TELECOM Digest     Tue, 31 May 94 07:46:00 CDT    Volume 14 : Issue 260

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Help Needed: Fax/Answering Machine/Phone (Kathy Vincent)
    x.25 and Internet (Min Hu)
    Help: Bad Phone Lines in San Jose (Terry Greenlee)
    Re: Need Distinctive Ring Line Splitter (puma@netcom.com)
    Re: Hexadecimal Uuencode? (Glen C. Hoag)
    Re: Hexadecimal Uuencode? (Rob Levandowski)
    Re: Hexadecimal Uuencode? (John Gardiner Myers)
    Re: Average Data Speed of Wire Telegraphy Wanted (John Lundgren)
    Re: Average Data Speed of Wire Telegraphy Wanted (Evan Gamblin)
    Re: FCC Seeks Further Comments on 0+ Call Routing (safer@delphi.com)
    Re: Annoying COCOT Problem (Stu Jeffery)
    Re: Annoying COCOT Problem (safer@delphi.com)
    Re: DTMF Decoding Help Needed (John Lundgren)
    Re: Can a Unix Box Work as an Internet Router? (John R Levine)
    Re: Using Call Forwarding to Avoid Tolls (Shag Aristotelis)
    Re: Sprint "Combined Billing" Error (Mark E Daniel)
    Re: Equal Access is Not Available Here (David Devereaux-Weber)
    Re: Rude Not to Leave Answering Machine Messages? (Ole Hellevik)

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: vincentk@ac.wfunet.wfu.edu (Kathy Vincent)
Subject: Help Needed: Fax/Answering Machine/Phone
Date: 31 May 1994 03:23:49 GMT
Organization: Wake Forest University


A friend of mine is having problems on her business telephone line
with a combination FAX machine, answering machine, and two-line cordless
telephone.

Description of the setup:

She has two telephone lines -- two separate jacks, one for the
business line and one for the personal line.  (Both are voice lines.)

The business line has three pieces of equipment on it, connected
in the following order:

  WALL ----> FAX  -------> Answering ----> Cordless
              Machine       Machine         Telephone

The answering machine has to come after the FAX machine on the line so
that if the answering machine picks up and a FAX tone is coming in,
the FAX machine will hear the tone and pick up the line.

The personal line is also connected to the same cordless telephone --
from the wall directly to the telephone (a two-line phone).

The equipment is:

 FAX machine: Sharp GQ-60 (5 yrs old)

 Answering machine: Sony digital TAM-1000 (3 mos old)

 Telephone: Panasonic 2-line phone system KX-T3980H  (1 mo old)
   (cordless)


Description of the problem:

Anytime the line is open for 120 seconds, the FAX machine cuts in.
Even if my friend is talking on the phone, even if she is just calling
in remotely to pick up messages from her answering machine.  The only
way to stop the FAX machine from cutting in is to turn it off -- which
defeats the purpose of having the machine.  Also, my friend spends a
lot of time out of the office as part of her work, so she's not there
to turn off the machine -- and, furthermore, needs the whole
collection of equipment to be working precisely BECAUSE she's not
there.


Request for help/suggestions/anythingelseuseful:

1.  Does anyone have any ideas how my friend might be able to
    get all that equipment to work together -- and keep the
    FAX machine from interrupting after any and every 120
    seconds of open line?  Any useful tricks to try?
    Might there be some piece of not-too-expensive (<$100) equipment
    that could solve the problem?

2.  Can anyone recommend integrated equipment -- a 3-in-one
    combination in which all THREE elements are quality?
    She says she's found some combinations, but the answering
    machine is usually junk.  She would prefer a digital answering
    machine (i.e., no tapes).  Can anyone recommend anything that might
    do the job -- especially anything <=$500?

Thanks for any help, via follow-up or email.  If anyone else is
interested, I'll summarize any email responses on the net.


Kathy Vincent   vincentk@ac.wfunet.wfu.edu

------------------------------

Subject: x.25 and Internet
From: Min Hu <hu@physics.utoronto.ca>
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 02:24:32 -0400


I am wondering if there is any free gateway between X.25 network and
Internet.  Specifically speaking, a friend of mine has account in the
X.25 network -- DATAPAC, a X.25 network in Canada. I have an account
on an Internet machine. I want to transfer some files to him, but do
not know if there is a gateway between DATAPAC and the Internet so
that he can log into my system. 


