TELECOM Digest Sun, 8 Jul 90 19:15:02 CDT Volume 10 : Issue 469 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Touchtone Fee Abolished in CA [Wes Plouff] Re: PacBell to Eliminate Touch-Tone Charges [John A. Hammond] Re: Number of NXX in Each NPA [Jim Ray] Re: Buying Telecom Tools [Bob Vaughan] Re: Sprint Users Now Get Immediate Credit [Shailesh Shukla] Re: PacBell Coinphone False Info [Edward Greenberg] Re: Manhole Covers [Clive Feather] Re: Mitch Kapor and "Sun Devil" [Peter da Silva] Re: International Calls Using Credit Card and Equal Access [PCI] Re: Finland Direct (Some Problems) [Kauto Huopio] Re: Who is John Galt? [John David Galt] Plantronics Jackset [David Brightbill] Reference Book Wanted on Telephones [Adnan Yaqub] My Trip to Kansas [TELECOM Moderator] Good For a Laugh: Polish Payphones [Donald E. Kimberlin] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: plouff@kali.enet.dec.com Subject: Re: Touchtone Fee Abolished in CA Date: 4 Jul 90 16:58:11 GMT Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation In article <9364@accuvax.nwu.edu>, john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) writes... >Isaac Rabinovitch writes: >> It is true that if they just passed the extra cost of call waiting, >But what IS this extra cost? You can't get a generic for any switch >today that doesn't have the usual custom calling features built in. ...and... >Heath Roberts writes: >> This isn't quite true. Telephone companies have to pay quite a bit for >> the software (and sometimes hardware) to provide these advanced >> features. >Call waiting, call forwarding, and three-way calling are not, repeat >not advanced features. They have been part and parcel of stock >generics for over twenty years. Try to buy a switch without them. Historical questions: when was the last date that AT&T sold switching equipment _without_ 100 percent tone dialing coverage? Competitors? When was the last date AT&T sold switches without at least some "custom calling" features as standard? Competitors? References such as magazine articles would be most appreciated. This is a relevant question for those of us who live with backwater telephone service from NYNEX, as well as arteriosclerotic regulation by the Mass. PUC. Wes Plouff, Digital Equipment Corp, Maynard, Mass. plouff%kali.enet.dec@decwrl.dec.com Networking bibliography: _Islands in the Net_, by Bruce Sterling _The Matrix_, by John S. Quarterman ------------------------------ From: "John A. Hammond" Subject: Re: PacBell to Eliminate Touch-Tone Charges Date: 6 Jul 90 18:11:02 GMT Reply-To: "John A. Hammond" Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego Several years ago, my daughter informed me that the pulse/dial telephones that I purchased would work in the tone mode. Since that time, particularly since we gave all of the rotary units back to PacBell rather than pay exhorbitant monthly rental, I have been using touch-tone dialing exclusively. There has never been an additional charge for that usage or an installation charge. I have had the same telephone service for roughly 25 years with the only change being the result of the divestiture. I suspect that the switch was replaced with a new one and touch-tone was available for use. I just didn't make the mistake of signing up for it! ------------------------------ From: Jim Ray Subject: Re: Number of NXX in Each NPA Organization: Harris Semiconductor, Melbourne FL Date: Wed, 4 Jul 90 21:34:45 GMT Does anyone have a list of the NXX's in each NPA? This list gave the number of NXX's in each NPA but not each one and area location. Is this information generally available? Jim Ray Harris Semiconductor Internet: jdr@mlb.semi.harris.com PO Box 883 MS 62B-022 Phone: (407) 729-5059 Melbourne, FL 32901 [Moderator's Note: You are asking for very large, extensive files, but yes, they are available. If David Leibold (woody), our Canadian correspondent is reading this, please write Mr. Ray and send your files to him if he *really* wants all of them as he thinks. PT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 July 90 01:44:26 pdt From: Bob Vaughan Subject: Re: Buying Telecom Tools Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA In article <7444@accuvax.nwu.edu> you write: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 327, Message 11 of 11 >I wanted to get a tracing beeper, an inductive pickup, and a modular >adapter (to bring the modular pins out in order to attach a test set.) >I found that Graybar in San Jose won't sell to anybody who doesn't >have a California resale certificate. I thought that the days of >phone-paranoia were over. >Does anybody know of a source that publishes a catalog from which I >can mail order items such as these? Hello Direct just won't cut it. Try this place: Time Motion Tools 410 South Douglas St El Segundo , Ca 90245 213-772-8170 Bob Vaughan - techie@well.sf.ca.us - {apple,pacbell,hplabs,ucbvax}!well!techie ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jul 90 12:16 CDT From: Shailesh Shukla Subject: Re: Sprint Users Now Get Immediate Credit Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services In article <9345@accuvax.nwu.edu>, jchen@dduck.ctt.bellcore.com (Jason Chen) writes: > You can get immediate credit ... if and only if you can get through > their always-busy customer service. Yup, they have not changed a bit > since I dropped them three years ago. Not true! That's partly the idea behind the instant-credit service. You don't have to dial customer service (1-800-877-4646). The 00 operator can give you all the credit you want. Shailesh Shukla ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jul 90 08:21 PDT From: Edward_Greenberg@cso.3mail.3com.com Subject: PacBell Coinphone False Info Ron Schnell writes: >..I never thought I would see a BOC payphone which displays >misinformation like this one did. >She then told me that in the future I should call Pac Bell, and >that they are the ones who should know about it. Ron goes on to suggest that AT&T should have done something about it, and, indeed, they might have taken a report, but then, they'd have to do the same thing that they suggested ... Call Pacific Bell. I found a payphone in a restaurant recently, that was labelled AT&T, and gave some sleezy LD service instead. I called Pacific Bell Repair Service and reported it, and it was fixed the next day! Since they control the programming, I wouldn't think of calling AT&T for the problem. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jul 90 07:13:21 bst From: Clive Feather Subject: Re: Manhole Covers People have been talking about constant width curves (such as a triangle with curved sides, each centred on the opposite vertex). The UK 20p and 50p coins are seven-sided constant width curves in shape. The constant width property means that the coin will still roll ! Clive D.W. Feather | IXI Limited clive@x.co.uk [x, not ixi] | 62-74 Burleigh St. ...!uunet!ixi!clive | Cambridge CB1 1OJ Phone: +44 223 462 131 | United Kingdom ------------------------------ From: peter da silva Subject: Re: Mitch Kapor and "Sun Devil" Reply-To: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) Organization: Xenix Support, FICC Date: Sun, 8 Jul 90 16:37:38 GMT In article <9452@accuvax.nwu.edu> it is written: System) writes: > You wouldn't threaten somebody > with 30 years in jail for taking something from a house. AT&T and DEC aren't houses. Peter da Silva. `-_-' +1 713 274 5180. ------------------------------ From: PCI@cup.portal.com Subject: Re: International Calls Using Credit Card and Equal Access Date: Fri, 6 Jul 90 18:50:43 PDT Greg Monti states: >There are no "different" vendors for overseas calls and for domestic >calls. US regulations (the Modified Final Judgment) state that, from >any US phone, the whole world is divided into just two areas: >intra-LATA and inter-LATA. Overseas calls are obviously in the second ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >category and therefore the long distance companies carry them. ^^^^^^^^^ This is not quite accurate. LEC's are not allowed to provide inter-LATA service. They are allowed to provide intra-LATA and International service. This situation in very familiar to the carriers that serve the Hawaii market. One of the largest IRC's (International Record Carriers) in the region is GTE Hawaiian Telephone (HawTel) the local LEC. When competing for service between Hawaii and other Pacific points (including U.S. points of Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas and American Samoa) we find our LEC (which has a monopoly for local service ... both dialup access and leased line local loops) is also the IRC competing with us. In order to prepare a bid, we must notify our ... [Moderator's Note: This is the way I received the above message. It appears the last sentence or two have been truncated. PT] ------------------------------ From: Kauto Huopio Subject: Re: Finland Direct (Some Problems) Date: 7 Jul 90 21:43:44 GMT Organization: Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland My brother is as an exchange student in Lawton, Michigan. He has tried to call our family here at Finland via the Finland Direct service (quite equal to Svergie Direct) Our PTT has advertised these two numbers: 1-800-232-0358 via ATT 1-800-283-4652 via MCI My brother hasn't got through, at least when he did try the ATT number. He got a recorded message: "Your international call couldn't be completed" or something like that. Now I have several questions: 1) Is it true that there can bee 1-800 numbers NOT ACCESSIBLE via either ATT/MCI 2) If 1) is true, can my brother access another carrier to make the 1-800 call and does he get any additional charges on that? 3) Do these numbers work at all? (PLEASE, I don't want to get such news that 4000 telecom readers blocked the Finland Direct service just to test if it works..) Kauto, OH5LFM ****************** Kauto Huopio (huopio@kannel.lut.fi) ********************** *US Mail: Kauto Huopio, Punkkerikatu 1 A 10, SF-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland * *WARNING! We have holiday season here, so be patient with my answers.. * ***************************************************************************** ------------------------------ From: ames!ames!claris!portal!cup.portal.com!John_David_Galt@uunet.uu.net Subject: Re: Who is John Galt? Date: Sat, 7 Jul 90 15:19:05 PDT You guessed right about where I got the name, but I am a real person and am not quite the same as either Rand's character or da Silva's description. I invite philosophical discussions under alt.individualism -- this is not the place for them. For the record, John David Galt is my real name, which I took in 1981. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jul 90 02:55:46 -0400 From: David Brightbill Subject: Plantronics Jackset Does anyone know how to connect a Plantronics js-0180-1 jackset to a plain old 500 style instrument? I sort of got it working by guess and by golly but ... I suspect that there are different pinouts depending on the type of instrument it gets connected to. Dave Brightbill Rt. 7, MLC-9 Tallahassee, FL 32308-9802 904.878.3746 djb@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Apr 90 11:13:41 EDT From: Adnan Yaqub Subject: Reference Book Wanted on Telephones Could some kind body please point me to a suitable reference which describes the signaling between the main office and my home phone. I would like to know such things as how much power is provided, what the ring signal is like, how the click for call waiting is done, etc. Adnan Yaqub Star Gate Technologies, 29300 Aurora Rd, Solon, OH, 44139, USA, +1 216 349 1860 [...cwjcc!ncoast ...uunet!abvax ...ism780c ...sco ...mstar]!sgtech!adnan ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jul 90 18:38:10 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: My Trip to Kansas My trip earlier this week to the land of Ah's went off mostly without a hitch, although my cellular phone from Radio Shack (CT-301) with service from Ameritech gave me some hassles. From Chicago going down I-55 we have Ameritech here at home and again in the Springfield, IL area. Some other small cell carrier comes in further downstate, which I belive is Contel Cellular, which is a division of some other cell carrier. Shortly before St. Louis. Southestern Bell came in, then Missouri was served in a sketchy way by United States Cellular over much of Route 54. The trouble is, I could make no outgoing calls (or receive incoming calls via Ameritech's 'follow me' roaming feature) on the way down. It seems even tough I told Ameritech earlier in the week to turn on the 'Fast Track Follow Me Roaming' feature (which they did), since this was my first trip out of town with the cell phone, for some reason Ameritech got paranoid when they picked up my signal from central Illinois instead of Chicago ... so ... they cut me off immediatly. Being the Fourth of July, there was no one in their office to complain to, but Thursday morning, July 5 I was on their 800 numbber at 9 AM sharp to raise cain. I got a call back an hour or so later from a man who apologized and said I had inadvertently been placed on the 'abandoned listing'. On the way back everything worked fine, except that on a few occasions when between carrier areas, the roaming light (as opposed to 'no service' light) would come on, leading me to believe there was service at that point when there was not. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Jul 90 22:03 EST From: "Donald E. Kimberlin" <0004133373@mcimail.com> To: Telecom Moderator Subject: Good For a Laugh: Polish Payphones ..Here's a mini-laugh just arrived here as republished in TE&M magazine for July 1, 1990: "A recent article from Knight-Ridder newspapers describes the payphone situation in Poland: "`Want in on the best little bargain in a changing Eastern Europe? Step right up: A local call at a Polish payphone is still only 20 zlotys -- about one-fifth of a penny in U.S. terms. "`Don't have a 20-zloty coin? Not to worry. With some shrewd dealing you can buy one for as low as 200 zlotys.'" (I make that out to be about 2 cents U.S. !) "`Since Polish payphone mechanisms were increased to 20 zlotys several months ago, 20-zloty coins have gone into hiding. "`Not all 20-zloty coins, mind you. Just the ones that fit payphones. There are three sizes of 20-zloty coins in Poland,along with a 20-zloty bill. (Don't ask; explaining all of this is going to be complicated enough.) "`The payphone-sized 20-zlotycoins are selling on the streets for 200 to 1,000 zlotys apiece.'" (I still say cheap at a thousand zlotys -- about a dime U.S., isn't it?) "`The whole thing might strike you as it strikes Miroslawa Firlej, 35, a Polish waitress who recently coughed up 1,000 zlotys for a coin to call her son's school to report he was sick. Of the payphone situation, she remarked, "It's crazy." "`A great many Poles, like Firlej, have no phone in their homes, so they rely on payphones. And with the breathtaking inflation that has resulted from the country's sudden change to a free-market economy, 20-zloty coins don't circulate much because they aren't worth much, except in a pay phone. And there, incidentally, they are a good deal, considering that a local call from a private phone is now 150 zlotys.'" Seems I recall a similar situation in Greece, where the local payphone rate was a few drachmae, a price so cheap that coins of such a small denomination were hard to come by. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V10 #469 ****************************** ----- Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253