We currently have MCI with "Friends and Family" and are pretty
satisfied; there's a small group of people we call fairly often, in at
least three different states.

Is anyone using Touch 1, and would it really bring us savings over MCI?

Please reply by email and I'll summarize -- I don't hang out in this
newsgroup at the moment.  Thanks!


Arnold Robbins --- Continuing Education, College of Computing
Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332-0280    Phone: [phone] (has voice mail)
E-mail: [e-mail]    FAX:   [phone]

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jan 94 11:44 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: New Area Code 360 in Washington State


I got a notice from Bellcore confirming the rumored split of area code
206 in Washington State.  The new NPA is 360, and will cover all of
the area that is currently within 206, but outside of the Seattle/Tacoma
area.  I have not yet seen a map that shows exactly where the boundary
will lie, but scuttlebutt is that the northern boundary of 206 should
be somewhere between the King/Snohomish county line and the city of
Everett, and the southern boundary just south of Tacoma.  The eastern
boundary should enclose the suburbs of Seattle that are currently
dialed toll-free from the city, but will not go all the way to the
boundary with 509 at the crest of the Cascade mountains.  The western
boundary should be in Puget Sound, with islands that are currently
within the Seattle toll-free dialing area (Vashon, Bainbridge) to
remain in 206.

The split happens on 1/15/95, with permissive dialing until 7/9/95.

So far I have seen nothing about this in the local media, so maybe you
heard it here first.


Paul Cook                       206-881-7000
Proctor & Associates       MCI Mail 399-1080
15050 NE 36th St.          fax: [phone]
Redmond, WA  98052-5378  [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (Koos van den Hout)
Subject: How Does Inmarsat Work?
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 1994 21:34:00 GMT
Organization: HIN / BBS Koos z'n Doos


While making some remarks about Inmarsat, I suddenly realized myself
one thing:

I don't know how Inmarsat works.

So, is there anybody out there who can tell me? I'd like to know if
it's digital or analog, how base stations are verified, how the
satelite 'rings' the base station and stuff like that.

I'm also curious about the security of the whole system (both the
'listening in to calls' security and the 'making calls at the expense
of another user' part).

Grtx.

Koos van den Hout ----------------------------------------------- Sysop
Datacomm, networking, E-mail...    BBS Koos z'n Doos ([phone])
Inter-: [e-mail]        ([phone] 14400 v32b v42b MNP5)
net   : [e-mail]| PGP key by finger  | Fido: Sysop @ 2:500/101
Or    : [e-mail]    |  [e-mail]   |     Give us a call !!

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

From: [e-mail] (George Nazi)
Subject: PBX Vendors With Isochronous Interface
Date: 15 Jan 1994 16:27:13 GMT
Organization: WilTel, Tulsa, Okla.
Reply-To: [e-mail]


I would to know/contact the PBX vendors that are working on Isochronous
interfaces.  I am looking at applications where voice and data is over
the same line.


Thanks,

George Nazi                 WilTel
[e-mail]      Telecom. Engineer, Network Development
P.O.Box 21348, M.D. 25-5    Tulsa, OK 74121
phone:   [phone]     fax: [phone]

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

From: Min Hu <[e-mail]>
Subject: Telephone System in China and in the US
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 94 1:44:15 EST


Hi,

A question, if the telephone system in US is compatible with the
telephone system in China. Or put it in the other way, will the PBX or
Central Office in US will work in China? Specificially, will GTD-4600
work in China?  Thanks in advance.


MIN

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

From: [e-mail] (Tim White)
Subject: Answering Machine Question
Date: 16 Jan 1994 16:15:54 GMT
Organization: Youngstown State/Youngstown Free-Net


We have a customer working out of a remote RSS which is hosted from a
#1 ESS.  This customer's answering machine will not operate (answer
the call) from this office.  I have taken the machine to another
office and it works fine.  This RSS has sealing current which uses 130
VDC on the ring and 70 VDC on the tip.  When we remove the sealing
current from the office we have 70 VDC over 20 VDC.  I know that other
customers have answering machines in this office area and are having
no problems.  Does anyone have any ideas on why this one won't work
and what we could do to make it work?

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

Date: 16 Jan 1994 11:12:16 EDT
From: Hinders, Thomas <[e-mail]>
Subject: Learning Experience


I moved from Wash DC (Silver Spring MD) to Phila (Sanatoga PA). I
recently "discovered" an interesting quirk ... as it applies to my
use/charges for telephone service.

When I lived in DC, ALL +1 (ie LD) calls were billed to my ATT LD
account.  If I dialed Baltimore from Silver Spring, it was billed to
my ATT LS account. I don't recall (I checked some old C&P bills) any
C&P toll charges.

I was surprised on a recent Bell of PA bill to find all my +1 302 (DE)
calls charged to to my Bell of PA account rather than to my ATT LD
account ... at a higher toll rate.

Contact with Bell of PA and ATT confirmed that unless I specify ATT
access code, the intra-Bell of PA call will be placed (ie AC 610 to AC
302), and charged as a Bell of PA toll charge.

This moves (no pun ...) me to ask which is cheaper -- a +1 302 call via
Bell of PA or ATT (using Reach-Out-America).

Add to the equation the fact that most of my calls from my home are
toll calls (the local joke here is all calls beyond your next-store-
neighbor's are toll calls) and my Bell of PA bill is about 30% higher
than my C&P bill ... excluding the LD toll charges (ie to AC 302).

Life (as it applies to Telephone service) was truely simpler before
Judge Greene.


Tom Hinders/Soft-Switch
[phone] (v/vm)   [phone] (f)
Internet:  [e-mail]
X.400: C=US A=Telemail P=Softswitch S=Hinders G=Thomas

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 94 22:15 GMT
From: Richard Cox <[e-mail]>
Subject: Telephone Nunbers in France
Reply-To: [e-mail]


[e-mail] (Erik Thomas Mueller) said:

>>  By the way, note that the current numbering plan in France is scheduled
>>  to be replaced in 1995 by the uniform NPA + 8D where NPA =
>>      1 Ile-de-France (Paris, ...)
>>      2 Northeast France
>>      3 Southeast France
>>      4 Southwest France
>>      5 Northwest France

We had heard rumours that this plan had been shelved due to public
opinion, but there again it might just have been a vociferous user
group ...  It is said that the user group wanted a unified nine-digit
numbering scheme.

Oddly enough, France has roughly the same number of telephones as the
UK; but the UK is about to change from a 10 digit scheme to an 11
digit scheme.  I somehow doubt if the North West France zone will be
given code "5"; because that would entail callers dialling 05 to call
NW France.  At the moment 05 is the French toll-free code, the
equivalent of 1-800 and 0800, which they call "numberos verts" - green
numbers.  The French 05 will, I am told, in due course change to 0800.
A separate code (06?) has been allocated for mobiles.


Richard D G Cox
Mandarin Technology, Cardiff Business Park, Llanishen, CARDIFF, Wales CF4 5WF
Voice: [phone]      Fax: [phone]      VoiceMail: [phone]
E-mail address: [e-mail] - PGP2.3 public key available on request

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

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #34
*****************************