The World of Computer Software/World_Of_Computer_Software-02-385-Vol-1of3.iso/t/tc13-009.zip/TC13-009.TXT

Text File | 1993-01-07 | 24KB | 608 lines

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 5 Jan 93 03:20:00 CST      Volume 13 : Issue 9

Index To This Issue:                     Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Cellular Modems (was Cellular RJ-11 Jacks) (Steve Pershing)
    Motorola Flip Fone Won't Reprogram (Jason Rogers)
    Part 68 - Just the FAQs (Rob Bailey)
    [TDR] DISA Yaks to FCC on PCS (Paul Robinson)
    Cellular One Off-Peak vs SWBMS Off Peak (Mark Earle)
    AC 215/610 Split (Bob Kupiec)
    Prepaid Card Phones vs. COCOTs (Peter Capek)
    Car (*not* Personal) Cell Phone Rcommendations? (Andrew Klossner)
    Prodigy <> Internet ([e-mail])
    USA to UK Clear Calls (Richard Spence)
    Automated Sales Calls (Ray Normandeau)
    Alternate to AT&T Mail Delivery (Tom Lahey)
    Residential vs Business LD (was All Circuits Are Busy ...) (Peng Hwa)
    1A ESS Master Scanner Correction (Alan L. Varney)
    Reference for "Tragedy of the Commons" Article (Jim Haynes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Cellular Modems (was Cellular RJ-11 Jacks)
From: [e-mail] (Steve Pershing)
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 93 23:17:40 PST
Organization: Questor|Free Usenet News|Vancouver, BC: [phone]


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Dwight
Johns) writes:

> Many of the newer cellular phones out there have (oh, what's a good
> politicaly correct term) less than fully functioning RJ-11 jack on
> Now my only complaint is that I can't go over 1200 baud on a
> cellular connection and that I drop carrier whenever I handoff.

ZyXEL's modems are capable of working on a cellular connexion.  They
have a proprietary "cellular mode" which handles cell hand-offs
easily.

If you are looking for data on these modems, we have most of their
spec sheets scanned in as 300x300dpi TIFF images, which are
ZOO-compressed.

If you send a message to:     [e-mail]
with the first lines in the
body of text being:           help
                              dir
                              files

you should get enough info back to get you started.  (We also have
data sheets on Telebits, and a neat little PC-based EPROM programmer.)

Best regards from snowy Vancouver, B.C.   (yes!  ...SNOWY!)


    Steve Pershing, SysAdmin  <[e-mail]>    The QUESTOR Project
  FREE access to Environ, Sci, Med, & AIDS news, and more.  [also UUCP]
        on a ZyXEL-1496S v.42bis, v.32bis, v.33, up to 16,800bps.
                 -=-         -=-         -=-         -=-
   Fones: (+1 604)  Data: 681-0670  Telefax: 682-6160  Voice: 682-6659

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

Subject: Motorola Flip Fone Won't Reprogram
From: [e-mail] (Jason Rogers)
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 93 23:02:08 PST
Organization: Questor|Free Usenet News|Vancouver, BC: [phone]


Well, I bit the bullet and bought a nice little Beige Motorola
flip-fone from a shady fellow at a low price.  I wanted one just to be
able to take it apart and see the works inside, and to be able to use
it for 911 in case of emergencies.

It took me about 20 minutes to figure out the lock code, and I was in
luck as the factory six-digit security code was still the default.

This particular phone seems to be the cheapest flip-fone of the
Motorola line.  It is gray in color, has a seven-digit green,
seven-segment LED display, and has "In Use", "No Svc" and "Roam"
indicators.

The Touch pad is the usual 12 buttons, with two rows of four control
buttons each, labelled:

        Rcl   Sto   Clr   Snd
        Pwr   Vol   Lock  End

I have had it apart.  Nice construction ... all surface mount
components, lots of RF ground fingers, etc.

I managed to re-program the unit a couple of times by entering the
initial programming sequence (STO, #, Security Code entered 2x, RCL).

Well, it seems to have stopped there, and won't reprogram any more.

Manuals for such phones seem to indicate that there is a finite limit
on the reprogramming, and after a number of tries it will have to be
reset by a service person.

Can anyone tell me how to re-enable reprogramming??

