TELECOM Digest     Thu, 30 Jun 94 13:57:00 CDT    Volume 14 : Issue 305

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Cellphone Tracking and O.J. Simpson (Willis H. Ware)
    O.J. Simpson and Telecommunications (Steve Bunning)
    Calling Cards - IXC vs LEC (Aaron Woolfson)
    GSM Countries (Juha Veijalainen)
    3Com MIB(s) Sought (Paul Ferguson)
    Call Back w/X25, Direct Dialers (Martin Varsavsky)
    Request Information: Distinctive Ring Phone Line Switches (grstone@delphi)
    Connecting a Sound Card to a Telephone Line (Paul L. Egges)
    Mobile Phone Cabling (was: "Re-readiating" Cellular Antennas) (J.
Schiefer)
    Need KSUless Music On Hold Adaptor - Help! (Ms. Sandra M. Levy)
    Voice-to-Text Answering Board (Chris Norley)
    BAM's Digital Footprint (Alex Cena)
    Programming Help Needed With Tandy CT 1030 (Brandon Roy)
    TDMA Phones RF Interference (Thomas W. Christoffel)
    Digital Cellular Data Transmission (Laura McDevitt)
    811 Used For Business Office (Carl Moore)
    Wanted: Comm System For Nursing Floor (Cyndi Cuppernell)
    Re: Satellite Phone Wanted (Don Jamer)
    Re: Satellite Phone Wanted (Kevin McConnaughey)
    Re: Satellite Phone Wanted (Donald R. Newcomb)
    Re: Satellite Phone Wanted (Patton M Turner)
    Re: Satellite Phone Wanted (Rob Janssen)
    Some Random Thoughts From a Reader (Adam Gruen)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Willis H. Ware <Willis_Ware@rand.org>
Reply-To: willis@rand.org
Subject: Re: CELLFONE TRACKING
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 94 10:32:44 PDT


PAT: As requested ...

The recent "Freeway Chase" of O.J.Simpson's white Ford Bronco has
brought into public consciousness the issue of whether a cellular
telephone network is technically able to track a subscriber's handset
and report its physical location.

The {Los Angeles Times} published an article stating that the
cellphone system had been used to track the vehicle.  On the other
hand, local TV stations also interviewed the young couple who, on
their way to the beach, had visually sighted the car and used a
roadside emergency phone to report it to authorities.  The role of the
cellular provider or its technical ability to track is not wholly
clear; but on the basis of all the facts that appeared in local media,
it does seem clear that the vehicle tracking was largely visual, not
electronic.  In fact later in the chase, the driver reported where he
was and when he intended to make turns off/on the freeway network.

The first technical observation would appear to be that a handset is
either handling a call, is on standby, or is switched off.  If the
last, it must be invisible to the network.  In standby, there must be
some periodic communication between handset and the network -- perhaps
polling, perhaps challenge and response -- that allows the cellphone
net to know in which cell an active or standby handset is presently
located.  Otherwise the network could not know to which cell to direct
an incoming call, or to hand off an outgoing call from one cell to the
next as the handset moves from cell to cell.

Therefore, one readily concludes that the cellphone network can track a
unit to its current cell location and from cell to cell.  Presumably,
such location information could be available to the system operators
as a matter of routine oversight of the system, to the creation of
operational records and audit trails, and to billing records.  So the
cellular operator, AirTouch in this case, could probably report to
authorities which cell the Bronco currently occupied.

Probably, the present-cell-location information is available within
the network whether the handset is active or in standby.

As a matter of legalities, the {Los Angeles Times} article did say
that the provider -- AirTouch -- had been "subpoenaed to cooperate"
and it did also say that a wiretap court order had been obtained.  The
subpoena was probably to cover what is known as "transaction records"
which in a cellular system might include location information but
certainly caller and callee numbers and billing information.  The
wiretap order would be required to monitor and record the content of
the calls.

Next, however, there is a point of technical uncertainty.  At
cell-phone frequencies, the antennas are usually made up of multiple
elements in order to get the desired azimuthal coverage and to avoid
wasting energy by confining the transmitted energy to the desired
service area, which for cellphones transmitters probably is a roughly
round flat saucer of radiation.  There would be no point in wasting
energy by squirting it straight overhead or to unusually high angles.
It is well known that broadcast transmitters -- AM/FM/TV -- control the
radiation pattern of their antennas to maximize the transmitted energy
into the service area.

