HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 21:10 EDT
From: rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: How Do I Locate Graybar?
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 670, Message 2 of 12

> Some recent posts have referred to a supplier called "Graybar".  Is
> this a chain? Mail order house? Regional store?  Do they have a
> catalog?
 
You should have looked in the phonebook first.  Graybar Electric has a
office in Manhattan.  The phone number I have is (212) 219 8840 They
are set up to do counter sales, and will set up an account for almost
anyone. (volume-wise at least, I'm sure you have to be in D&B, or
otherwise have good credit) They will also take cash, check, or credit
card at least in the southeast.
 
They do have a catalog, but it's quite large, you may want to ask for
a mini-catalog in your area of interest.
 
Similar companies would include Anixter, Alltel, and North Supply.
Alltel, if I remember correctly, includes prices in their catalog.

 
Pat Turner   KB4GRZ  turner@dixie.com
From: plains!person@uunet.UU.NET (Brett G Person )
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Our Moderator and Monopolies
Date: 23 Aug 92 23:25:38 GMT
Organization: North Dakota Higher Education Computing Network
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 657, Message 2 of 10

PAT, you are citing examples of charity, NOT employee/corporatee
relations which is the key to why Standard was broken up.

Getting back to the original thread. AT&T was just too damned big.  It
was THE PHONE CPMPANY.

   Tell me, would you want to buy gas from only Mobile, cars from only
Ford, clothes from only JC Penney?  How 'bout if the only television
station you had was WGN?

   I'm sure the details of the breakup are somewhere in the archives.
I'll look them up before I log out tonight.  I may agree with you
after I have read the details.  But right now,I don't think I can say
that I do.

   There is just something wrong about having only one service
provider.  The comparison with IBM is Dead Wrong.  IBM is big, no
doubt, but there are at least other choices.  What other choices
besides AT&T were there before the breakup?
  

Brett Person     Guest Account    North Dakota State University
person@plains.nodak.edu || person@plains.bitnet


[Moderator's Note: There were lots of choices prior to the breakup.
MCI was selling long distance service ten years before the breakup as
was Sprint. The catch was the inconvenience in using their service
with the extra digits one had to dial and the extra cost their
customers had to pay in the form of local phone message unit charges
to the competitor's switch. Repeat: I have nothing against any form of
competition. I believe AT&T should have been ordered to interconnect
with the others in a fair way at arms-length. They should have been
ordered to include the newcomers in the Separations and Settlements
process and let the local Bells handle the billing and collection for
some fee like they do now.  PAT]
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1992 06:31:35 GMT
From: aub@access.digex.com (Aubrey Philipsz)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Proper Use of 66-Block Punchdown Tool
Organization: Express Access Public Access UNIX, Greenbelt, Maryland USA
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 683, Message 4 of 10

In article <telecom12.669.8@eecs.nwu.edu> julian@bongo.info.com
(Julian Macassey) writes:

> In article <telecom12.667.4@eecs.nwu.edu> gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu
> (Gabe M Wiener) writes:
> X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 667, Message 4 of 6

>> Your description is not clear. So lets make some assumptions.
>> You are using a springloaded punchdown tool. The tool has a bit on the
>> end of it that is reversable. You usually reverse these by loosening a
>> screw or a collet. One end of the bit is for punching and cutting, the
>> other end is for punching only -- used when looping wire across several
>> blocks. The cutting end has a knife blade on one side.

Some tools have a spare blade hiden in the "butt end" of the tool,
with an embedded knob to turn and release the spare bit.  Often this
is where they are hiding the cutting bit.  Sort of depends on what
kind of installation I was last doing ...

> If that blade is blunt or you are using the end without the
> blade. The wire will not get cut. Get a new bit, they cost about
> $10.00, worth it every time.

Or just touch it up with a stone; lots of meat on those blades.

> If this is not clear, stop a telco installer - the guys and
> girls with the macho tool belts. Ask how to use and adjust a puncdown
> tool. Easier to use than a revolver -- much more fun. Both look good
> on your hip.

For a whole generation of phone enthusiasts, this would not be a good
thing to do.  My tools are the wrong color and they might laugh or
something ;-)

Aub
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 21:11 EDT
From: rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Is RJ45 With Notch Same as RJ45 Without Notch?
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 670, Message 8 of 12

> Actually, they both have notches, but the DEC connector (called an
> MMJ) has the notch offset while the standard RJ-45 has it centered. If
> you have MMJ hacks installed in offices you will need MMJ plugs for
> them. The RJ45 will not work.
 
> The jacks are the same, except for the notch.  The difference is in
> the cable.  A standard no-notch RJ-45 cable is wired with a twist, so
> that pin one is connected to pin eight on the other end.  A notched
> cable is wired straight.
 
Actually two different connectors are being discussed.  The MMJ is a
six conductor modular plug whose top "key" (with the locking lever) is
offset so it is asymetrical when viewed from the front.  As the first
author said it uses RJ type modular plugs.
 
The RJ 45 is a eight conductor version of the RJ11, with an enlarged
"shell" and is available in both keyed and unkeyed versions.  The
latter is usually used for voice telecommunications, and often for
data as well.  The unkeyed versions will fit either jack.  As the
second author stated analog RJ45 cables and unigender connectors are
crosspinned (1-8, 2-7, 3-6,..). Dcom cables are straight pinned.
 