Many thanks in advance.  (A tech manual would probably be an asset!)   :-)


Jason Rogers ([e-mail])
 | QUESTOR:  Free Dial-in Public Access to Usenet Health, Medical News |
 | & AIDS forums, and Info on Global Environment at  [phone]. |


[Moderator's Note: By setting a finite number of times the phone can be
re-programmed, Motorola is trying to discourage people like yourself
from buying phones from other shady characters (did I mean to insert
the word 'other' back there?). When you run out of attempts, then you
have to take the phone to a dealer, where it shows up on his hot list
of stolen phones and he whispers to the guy at the counter to try and
stall you while he calls the police from the back room. :) But, as
they say, knowledge is power: you can be your own service technician
and save yourself the potential for embarassment when the clerks at
the cell phone dealership snicker as the police lead you away.

If your Motorola phone has a 25 pin connector to the battery, then it
is likely that pin 21 is what they call the 'manual test line'. By
tying pin 21 low, the phone goes into 'local test mode' and some
additional reprogramming can be done, including the resetting of that
register which keeps track of how often you have hacked at or tried to
phreak with the instrument. As luck would have it, pin 21's neighbor,
pin 20 happens to be ground. *Carefully* solder a little wire with a
micro-mini push off/on switch in the middle between pins 20-21 (be
sure the pins are the same on your unit, of course). Install the
battery and clicking the switch on or off should take you in and out
of test mode. You'll get a screen display something like this: #??#.
You fill in the ?? part. I think register 32 re-initializes the
non-volatile memory (sets everything to zeros). DO NOT turn off the
phone until the normal display returns. The phone may sit there and do
nothing for upwards a minute ... just wait it out. You should be back
in business for a few more hacking and phreaking attempts.   PAT]

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

Date: 05 Jan 93 01:38:59 EST
From: Rob Bailey, WM8S <[e-mail]>
Subject: Part 68 - Just the FAQs


This has got to be a FAQ, but I can't find it anywhere. I know I've
seen it asked before, but I've never seen an authoritative reply:

What certification is REQUIRED before a company can sell a device that
is intended to be attached to the public switched service network?
I.e., if I was going to build and sell a touch-tone interface or a
modem of some sort, would I have to get Part 68 type acceptance
certification? Could I just make the device according to part 68
requirements, of do I actually need to pay somebody to prove to the
FCC that the device meets those specifications? Do I need to register
the device with the FCC? Attach an REN to the device? Who performs
such certification (if it's required)? How much is it? How long does
it take?  Ad nauseum ... isn't there a book somewhere called "How to
get a device Part 68 approved" or something?

Finally, another question I've seen asked thousands of times: it's
completely unreasonable to expect me to pay the fortune the federal
government wants for a printed copy of Part 68; is it on-line
somewhere free?

Has anyone gone through this process that can shed some light? Toby?


Rob      [e-mail]

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

Reply-To: [e-mail]
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 1993  18:41:26 EST
Subject: [TDR] DISA Yaks to FCC on PCS


"DISA yaks to FCC on PCS"

(Gee, I've always wanted to do a 'Variety' style headline.  :) )

Article Summary
Government Computer News, January 4, 1993, Page 38

This is a summary of an article about a technology you've probably
never seen, complained about by an agency you've probably never heard
of.

In an article titled "Defense agency wants PCS voice services in

public domain", author S. A. Marud tells how the Defense Information
Systems Agency (DISA) has jumped into the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) inquiry into the standards to be set on the operation
of the startup Personal Communications Services (PCS) industry.

PCS is a wireless digital technology which operates at 2 gigahertz.
Cellular is analog.  Also, one advantage of the service is that a
number can be assigned to a person, not to a telephone.

Two groups in DISA, the Federal Wireless Services User Forum (FWSUF)
and the Interagency Cellular Radio Working Group (ICRWG) were the
impetus for filing comments.  They want to be certain that PCS
supports at least Group 3 / Group 4 Fax, paging, images, and voice and
data encrypted with an STU-III device.  i.e. that a group 3 fax modem
should work the same whether it's plugged into a wall jack or a PCS
phone.  PCS should also support dialing "0" for Operator and 911 for
Emergency.  ICRWG wants there to be two nationwide carriers for PCS,
or in the alternative, at least one frequency block reserved
nationally to one carrier and the rest awarded to local carriers.