But, does a cellular transmitter control and manipulate the individual
antenna elements for each transmission in order to maximize the energy
directed toward the handset of interest?  Is the phasing among the
many elements adjusted dynamically to point a given transmission
toward a handset and to track its motion?  Are there even multiple
transmitters so that individual calls can be assigned to particular
antenna beams?  Or is there a single transmitter that is used for all
calls concurrently in progress and that deals with the multiple
elements of the antenna as a single composite entity that has a fixed
radiation pattern adapted to its particular location?

In the present state of electronics, multiple transmitters and dynamic
electronic beam pointing would be easily achieved.  But how has the
system been designed?

If angular adjustment is indeed utilized for each transmission, then
two cell sites that can hear the transmission could, in principle,
function as a form of triangulation, and tracking could be more
precise than just "the handset is in cell xx".  IF angular positioning
of the transmitted beam for a given call-in-progress is indeed used,
then it's a collateral question of whether such information can be
extracted from the system by its operational personnel.

The Times article quoted a security consultant from Houston TX as
saying that triangulation had been used by the authorities and that it
had also been used to track down a drug figure in Columbia.  In the
latter case, I can imagine the DEA and other authorities having high
quality triangulation equipment, but it would seem unlikely that local
law authorities would.  So if the triangulation story is correct, then
it must follow that the cell transmitters themselves are able to
provide some level of triangulation.

What are the technical facts about the cellphone network, its ability
to track, and its ability to report location?


Willis Ware    Santa Monica, CA

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

From: Steve Bunning <sbunning@DGS.dgsys.com>
Subject: O.J. Simpson and Telecommunications
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 14:24:16 EDT


In TELECOM Digest, Tue, 28 Jun 94, Volume 14, Issue 301, David Cantor
comments "Frankly, I don't see what the O.J. Simpson case has to do
with telecommunications ...".  How about the use of scanners to
monitor cellular phone calls?

I caught a few minutes of coverage as Simpson was being driven down
the expressway.  As the TV screen showed the vehicle, a graphic on the
screen said something about a "scanner" report.  The person reporting
proceeded to reveal who Simpson had just called and a summary of their
phone conversation.  At least they didn't patch it directly on air.

As has been said in the Digest before, don't count on your cellular
phone calls being private.

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

From: awoolfso@uop.edu (Aaron Woolfson)
Subject: Calling Cards - IXC vs LEC
Date: 30 Jun 1994 02:05:31 -0700
Organization: University of the Pacific


I have a question ... it sort of is something I need to think about
here at Delta Telecommunications, since we will be issuing calling
cards.

What happens if your 1) AT&T card, 2) Pacific Bell card, and 3) Sprint
card all have the same number on them -- i.e. for instance, my pacific
bell card may be 209 956 4765 1111 and AT&T may be 209 956 4765 2222
and my Sprint may be 209 956 4765 3333.  However, what happens when
they are all the same number, including PIN, and I make a call over
AT&T or Sprint.  Does the respective IXC card get charged to, or does
the Pacific Bell LEC card get charged to, or what?

Thanks.  Any information would be extremily helpful.  


Aaron Woolfson  (awoolfso@unix1.cc.uop.edu)

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

From: juha.veijalainen@compart.fi (Juha Veijalainen)
Subject: GSM Countries
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 94 08:16:00 +0200
Organization: ComPart BBS - Helsinki, Finland - +358-0-506-3329 (V.32bis)


Here's a list of some (if not all) countries and operators using GSM.
It's interesting to note that all continents, except America, have GSM
networks.

When is USA, for example, going to catch up ;-)

Information is from 'GSM 940 - Roaming guide for countries and
networks serving Telecom Finland's GSM customers 1994'.

