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-
- ==Phrack Inc.==
-
- Volume Two, Issue Eleven, Phile #8 of 12
-
-
- Telephone Signalling Methods
- ----------------------------
-
-
- Written by Doom Prophet
-
-
- This file explains the basic signalling methods in use by the telephone
- system and is intended for general understanding. The text that follows is not
- highly technical since this file is for basic understanding and aimed at less
- experienced phreaks. Still, the more experienced readers may want to read it
- as a review on the information.
-
-
- Analog--Analog signals are those that have continuously and smoothly
- varying amplitude or frequency. Speech signals are of this type when you
- consider tone, pitch and volume levels that vary according to the person
- speaking. When a person speaks into the transmitter on a telephone, the voice
- signals are made up of acoustical energy, which are then converted into
- electrical energy for transmission along a transmission medium.
-
- Analog carrier facilities may operate over different media, such as wire
- lines, multi-wire cable, coaxial cable, or fiber optic cable. Copper wire is
- the most commonly used for subscriber loops.
-
-
- A technique that allows for many signals to be sent along the same
- transmission path is called Multiplexing. Analog signals use Frequency
- Division Multiplexing or FDM.
-
-
- Digital--Instead of the voice signal being processed as an analog signal,
- it is converted into a digital signal and handled with digital circuits
- throughout the transmission process. When it arrives at the CO that serves the
- called telephone, it is converted back to analog to reproduce the original
- voice transmission.
-
-
- Pulse Code Modulation or PCM is when the binary signal is transmitted in
- serial form. Binary coding represents bits or binary digits at 0 and 1 levels.
- These levels have a definite time relationship with one another. Time Division
- Multiplexing or TDM is the type of multiplexing, sometimes abbreviated as MUX,
- done for digital transmission.
-
-
- Metallic--Metallic facilities carry only one Voice Frequency (VF) channel.
- Typically, a metallic facility is used to connect business or residential
- lines to a CO. Coaxial cable can be used to transmit both Analog and Digital
- signals as well as Metallic signals.
-
-
- VF channels have a 4000 Hz bandwidth, from 0 to 4000 Hz. However, the
- in-band range of the voice frequency is between 200 and 3400 Hz. Signals that
- are out of this frequency range but still within the VF channel are out of
- band signals. A supervisory equivalent to 2600 for out of band is 3700 Hz. The
- amount of VF channels vary according to the transmission facilities that are
- being used.
-
-
- CCIS (Common Channel Interoffice Signalling) is where control or
- supervisory signals are sent on a separate data link between switching
- offices. CCIS links operate at 4800 bps, or baud. Signal Transfer Points in
- the switch send the supervisory information over the dedicated link. This
- prevents supervisory tones from subscriber stations to register with the
- telephone network as a change in trunk status.
-
-
- Reverse Battery Signalling- When the called end answers, the polarity and
- condition of the Ring and Tip leads is reversed to indicate the status of the
- connection. Conditions for a call being placed, but not yet answered, is
- ground on the Tip and battery (the CO battery current is flowing through) on
- the Ring. When the called party answers, by the action of relays in the
- switching equipment, current is reversed in the calling subscriber loop and
- battery is placed on the Tip and ground on the Ring, which remains during the
- talking.
-
-
- E and M- Leads connecting switching equipment to trunk circuits are termed
- the E and M leads, for receive and transmit. The E lead reflects the far-end
- or terminating end condition of the trunk. Ground on the E lead indicates that
- a signal has been received from the other end. The E lead is open when the
- trunk is idle. The M lead reflects the the near end condition of the trunk. It
- is grounded when the trunk is idle, and goes to battery condition when the
- called party goes off hook. Long interoffice and short haul toll trunks use
- this signalling method.
-
-
- It should be noted that AC signalling is Alternating Current, and is used
- on the intertoll network, and interoffice and short haul toll trunks. DC, or
- direct current, is used on two wire or intraoffice connections, and local
- interoffice trunks.
-
- Single Frequency (SF)- Single Frequency is an in-band 2600 Hz signalling
- system. When a four wire trunk is idle, and is equipped for SF in band
- signalling, a 2600 Hz tone is being transmitted in both directions. When the
- trunk is seized at an originating position, the M lead is changed from ground
- to battery state. This removes the 2600 Hz supervisory tone from the outgoing
- trunk pair. The loss of the 2600 Hz will be detected at the far end by the SF
- signalling unit, changing the far end E lead condition from open to ground,
- causing switching equipment to function. When ground is restored to the M
- lead, replacing 2600 on the near end trunk, the pulsing of address information
- begins.
-
-
- Multi-Frequency (MF)- The MF pulsing method uses AC signals in the voice
- frequency range, and transmits address information between COs by combinations
- of only 2 of 5 frequencies. MF is used for the sending of address information,
- as mentioned before. Other signalling methods are still required for trunk
- control and supervision. There are six MFs comprising MF codes. These are 200
- Hz apart in the 700-1700 range. Two frequencies are sent at once, thus
- explaining the term 'Multi frequency.'
-
-
- MF pulsing is initiated by manual keysets and the TSPS switchboard, or by
- MF outpulsing senders in ESS and Xbar. MF pulsing is very rapid and only
- occurs when a connection is being established. KPs, or Key Pulses, are used as
- a signal to start MF pulsing. STs, or STart tones are used as a signal to
- indicate the end of MF pulsing.
-
-
- As an example of MF signalling, take a toll switchboard trunk connected to
- a Xbar Central Office. The operator selects an idle trunk, and presses the KP
- button on the keyset to signal the distant sender or register link equipment
- to connect to a MF receiver. The S lamp on the keyset will light when the far
- end is ready to receive MF pulses. After keypulsing the digits of the called
- number, the operator presses the ST button, which indicates the end of pulsing
- and disconnects the keyset from the operator's cord circuit and extinguishes
- the KP and S lamps.
-
-
- At the terminating CO, the two MF tones of each digit are amplified and
- limited in the MF receiver unit associated with the incoming sender and
- register circuit. The frequencies are selected by channel filters in the MF
- receiver and then detected. The DC voltage that results will operate the
- proper channel relays to continue with the process of placing the call.
-
-
-
- Written in July of 1986