DISA's concerns on National Security and Emergency Preparedness makes
it want certain basic services (Such as area code 710?) to be part of
the new system, and that at least voice services to be available
through the public switched (read local telco, AT&T, FTS-2000, MCI
etc.) network.  The systems should be made to be interoperable
(meaning the phone you use in Dallas should also work in Kansas City,
Chicago, New York and Los Angeles), either from the start or soon
after some industry standards can be developed.  DISA would also
prefer that PCS licenses be issued for large areas if no nationwide
carrier(s) are authorized.

DISA is worried that PCS may be declared to be "private carriers"
which means that the government cannot mandate that they be part of
the Telecommunications Priority System (TSP) which allows the
government to sieze telephone lines.  TSP was invoked by the federal
government for more than 4000 circuits and services during Hurricane
Andrew.

Certain industry groups are watching the rulemaking process on PCS,
including the Wireless Information Network Forum (which represents
computer and communications companies including Apple, AT&T & IBM),
Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) (guess who
they represent).  CTIA is worried that the FCC might decide that PCS
license won't be issued to a cellular operator in the same area.

A decision on how the PCS industry is to be structured is expected
from the FCC sometime in Fall 1993.


Paul Robinson -- [e-mail]
These opinions are mine alone.

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

Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 21:00:45 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Mark Earle)
Subject: Cellular One Off-Peak vs SWBMS Off Peak


Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, the 'B' carrier for cellular phones
in most of Texas, offeres a variety of monthly plans and costs. These
seem to be market taylored. For instance, in DFW there isn't a readily
accessable off peak plan with zero cents per air minute. In many
smaller markets, including Corpus Christi, there is such a plan
available.

I pay $40/month (plus taxes, $5 for voicemail on 3rd ring/no ans).

Cellular One announced via a full page ad, radio spots, and a TV
spot, their version of off peak.

$40/month 240 minutes "free" additional off peak minutes 9 cents
includes 15 "free" peak minutes, additional peak minutes 15 cents.

[SWBMS with the above is 40 cents / min peak, no "free" minutes].

Off peak is 8 p.m. local through 7 a.m., plus all day Saturday /
Sunday, and four holidays (Easter, 4th July, Thanksgiving, Christmas,
and this year, they included New Year's Day.)

In some ways the C1 plan looks better, as the peak minutes are
cheaper, and really, 240 "free" off peak minutes is a lot of talking.
I rarely run up more than 60 or so off peak minutes, and many of those
are because at 0.00/min, who cares?

I probably won't change carriers now (although I could next month)
mainly because of the hassles of changing the number people use to get
me.

As yet, I'm unsure if the C1 plan includes "features". SWBMS includes
CW, CF, 3W, and detailed billing in the above plan.

* In DFW and other large market cities, SWBMS offers the zero - peak
"Advantage" plan, but only to corporate or group buyers. Sometimes
individuals can "push" and get this plan. In Corpus, we can get it
simply by agreeing to a 1 year service commitment.


[e-mail]   [e-mail]   Mark Earle 1:160/50

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

From: beyonet!olwejo![e-mail] (Bob Kupiec)
Subject: AC 215/610 Split
Reply-To: olwejo![e-mail]
Organization: Olwejo - Private UNIX System
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 04:35:13 GMT


I just heard on the news today that Bell of Pennsylvania will announce
an Area Code split in AC 215.  Supposedly, in 1994 there will be a
split to AC 610 that will separate Philadelphia with its suburbs.
Most of Philadelphia will continue with 215 while the suburbs will
pick up 610.

I knew this would happen soon.  Seems like it's here right now!


Bob Kupiec, N3MML    Internet: [e-mail]

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

Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 01:40:09 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Prepaid Card Phones vs. COCOTs


Reading the discussion here recently about COCOTs and the cost to a
premises owner of a LEC coin phone, I wonder if these economics will
change when prepaid card access phones become common.  I would guess
that such phones (common in Europe for years, but only just starting
to be available in New York, and nowhere else in the US that I know
of) would make it possible for an LEC to provide a card phone which is
less subject to vandalism (due to the lack of a coin box) and requires
less service (again, no coin box to empty).  Does anyone have any
facts about this?


