TELECOM Digest Tue, 24 Jan 95 21:43:00 CST Volume 15 : Issue 62 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Where is PicturePhone II Now? (Ed Ellers) Re: Using U.S. Modem in Israel (Rich Galen) Re: Wireless CO's Challenge New NPAs? (David E.A. Wilson) Re: Ancient Party Lines (David Breneman) Re: Voice Response Unit Question (Christian van der Ree) Re: Help Locating Telephone/PC Interface Board (Christian van der Ree) Re: Cellular Phone Information Wanted (John Lundgren) Re: Where: T1 Information/FAQ? (John Lundgren) Re: Help Needed With Displaying X Windows on the PC (Mike MacFaden) Re: Chatter Heard on Scanner Leads to Criminal Charges (David Hough) Re: Telephony Card/Software Needed (Joe Sulmar) Re: ANSI Terminal Communications (Timothy D. Shoppa) Re: Anyone Have Experience With LDDS/Metromedia? (Justin T. Leavens) Re: Looking For 900-MHz Cordless Handsfree Headset (Roger Snyder) Re: AT&T First to Deliver Long-Awaited "Follow-Me" 500 Numbers (jamiec102) Re: CID Question (Dave Levenson) Re: More CO Codes For Each NPA; Any Telcos Take Advantage? (W. Leatherock) Five Digit Phone Numbers (Carl Moore) Cable Cost-of-Service Regulation (Prakash Hariramani) Radio Station Transmission Lines (Daniel Ritsma) 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 America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available 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. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: Where is PicturePhone II Now? Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 18:33:55 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) David Gingold writes: > Can anyone tell me what ever happened to the PicturePhone II phones > manufactured by AT&T in the '70's? I have heard a rumor that these > phones might have been given to Ameritech as part of the breakup, but > I have know idea where to start looking. NYNEX, Bell Atlantic and Ameritech probably have them, if they weren't sent back to Western Electric to be scrapped -- the service was offered in New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh, with other cities getting intercom-only Picturephone service (i.e. you could have it within your own PBX but not to other sites because the video switches weren't in place). The Bell System also had a setup for several years between top executives at 195 Broadway and the presidents of each of the BOCs, and some other BOCs obtained sets to be used for demonstrations. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: They were in the lobby of the Illinois Bell headquarters building in Chicago. Customers could use them by appointment to hold conferences, etc with people in other cities. PAT] ------------------------------ From: rgalen@tad.eds.com (Rich Galen) Subject: Re: Using U.S. Modem in Israel Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 11:20:58 -0600 Organization: EDS In article , kass@tacout.army.mil (Jeremie Kass) wrote: > I am interested in using the modem I use in the U.S. while I am in > Israel. Is there any technical and/or legal problem in doing this? > Also, what kind of telephone jacks are used there? This will be > connected to a residential line, so will it be the same RJ-11 jack as > here? This will NOT be technical because I aren't one, but I have been in Israel several times over the past few months and have found (1) my US modem (GV Mercury) works fine back to the US; and (2) sometimes you find an RJ-11 jack and sometimes you find a jack which is the same height, but about 4x wider than an RJ-11. A friend of mine said he would send me a converter which had the RJ-11 female on one end and the standard Israeli jack on the male end. Rich Galen rgalen@tad.eds.com EDS Emerging Market Development Plano, TX 214-605-0017 ------------------------------ From: david@cs.uow.edu.au (David E A Wilson) Subject: Re: Wireless CO's Challenge New NPAs? Date: 25 Jan 1995 09:35:11 +1100 Organization: University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. pritter@nit.AirTouch.COM (Phil Ritter) writes: > In article Liron Lightwood apana.org.au> writes: >> Here in Australia, we have the best of both worlds. Our cellular >> phones have their own area code like prefixes, e.g. 018, 015, 041. >> However, when making a local call from a cellular phone, you only have >> to dial the six or seven digit number, no area code required. > While this may be interesting in areas like Australia, where the > numbering plan areas (or city codes) are large, it breaks down quickly > in the NANP [at least in the dense parts of it]. It even breaks down here in Australia -- we often get calls from mobile phones which should have gone to the adjacent 044 area code but end up here in 042. When the new eight digit numbering plan arrives in 1998 we will only have four area codes for the entire country the only problems will be along a couple of state borders. David Wilson Dept CompSci Uni Wollongong Australia