TELECOM Digest Sat, 13 Nov 93 17:27:00 CST Volume 13 : Issue 757 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Wanted: AT&T Merlin Cordless (Steve Cogorno) Re: Wanted: AT&T Merlin Cordless (Mark Strow) Re: Do You Monitor Cellular Channels? (Tony Pelliccio) Re: Need to Buy E1 to T1 Converter (William T. Sykes) Re: Preparing My Case Against Sprint (Alan Frisbie) Re: Preparing My Case Against Sprint (Chris Ambler) Re: Novell Networking Question (D.R. Hilton) Re: Novell Networking Question (Gary Breuckman) Re: "Fake Switch" Box or Tester (Paul Cook) Re: "Fake Switch" Box or Tester (Alan Boritz) Re: Microsoft Telephony API/SPI (Dan J. Declerck) Re: Sat Pagers = Modems? (John Gilbert) Re: Remote Call Forwarding (Paul Barnett) Re: Telephone Query System Questions (Robert Virzi) Re: East-West or North-South? (R. Kevin Oberman) Re: East-West or North-South? (David A. Cantor) Re: PC Pursuit No Longer Accepting New Users (Bill Bradford) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: cogorno@netcom.com (Steve Cogorno) Subject: Re: Wanted: AT&T Merlin Cordless Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 12:17:17 PST Said by: Mark Strow > Please reply to strow@world.std.com. Well, we can't give you Merlin programming codes (or star codes for that matter) unless you tell us what kind of Merlin you have (also what release it is) and the features you are looking for. Steve cogorno@netcom.com #608 Merrill * 200 McLaughlin Drive * Santa Cruz, CA 95064-1015 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 10:36:49 -0500 From: strow@world.std.com (Mark Strow) Subject: Re: Wanted: AT&T Merlin Cordless Thanks for the reply to my post regarding the AT&T Merlin Cordless. I'm sorry if my post wasn't clear. I'm not looking for programming instructions, rather I am looking for an AT&T Merlin Cordless to *purchase*. I have a "Classic" Merlin 410 in my home, and have always wanted the Cordless to go along with it, but can't quite justify th $400+ AT&T wants for a new one. Do you happen to know anyone who might sell one second-hand? Thanks again, M. ------------------------------ From: Anthony_Pelliccio@brown.edu (Tony Pelliccio) Subject: Re: Do You Monitor Cellular Channels? Date: 13 Nov 1993 18:48:18 GMT Organization: Brown University Alumni & Development Office In article , kcooke@uclink.berkeley.edu (Kevin Ian Cooke) wrote: > In light of the recent discussions about scanning cellular frequencies, I > would like your help with the following: > I am interested in writing a story about people who, from time to > time, like to listen to their nieghbors' cellular phone conversations. > I know you're out there, especially folks in the *.dcom.telecom > worlds, since (as I'm sure most of you know) it only takes slight > alterations to cell phones and FM scanners to get them to hear the > cellular frequencies. This is true. Matter of fact a friend of mine is so close to a cell site that his scanner, when it's on the 70cm ham band, picks up cellular calls with ease. It's made for some rather amusing listening. > I know that the above is illegal, and I know that anyone engaged in > such activity could be prosecuted. That is why I'm posting here. You > may reply anonymously, if you must, but I would like some general > information about you, as much as you're comfortable providing. Have > you heard any good stories? Do you feel that what you're doing is > wrong? Did you see _Sliver_? :) From what I've been told, it's not so much illegal to listen to it, as it is to use the information you gather. I've listened to quite a few calls in the past and you'd be AMAZED by how stupid some people are. Tony Pelliccio, KD1NR Anthony_Pelliccio@Brown.edu Brown University Alumni & Development Computing Services Box 1908 Providence, RI 02912 (401) 863-1880 [Moderator's Note: No, I am not amazed by how stupid some people are. Are you amazed by it? Many people are a lot stupider than you give them credit for being. PAT] ------------------------------ From: wts1@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (wts1) Subject: Re: Need to Buy E1 to T1 Converter Organization: AT&T Federal Systems Advanced Technologies - Greensboro, NC Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 15:07:55 GMT In article ken@pluto.dss.com (Ken Adler) writes: > Does anyone know of any companies that make a box that takes in one or > more E1 trunks and convert it to multiple T1 trunks? > I urgently need contact info for companies that have such a product. Tellabs makes a T1 to CEPT (E1) PCM standards converter. Tellabs International Inc. 4951 Indiana Avenue Lisle, IL 60532 PH: (708) 969-8800 FAX: (708) 969-2884 We have used this converter, along with AT&T Network Systems International. One caveat -- this device is not BABT approved for use on customer premise applications in the UK. I think this device used to be referred to as the Delta converter, so named for the Irish firm that Tellabs bought out that makes the converter. Also, methinks that Dowty also makes an E1/T1 converter. DSC may, but I think they require a multiplexer to do the conversion. A Newbridge Networks MainStreet 3600 Multiplexer can be configured to perform this