Thanks,

MIN

------------------------------

From: terry@hh.sbay.org (Terry Greenlee)
Subject: Help: Bad Phone Lines in San Jose
Date: 30 May 94 20:44:36 GMT
Organization: Hip-Hop BBS


I am having trouble with my phone lines at home and I was wondering if
anyone else had this same thing happen to them?  My existing two
lines in my home work fine at 14.4. The phone company brought in more
lines to add a third line.

The third line will only connect at 7200 bd at best and usually 4800
bd. I tested them at the box beside the house to make sure it was not
my inside wires. The phone company tested it from the main office and
found no problem. Monday a Bell tech will come out to test.

I have this same problem in Modesto on a fax line also.  Does anyone
at Pacific Bell know how to fix these problems?  Can you point my in
the right direction?


Thank you for any help.

Terry  terry@hh.sbay.org

------------------------------

From: puma@netcom.com (puma)
Subject: Re: Need Distinctive Ring Line Splitter
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 01:07:21 GMT


In article <telecom14.255.4@eecs.nwu.edu>, Al Cohan <0004526627@mcimail.
com> wrote:

> I purchased a device from Lynx Automation, Inc. in Washington State
> and the device is purported to sense the incoming ring cadence an
> forward the call to either a phone system or fax. This unit is
> available in two and four line versions corresponding to the four
> distinct industry standard cadences available.

> We now come to find out that the company says "Oh, it sometimes
> doesn't work with 1A2 and some PBX's. It seems to work okay with the
> newer electronic key systems". Well I am steamed! MY client is not
> about to upgrade to a new system nor pay the $100 installation charge
> for a residential line plus about $26.00 per month for low fax usage.

I would think, provided that your PBX or 1A2 has individually numbered
trunk lines coming in (as opposed to a DID scheme where telco passes
the number dialed to you on common trunk lines) that you could install
a distinctive ring type switch on the line BEFORE the PBX/1A2.  In
other words, the incoming line would go to the switch, and the normal
single ring output would go to the PBX/1A2, the double ring output
would go directly to the FAX.

The problem I still see is with hunt groups.  The fax line would have
to be a separate line not part of a hunt group, otherwise you could
not tell which trunk the calls would come in on.  I wouldn't think you
could get distinctive ring in that situation anyway.


puma@netcom.com

------------------------------

From: Glen C. Hoag <glenhoag@banana-9000.nuance.com>
Subject: Re: Hexadecimal Uuencode?
Date: Mon, 30 May 94 10:46:07 CDT
Organization: Lamir Software Corp.
Reply-To: glenhoag@banana-9000.nuance.com


In article <telecom14.257.9@eecs.nwu.edu>, alavarre@ids.net writes:

> We're having a problem properly recieving attachments from a remote
> site.  The administrator claims the remote site has a "binary to
> hexadecimal" encoder, implying that hex is being transmitted.  The
> remote site is using CC:Mail.  The users we're working with haven't
> got a clue ...

> Sounds like hogwash to me, I've never heard of such, and all my docs
> on three different sets of uuxxcode only talk about binary to ASCII
> and back.

> But before I jump down their throat I thought I'd ask somebody that
> *really* knows what's happening ...

Is it possible that the site in question is Mac-based and using
BinHex?  BinHex is a standard encoding for Macintosh files over
"foreign" systems.  I'm not familiar with the encoding choices that
cc:Mail offers, but many Mac <-> SMTP/UUCP gateways support BinHex and
UUencoded AppleSingle (which is yet another can of worms).

The actual standard for BinHex is available at the usual Macintosh
archives, such as sumex-aim.stanford.edu and mac.archive.umich.edu.
There are BinHex decoders for other platforms, as well.

------------------------------

From: rlvd_cif@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Rob Levandowski)
Subject: Re: Hexadecimal Uuencode?
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Mon, 30 May 94 17:46:52 GMT


In <telecom14.257.9@eecs.nwu.edu> alavarre@ids.net writes:

> We're having a problem properly recieving attachments from a remote
> site.  The administrator claims the remote site has a "binary to
> hexadecimal" encoder, implying that hex is being transmitted.  The
> remote site is using CC:Mail.  The users we're working with haven't
> got a clue ...