david@cs.uow.edu.au ------------------------------ From: daveb@dgtl.com (David Breneman) Subject: Re: Ancient Party Lines Date: 24 Jan 95 23:41:13 GMT Organization: Digital Systems International, Redmond WA Scott Falke (scott@csustan.csustan.edu) wrote: > In article scott@csustan.csustan.edu > (Scott Falke) writes: >> In re your story about party-line entertainment: >> X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 15, Issue 11, Message 2 of 14 >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The way you describe it was one way >> of doing the ringing; there were various methods. What happened on >> your system if you wanted to call someone on your party line? > For 8-party, one dialed 119xy, where x was your line position (1-8) > and y was the called party (1-8). The ring generator would alternate > between the two. When the ring quit, you picked up the handset, cause > they had too. If the ring didn't quit, you picked up the handset > anyway. They weren't home. If you shared the same relative polarity > with the called party (the gas tubes and tip/ting to gnd) you'd hear > one long (i.e., yours) and two shorts (theirs) in repetition. THAT > was real cool. Hey, a farming town, you know ... On our system, you dialed the number of the person you wanted, got a busy signal, then hung up. Unless you and the other party shared a ring (ie, one long vs two short) you heard nothing -- you just had to wait a while and pick up the receiver and find out if they were there. Of course, this system could always be used to ring your own phone as well. When the Jehovah's Witnesses showed up, an accomplice would ring the phone, then annouce you had an important call. Worked every time. :-) David Breneman Email: daveb@jaws.engineering.dgtl.com Systems Administrator, Voice: +1 206 881-7544 Fax: +1 206 556-8033 Product Development Platforms Digital Systems International, Inc. Redmond, Washington, U. S. o' A. ------------------------------ From: ttm@xs4all.nl (Christian van der Ree) Subject: Re: Voice Response Unit Question Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 00:03:17 GMT Organization: TTM Nederland > I presently operate a voice/fax response unit using a 486 pc with > analog phone lines directly connected to a Rhetorex voice board. > The software and hardware I have is capable of being used with a PBX > to do call transfers. I don't have a PBX but I was wondering if I > could purchase a desktop phone which could be configured so that if a > caller asks for my extension the voice response unit would transfer > the call to the phone just like a PBX. > Anybody have any ideas? What about this workaround that I use: A caller types in the extension he wish to connect to. If he types in #110 for instance, the computer beeps one time. I know he wish to speak to me and pick up the phone. If the caller types in #200, the computer makes two beeps (or plays a .wav file) I know its for ... Hopefully you like one. I'm still waiting for some nice payable voice- hardware that can transform a PC in a real PBX. TTM Nederland ------------------------------ From: ttm@xs4all.nl (Christian van der Ree) Subject: Re: Help Locating Telephone/PC Interface Board Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 00:07:53 GMT Organization: TTM Nederland > I need to locate an "IBM" PC peripherial board that will let me > answer the phone, play audio prompts and accept touch tone input from > the caller. Multiple lines per card and multiple cards per box will > be better. Any leads will be greatly appreciated. If it must be an IBM board, I can't help you. But else I can suggest some real nice boards that will do the things that you want it to do and much ... much ... more. TTM Nederland ------------------------------ From: jlundgre@kn.PacBell.COM (John Lundgren) Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Information Wanted Date: 24 Jan 1995 15:12:26 GMT Organization: Pacific Bell Knowledge Network LOKESH KALRA (lk05@lehigh.edu) wrote: > Is there a place other than the January 93 issue of {Consumer Reports} > (probably quite out of date now) that discusses the Cellular/Mobile > phone technology, kinds of plans offered, and the various models and > how they are rated? Would appreaciate any info at lk05@cs2.cc.lehigh.edu It seems that the carriers are practically giving the phones away to get you to sign up with them for a year or so. Just goes to show where the profits are. Rather than worry about the phone technology, it might be wise to worry about the bills you may be getting. According to the newsmedia, the cloning and fraud is rampant. John Lundgren - Elec Tech - Info Tech Svcs Rancho Santiago Community College District 17th St. at Bristol \ Santa Ana, CA 92706 jlundgre@pop.rancho.cc.ca.us\jlundgre@kn.pacbell.com ------------------------------ From: jlundgre@kn.PacBell.COM (John Lundgren) Subject: Re: Where: T1 Information/FAQ? Date: 25 Jan 1995 