TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Apr 94 12:07:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 158 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Call Counting Device Wanted (Paul Cook) Any Extra Features I Can Order For Analog Modem Line? (Rich Chong) Information About Ermes Project (Stewart Fist) Dials! (Bob Frankston) ZMODEM - Proprietary? (Christopher Tate) Where is alt.2600? (FILCHOCK@cup.edu) Job Opening (Doug Gurich) MCI Goes "Both Ways" (Was Useless 800 Number) (Paul Robinson) Looking For CID Box With Serial Port (David Vrona) Re: Humorous Names For the RBOCs (Ted Hadley) Re: Humorous Names For the RBOCs (Dave Ptasnik) Primeline Service (Peter Tindall) Modern Times (Jerry Leichter) *999; CB Channel 9 (Jonathan) Re: *999; CB Channel 9 (Andrew C. Green) Re: New Area Code 630 (Andrew C. Green) Re: Who Paid For My 550? (Jack Hamilton) Re: Country Code For San Marino (Jack Hamilton) Re: CATV Modems (wright@LAA.COM) Re: Ruling on Dark Fiber (Tom Watson) Re: Extension Cord For Cell Phone (Gregory Youngblood) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and 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: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 18:46 EST From: Paul Cook <0003991080@mcimail.com> Subject: Call Counting Device Does anyone know of a box that could install in series with multiple phone lines to not only count calls, but deliver reports on the exact time between the first ring and when each call was answered? Output could be a printer or RS232 port. Paul Cook Proctor & Associates 206-881-7000 3991080@mcimail.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 08:12:16 CST From: Rich Chong Subject: Any Extra Features I Can Order For Analog Modem Line? Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago, ADN Computer Center I'm getting an analog phone line installed to be used for only modem work. I'll be using a v.fc modem. I understand that a normal voice grade line *should* work fine. But since the company is paying for it, I was wondering if there was any special conditioning I can request to be installed with that line to assure things are clean at my end; what it roughly costs; and is it worth it? I know v.fc and v.fast are different than normal v.32bis, but i've seen some problems where some 14.4k modems just dont want to connect at 14.4k on some phone lines. thanks. rc ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 94 07:00:34 EST From: Stewart Fist <100033.2145@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Information About ERMES Project Lars Kalsen requested information about the ERMES project. I doubt if I have anything substantial enough to interest him, and I think a lot of us would like to know what's happening here. Here's an outline for those who don't know Ermes. Iit is the European Radio Messaging System from ETSI. It is planned to be a pan-European VHF multi-channel, wide-area alphanumeric paging network with (originally) a 1993 launch date (which has since slipped). The European commission allocated 200 kHz of spectrum between 169.6 and 169.8MHz for Ermes, and other frequencies around 800 MHz have been reserved in the VHF band. It will use frequency-agile receivers which scan 16 possible frequencies. The data-rate is 6250bit/s and the system allows the transparent transmission of data. Ermes devices may eventually be able to receive common frequencies across the US, Asia and the Pacific region. The problem with the system appears to be the additional costs imposed by the need for agile receivers. Normal pagers only use a single frequency. Don't confuse Ermes with Hermes, which is a European development of a space shuttle. There's also a cut-down pre-Ermes standard called Euromessage in the UHF band, which is limited to the UK, Germany, Italy and France. ------------------------------ From: Bob_Frankston@frankston.com Subject: Dials! Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 09:47 -0400 My son (11) confronted a dial phone this past weekend and couldn't figure out how to use it. He tried pressing the "buttons" but nothing happened. We finally had to show him the concept of turning the dial. It took a little practice to get it smooth. I guess we've reached a milestone. What if he were confronted by the "anti-drug" pay phones with dials and had to dial 911? He'd be stuck. In designing UI's we make assumptions about cultural norms or icons. Most people see the phone dial as a very obvious interface. It isn't, it's just something most of us learned at an early enough age to assume it is a part of the natural world. ------------------------------ From: fixer@faxcsl.dcrt.nih.gov Subject: ZMODEM - Proprietary? Reply-To: fixer@faxcsl.dcrt.nih.gov Organization: DCRT, NIH, Bethesda, MD Date: Fri, 1 Apr 1994 01:04:43 GMT I'm trying to determine whether the Zmodem transfer protocol is proprietary. Specifically, are there any *free* (i.e. non-shareware) tools for sending/receiving files utilizing the Zmodem protocol? Christopher Tate MSD, Inc. fixer@faxcsl.dcrt.nih.gov ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 13:54:49 EST From: FILCHOCK@cup.edu Subject: where is ALT.2600? Hi, We do not receive any ALT newsgroups at our site ... ARGHHHHHHHHH Could someone please inform me how/if I could get on the mailing list for alt.2600 Thanks, Richard Filchock filchock@cup.