AUSTRALIA
   MOBILNET
AUSTRIA
   E-NETZ
BELGIUM
   MOB-3
DENMARK
   TDK-MOBIL
   SONOFON
ESTONIA
   TELE FIN (Telecom Finland)
FINLAND
   TELE FIN (Telecom Finland)
   (RADIOLINJA)
FRANCE
   FRANCE TELECOM
   SFR
GERMANY
   TELEKOM D1
   D2 PRIVAT
GREAT BRITAIN AND N.IRELAND
   VODAFONE
GREAT BRITAIN
   CELLNET
GREECE
   PANAFON
   SET HELLAS
HONGKONG
   TCSL GSM
   SMARTONE
HUNGARY
   PANNON
   WESTEL 900
IRELAND
   EIRCELL-GSM
ITALY
   SIP
LATVIA
   LMT GSM
LIECHTENSTEIN (Switzerland network)
   NATEL D GSM
LUXEMBOURG
   LUXGSM
MONACO (France network)
   FRANCE TELECOM
   SFR
THE NETHERLANDS
   PTT TELECOM
NEW ZEALAND
   <no network name in list>
NORWAY
   TELE-MOBIL
   NETCOM GSM
PORTUGAL
   TELEMOVEL
   TELECEL
SINGAPORE
   ST-GSM-SGP
SOUTH AFRICA
   TELECOM SA
SPAIN
   TELEFONICA
SWEDEN
   TELIA MOBILTEL
   COMVIQ
   EUROPOLITAN
SWITZERLAND
   NATEL D GSM
TURKEY
   PTT/TURKCELL GSM
   PTT/TEKNOTELL

Prices vary a lot. Cheapest prices are in Scandinavia (Finland and
Sweden). Operators may charge 0 - 15 % roaming charge. Some operators
charge by second, some by other 'units'. When roaming, you'll also pay
a surcharge for received calls (from 0,75 FIM/min in Scandinavia to
9,75 FIM/min in Hongkong).

New GSM networks are also planned for at least: Russia (St.Petersburg), 
second network for Estonia, Arab Emirates.


Juha Veijalainen     Helsinki, Finland
                     tel. +358 40 500 4402

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

From: paul@sprintlink.net (Paul Ferguson)
Subject: 3Com MIB(s) Sought
Date: 30 Jun 1994 14:15:45 GMT
Organization: Sprint Managed Network Engineering
Reply-To: paul@hawksbill.sprintmrn.com


Does anyone know an FTP site where I can find the 3Com MIBs's for the
following:
 
<3Com NetBuider II>
SW/NBII-FF,7.0
X25 - 3.2
Frame Relay - 2.0
CLNP - 2.0
nb2 REM: 1.0.5 
Copyright 1985-1994, 3Com Corporation
 
<3Com NetBuilder-Remote Office>
SW/NBRO-BA,7.0
SPMON Version 1.0.2
Copyright 1985-1994, 3Com Corporation
 
An archie search doesn't provide anything useful.
 
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Please respond via e-mail
to <paul@hawk.sprintmrn.com>.
 

Thanks,

Paul Ferguson    US Sprint 
Managed Network Engineering  tel: 703.904.2437
Herndon, Virginia  USA  internet: paul@hawk.sprintmrn.com

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

From: martinvars@aol.com (MARTINVARS)
Subject: Call Back w/X25, Direct Dialers
Date: 30 Jun 1994 09:59:02 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)


Does anybody know of a platform to recommend to interface a call back
system with X25 messaging?

Does anybody have a platform to recommend that provides Call Back
service with voice recognition, voice mail and fax mail interface,
call back with greeting, ability to network different call back
switches in different countries, multicurrency billing?

Does anybody know what are the best dialers that can be installed at
the clients premises so the client dials normally and these dialers
request the call back and dial without the client being aware of it?
These dialers should be able to be programmed from the switching
center.


Martin Varsavsky   Viatel, NYC.

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

From: grstone@delphi.com
Subject: Request Info: Distinctive Ring Phone Line Switches
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 94 02:03:48 -0500
Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice)


I want a BBS to answer on distincitive ringing, and to no other
incoming calls with standard ringing. COMSHARE 450 costs $89 but has
other bells and whistles I don't need.
 
Anyone know of a simpler, cheaper product that does this?
 
Oh, yes, the BBS is MAC.
 
Thanks.

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

From: pegges@teal.csn.org (Paul L. Egges)
Subject: Connecting a Sound Card to a Telephone Line
Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc.
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 16:44:45 GMT


Has anyone ever connected a sound cards input to a telephone line (via
the speaker wires on modem preferably)?  Does anyone know of a device
sold for doing this (I'm feeling lazy and would rather not design
anything).


Thanks,

Paul L. Egges

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

From: jas@hplb.hpl.hp.com (Jan Schiefer)
Subject: Mobile Phone Cabling (was: "Re-readiating" Car Cellular Antennas)
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 17:57:39 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, England


John Gilbert (johng@ecs.comm.mot.com) wrote:

> for by the 3 db of gain the outside antenna provides.

> Use a cable between the radio and the outside antenna.  You will have much
> better results.  