conversion, and is BABT approved, but is quite pricey compared to the Tellabs converter. William T. Sykes AT&T FSAT-Engineering att!gcuxb!gcwts ------------------------------ From: Alan Frisbie Subject: Re: Preparing My Case Against Sprint Date: 13 Nov 93 10:04:55 PDT Organization: Flying Disk Systems, Inc. In article , pribik@rpi.edu (Chris Labatt-Simon) writes: > In most states, you can't take a corporation to small claims court. > Actually, I think that's a Federal statute. You have to hire a > professional lawyer (or an unprofessional lawyer -- it's up to you) to > follow standard legal procedures. > [Moderator's Note: You certainly can take a corporation into Small > Claims Court. I've done it with First National Bank of Chicago and > a few other times. That's the rule in Illinois at least. PAT] You can also sue a corporation in small claims court in California. I just checked the "Small Claims Manual of Procedures" published by the Association of Municipal Court Clerks of California, Inc. There are several references that describe the procedures used when either the plaintiff or the defendant is a corporation. For example, they reference California Commercial Code section 416.10 to determine who the "service" must be made to when the suit is against a corporation. Alan E. Frisbie Frisbie@Flying-Disk.Com Flying Disk Systems, Inc. 4759 Round Top Drive (213) 256-2575 (voice) Los Angeles, CA 90065 (213) 258-3585 (FAX) [Moderator's Note: When suing a corporation, service has to be made upon the registered agent for the corporation who will frequently also be the corporate attorney, but this is not required. Registered agents for corporations, along with the names, addresses and other details of the officers of corporations are public records. Often times officers of corportions try to hide and/or pretend they are not personally liable for corporate affairs. Maybe so, maybe not. In the years I worked with the attornies in Chicago, I don't know how many times I'd talk to the president of a defunct corporation only to have him tell me he wasn't liable for bills the company racked up. But I'd go find a copy of the personal guarantee he had given our client, or a copy of the NSF check the company had written which he had not explicitly signed in his corporate capacity and then of course, he'd start dodging my phone calls at his office. But that's okay. Usually the (former) corporate attorney would also be the (former) corporate officer's personal attorney. I'd just look up his name, call him and tell him I was fixing to sue his client, and why. The attorney would take care of explaining things to his client for me, and I'd get a call back the next day from the guy asking to make arrangments to get the bill paid. Usually I would then dodge *his* calls for a couple days just to let him sweat and show him others can play the game. PAT] ------------------------------ From: cambler@cymbal.aix.calpoly.edu (Chris Ambler - Fubar) Subject: Re: Preparing My Case Against Sprint Organization: The Phishtank Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 15:18:48 GMT > [Moderator's Note: You certainly can take a corporation into Small > Claims Court. I've done it with First National Bank of Chicago and > a few other times. That's the rule in Illinois at least. PAT] Indeed, I have been advised that I serve their California Agent. I'm not going to turn this into a legal discussion and take it off topic, but I've been advised by a lawyer that there was a valid contract, and that it's pretty much an open and shut case. We shall see, and I will keep you all up to date. Christopher(); // cambler@cymbal.calpoly.edu, home of the .plan of Doom! Christopher J. Ambler, Author, FSUUCP 1.41, FSVMP 1.0, chris@toys.fubarsys.com [Moderator's Note: There is nothing complicated or dramatic about serving an attorney with legal process. Usually it amounts to handing it to his secretary who timestamps it and tosses it in the 'in-box'. And remember at all times (unless you *are* an attorney) NEVER practice law. NEVER quote the law. Some of those birds are waiting for you to engage in the practice of law without a license so they can complain. Keep your correspondence short and sweet. Use phrases like 'attornies have said to me that, etc ....'. NEVER use phrases like 'the law in California says, etc ...'. Its okay if 'an attorney told me xyz', or 'attornies have reminded me that xyz' ... it is *not* okay for you claim what the law says based on your own understanding of it. That amounts to the illegal practice of law without a license (in other words, membership in the old-boy's club). One of the functions of my Digital Detective service is locating the names of agents and officers of corporations all over the USA, and explaining to people how to sue them. PAT] ------------------------------ From: drhilton@kaiwan.com (Doc) Subject: Re: Novell Networking Question Organization: KAIWAN Internet Access Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 05:05:32 GMT I'm doing this with a client right now. We have just one network with two file servers. Each day we copy the entire data base from one to the other. If one dies, the