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You don't receive any alt groups at your site? What a horrible deprivation that must be! :) I could understand your sysadmins deciding to only take alt groups and dump all the Usenet groups ... but not the other way around. I dunno if alt.2600 even has a mailing list (electronically, of course they have their printed maga- zine) but surely somene from there reading this will get back to you with details if they do. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 13:59:02 CST From: Doug_Gurich@fcircus.sat.tx.us (Doug Gurich) Subject: Job Opening GlobalCom International, a diversified telcommunications firm with world-wide operations, is seeking a Proposal Engineer with significant experience in data communications, ISDN and video conferencing. The ideal candidate would also have voice communications experience. This request is for a part-time consulting position which maycould lead to permanent employment. Applicants from all areas of the world are encouraged to apply (most work will be done on a telecommuting basis). Please forward credentials and accomplishments to the attention of Doug Gurich. Internet Doug_Gurich@fcircus.sat.tx.us Compuserve 71650,3012 Fax +1 (210) 525-7959 Address 9311 San Pedro, St. 700, San Antonio, TX 78216, USA ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 02:31:04 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: MCI Goes "Both Ways" (Was Useless 800 Number) Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA Monty Solomon mentions MCI's 800-WOW-ITS-HOT number, to make us think of how hot it is during summer. (Actually it's a demonstration of MCI's network, of course.) Item three on MCI's WOW-ITS-HOT recording is of seagulls at the beach. This was also in their demonstration last summer, for numbers to listen to so we can cool off! I guess they figure this sound works both ways! Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Your mention of this brought to mind our illustrious former president Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1968). One of his campaign slogans was 'all the way with LBJ' ... but during his term in office, the person who was his chief of staff, principal right-hand man and confidant of many years standing -- a fellow named Walter Jenkins -- got caught in an indelicate situation in the public men's room at the YMCA in Washington, DC. Caught with his pants down in a manner of speaking, the newspapers had a great time with it for a few days and Jenkins was forced to resign, all the while President Johnson pleaded ignorance of his long time associate's predilection. Before long the slogan 'all the way with LBJ' was more commonly said as 'either way with LBJ' or 'both ways with LBJ'. If you recall the man, you'll appreciate well the slogan could fit him. He was a coarse and rough-talking old geezer; sex was never far from his mind. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dave@sashimi.wwa.com (David Vrona) Subject: Looking For CID Box With Serial Port Date: 31 Mar 1994 11:50:02 -0600 Organization: WorldWide Access (SM) Chicagoland Internet Services Reply-To: dave@sashimi.wwa.com Hi All, I am looking for a box like the old Classmate that does CID and has serial output. I know I can buy a modem like the ZyXEL that does this but I am looking for something for under $100. Oh, and also, I would like name as well as number capability. Thanks, David Vrona N9QNZ +1 708 367 1870 (voice) Internet: dave@wwa.com Computing Engineers Inc. +1 708 367 1871 (data) +1 708 367 1872 (fax) Home of WorldWide Access (SM), Internet services for the Chicagoland area. Send e-mail to info@wwa.com for information, or call +1 708 367 1871 (data). ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 09:59:34 PST From: tedh@cylink.COM (Ted Hadley) Subject: Re: Humorous Names For the RBOCs > US West Taco Bell FYI: Stockbrokers call Telefonos de Mexico (The newly privatized Mexican telephone company) Taco Bell. Fits better than with US West, IMO. ^^^^^^^^^ Ted A. Hadley tedh@cylink.com ------------------------------ From: davep@u.washington.edu (Dave Ptasnik) Subject: Re: Humorous Names For the RBOCs Date: 31 Mar 1994 18:54:28 GMT Organization: University of Washington DAVID AUS <71742.1102@CompuServe.COM> writes: > When the Bell System was broken up, some wags came up with a cute name for > each of the then new RBOCs. I think I remember some of them: > Ameritech ? > Bell Atlantic Liberty Bell > Bell South Southern Belle > Nynex ? > PacTel Tinker Bell > Southwestern Bell Mission Bell > US West Taco Bell > Does anyone remember all the names? Ameritech was Cow Bell as I recall. All of the above is nothing more than the personal opinion of - Dave Ptasnik davep@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 00:31 WET From: ptindall@io.org (Peter Tindall) Subject: Primeline PAT said: > PrimeLine is essentially the equivilent of AT&T's 'Easy Reach 700' > service. Pat - Unless I am mistaken about 'Easy Reach 700' - they are not the same. PrimeLine is a service in Toronto that gives you a 416-410-NNNN number on a DMS switch. Software on the switch (written by a company called AccessLine I believe) answers the call and plays a message of your choice to the caller- and then handles the call according to your instructions. Transfer to Home/Office/Cellular/Other-In town/Other- Out of Town/Pager/ Messaging/Meet me Service (Caller hears jazzy elevator music while party is paged -- then calls are connected). An assortment of screening options are included: Prompts caller to identify if call is urgent/Forces caller to enter private DTMF code/ Forces caller to speak name & reason. You can also setup a weekly schedule in advance to vary your call processing options. My only complaint is that all long distance transfers are billed to your calling card. (With appropriate transaction charges -- and a slight delay as the DMS is DTMF'ing your calling number -- (caller does not get to hear)). Also the service is available in Ottawa area. Definately not a new advance in the Telecom world, but new for Ontario. You could duplicate this with a PC -- two phone lines and a Voice Mail card. But having used Primeline since March 2 I have only good things to say about it (except for comment above). It has simplified my life, and lowered my voice mailbox costs. Regards, Peter ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 16:02:30 EST From: Jerry Leichter Subject: Modern Times The following appeared last Wednesday in the {New York Times} "Metro- politan Diary" section, a compendium of amusing little stories about life today: Lobby conversation overheard while waiting for an elevator in midtown Manhattan. First guy: Well, I sure wasted a buck and a half last night. Second guy: How's that? First guy: That TV program "Hard Copy" did a segment on Tonya Harding and invited viewers to phone in, at 50 cents per call, yes or no, to the question, "Should Tonya go to jail?" Second guy: And...? First guy: I dialed the 'Yes' number but after I hung up I realized I'd phoned the 'No' number by mistake so then, of course, I had to dial the 'Yes' number twice to make my vote count. Second guy: Remember when you could just sit and watch? Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 21:09:06 -0500 From: Jonathan Subject: *999; CB Channel 9 Hello. I am wondering why the police do not routinely monitor CB channel 9, since the primary use of this channel is to report emergencies. Also, I have never heard of *999. Does it only work in Illinois? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 23:04:00 CST From: Andrew C. Green Subject: Re: *999; CB Channel 9 Jonathan writes: > I am wondering why the police do not routinely monitor CB > channel 9, since the primary use of this channel is to report > emergencies. I think I generalized a bit there. I have heard conversations on Channel 9, including participating in one with an Indiana State Trooper trying to get through backed-up traffic to the scene of a rather nasty accident on I-65 one night, so Indiana State Police are listening. I think it's reasonable to assume that in all the technology packed into those squad cars, particularly Highway Patrol cars, they probably have sprung an extra fifty bucks or so for a CB radio, or included the appropriate wavelengths in the tuners of whatever equipment they have. Nevertheless, the fact remains that on many occasions I've heard legitimate requests for State Police help, in the middle of Chicago rush hours when you just _know_ they're around, and those requests are not answered. Similarly, the "Minutemen" Department of Transportation heavy tow trucks on routine patrol seem to be unreachable via CB radio. Now, I know they are in contact with dispatchers, but it's somewhat ridiculous to be in line-of-sight with a Minuteman who's unaware of, say, some incident occurring behind him, and be unable to get his attention via a simple CB radio. > Also, I have never heard of *999. Does it only work in Illinois? It's an arrangement between the cellular providers and the State Police, and I know it's not unique to the Chicago area, but beyond that I don't know the details. PAT, please advise! Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@dlogics.com 441 W. Huron Chicago, IL 60610-3498 FAX: (312) 266-4473 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: *999 goes to a state police dispatcher who in turn can dispatch it out or forward the call to the appropriate city authorities as needed. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 10:19:44 CST From: Andrew C. Green Subject: Re: New Area Code 630 Carl Moore writes: > Just today, I have received note of 630 in Illinois and 562 in > California ... > 630 might get landlines (that would affect some people who shifted > from 312 to 708 only in November 1989); On further reflection here in 708-land, I would have to assume that 630 would overlay 708, not be created from a renumbered chunk of existing 708. When 708 was introduced as a renumbering of part of 312 (the part outside Chicago city limits), there was a great hue and cry, of course, but also a rather considerable lead-in time. I believe it was something much more than the eleven months indicated for the impending 630. Consider also how much complaining would be generated from 708 folks having to change their stationery yet again. The local press has responded with thundering silence to this news item, by the way. Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@dlogics.com 441 W. Huron Chicago, IL 60610-3498 FAX: (312) 266-4473 ------------------------------ From: jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton) Subject: Re: Who Paid For My 550? Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 17:04:13 GMT > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Normally the agents are on the A or B > side but not both; that is in their contract with the carriers. ... > Tandy has the kind of money and influence with the carriers that > they can get away with it. Its the same kind of thing where Pepsi and > Coca-Cola are concerned. You never see them both in the same vending > machine; you never see them both in the same restaurant as fountain > drinks. In our vending machine room there are two Pepsi machines. One has Pepsi products plus a few other things like Mountain Dew. The other contains no Pepsi products, but does have several varieties of Coca-Cola. In one of the smaller buildings, there's a single machine with both Coke and Pepsi. I'd never heard of this happening before very recently, though. Jack Hamilton Postal: POB 281107 SF CA 94128 USA jfh@netcom.com Packet: kd6ttl@w6pw.#nocal.ca.us.na [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Probably they cut a deal with the local salesman. Whoever is the bottler (distributor) for the area is under pretty tight constraints with Pepsi headquarters in Purchase, NY or Coke headquarters in Atlanta, GA regarding those things. Note that the local Pepsi bottler also has the Mountain Dew franchise, but he *cannot* have the 7-Up franchise because they are aligned with Coke. So you won't -- or rarely -- see 7-Up in a so-called 'Pepsi machine', and you won't see 'Upper-10' or whatever it is called in a 'Coke machine'. All the little (by comparison) outfits, join one side or the other in the local bottling and distribution process where Coke and Pepsi are concerned. But they all want **so bad** to be in the fountain syrup vending machine at all Southland stores that they swallow their pride or ambition or whatever. Coke even goes so far as to say in fountain service, you *will* use their paper cups with their insignia and their products advertised ... none others. But 7-Eleven gets to break the rules, as does Tandy where cell phones are concerned. Tandy has tossed around the idea of starting their own national cellular service, you know. They'd buy *huge* blocks of capacity from various cell carriers and they would then call the shots. I'm sure all the A and B carriers would fall in line pretty fast, or get dealt out of the game completely. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton) Subject: Re: Country Code For San Marino Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 17:09:14 GMT Richard Barry wrote: > The ITU has issued a batch of new country codes which includes a new > code for San Marino (+378 effective 26.10.93). Other countries that > will be getting their own country code include Andorra (Autumn 1994) > and Monaco (in 1995) when France Telecom introduces its 2-digit new > area code plan. Do you know what the new plan will be? The two-digit department number strikes me as being a good choice, although it might not have enough space for Paris. If I were in charge of France Telecom, I'd probably use the department number plus a third digit for overlays and very large departments. (A department is roughly equivalent to a state or province in North America. Postal codes start with the department number.) Jack Hamilton Postal: POB 281107 SF CA 94128 USA jfh@netcom.com Packet: kd6ttl@w6pw.