Peter Capek

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

From: [e-mail] (Andrew Klossner)
Date: Mon,  4 Jan 93 13:39:40 PST
Subject: Car (*not* Personal) Cell Phone Recommendations?
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Tektronix Color Printers, Wilsonville, Oregon


There was a time when the only cell phones were hard-wired into a car.
My wife wants one of these for the car she's buying: she never wants
to take it away from the car, and she wants it to turn on whenever the
car is started.  She doesn't want to mount a hand-held or drop in a
transportable bag phone.

Any recommendations?


Andrew Klossner  ([e-mail])
     (uunet!tektronix!frip.WV.TEK!andrew)

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

Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 15:48:56 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Prodigy <> Internet


About a month or so ago, someone posted that a gateway for Email from
Internet to/from Prodigy would probably be in business by Christmas.
Anyone have the latest status on that "activation"?

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

Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 19:34 GMT
From: Richard Spence <[e-mail]>
Subject: USA to UK Clear Calls
Reply-To: [e-mail]


I know that it is possible to get a 'digital line' to the USA by using
a different dialing code from the UK.  This results in a full 64kbps
line being made available for ISDN terminal to ISDN terminal calls.

It must be possible to do the same operation from the USA, but I don't
know the code.  Does anybody out there know?

Just for interest the code from the UK would be 0101 aaa nnnnnn for a
'normal' line and 01001 aaa nnnnnnn for an ISDN line.



Thanks,

Richard Spence   [e-mail]    CompuServe: 100112,304
>>>MATRIX version  1.21e

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

Subject: Automated Sales Calls
From: [e-mail] (Ray Normandeau)
Date: 3 Jan 93 14:18:00 GMT
Organization: Invention Factory's BBS - New York City, NY - 212-274-8298v.32bis
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Ray Normandeau)


                                  Contact Ray Normandeau 718 392-1267
      Download this and other "off-beat" items by computer modem from
            Normandeau Newswire on Invention Factory BBS 212-274-8110


Updated January 3, 1993

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
=====================

                Computer Dialers Got You By The Calls?
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

by Raymond B. Normandeau

Normandeau Newswire- No matter where you are from the Nassau border to
the Hudson River you may have gotten a computer dialed call telling
you that you may be eligible for a fabulous prize.

If you have not gotten such a call yet, cheer-up, you probably will.

The recorded message is played to you extremely fast. You may have won
a life-time supply of amphetatmines so that you too may start a
similar business.

Have you gotten computer dialed calls from "Hopping Harry". Maybe
calls mentioning Reno Nevada? Have these calls told you to call a
540-nnnn number?

Do you think that maybe the recorded messages failed to tell you the
price of the call? Did the recording mention "Five-Four-Oh" several
times? If the recording said "The call is billed at Five-Four-Oh" they
meant that you are billed #5.40. You WERE paying attention weren't
you? Those are the bargain calls, the sky is the limit.

Was an address speed spoke so fast that "slow you" missed it?

If you have multiple phone lines and have been lucky enough to be the
recipient of multiple calls you may like to go pick up your multiple
prizes in person.

You may have been told to call 540-0100, 540-9900 or another 540-nnnn
number.

Now ... back to that address. Sneaky us, taped one of those calls and
played back the address.

Would you like to visit the office where the calls came from?  Are you
Hopping Mad?

Here is the address:
Eagleton Group Inc
717 East Jericho Turnpike #213
Huntington Station, NY 11746

If the recording tells you that you must call within "n" minutes and
you want to get more information by phone without paying a hefty fee
for the call, then dial 718-830-8781 which is a Forest Hills answering
service for the Huntington Station address. You will only be charged
for a regular local call.

So now you have it. You can pay them a visit!

You may have to speak to them real slowly like.

They don't hear as fast as they talk.

However, no matter how slowly you tell them that you want no more
calls from them, they won't stop calling you - ever. We know, we
tried!

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

From: [e-mail]
Date: 3 Jan 93 21:46:32 GMT
Subject: Alternate to AT&T Mail Delivery


I've recently started getting telecom off the Internet via AT&T mail.
(currently my only access to the Internet). I just did a quick
calculation and each issue costs me in the range of $2.05!!! While
I've found the content to be very educational and worth far in excess
of the $2.05 per issue, I'm afraid that my e-mail budget is about to
go bust!

Does anyone know how I can get an Internet feed via dial-up? (with
something less than a $0.95 for the first 3000 characters and .05 per
1000 after that?)

