TELECOM Digest Fri, 22 Jul 94 16:37:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 332 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson AT&T True Voice Patent Re-examination Requested (John Berryhill) Need to Know How/What Vendors For Wireless LANS (Brad Block) Phone Installation Error (Brian Gordon) Re: Camelot on the Moon! (Mark James) Minneapolis Macintosh Job Openings (Kelly Breit) Request: Available Code Libraries? (Jim Maslanka) Leahy on Gore Clipper Letter 7/21/94 (Dave Banisar) Ramparts Magazine (Gary D. Shapiro) Famous Phone Numbers From Songs and Such (Robert Casey) Crain's NY Business Article (James Taranto) Equipment For IVR (Phone Menus) (Hugh Fader) Re: *78/*780 Added to BAMS/DC (Raymond Okonski) SS-1 Signaling (Nick Xidis) Help Needed Getting -48 Power (Mark Kelly) Re: Last Laugh! Telephone Connections as Explained on Usenet (Al Mcintosh) Re: Last Laugh! Telephone Connections as Explained on Usenet (J. McKeough) Re: Last Laugh! Telephone Connections as Explained on Usenet (kronos) 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. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. 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 edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: 9457-D Niles Center Road Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 708-329-0571 Fax: 708-329-0572 ** 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 partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. 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, 21 Jul 94 23:00:56 EDT From: Berryh@huey.udel.edu Subject: AT&T True Voice Patent Re-examination Requested A Request for Re-examination is being filed today with the United States Patent and Trademark Office relative to U.S. Patent No. 5,195,132 to Bowker et al. entitled "Telephone Network Speech Signal Enhancement" and assigned to AT&T Bell Laboratories. The Request is being made by Roger W. Herrell and John B. Berryhill of Dann, Dorfman, Herrell, and Skillman. The text of the Request will be made available via anonymous ftp at a location to be announced. Under 37 CFR 1.501, any person may submit prior art to the Patent Office free of charge. These submissions will be considered during any Re-examination proceedings. If you would like to recieve free information on how you may participate in having the Bowker patent invalidated, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Dr. John Berryhill 1601 Market Street, Suite 720 Philadelphia, PA 19103 If you are in the telecommunications industry, please pass this message along to your legal department. Further information about the procedure for submitting prior art to the Patent Office, and about the Reexamination Request, is being posted to misc.int-property and other pertinent newsgroups. ------------------------------ From: bradb@bronze.coil.com (Brad Block) Subject: Need to Know How/What Vendors For Wireless LANS Date: 22 Jul 1994 00:20:51 -0400 Organization: Central Ohio Internet Link I need to know if I can distribute IP packets over a Wir eless trasnmittor of some sort and if so, what range can be assumed and also who do I look to for vendors? Thanks! Brad Block ------------------------------ From: briang@netcom.com (Brian Gordon) Subject: Phone Installation Error Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) Date: Thu, 21 Jul 1994 15:46:47 GMT I had some more phone lines installed the other day, and had the local telco do the required (extensive) inside wiring for them. The installer called each line to demonstrate that each worked and then left. When I first tried to call out on one of them, the keypad would break dialtone but not gnerate tone. Two hours of work blown by a simple miswiring! "611" fixed it at the central office and will drop by today to do a permanent fix at the demarc. You pay the professionals so you don't have that kind of hassle, don't you? :-( Brian G. Gordon briang@netcom.COM bgg on DELPHI 70243,3012 on Compu$erve BGordon on GENie BGordon2 on AOL ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Jul 94 13:59 EDT From: jamesm@dialogic.com (Mark James) Subject: Re: Camelot on the Moon! Organization: Dialogic Corporation, Parsippany NJ In article TELECOM Digest Editor noted: > Did anyone get to watch the explosion? Our local astronomy club installed a video camera onto a 14-inch diameter telescope and invited the neighbors in to watch the impact of "fragment B" on TV. Unfortunately, you needed a much larger scope than that. We saw nothing unusual. > How long have we known about the Jupiter incident? Seems to me at > least a few years ago they had the date for it established. PAT] The comet was discovered only last year, and it was September before its orbital parameters were known with enough precision to make a confident prediction of a crash. If you'd like more depth on this topic than CNN sound bites, check out the discussions in the sci.astro newsgroup. Mark James ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 19:32:13 -0500 From: Kelly Breit@MR.Net Subject: Minneapolis Macintosh Job Openings I am enclosing two job postings for First Tech Computer, the largest Macintosh dealer in the Minneapolis area. If you are interested, please send resumes only to the address or fax listed. Please feel free to post the full content in any appropriate place. MACINTOSH SERVICE TECHNICIAN Opening for Mac service technician. Experienced on Mac systems, hardware repair and laser printers is a must. Opportunity to advance with leading edge of technology. Work for the leader in Macintosh knowledge and expertise. We