Just wondering: What cables do the people fitting mobile phones normally 
use?  When the phone operates at 900MHz or even 1.8GHz, you could have
much more cable loss than 3dB, for a roof-mounted aerial.  And how many 
people are prepared to shell out real money for high-quality cable?
And then there is the toy-coax-connector-on-bottom-of-handset problem.

I guess a lot of people experience that the built-in aerial works much
better than the 'professionally fitted' car-mount one.


Cheers,

Jan Schiefer, g0trr, jas@hplb.hpl.hp.com, 
HP Labs Bristol, UK.  +44 272 228344

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

Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 14:46:34 EDT
From: CTDN53B@prodigy.com (MS SANDRA M LEVY)
Subject: Need KSUless Music On Hold Adaptor


A prospective customer has a simple two-line telephone and no KSU.
He'd like to have us custom-create an informational tape for his
callers on hold.

Last I heard Radio Shack had a dandy little Music On Hold adaptor for
up to two lines for right around $50. They've discontinued the product.

Does anyone know where I can find a device that will allow a KSUless
phone with a hold button to deliver audio when the hold button is pushed?

Please answer to CTDN53B@prodigy.com.


Thank you, 

Sandra (call me Sam) Levy
Ideas On Hold
4300 NW 23rd Ave., Suite 299
Gainesville (home of the student murders, and today a toxic chemical cloud
due to an accident -- oh, what a city!;)  FL 32614-7050
Vox 1-800-879-4332  Fax 1-904-367-8339.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There are a lot of Radio Shack people who
read this Digest; maybe one or more will find the product you are seeking
in their left-overs and discontinued products department in their stores.
Regards Gainesville being such a bad place to live, all we here in Chicago
should have to deal with are a few students murdered now and then plus
toxic chemical clouds once in a while. We typically have three or four
murders per day here; 1994 is running well ahead of previous years-to-date
in that category. Violence is rampant all over the United States but it
is worst in the large urban areas, with Chicago one of the leaders. You
wanna move here and I will move there?  Its all quite relative, you see.
At least I was able to move out of Chicago permanently several months ago
and it is a lot more peaceful here where I live now, albiet harder than
ever to pay the bills living at the edge of Skokie/Wilmette.   PAT]

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

From: norleyc@pwfl.com (Chris Norley)
Subject: Voice-to-Text Answering Board
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 94 13:11:31 EDT


I am looking for an answering machine that will provide voice-to-text
capability. Is there such a beast available?

I will summarize the answers that are sent to me.


Thanks in advance,

Chris Norley                        norleyc@pwfl.com
Advanced Materials               phone: 407-796-6561
Powdered Metal, Anyone?        O/V (Profs) : norleyc

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

Date: Thu, 30 Jun 94 09:35:26 EST
From: Alex Cena <acena@lehman.com>
Subject: BAM's Digital Footprint


Does anyone know how widespread Bell Atlantic's digital cellular
service is in its major markets such as Washington DC and Philadelphia?  
In addition to service quality and availability, I am also interested
in finding out what percent of cell sites contain digital radios.


Regards,

Alex

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

From: broy@k12.ucs.umass.edu (Brandon Roy)
Subject: Programming Help Needed With Tandy CT 1030
Reply-To: broy@k12.ucs.umass.edu
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 20:40:50 -0400


 Can anybody out there give me any information about programming 
this cellular phone? I'm pretty sure it can be programmed through the
handset. I have information about the equivilant Radio Shack model,
but apparently there are some differences. Thank you.

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

From: twc0@gte.com (Thomas W. Christoffel)
Subject: TDMA Phones RF Interference
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 15:06:15 GMT 
Organization: GTE Laboratories Incorporated


Anyone heard about RF interference from TDMA cellular telephones
causing problems with automotive or medical electronics?  Please send
replies to tchristoffel@gte.com.


Thanks.

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

From: mcdevitt@pip.oci.utoronto.ca (Laura McDevitt)
Subject: Digital Cellular Data Transmission
Organization: Ontario Cancer Institute, University of Toronto
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 09:41:03 GMT


Anyone familiar with digital cellular high-speed data transmission?
Specifically, I would like to hear about anyone's knowledge or experience 
concerning its application for videoconferencing.

Please send your response to my e-mail address:

mcdevitt@oci.utoronto.ca


Thank you.

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

Date: Thu, 30 Jun 94 12:20:21 EDT
From: Carl Moore <cmoore@ARL.MIL>
Subject: 811 Used For Business Office


Front Royal, Virginia is served by (703)635,636, and newer 622.  I was
just down there, and found that it is served by Centel, and that 811
or an 800 number are used for the business office in Charlottesville.