users just log into the other and go back to work. E-Mail me if you have specific questions or want more details. Best, drhilton@kaiwan.com - "Doc" ------------------------------ From: puma@netcom.com (Gary Breuckman) Subject: Re: Novell Networking Question Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 19:45:51 GMT In article simkus@cs.odu.edu (Tony Simkus) writes: > Does anyone know the anser to this question? If I have two NOVELL > networks, two separate file server serving each network, what should I > do if one network goes down? Can I use the other file server to > service the other network? If so, what addressing information and > software must I use to approach this problem. I am looking for a > networking scheme that will that will still be usable if one server > goes down. The workstations on the server that go down must know where > to access the new programs. The easiest way to do this, that I can think of, is to make this one network with all the users and both file servers. The NETX command can include a parameter to specify the default server, so you can still divide up the clients to their own server. You can also specify in the logon which server you want login: serv1/name and once logged in you can log into the other server with 'session' or be logged into both, or be logged into one and map a directory to someplace on the other server, or use printer services on the other server, the combinations are endless. If you don't want one network all the time, you could still make provisions to interconnect them when you have a problem. For 10Base-T that could be just a single cable between the two hubs, that is connected when needed. It's a bit harder with thinnet since you would need to connect one end of each network (where the terminators are) together. The only other problem is authorizing accounts on both servers, and keeping duplicate files where needed. puma@netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Nov 93 14:05 EST From: Proctor & Associates <0003991080@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: "Fake Switch" Box or Tester karl@ttank.ttank.com (Karl Bunch) writes: > I'm looking for a circuit or "magic box" that would allow me to > basicly plug to phones back-to-back. Given Phone A & B if phone A > were picked up Phone B would ring, and when phone B is picked up they > could converse as normal until one of them hangs-up. The same could > be true in the reverse (Phone B would ring A if it's on-hook etc.) > I want to hook up a phone to a voice-mail board and allow the board to > ring the phone or the phone to "call into" the board without using up > phone lines etc. Use a ringdown circuit. Proctor & Associates makes one that provides normal telephone loop current and ringing voltage. Go off hook on a phone or device connected to one jack, and it rings through to the other one. Contact Proctor via one of the phone, fax or email numbers below, and ask for info on the 46220 Ringdown Circuit. If you want line simulator that provides dialtone and won't just ring as soon as you go off hook, but requires a number to be dialed, check out one of the telephone demonstrators that Proctor makes. There is even one now that emulates CENTREX and Caller ID. Paul Cook 206-881-7000 Proctor & Associates MCI Mail 399-1080 15050 NE 36th St. fax: 206-885-3282 Redmond, WA 98052-5378 3991080@mcimail.com ------------------------------ Subject: Re: "Fake Switch" Box or Tester From: drharry!aboritz@uunet.UU.NET (Alan Boritz) Date: Sat, 13 Nov 93 06:34:44 EST Organization: Harry's Place BBS - Mahwah NJ - +1 201 934 0861 karl@ttank.ttank.com (Karl Bunch) writes: > I'm looking for a circuit or "magic box" that would allow me to > basicly plug to phones back-to-back. Given Phone A & B if phone A > were picked up Phone B would ring, and when phone B is picked up they > could converse as normal until one of them hangs-up. The same could > be true in the reverse (Phone B would ring A if it's on-hook etc.) What you want is a simple ring-down-tie-line module. They've become somewhat rare since dc pairs upon which to operate them became very expensive. It's been a while since I've used them, but you should be able to find modules that will emulate the original tie line function, as well as one that emulates it over a dialup circuit. Alltel or Graybar might be one place to start. North Supply might be too, if they decide you buy enough from them in a year to be worth talking to. ;) aboritz%drharry@uunet.uu.net or uunet!drharry!aboritz Harry's Place BBS (drharry.UUCP) - Mahwah NJ USA - +1-201-934-0861 ------------------------------ From: declrckd@rtsg.mot.com (Dan J. Declerck) Subject: Re: Microsoft Telephony API/SPI Date: 13 Nov 1993 15:08:15 GMT Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group In article , Joe Armstrong wrote: > Does anybody have any information available about products which use > the recently published Microsoft Telephony API/SPI? > Do you think the Microsoft Telephony API will catch on? Up to now the > CCITT has been the principle organisation responsible for telephony > standards. The microsoft API seems to represent a radical departure > from