offer excellent training programs and great benefits. MACINTOSH TECHNICAL SUPPORT TECHNICIAN Opening for experienced support technician. Extensive knowledge of Mac application software and product knowledge is a must. Support high end Macintosh solutions. Additional knowledge in Novel and networks is a plus for the serious candidate. PowerBook provided for daily use. We offer excellent training programs and great benefits. Send resumes, indicating desired position, by mail or fax to: FIRST TECH COMPUTER Attn: Service Manager 2640 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN 55408 Fax 612-374-8095 EEO/AA Employer Kelly Breit International Telecommunications Engineering, Inc. (dba ITE) 6009 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 103 * Minneapolis, MN 55416-1623 612-542-9440 * 612-542-9341 Fax * Internet: breit@mr.net ------------------------------ From: jmasl@cybl51.fnbc.com (Jim Maslanka) Subject: Request: Available Code Libraries? Reply-To: jmasl@juliet.fnbc.com Organization: First National Bank Of Chicago, Chicago IL, USA Date: Fri, 22 Jul 94 20:00:02 GMT We are looking for commercially available code libraries to support interprocess communications in the following environments: - Between Unix processes via TCP - Between Unix and MVS processes via TCP and/or SNA Any information or suggestions will be appreciated. Please respond via c.d.t or email direct to: mdl@fnbc.com Mike Lamble jmasl@fnbc.com Jim Maslanka Thanks in advance, Jim Maslanka 1st Nat'l Bank of Chicago ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 16:35:07 +0000 From: Dave Banisar Subject: Leahy on Gore Clipper Letter 7/21/94 U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY - Vermont STATEMENT OF PATRICK LEAHY ON VICE PRESIDENT GORE'S CLIPPER CHIP LETTER July 21, 1994 I have read the July 20th letter from the Vice President about the Administration's current thinking on Clipper Chip and, to my mind, it represents no change in policy. In fact, when this letter was sent, I would be surprised if the Administration even thought it was news. The letter makes clear to me that the Administration continues to embrace key escrow encryption technology, and stands behind Clipper Chip as a federal standard for telephone communications. The official standard makes clear that this standard applies to any communications over telephone lines. Those communications include not only voice, but also low-speed computer data and facsimile messages. The Administration is working on encryption technologies for higher-speed transmissions, such as for computer networks and video networks. The Vice President says that they want to work with industry to design a key escrow system that could be implemented not just in hardware, but also in software, that would be voluntary, exportable and not rely upon a classified encoding formula. The Administration said all this last February when the federal standard was approved. Yet, when Administration witnesses were questioned about the progress they had made in this effort at my Judiciary subcommittee hearing in early May, I learned they had held only a few meetings. Last week, the Appropriations Committee accepted strong Report language I suggested on Clipper Chip. The Attorney General is directed to report to Congress within four months on ten areas of concern about Clipper Chip. I agree with the Vice President that balancing economic and privacy needs with law enforcement and national security is not always an easy task. But we can do better than Clipper Chip. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1994 00:32:29 PDT From: Gary D. Shapiro Subject: Ramparts Magazine The best I can recall is that {Ramparts} stopped publishing early in the 70s. BTW, {Ramparts} started out as a non-mainstream Catholic magazine. I would consider {Mother Jones} magazine to be the successor to {Ramparts}. I'm rather odd myself. Gary D. Shapiro Santa Barbara, California [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I used to be odd for quite a few years until I decided to re-evaluate myself. Now I consider myself mainstream sort of. I won't say what stream I am part of ... One of the great heroines of our past: "Mother" Emma Jones. A social worker and civic conscience of the 19th century, Ms. Jones was once asked by a federal bureaucrat what was her occupation; what she did for a living. She looked at him and bellowed, "My occupation? I'm a hell raiser!". Indeed she was. I can't say that I agree now (or would have back then) with everything she preached, but that's not necessary for someone to be a hero(ine) of mine; merely that they believe what they say and live it as best they can. And she did make a difference in the lives of many people in her time. PAT] ------------------------------ From: wa2ise@netcom.com (Robert Casey) Subject: Famous Phone Numbers From Songs and Such Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 13:01:26 GMT From time to time, a pop record appears with a real (non 555-xxxx) phone number in it. Like "Jenny, 867-5309", "BEachwood 4-5789", or a number mumbled in a heavy metal song "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". And another song "Don't call us, We'll call You" (Sugarloaf?) had some touch tones in the background. I suppose there exists a list of valid but unusable phone numbers due to popular song lyrics. Like: 867-5309 BE4-5789 ( ) (Dirty Deeds ...) ( ) (Dont Call Us...) Pennsylvania 6-5000 Why did the phone system make exchange 555 not useable, other than 555-1212? Other than maybe a certain "club" in the South might