Could it be "BinHex", the Macintosh file converter? Mac files are
usually run through this program for UNIX emailing; the Mac file
structure is difficult to convert to a binary format that other
computers can deal with.  BinHex, and its workalikes, convert the Mac
file to an ASCII representation (which, I believe, is in hexadecimal
code).

Such files are normally suffixed ".hqx".


Rob Levandowski   macwhiz@cif.rochester.edu
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester

------------------------------

From: John Gardiner Myers <jgm+@CMU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Hexadecimal Uuencode?
Date: Mon, 30 May 1994 16:48:39 -0400
Organization: Systems Group 97, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


Well, it would help to see a sample of the message to determine what
format it might be in.

One possibility might be that it is in MIME (Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extensions) format, a relatively new but increasingly popular
standard for encoding non-text things in messages.

The base64 encoding of MIME, which is usually used for the encoding of
binary objects, looks something like:

WW91IGhhdmUgdG9vIG11Y2ggdGltZSBvbiB5b3VyIGhhbmRzLCB0byByZWFkIHRoaXMuICAg

There is also an encoding called quoted-printable, which looks like
normal text with a bunch of = signs in it, especially at the ends of
lines.

Assuming you don't have any existing MIME-aware software, the easiest
way to be able to decode MIME is to get mpack/munpack, via anonymous
FTP to ftp.andrew.cmu.edu, in directory pub/mpack.  Versions are
available for Unix, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and the Amiga.  The software
can also decode uuencoded messages.

If munpack does not produce any results on a particular MIME message,
it might help to try again using the "-t" switch (or on the Macintosh,
by checking the "Extract Text Parts" box under Preferences).


John G. Myers Internet: jgm+@CMU.EDU
LoseNet: ...!seismo!ihnp4!wiscvm.wisc.edu!give!up

------------------------------

From: jlundgre@ohlone.kn.PacBell.COM (John Lundgren)
Subject: Re: Average Data Speed of Wire Telegraphy Wanted
Date: 31 May 94 00:49:44 GMT
Organization: Pacific Bell Knowledge Network


Steve Chafe (itstevec@rocky.ucdavis.edu) wrote:

> Does anyone know what the average speed (in characters per minute, or
> whatever is appropriate) of a professional telegrapher would have been
> when wire telegraphy was the main mode of electronic communication?
> I'm trying to do a comparison of data communication speed then and
> now, so I'd love to hear any thoughts that people can offer.

The biography of Thos. A. Edison had some stuff about how fast Edison
was at the key.  But he was at least twice as fast as an average
telegrapher, maybe more.  My guess would be about twenty words per
minute.  BTW You could ask the hams on rec.radio.amateur.misc for an
answer.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 May 1994 20:23:03 -0400
From: egamblin@ott.hookup.net (Evan Gamblin)
Subject: Re Average Data Speed of Wire Telegraphy Wanted


> Does anyone know what the average speed (in characters per minute,
> or whatever is appropriate) of a professional telegrapher would have
> been when wire telegraphy was the main mode of electronic
> communication?

"A top operator could bang out 40-50 words a minute; 25-35 words was
competent".

This was the situation in the mid-1850s, according to A Voice From
Afar (The History of Telecommunications in Canada), ISBN 0-07-082867-9.

Were these five-letter words, as in typing?


Evan Gamblin    The Halifax Group
903-275 Sparks St   Ottawa, Ont K1R 7X9 Canada

------------------------------

From: safer@delphi.com
Subject: Re: FCC Seeks Further Comments on 0+ Call Routing
Date: Mon, 30 May 94 18:12:20 -0500
Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice)


Gordon Burditt <gordon@sneaky.lonestar.org> writes:
 
>> Currently, 0+ calls are sent to the operator services provider
>> (OSP) to which the premises owner or payphone provider presubscribes.
>> Under BPP, calls would be routed automatically to the OSP preferred by
>> the party being billed for the call.  For example, a calling card call
>> would be routed to the cardholder's preferred OSP.  A collect call
>> would be routed to the called party's preferred OSP.  A call billed to
>> a third party would be routed to the OSP to which that third party had
>> presubscribed.
 