Is the new Virginia area code public yet?

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

From: ccuppern@s.psych.uiuc.edu (Cyndi Cuppernell)
Subject: Wanted: Comm System For Nursing Floor
Date: 30 Jun 1994 14:51:58 GMT
Organization: UIUC Department of Psychology


I work on a floor at a hospital.  Currently we use an overhead page
during the days and evenings to communicate with nurses and others,
telling the person they have a phone call; need to come to the nurses'
station; asking that the person turn on a bedside call light, etc.

We're trying to find an alternative system.  Other floors use vibrating
pagers, but we've heard that the pagers often break down.  

What system can you recommend?  What would be both the advantages and
the drawbacks of your system? 

Please e-mail me if possible.

Thanks for your help.


Cyndi Cuppernell RN    ccuppern@s.psych.uiuc.edu

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

From: jamerd@nbnet.nb.ca (Don Jamer)
Subject: Re: Satellite Phone Wanted
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 12:29:54 GMT
Organization: NBTel


In article <telecom14.302.3@eecs.nwu.edu> John@VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.EDU
writes:

> Is there a phone on the market that can use a satellite (not a cell)
> to communicate?  Some friends and I want to take a trip to where there
> are no phones (obviously) and no cells.  We thought maybe we could
> rent a satellite phone, if possible.

Try "INMARSAT" (International Maritime Satellite), but boy! is it
expensive !  You might be better off with an HF SSB (high frequency
 --3 - 30Mhz --, single sideband unit).  They carry several thousand miles
and are regularly used in remote areas including barges on the Mississippi 
(for long haul communications).

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

Subject: Re: Satellite Phone Wanted
From: kevin@realtyme.com (Kevin McConnaughey)
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 94 18:30:48 EDT
Organization: Retrograde Motion BBS - Oakton, VA.


John@VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.EDU writes:

> Is there a phone on the market that can use a satellite (not a cell)
> to communicate?  Some friends and I want to take a trip to where there
> are no phones (obviously) and no cells.  We thought maybe we could
> rent a satellite phone, if possible.

There are a number of companies that make briefcase size portable
telephone earth stations.  Scientific Atlanta comes to mind, I think I
recently saw an advertisement in a trade journal.

You will want to arrange for INMARSAT "M" or "B" service with a
service provider.  The only two that I am aware of in the US are: IDB
Mobile and Comsat Mobile.  Both have offices in Rockville, MD.

COMSAT has a promotional plan going with an introductory rate of about
$4.95/minute.  The non-discounted rate is regularly $5.50.  I always
get the two service names mixed up -- but they are both digital
services that compress voice and encode it on the digital carrier.

I think that you might be able to arrange to rent or lease a terminal
through either of these providers.  It would probably be a good idea
since the terminals retail from $10,000 to $20,000.

In addition to voice service there is also the significantly less
expensive INMARSAT C teminals for low speed data.  I am not sure what
sort of services besides TELEX are offered but I would assume that you
could get e-mail access.  These terminals and the rates would be less
than the voice services but I don't know prices.


Regards,

kevin@realtyme.com  (Kevin McConnaughey)
Retrograde Motion BBS - Oakton, Virginia +1-703-758-9084

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

From: dnewcomb@whale.st.usm.edu (Donald R. Newcomb)
Subject: Re: Satellite Phone Wanted
Date: 29 Jun 1994 18:18:52 -0500
Organization: University of Southern Mississippi


Yep! We have a couple of them in my office. About the size of a small
suitcase. Has an umbrella-like dish antenna you set up and point at
the satellite. For some strange reason, they call this an 'Ultra-light'.  
I guess the heavy-weight is van-mobile. I've been asking for training
on how to use them but it hasn't happened yet. As I remember they said
that the price was around $10K per unit (don't quote me on that.)
OBTW, calls are $10 per minute.


Donald R. Newcomb * University of Southern Mississippi 
dnewcomb@whale.st.usm.edu

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

From: pturner@netcom.com (Patton M Turner)
Subject: Re: Satellite Phone Wanted
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 01:53:15 GMT


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Wouldn't the ship to shore (or high seas)
> service work out in John's case?  I am thinking of Marisat or Maristat?
> Can you get portable phones to carry around which use that service?   PAT]

It's called INMARSAT and uses briefcase sized phones.  Cost can be as
low as $5/min for the newest phones.