request all its phone numbers from that exchange. (Look at the center letter on the "5" key on your phone). [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: PEnnsylvania-6-5000 has been the phone number of a hotel in New York for sixty years or more. There are other telco things on 555 in addition to 1212. The AT&T teletype relay operator for aurally impaired people is on there somewhere, and a couple other things. PAT] ------------------------------ From: taranto@panix.com (James Taranto) Subject: Crain's NY Business Article Date: 22 Jul 1994 13:34:16 GMT Organization: The Bad Taranto The July 18 issue of {Crain's New York Business} has an article on the switch to NNX area codes. It includes the following statement: Another, perhaps less important, change is the allowance of a zero or one as the first digit of a local phone call, currently prohibited. Can this possibly be right? Or is the author referring to 1 or 0 being allowed as the middle digit of a local exchange, which of course has been the case in some places for as long as 20 years? Cheers, James Taranto taranto@panix.com ------------------------------ From: hfader@etch47.eld.ford.com (H O Fader (Hugh)) Subject: Equipment For IVR (Phone Menus) Date: 22 Jul 1994 12:42:49 GMT Organization: ECC at Ford Motor Company, Dearborn Michigan I am working on a project for a networks class that involves Interactive Voice Response, AKA phone menus. The system must process ~100 calls simultaneously. It will be connected to a mainframe computer. Can anybody out there give me an idea of the equipment, software, and money that would be required to implement one of these systems? Thanks in advance. Hugh Fader Ford Motor Company ------------------------------ From: buzby@cix.compulink.co.uk (Raymond Okonski) Reply-To: buzby@cix.compulink.co.uk Subject: Re: *78/*780 Added to BAMS/DC Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 03:57:32 PDT Arriving in Dublin with a GSM Cellular (digital) phone, I was expecting service on the local 'Eircell' network, with calls being billed to my home UK 'Vodafone' network. Having received and made a number of calls, things were going well, until I tried to make a 'toll free' call to a 1-800 number. The call was rejected. Replacing the GSM Vodafone SIM card with local carrier Eircell, the 1-800 call could be made with no difficulty. This state of affairs has existed since the Irish GSM network went live in 1992, but I thought I would complain about the anomaly. Customer Services denied there was a problem "all roamed users on our network can dial the same numbers as our Irish customers." Trying again, the call still failed. [As did ALL calls to any number commencing with "1" - Freefone, Directory Enquiries etc - the only exception was 112 the European Emergency Services code]. Complaining again, two hours later I received a call from the mobile network engineers, saying that access had indeed been blocked (in error) and was now fully open. This opened up an interesting situation where Eircell DO NOT CHARGE for calls to DQ and 1-800 numbers, where in the UK these calls are charged at premium rates. It will be interesting to see if Eircell will pass the information that it was a free call to my home network, and then watch the home network attempt to extract a fee for a correctly connected toll-free call. Raymond Okonski Raymond (+353 1) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Jul 94 11:39:37 EST From: Nick_Xidis_at_ZSEAFS@mail.hq.faa.gov Subject: SS-1 Signaling Background: Selective Signaling is a system that sends operator dialed digits over an analog private line circuit. The digits are encoded as a series of 2600 Hz pulses with 2400 Hz between pulses. Normally SS-1 circuits do not have any supervision i.e., the talk path is always there. This is a very old type of signaling and I think it was only used by the goverment. My Question: Are there any companies that are currently manufacturing test equipment for Selective Signaling (SS-1) signaling circuits? We have only found one (Ameritec) that offers SS-1 as an option to one of their test sets. Also, are there any archive files that cover history, development, or technical specifications for SS-1 circuits and test equipment. Thank You, Nick Xidis ------------------------------ From: mkelly@gabriel.resudox.net (Mark Kelly) Subject: Help Needed Getting -48 Power Date: 22 Jul 1994 00:23:47 GMT Organization: Resudox Online Services Can anyone provide a recommendation (or experiences) on producing -48 power in an standard business office environment? I know of a supplier in Montreal, Quebec, Canada who can provide 120AC to -48DC called Lambda Electronics but it looks like I'll be hit with a price tag of about $40K Canadian. I need about 250 amps at -48. Also, what about backup power, say 10-15 minutes worth. I don't particularly want a bank of car batteries but ... Thanks, Mark Kelly Advanced Multi-Point Conferencing 320 March Road, Suite 102 Kanata, Ontario K2L 1Z8 1-613-592-5752 1-800-900-4249 ------------------------------ From: mcintosh@larch.bellcore.com (Allen Mcintosh) Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Telephone Connections as Explained on Usenet Date: 22 Jul 1994 12:51:53 GMT Organization: Bellcore, Morristown NJ In article , the TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > There is no such modern word as 'rampart' by the way. It is an > archaism last used in middle French/English dating from about 1583 or > so and it roughly translates in modern English to 'a hole dug in the > ground behind a large pile of dirt or behind a hill where one can hide > (in the hole) to watch one's enemies without being seen ...'