That just great, lay off thousands from OSP companies.  Destroy an
entire inudstry, just because a couple of people can't figure out
10xxx? Plus we the consumer will have to come up with millions to fund
Bill Party Preference.  Then as consumers were going to have to
subsidize it too.  If you want my opion it's just simplier to dial
1-800-COLLECT or 1-800-CALL-ATT.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 05:30:47 -0800
From: stu@shell.portal.com (Stu Jeffery)
Subject: Re Annoying COCOT Problem


In TELECOM Digest V14 #257, Darren Griffitsh writes:

> Basically, if I call my voice mail system to check for messages the
> phone frequently cuts out the keypad, disabling DTMF tones ...

Why don't you try a pocket dialer from Radio Shack, etc.


Stu Jeffery              Internet: stu@shell.portal.com
1072 Seena Ave.                   voice:   415-966-8199
Los Altos, CA. 94024              fax:     415-966-8199

------------------------------

From: safer@delphi.com
Subject: Re: Annoying COCOT Problem
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 07:02:16 -0500
Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice)


Darren Alex Griffiths <dag@ossi.com> writes:
 
> Basically, if I call my voice mail system to check for messages the
> phone frequently cuts out the keypad, disabling DTMF tones, before I'm
> finished with the call.  I've given up using my calling card since the
> extra digits allow me to only check two or three messages; without the
> calling card I can get through a few more messages but using the pause
> or rewind functions are not advised. Misdialing of the password essenti-
> ally makes the call useless since I have to redial it and by that time
> I wasted most of my precious digits.
 
As a owner of 2000 COCOTS I like to say in defense that we lock out
our keypads after connection for protection against fraud because the
LEC splashes back dial tone sometimes after a disconnect.


NEPTUNEZ@MCIMAIL.COM


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Why don't *you* resolve that problem by
registering with telco to get a coin line then? With telco's assistance
and using call supervision, you could eliminate most of the fraud problems
you encounter while not making it so rough on your honest customers.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: sgiblab!news.kn.PacBell.COM!jlundgre@uucp-gw-2.pa.dec.com (John
Lundgren)
Subject: Re: DTMF Decoding Help Needed
Date: 30 May 94 16:05:02 GMT
Organization: Pacific Bell Knowledge Network


DANIEL FINKLER (dfinkler@world.std.com) wrote:

> west_c212@orion.crc.monroecc.edu writes:

>> I am writing a program that needs to decode telephone touch tone
>> signals.  The problem is that I am having trouble finding a DTMF
>> decoder.  If anyone know where I can get ahold of one I would
>> appreciate it.

> You can use USRobotics courier modems' touch tone recognition feature.
> They can recognize DTMF tones, including A,B,C,D.

Also, ZyXEL modems can recognize DTMF.  There is a ZyXEL FAQ at
nctuccca.edu.tw.  Under /pc/zyxel/ directory.

There are other sites also.


John Lundgren - Elec Tech - Info Tech Svcs 
Rancho Santiago Community College District 
17th St. at Bristol \ Santa Ana, CA 92706  
VOI (714) JOHN GAB \ FAX (714) JOHN FRY    
jlundgre@kn.pacbell.com \ jlundgr@eis.calstate.edu

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 May 94 12:37 EDT
From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine)
Subject: Re: Can a Unix Box Work as an Internet Router?
Organization: I.E.C.C., Cambridge, Mass.


> If so, what's the *cheapest* router available?  Can a Unix box
> connect to a digital comm line (56k)?

The answer to the first question is an old 286, which costs about
$300, running PCROUTE, which is free.  You need to add in an Ethernet
card, about $60, and the DDS interface.  The leased line FAQ just
posted includes, a reference for a DDS interface with packet driver
software that will let it work under PCROUTE.

It's true, PCROUTE has been around for a while.  But fortunately IP
routing (other than at the highest performance backbone sites) hasn't
changed for years, so it works just fine.  I use a pair of 286es with
Wavelan wireless Ethernet cards to hook to the Internet and it works
great.  Hard to beat the price.


Regards,

John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, jlevine@delphi.com, 1037498@mcimail.com

------------------------------

From: birchall@pilot.njin.net (Shag Aristotelis)
Subject: Re: Using Call Forwarding to Avoid Tolls
Date: 31 May 94 00:42:52 GMT
Organization: Screaming in Digital, the Queensryche Digest


I can offer some practical experience and information concerning the
legality of this practice.