this. Is this the future? After reading it, it appears to be an X-lib like specification for telephony. It seems to have some of the "old" ways of thinking about telephones in it (like flashing lights, etc). Given, that this spec is supported, and written by a joint venture of two companies with little or no communications experience (Intel and Micro$oft), it seems to have little promise of being adopted as a standard. This may change, if a major PBX or switch vendor buys into it. Dan DeClerck EMAIL: declrckd@rtsg.mot.com Motorola Cellular APD Phone: (708) 632-4596 ------------------------------ From: johng@ecs.comm.mot.com (John Gilbert) Subject: Re: Sat Pagers = Modems? Organization: Motorola, LMPS Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 12:11:39 GMT In article , aa377@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Ken Kopin) wrote: > Ok, please correct my ignorance if I get any of my facts wrong. > 1. Are there such things as pagers that receive signals from Satellites? The current so called "satellite" pagers are not receiving their signals directly from a satellite. The signals are distributed to terrestrial transmitters via a satellite link from the paging terminal. There has been talk about doing paging directly from a satellite in the future. The problem is that reception of satellite signals is great outdoors, but doesn't work so well in buildings where most people use their pagers. Modems would also have this problem. You would pretty much need to be right in front of a window with a Southern exposure for it to work directly from the satellite. I believe many people think that the system works directly from the satellite. The advertising you often see in business and airline in-flight magazines is very misleading. John Gilbert johng@ecs.comm.mot.com ------------------------------ From: barnett@convex.com (Paul Barnett) Subject: Re: Remote Call Forwarding Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 19:21:49 GMT Organization: Engineering, CONVEX Computer Corp., Richardson, Tx., USA In garym@alsys.com (Gary Morris @ignite) writes: > Yes, sort of, use a handheld cellular phone to set your forwarding. > At a recent PacTel sale I picked up a GE (CT-100) handheld cell phone > for $99. My total monthly cost is $20 for the cellular service. I > can forward the cellular number to another phone. There are no > airtime or per minute charges for the forwarded calls (unless the > number is a long distance call, of course) or to change the > forwarding. Forwarding changes take effect right away, I just dial > *72nnn-nnnn on the cell phone and it's set. Plus calls to the cell > number are toll free over a much wider area than regular landline > calls, callers don't pay toll charges and I don't pay airtime for > forwarded calls. [remainder deleted] This is the same solution that I use. However, I would like to point out that not ALL cellular providers will forward your calls free. According to my third-party compilation of roaming agreements and standard service policies, some charge air-time even when a call is simply routed through their switch and forwarded to another number. If my cellular provider were to change their policy and do this, I would switch to their competitor the next day. Paul Barnett MPP OS Development (214)-497-4846 Convex Computer Corp. Richardson, TX ------------------------------ From: rv01@harvey.gte.com (Robert Virzi) Subject: Re: Telephone Query System Questions Date: 13 Nov 93 15:20:45 GMT Organization: GTE Laboratories In article ktsuji@uhunix3.uhcc.Hawaii. Edu (Kevin Tsuji) writes: > I'm a Computer Specialist who primarily work with the Macintosh. I'm > in charge of setting up a telephone query system. Something very > similar to the systems set up by banks and other financial > institutions to handle balance and payment queries for credit cards. > Anyone here know a vendor(s) specializing in telephony products > for Macintosh? > I don't mind working with the IBM PC -- it's what I grew up with, so > if you have set up a system in this environment, please do send me > your vendor and your experiences. Kevin, I know of two Mac products for doing Interactive Voice Response (IVR). They are PhonePro (Cypress Research) and TFLX (Magnum Software). Both solutions are currently single line, so I doubt they will meet your needs. I think Magnum will be coming out with a multi-line solution soon, so check with them. (Basically, I think they may be using a Mac and there software to control a PC with dialogic boards, but could be mistaken.) Both of these systems use iconic programming languages to create the telephony applications. We use them extensively here for prototyping. Very easy to learn, but somewhat inflexible. If you go with a Dialogic board in a PC, you will have to do most of the programming in C. Very flexible but somewhat harder to get working. A word of caution. The user interface to your product can make or break it. Consider getting some human factors input regarding the design of the service so that it is usable. Audio interfaces are very different than screen based applications. If you don't get a HF consultant, make sure you do lots