. The > magazine took its name from the first stanza of {The Star Spangled > Banner} written by Francis Scott Key with its words, 'whose broad > stripes and bright stars / through the perilous night / from [sic] the > ramparts we watched / were so gallantly streaming ..'. The "ramparts" the poem refers to were on an American fort in the war of 1812-1814. I suppose one could argue that this isn't "modern"... For the terminally curious, our online version of Collins English Dictionary defines "rampart" as follows: CED #Hram#+part #5(#!r@amp$a$:t) #6n. @n#1$D. #5the surrounding embankment of a fort, often including any walls, etc., that are built on the bank. @n#1$D. #5anything resembling a rampart in form or function, esp. in being a defence or bulwark. @m#1?-#6vb. @n#1$D. #5(#6tr.#5) to provide with a rampart; fortify. @m[C16: from Old French, from #6remparer, #5from #7re#5-@t#7#+@t#6emparer #5to take possession of, from Old Proven*,cal #6antparar, #5from Latin #6ante #5before@t#+@t#6par*_are #5to prepare] The Oxford English Dictionary defines "rampart" as follows: 1. Fortif. A mound of earth raised for the defence of a place, capable of resisting cannon-shot, wide enough on top for the passage of troops, guns, etc., and usually surmounted by a stone parapet. [followed by citations dated from 1583 to 1880. Interestingly enough, The Star Spangled Banner is not among them.] 2. Canad. A steep bank of a river or gorge. Usu. pl. [followed by citations dated from 1853 to 1973.] 3. attrib. and Comb., as rampart-base, communication, -height, -line, -walk. [followed by citations dated from 1799 to 1923.] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 12:07:05 -0400 From: jwm@student.umass.edu (Jeffrey W. McKeough) Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Telephone Connections as Explained on Usenet Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst I don't find this surprising in the least. I've been following the goings-on over at alt.2600, where there was a heated discussion about whether or not the Repeat Call feature would produce audible touchtones. There are an astounding number of people who inquire in hushed-tone ASCII about such renegade features as the *67 CNID privacy toggle ("CALLER ID DEFEAT FOUND!"), or who express amazement upon finding out that recipients (read: the people who pay) for 800 calls can receive ANI. Half of the things that enthrall these people can be found in the front matter of the telephone directory, and the other half can be found in the Digest. The idea that telephone company secrets are illegal to possess or discuss came up in a brief e-mail correspondence. I referred to a feature description from an AT&T manual, purchased from the CIC. The wannabe hackerphreak in question became very excited at the prospect of my having this information and wanted to know where I stole it from! (I really wanted to make up a little tale about a nocturnal trip to my local CO, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.) This being the post-divestiture era, these sorts of inquiries are not limited to phreaks. There was a post on several of the soc.culture groups from an LD reseller, asking people to send rate quotes for a one-minute call from their country to the US. I would guess that a few simple phone calls could glean this information (and more accurately) from national PTT's and major service providers. Of course, then the reseller might have to *pay* for his market research. Something tells me that AT&T and MCI use somewhat more advanced methods. I hate to think that I'm as cynical as our Moderator on this issue ;-) but lately it seems as though the old poem should go "30 days have September, April, June and November, except on Usenet, where September has 365." Jeffrey William McKeough jwm@student.umass.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And furthermore, every day is April 1, although they do not realize it. Usenet is sinking to its least common denominator, face it. It was fun while it lasted. I can speak only with authority for myself, but other mailing list moderators have reported similarly that people are quicklu choosing to read and participate only in moderated groups or private lists such as this one. They just can't handle the noise any longer. PAT] ------------------------------ From: bkron@netcom.com (Kronos) Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Telephone Connections as Explained on Usenet Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 05:55:14 GMT jlundgre@ohlone.kn.PacBell.COM (John Lundgren) writes: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: John Lundgren found this gem of wisdom > on some Usenet group somewhere and passed it along ... Aw, come on. Based on the grammar and spelling, I'd say its just some young kids. But, maybe not! I'm hearing "Dueling Banjos!" I remember picking up the phone on our old Western SXS when I was a kid (or was it my friend's Automatic GTE SXS?) and noticing that there would appear to be no voltage for just a moment because there was no sidetone. Immediately upon going off hook, there was sidetone, then no sidetone, then dialtone. I never thought this was because they were "switching batteries." (That was pretty funny) I just assumed that the line was momentarily open while the line finder worked. But maybe the guy authoring the posted opinions drew the wrong conclusion. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #332 ******************************