Ship to Shore is usually used to refer to the AT&T high seas HF service.


Patton Turner  KB4GRZ  pturner@netcom.com  FAA Telecommunications 

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

From: robjan@rabo.nl (Rob Janssen)
Subject: Re: Satellite Phone Wanted
Date: 29 Jun 1994 13:14:08 +0100
Organization: Rabobank Nederland


There are "portable" phones that use Inmarsat.  Not something you
carry in your pocket, but at least they are transportable.  They
should work anywhere between ~ 75 degrees north and south.

However, the cost of calls is huge.  The rent probably just as well.
So, this is only realistic for purposes like sponsored expeditions,
not for your average holiday trip ...


Rob

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

From: Adam Gruen <0006449096@mcimail.com>
Subject: Some Random Thoughts From a Reader
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 14:47:00 EST


TELECOM Digest is a terrific service.  I've learned more reading
through back issues than I could have ever hoped to glean from
perusing telecomm journal articles.  I'm a historian of technology, a
refugee from the Space Station program, so moving from aerospace to
telecommunications is a challenge and TD helps.

I find, by the way, that both fields have the same problem: translation 
 from technese into English.

As an MCI employee, naturally I always notice any complaints about
MCI.  I don't know what to do about Bill Garfield's complaint, and I'm
certainly not an influential corporate person, but I'll try to do
something about it.  Maybe drop a hint with the legal department.

Sidenote on the Simpson case, PAT.  In the U.S. today, it's not
"innocent until proven guilty".  It's not even "guilty until proven
innocent."  Now, it's just "Guilty -- hang him."  No proof needed,
none wanted.

Even the prospect of a justice system with no justice pales before the
spectre of a bored media industry desperate to sell advertising time.
I read not too long ago that CNN's ratings numbers have been down ever
since the Gulf War ended. The problem, CNN analysts decided, was that
there simply was no interesting crisis to grab the attention of the
populace.  One wonders how long it will be before such crises are
manufactured to boost ratings.  And I don't mean penny-ante trumped-up
incidents such as Gulf of Tonkin or U.S.S. Maine -- I mean BIG news,
like a nuclear war somewhere.

Oh well.  Veritas Praevalet.


Dr. Adam L. Gruen


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for your very kind comments about
the Digest. The Digest is something I've worked on for several years 


(continued next message)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 06-30-94                         Msg # 450992 
  To: ELIOT GELWAN                     Conf: (700) EMAIL
From: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.ed        Stat: Private
Subj: TELECOM Digest V14 #305          Read: Yes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@FROM   :telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu                                   
(Continued from last message)
because of my strong belief in the need to educate the public at large
about the way telephones operate. I've believed for many years that
people need to know more and better understand how telephones and the
telecom networks function -- not just from a technical viewpoint, but in
all sorts of ways. Someone commented elsewhere recently that they do not
believe there is an archives, or ftp repository anywhere on the Internet
as comprehensive and detailed as the one for telecom. I don't know if
that is true or not, but I know that ours is quite large and contains
almost every back issue of this Digest since its beginning in 1981 under
the tenure (in those days) of Jon Solomon. If people read them all, they
will learn a lot about telecom ... possibly more than they ever wanted
to know. The Telecom Archives can be accessed using anonymous ftp at
lcs.mit.edu, or by Archie, Gopher, etc ... if you prefer email, use the
Telecom Archives Email Information Service at tel-archives@lcs.mit.edu.
Ask me for a help file using this if one is needed.

Even though I work on the Digest because of my sincere belief that a good
working knowlege of telecom is vital to people everywhere, still there 
remain such mundane things from day to day as paying the bills, eating, 
and keeping the phone turned on. To this extent, one very big and important
part of the Digest is the funding provided by the International Telecommun-
ication Union in Geneva, Switzerland. Their monthly grant is a very
important part of how the Digest survives, but they cannot do it all, and
donations from readers along with corporate assistance is also needed.
If *your company* can assist at all with either a one time grant or a
monthly subscription to the Digest, I cannot stress enough the importance
of doing it today.  TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit educational activity
and publication registered as such in the State of Illinois, and the County
of Cook, Illinois.  Checks may be made payable to TELECOM Digest. Please
help however you can, in ways you deem appropriate. And to those who have
helped in the past, or to whom I have obligations at this time, **you
have not been forgotten** and your help is greatly appreciated.    PAT]

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End of TELECOM Digest V14 #305
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