Two years ago, I put in a forwarding line at a relative's house to
avoid tolls on calls to the 'net.  At the time, I talked quite a bit
to multiple people at the RBOC, and established that it was legal (if,
perhaps, not very ethical) since I was paying for all the services
involved.  Since that time, I have paid $15/month for the line with
forwarding, and have as a result had unlimited access to the 'net.

The dialin I use has 48 modems on it, in a hunt group, so I also let
other net-users from my county (a fairly rural area) dial in through
that number and through the data line here, which now also has
forwarding on it, pointing to the original forwarding line.  This
effectively provides free dialins to the state universities for users
in two dozen townships.  The maximum distance possible from a user
through the two forwards to the university dialup is currently
approximately 35 to 40 miles.

I have developed diagrams covering the entire RBOC territory in this
state, and at least one other similar (one-hop) system is in place in
the next area code.  In the coming months, there's a possibility that
an internet access provider will be established in my county, using
forwarding lines (set up by guess who) to connect to a higher-level
service provider near the city.


Shag

Screaming in Digital: queensryche-request@pilot.njin.net
GEOS Binary Moderator: comp-binaries-geos@pilot.njin.net

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30May 1994 16:53:04 EST
From: mark@legend.akron.oh.us (Mark E Daniel)
Subject: Re: Sprint "Combined Billing" Error


In article <telecom14.245.12@eecs.nwu.edu> is written:  

> pheel@panix.com (Mike Pollock) writes:

>> Sprint recently changed me over from direct billing to "combined
>> billing" on my NYNEX local telephone bill.  Simple, right?  Wrong.

> One solution is simply to not pay the NYNEX bill, call Sprint, and

The thing I really dislike about combined billing is that it takes so
damn long to be billed for a call.  If I make an Ameritech Calling
Card today I will be billed for it on my June 1, 94 bill.  But if I
make a 1+ or a FONCARD call with Sprint (my default carrier) I won't
be billed until 7/1.  I suppose I ought to call Sprint and say I want
a seperate bill as it *used* to be.  Either that or switch back.  AT&T
doesn't suffer from this slowness.


Mark E Daniel                  (Loving SysOp of The Legend BBS)
Inet: mark@legend.akron.oh.us  medaniel@delphi.com (Direct INet)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 May 94 14:47:45 CDT
From: David Devereaux-Weber <weberdd@clover.macc.wisc.edu>
Reply-To: David Devereaux-Weber <weberdd@macc.wisc.edu>
Subject: Re: Equal Access is Not Available Here


Jeff.Shaver@f615.n14.z1.fidonet.org  asked about equal access.

Jeff, you don't say where this is.  Equal Access depends on "generic"
software in the telephone central office switch.  If their switch
doesn't support it, they can't do it untill they put in a new CO
switch.  Switches costs continue to rise.  The increase of technical
complexity and cost is making it increasingly difficult for small
independents.

Public Service Commissions regulate telephone service within their
state, and the Federal Communications Commission regulates telephone
companies at the federal level.  If you want to get the phone company's
attention, send them a letter asking them to let you know when they
intend to implement equal access.  Let them know that if you don't get
a response, your next letter will be copied to the PSC and the FCC.


David Devereaux-Weber, P.E.             weberdd@macc.wisc.edu (Internet)
The University of Wisconsin - Madison   (608)262-3584 (voice) 
Division of Information Technology      (608)262-4679 (FAX)
Network Engineering

------------------------------

From: oleh@eskimo.com (Ole Hellevik)
Subject: Re: Rude Not to Leave Answering Machine Messages?
Organization: Eskimo North (206) For-Ever
Date: Mon, 30 May 1994 21:26:02 GMT


J.Harrison@bra0112.wins.icl.co.uk wrote:

[ stuff about answering machines deleted ]

> Incidentally while I'm at the keyboard ... it's taken me a while to
> realise that US analogue cellular systems providers require you, the
> the phone owner and payer of the airtime bill, actually to pay for
> incoming calls. How the heck have they managed to convince people to
> go for that?!?

By making the other cost of calling to and from a cellular phone the
same as a land line phone, i.e.: no charge (except airtime) if you're
in the same city.  I don't know how it works in the UK, but I know
that in Norway, there is always a toll charge equivalent to the most
expensive LD call no matter how close (or far away) the cellphone is.


Ole C. Hellevik
linqdev!oleh@ole.cdac.com   oleh@eskimo.com   74151.1136@compuserve.com

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #260
******************************