00:09:42 GMT Organization: Pacific Bell Knowledge Network BRUCE268@DELPHI.COM (BRUCE268@news-feed.delphi.com) wrote: > Would some one please pass on any sites/addresses where information or > FAQs on T1 service might be found. Looking for general technical > overview of the service. Probably the best place to look for this is the local telco service representative. Maybe for tech info try a good library. John Lundgren - Elec Tech - Info Tech Svcs Rancho Santiago Community College District 17th St. at Bristol \ Santa Ana, CA 92706 jlundgre@pop.rancho.cc.ca.us\jlundgre@kn.pacbell.com ------------------------------ From: mike@premisys.com (Mike MacFaden) Subject: Re: Help Needed With Displaying X Windows on the PC Date: 24 Jan 1995 18:44:03 -0800 Organization: Premisys Communications, Inc In article , Ken Stack wrote: > I am trying to fins a way to display x windows on my PC from my Sun at > work. The problem is that my Sun at work does not have slip or ppp > for security reasons. I have attempted to use PSI's interramp service 1) You need a SLIP or PPP link from home. If your workstation doesn't have it, then I suggest your sysAdm install a Terminal Server which does provide good security (companies: Livingston, Xylogics, Xyplex) 2) Get a copy of an X server that implements Low Bandwidth X (LBX) A good company to talk to is Network Computing Devices (NCD). All of these companies are on the net. Regards, Mike MacFaden Premisys Communications, Inc Fremont CA USA ------------------------------ From: David Hough Subject: Re: Chatter Heard on Scanner Leads to Criminal Charges Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 10:33:38 GMT Organization: Chaotic In article it was written: > ECPA as amended is only the latest insult. Previous laws made it illegal to > intercept certain satellite downlinks (and uplinks), radar speed guns, > and a number of other types of signals. If the trend continues, listening to > any signal not explicitly intended for broadcast will be illegal. I know > that at least one Congress member proposed legislation with just that > wording. In the UK you are only allowed to listen to authorised broadcast stations, amateur radio stations and transmissions from the Standard Frequency Service. Even listening to CB is illegal unless you possess a CB licence. Dave djh@sectel.com Tel +44 1285 655 766 Fax +44 1285 655 595 ------------------------------ From: Joe Sulmar Subject: Re: Telephony Card/Software Needed Date: 24 Jan 1995 20:04:40 GMT Organization: North Shore Access/Eco Software, Inc; (info@shore.net) > I'm looking for cards for IBM PCs that can handle phone calls ... > with about four lines but have the ability to upgrade to perhaps 24 The following companies make boards that will meet your needs: Dialogic 800-755-4444, 201-993-3030 Natural Microsystems 800-533-6120, 508-650-1300 (Vikki Stoneback) Rhetorex 408-370-0881 I also know of some sources of used equipment, but I recommend that you buy your first board direct, so that you get all of the latest doc, software and support. A 4-port board from these companies costs approximately $1200 (check out the quantity discount break points before you buy). All of the above companies offer OS/2 and UNIX úÿ drivers, some of them offer DOS drivers, and NT is either under development or already available. Lots of third party companies make application development tools for these boards. Let me know if you need information on software. Good luck. Joseph J. Sulmar jsulmar@shore.net Computer-Telephony Consultant voice: 617-862-6358 Lexington, MA fax: 617-621-0499 ------------------------------ From: shoppa@almach.krl.caltech.edu (Timothy D. Shoppa) Subject: Re: ANSI Terminal Communications Date: 24 Jan 1995 10:29:00 PST Organization: California Institute of Technology In article , ua291@fim.uni-erlangen.de (David O. Laney) writes ... > I am interested in getting the ANSI Terminal Standards (i.e. escape > sequences) to use to drive a communications package. Check out the anonymous ftp site cs.ukt.edu; in the directory: /pub/shuford/terminal You'll find many files that will be useful, particularly "ansi_x3_64.txt". Tim. (shoppa@altair.krl.caltech.edu) ------------------------------ From: jtleavens@aol.com (JT Leavens) Subject: Re: Anyone Have Experience With LDDS/Metromedia? Date: 24 Jan 1995 13:20:16 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: jtleavens@aol.com (JT Leavens) I agree with the comment on inbound service from LDDS. I've got an 800 line with them right now, and I am getting comments from customers about once a week that they can't get through, getting some intercept message. Outbound is no problem, but I don't know how long I am going to keep them for inbound. It's a tough choice though: I've got their rates at something like 13 cents/min for inbound and outbound calls ... ($1000/monthly and one year commitment). ------------------------------ From: rsnyder@panix.com (Roger Snyder) Subject: Re: Looking For 900-MHz Cordless Handsfree Headset Date: 24 Jan 1995 21:38:25 -0500 Organization: SHAD Martin Soques (Martin.Soques@amd.com) wrote: > Greetings! Subject line says all; I'm looking for a 900-MHz digital > phone with a cordless headset rather than a cordless handset. Hello Direct (1-800-444-3556) has a 900MHz cardless headset for $349. Roger ------------------------------ From: jamiec1024@aol.com (JamieC1024) Subject: Re: AT&T First to Deliver Long-Awaited "Follow-Me" 500 Numbers Date: 24 Jan 1995 08:50:30 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: jamiec1024@aol.com (JamieC1024) It is the owner of the "Follow-Me" card. However this information may be misleading. AT&T was not the first to deliver long-awaited "Follow- Me" Numbers. A case in point: a company in Michigan called US Signal was in fact the first to have TRUE "Follow Me" capabilities. The AT&T card is really a FIND ME card where it calls a set of preprogramed numbers; this service can get expensive real fast. UniDial Communications [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And despite their statements that 500 numbers would be available by now, they still are not turned on, at least here in the Chicago area. I was one of the first people to sign up for 500 service when they started taking orders. Despite calling within a day or so of their announcement that orders were being accepted, there were absolutely *no* good numbers available ... already taken, I was told. Yeah, we know how AT&T does that; trying to get 800 numbers away from them and into the hands of another resporg or carrier got me soured. All these 'reservations' and never once a name to go with them. Well, be that as it may, they told me back in December that my 500 number would take a month to turn on but be available January 20. Comes last Friday, they said it would be Monday the 23rd ... now they are saying it will be next week on January 30. As usual, point your finger at someone else; the rep claimed to me that Ameritech does not yet have the billing software in place; that's nonsense because in fact I got billed for my first month of 500 service by AT&T back on January 24 as part of my Ameritech bill. Watch on January 30 for some new date to be set. Why wouldn't the AT&T reps have known this when they took my order now over a month ago? PAT] ------------------------------ From: dave@westmark.com (Dave Levenson) Subject: Re: CID Question Organization: Westmark, Inc. Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 02:37:11 GMT Stan Schwartz (stanschwartz-aviswizcom@e-mail.com) writes: > I have recently begun using TotalTel as a secondary LD carrier (by > signing up for secondary service and a calling card). ... > HOWEVER ... if I dial 10081 + NPA + NXX + XXXX, the call is completed > with CID information provided at the receiving end! Any ideas on what > they are doing here? > On their 800 service, TotalTel also seems to translate the ANI of the > calling party and delivers it as CID information on the receiving end. This is just a guess on my part, but this sounds very similar to the service we get using Cable & Wireless. Could it be, perhaps, that C&W and TotalTel are both reselling WillTell service? WillTell is the company most often described in this digest as providing Inter-LATA delivery of ANI via CID, or something like that. Dave Levenson Internet: dave@westmark.com Westmark, Inc. UUCP: uunet!westmark!dave Stirling, NJ, USA Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857 ------------------------------ From: wes.leatherock@oubbs.telecom.uoknor.edu Date: Tue, 23 Jan 95 21:29:55 Subject: Re: More CO Codes For Each NPA - Any Telcos Take Advantage? Quoting dleibold@gvc.com (Dave Leibold): > With the introduction of "interchangeable" area code formats > officially beginning in a few days, the required dialing changes > throughout the North American Numbering Plan mean that all area codes > should be able to assign N(0/1)X format prefixes for their local > numbers. > Are there other area codes where introduction of N(0/1)X > format CO codes/prefixes is planned? I first encountered CO codes in this format at least ten years ago when I was calling a Southern California firm with which my company was doing business. (Sorry I don't remember the area code, and it's probably been changed from what it was then anyway.) The July 1992 telephone directory for "Greater Fort Worth" has a list of all prefixes in both the Fort Worth metro calling area (in area code 817) and the Dallas metro calling area (area code 214). In 817 these prefixes are listed in the N(0/1)X format: 410 and 806 And in the 214 area code: Southwestern Bell exchanges: 508 703 712 812 704 707 815 202 204 212 215 305 314 502 504 601 602 603 606 609 616 707 801 802 803 804 805 807 808 906 908 909 912 913 914 708 709 217 218 515 617 302 309 302 312 819 407 713 401 402 506 406 919 308 