I'll keep watching for a couple of more days!

Thanks in advance,

Tom Lahey - toml![e-mail]  (for now!)

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

Date: Mon, 04 Jan 93 11:04:34 SST
From: Ang Peng Hwa <[e-mail]>
Subject: Residential vs Business LD (was All Circuits Are Busy...)


Dave Ptasnik wrote:

> With a higher percentage of business usage,  most OCCs have very
> litte traffic on their switches at nights, on weekends, and
> holidays. The trunks that are busily full during the day sit idle.

> We used periodically to get directives from our switch manager
> to  sell more residential accounts, and try to busy up the lines
> at night a little more.

I am trying to develop a theory around the facts provided above to
argue that there are limits to competition in the long-distance
market. (Ok, I know I'm treading on sacred grounds here.)

One of my arguments is that for true long-distance competition --
along the line of the USA model -- vs phony LD competition as in UK,
there must be a diversity of users: both residential and business.

As Dave noted, the residential users typically call in the evenings,
when trunks are idle.

While Dave notes the difficulty of finding residential users with more
than $50 in LD charges, I am finding difficulty obtaining the relevant
data to prove the point.

I'm still developing the idea so inputs sans flames are welcome.

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

Date: Mon,  4 Jan 93 16:23:18 CST
From: [e-mail] (Alan L Varney)
Subject: 1A ESS Master Scanner Correction
Organization: AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL


In response to an article from [e-mail] (John Boteler), I
wrote:

> If you are MOST curious (i.e., willing to spend money), you
> should know that almost all the hardware (and some software, tools,
> testing details, etc.) associated with 1/1A ESS(tm) switches is
> described at a high level in two special issues of the Bell Labs
> Technical Journal (BSTJ), one on the 1 ESS switch, and a later one that
> describes the 1A Processor (used in both 1A ESS and 4ESS(tm) switches).

> "No. 1 Electronic Switching System", BSTJ, Vol. 43 No. 5,
>        September 1964, Parts 1 & 2.
> "The 1A Processor", BSTJ, Vol. 43 No. 5, February 1977.

   Terry Kennedy has (rightly) questioned the Volume numbers ... the
second reference should be:

    "The 1A Processor", BSTJ, Vol. 56 No. 2, February 1977.


Al Varney -- just MY mistake

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

From: [e-mail] (Jim Haynes)
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 23:07:06 -0800
Subject: Reference for "Tragedy of the Commons" Article


Several people have asked for the reference for the Garret Hardin
"Tragedy of the Commons" article that I mentioned in connection with
telemarketing.  The reference is:

   {Science Magazine} (Amer Assn for the Advancement of Science)
   vol 162, p 1243, 13 December 1968

The axe Hardin was grinding in writing the article was population
control; but the argument is widely applicable.  It goes roughly like

this.

Suppose there is a meadow which produces enough grass to feed 1000
cows.  Suppose it is used in common by 100 farmers, each with 10 cows.
Now if a farmer acquires an extra cow he has increased his wealth by
10%, while each of the 1001 cows is affected by a food shortage of
only 0.1%.  Hence the temptation is overwhelming to stick in an extra
cow or two.  If only one farmer did this the effect would be
practically insignificant; but when all the farmers give in to this
temptation all the cows suffer from malnutrition as the meadow becomes
seriously overgrazed.


[Moderator's Note: This is the essence of what many people tried to
explain years ago regards so-called 'victimless crimes'. In some
situations the process of victimization is very slow -- so slow as to
be almost indiscernable; in fact we see no immediate victim and claim
therefore there must not be one. Instead of the personal discipline
in our lives needed to make society as a whole function well, each of
us says, 'well, this one little thing won't hurt, there are no victims.'
After a few months, years or decades, these little (I like to call
them termites in our conciousness) pecadillos each of us practice in
our lives have eaten away enough of our society that there is a
serious erosion we are unable to stop. Bit by bit, piece by piece
until it all collapses like a rotting beach house on the ocean hit by
the tides day after day.  The USA in the 1990's is proof of this. The
termites have been feasting for years, and the foundation is almost
gone. Yes, I am guilty of this same sloth also.  Old I grew too soon
and wise too late. :(  PAT]

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

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #9
****************************