#nocal.ca.us.na ------------------------------ From: wright@LAA.COM Subject: Re: CATV Modems Date: 31 Mar 1994 18:07:07 GMT Organization: Lynn-Arthur Associates, Ann Arbor, MI Reply-To: wright@LAA.COM In article , gabioud@uni2a.unige.ch writes: > Do you know any equipment (modem, remodulator, ...) that allows data > communication over the CATV cable. On the user side, the modem should > feature a well-known interface (RS232C, Ethernet, ...). Check out First Pacific Networks at 408-730-6600. They have been providing this equipment for years. Carl A. Wright Lynn-Arthur Associates, Inc. +1 313 995 5590 wright@laa.com Operations Support Systems +1 313 995 5989 (fax) 2350 Green Road Suite 160 Ann Arbor, MI, 48105 USA ------------------------------ From: tsw@cypher.apple.com (Tom Watson) Subject: Re: Ruling on Dark Fiber Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 12:45:24 -0800 Organization: Apple Computer (more or less) OK, I'll bite... What is "dark fiber". Tom Watson tsw@cypher.apple.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Dark Fiber is, as I understand it, simply the fiber from one point to another, without the intelligence on either end of the line **as supplied by the telco** to use it. Dark fiber could roughly be compared to a wire cable from one place to another without telco's battery and/or switching apparatus on either end; the customer left to his own devices on how to use it. Although telcos have for many years provided so-called 'private line service' -- that is, a piece of wire from one point to another with the subscriber doing his own thing on both ends of the wire, I understand they (telcos) are not terribly enthusiastic about providing fiber under the same conditions. George Gilder wrote about this, and his essay is in the Telecom Archives for interested parties to review. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Extension Cord For Cell Phone From: zeta@tcscs.com (Gregory Youngblood) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 12:57:24 PST Organization: TCS Computer Systems > I _still_ think you're crazy. Nearly any cellular connection will > cost more than nearly any equivalent wired connection. Please check > this out carefully. Not quite. Several carriers now have plans with free (yes *FREE*) airtime on weekends or extremely low rates at night during certain hours. In 1988, it was cheaper to call from your basic rate cellular phone in Galveston after 11PM at night to Houston than it was to use the regular telephone. The price was 0.045 cents per minute with cellular. Now, my cousin in houston has a phone that has free airtime on the weekend. They use it a lot ... and they should. They pay $70/month for it, but when you consider that the dialing area for cellular in houston is so much larger than telco, they can call all their friends and family in the surrounding Houston metro area for no charge. So, the idea of going with an extension cord is not a crazy one ... it could make sense, although you have to check very carefully to make sure that your plan really is cheaper. It is possible. Greg The Complete Solution BBS Allfiles List: Anonymous UUCP Calls Accepted 707-459-4547 (24hrs, v.32) ~/tcsbbs.lst Login: nuucp Password: nuucp Telemate Distribution Site zeta@tcscs.com Cellular Telephony Groups [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But would they use $70 worth on a regular basis if landline was all they had? That is what has to be answered. We all know that the more service which is available, the more subscribers will use it. In other words, cellular service comes in many shapes and sizes. Some very inexpensive plans bill for every single minute day or night at high rates. There is nothing unusual about spending a lot of money on cellular and getting a sort of kickback from the carrier in terms of free or nearly free weekend and night service. And while landline service offers 'free local calling' in many areas, the geographic area is smaller as is the monthly fee for the 'free local calls'. Cellular service gives a larger 'local area' but charges by the minute. It has to be your own application as to which works out better; but overall, would you be willing to spend as much money on landline service call by call as you spend on cellular for the advantage of 'free' service nights and weekends if landline was all you had available? PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #158 ****************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------