404 419 701 702 715 716 301 705 801 802 803 907 917 918 902 904 706 503 613 203 319 819 905 216 GTE exchanges: 313 413 513 514 518 607 714 717 718 719 915 916 219 304 315 317 316 318 306 307 416 417 418 403 516 517 519 604 605 608 612 618 619 205 303 414 (These were scooped off the maps arranged geographically by wire centers/zones, so they are not in numerical order and I might have missed one or two.) This was two and a half years ago, and there are probably more of these now. I know the Houston metropolitan exchange (area code 713) also has a lot of CO codes in the N(0/1)X format. Wes Leatherock wes.leatherock@oubbs.telecom.uoknor.edu wes.leatherock@f32.n147.z1.fidonet.org ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 23:09:10 GMT From: Carl Moore Subject: Five Digit Phone Numbers I am originallly from Wilmington, Delaware. For many years, what became the {News-Journal} newspapers were on what became 302-654-5351. (Please don't call that number; it was changed long ago!) Originally (and I had to read about this since I am too young to remember that far back) it would have been printed as "Wilmington 4-5351" or simply "4-5351" with Wilmington being understood; I believe you had to ask the operator if you wanted to reach such a number. "Wilmington" was replaced by "OLympia" (OL for short) when it came time for customers to be able to dial directly. Then, in 1966, Diamond State Telephone stopped printing exchange names in the Wilmington phone book, and existing numbers of form OLx-xxxx began to be printed as 65x-xxxx. TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Until the late 1960's a peculiar thing existed in Lafayette/West Lafayette, Indiana with Purdue University and the rest of the phones in the town. Lafayette was surrounded by area code 317, and it had seven digit numbers like everyone else, yet it was not direct dialable. You could call Indianapolis, or towns on either side of it by dialing 317 and the number, but for Lafayette and West Lafayette you asked your operator for the number. Purdue had five digit extension numbers, and locally from within town if you knew the desired extension you could dial 92 plus the five digits. To get the Purdue operator from anywhere in town, you just dialed 90. If you were calling from somewhere like Chicago, you dialed 211 for the long distance operator and asked for 'Lafayette, Indiana nine-oh' or perhaps for nine-two-whatever. Finally about 1970 long after everywhere else in the area was dialable, Lafayette and Fort Wayne (both were served by GTE, both had seven digit numbers like everyone else) got connected with everyone else. Does anyone remember when all the military bases around the USA had their own special arrangements? Camp McCoy in Wisconsin, for example, was just 'Camp McCoy' to the long distance operator; it had four digit extensions but no actual 'main listed number'. It was just 'Camp McCoy, extension xxxx' via the long distance operator. Ditto Fort Benjamin Harrison in southern Indiana and Great Lakes Naval Base. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Prakash Hariramani Subject: Cable Cost-of-Service Regulation Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 18:56:03 -0500 Organization: Info Networking Institute, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Hi: I was wondering if any one could tell me the status of cost-of-service regulation for cable companies by the FCC. I am specifically interested in accounting details, i.e. what costs should be considered and how to calculate cost-of-service. I searched through the FCC gopher but did not find anything with this level of detail. Thanks, Prakash Hariramani (ph2k@andrew.cmu.edu) Information Networking Institute Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 ------------------------------ From: Daniel Ritsma Subject: Radio Station Transmission Lines Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 00:23:51 -0500 Organization: Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences I am working for a small radio station that is now using two 8kHz lines to feed four tansmitters (AM). On one line we feed three transmitters since they are for buildings next to each other; the other line is for a building some 150 blocks from here. Should we stick with analog lines or slowly move over to other types of communication by phone? The fact that we have to branch off led me to believe that we should go for digital transmition, so that we would have less noise and a better signal. Does anybody have experience with this? We are located in Manhattan and NYNEX is not of much help. Getting our current two lines to work properly without too much loos was already a great victory for us. Our budget is limited as we are a college radio station. All help is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Daniel ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V15 #62 *****************************