of user testing. You'll learn a lot about what works and what doesn't. Another suggestion is to listen to and play with lots of existing systems. Pay attention to how they work. In your case, I think you will find lots of universities already have IVR course registration. Find out about them. I'd be interested in hearing what other people are using to prototype or build IVR applications. Particualrly, which ones are flexible and easy to modify. Bob Virzi rvirzi@gte.com +1 (617) 466-2881 ------------------------------ From: oberman@ptavv.llnl.gov Subject: Re: East-West or North-South? Date: Sat, 13 Nov 93 19:49:42 GMT Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory In article Carl Moore writes: > There are other cases where a compass direction associated with a > route number is quite different from the actual direction the road is > pointed in right there. In the San Francisco area you can be on I-80 East and I-580 West at the same time. For what little it's worth, you will be going north at the time. R. Kevin Oberman Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Internet: koberman@llnl.gov (510) 422-6955 [Moderator's Note: As you yourself have pointed out from time to time, it's not easy keeping up your reputation as a smart-aleck is it? :) Next time you come to Chicago, ask the cab driver to take you to the corner of Broadway and Sheridan and let him think about that for awhile. (Those two streets intersect at *four* geographically separate and distinct locations here.) Or tell him you want to go to the 1100 block on Sheridan and let him insist all he wants that Sheridan does not begin until 2800 North. Have him take you to the campus of Loyola University then point out to him the two block stretch of Sheridan which runs east and west at that point, and uses east/west street numbers just to kink things up a little. In other words, the building at 63xx Sheridan sits next to a building known as 11xx Sheridan because it is around the bend in the road. PAT] ------------------------------ From: David A. Cantor Subject: Re: East-West or North-South? Organization: MV Communications, Inc. Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 04:14:13 GMT In article , Carl Moore wrote: > Just a tiny spinoff from a comment about the Pacific Coast Highway at > Malibu: It was said in the Digest that it runs east-west. Things can get even more confusing. In Massachusetts, there is a section of road which runs west to east and is signed I-93 NORTH and (state) Rt. 128 SOUTH. The opposite side of the road (running east to west, of course) is signed I-93 SOUTH and Rt. 128 NORTH! In some parts of the country, the compass point designations indicate the actual direction of the road at that point (well, rounded to the nearest primary compass point, I assume), but in other parts of the country the words 'north', 'south', etc. really mean 'northbound', 'southbound', etc. David A. Cantor +1 203-444-7268 (203-444-RANT) 453 Bayonet St., #16 Foxwoods blackjack dealer New London, CT 06320 Relocated from Nashua, NH to New London, CT ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 14:01:49 CST From: Bill Bradford Subject: Re: PC Pursuit No Longer Accepting New Users Another thought about the PCP new-user-shutoff: It may be LACK of users that is causing the shutoff. The recent price wars on 9600 baud and higher modems (Best Buy in OKC has internal 14.4s for $129, externals for $159) may have effectively eliminated their user base. Instead of paying $30 a month for 30 hours of use, people may now be getting high-speed modems and getting cheaper service by dialing direct. PC Pursuit never had outdial nodes that ran faster than 2400. IMHO, it was a great service when 2400 was the fastest you could go. I met our esteemed Moderator on the PC Pursuit Net Exchange support BBS, back when I was a member. Through our online friendship, I was able to meet Pat in person a number of times, the most memorable being the "REAL Chicago tour" shortly after the downtown flood of '92. I was in the Windy City for a week, and those two or three hours are what I still remember most. Thanks, Pat, and keep up the good work! Bill Bradford * stubradfowc@mercur.usao.edu * U. of Science & Arts of OK My opinions and views do not reflect those of the University [Moderator's Note: So you remember our stop at the infamous, known around the world Dunkin Donuts on Clark and Belmont, eh? ... Or was it Belmont and Sheffield that got you all in a dither? I quite agree its not on any tourist maps; very little is other than right along the lakefront from McCormick Place to somewhere on the near north side. I had forgotten, but yes, you were here right after the 'flood' when everywhere you walked downtown had those noisy generators sitting at the curb with fire hoses snaking out of the basements of all the buildings pumping water out into the street sewers. I'm glad to be gone from Chicago, at least technically on paper. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #757 ****************************** ****************************************************************************** Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253