RJ11/12/14's will plug into a keyed or unkeyed RJ45 jack, usually w/o
any problem.
 

Pat Turner   KB4GRZ   turner@dixie
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 22:47 PDT
From: jpp@StarConn.com (John Pettitt)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Monitoring Radio Broadcasts in England
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 671, Message 4 of 9

In a recent Digest Mr. Chew asks if it is legal to monitor radio
conversations in the UK.  The answer is NO.  What is more should you
accidentally hear somebody elses conversation divulging the content is
also illegal.  The Wireless Telegraphy Act(s) (there are several I
believe) prohibit doing just about anything in this area (unless you
are GCHQ the UK equivilent of the NSA :-)

Now in practice I have never come across anybody who has been
prosecuted under the WT act.  (I was arrested once for having a CB
radio but that is another story :-).

[I wonder the reference to GCHQ and NSA will cause this post to be read
in those organisations - I you are a spook reading this why not send me
some mail and say hi :-)  :-)   :-) ]


John Pettitt	jpp@starconn.com
Archer N81034	apple!starnet!jpp
Fax:   +1 415 967 8682 	Voice: +1 415 967 UNIX


[Moderator's Note: Actually, no keywords are required. The Digest has
a number of subscribers in federal agencies including NSA. All they
have to do to see your message is read this issue when it arrives in
their mail.   PAT]
From: jpc@avdms8.msfc.nasa.gov (J. Porter Clark)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Summary: RS-422-A: Which Way is Up, Polarity Wise?
Date: 31 Aug 92 17:32:13 GMT
Organization: NASA/MSFC
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 676, Message 2 of 8

Last week I inflicted this message upon the world:

> Over here in the space hardware world we're trying to resolve a
> documentation conflict about the polarity of the RS-422-A signals.

> If I send a "1" (a *real* "1"), which lead, A or B, is positive with
> respect to the other?

> I know this has been a controversial topic in the past, with one
> vendor doing one thing and another the opposite, but what is the
> current thinking?

I received several responses.  I like Fred Bauer's explanation the
best:

  From: Fred Bauer <fbauer@access.digex.com>

> According to the EIA Standards, RS-422-A is a _Mark Negative_ system,
> which means that the A lead will be negative with respect to the
> B lead when sending a binary One. Note that this definition applies
> only to the _Data_ signals.  For the Control leads, A>B means on.  For the
> timing signals, a negative-to-positive transition on the A lead should
> be coincident with the data transitions.  The definitions for control
> leads and clocks are taken from RS-530, as RS-422-A only specifies the
> electrical characteristics of the signals, not what they are used for.

> The same definitions apply in the C.C.I.T.T. equivalent, V.11.

> Some confusion may be caused when interconnecting RS-422 devices to
> MIL-188-114C devices.  The MIL standards specify a _Mark Positive_ System.
> I am not sure as to the exact specification, as I don't have a copy
> handy, but I believe that the polarity of the timing signals may
> be reversed also.
 
Fortunately, I'm not dealing with a MIL-188-114C system.

I upgraded my mini-inews shortly before I posted my original query,
and I soon regretted it.  The "From:" line came out wrong and people
couldn't send replies to it.  Sorry about that, folks.  All fixed now,
I hope.  As a result of this problem, a couple of people posted
followups:

  Hans Ridder <ridder@zso.dec.com>
  tnixon@hayes.com (Toby Nixon)

There was some discussion along the lines of "What controversy?"  I
can remember a time in which about 90% of the industry was polarized
the way it is now and 10% the other way.  Apparently, this is no
longer a practical concern and everyone is consistent.


J. Porter Clark    jpc@avdms8.msfc.nasa.gov or jpc@gaia.msfc.nasa.gov
NASA/MSFC Communications Systems Branch
From: jessea@homecare.com (Jesse W. Asher)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Is AT&T's SDN (Software Defined Network) any good?
Date: 31 Aug 92 01:28:49 GMT
Organization: G.O.D Inc.
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 674, Message 8 of 10

Does anyone have any information on how good AT&T's SDN offering is?
Would it be useful for providing switched DDS lines?  Is this really a
rip off?  Thanks.


Jesse W. Asher     Phone: (901)762-6000
Varco-Pruden Buildings  6000 Poplar Ave., Suite 400, Memphis, TN  38119
Internet: jessea@homecare.COM   UUCP: ...!banana!homecare!jessea
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 04:39:56 GMT
From: coleman@twinsun.com (Mike Coleman)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Weird Intercept
Organization: Twin Sun, Inc
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 681, Message 6 of 14

In <telecom12.658.5@eecs.nwu.edu> MPA15AB!RANDY@TRENGA.tredydev.
unisys.com writes:

> When I dial it I get an intercept that says "We're sorry; your call
> cannot be completed as dialed from the phone you are using.  Please
> read the instruction card and dial again."

I've run into this very problem myself, courtesy of Southwestern Bell
(in Kansas City).  In my case, what that intercept actually *meant*
was "even though the number is in another area code, you must dial as
though it were in this one".  (This took *quite* a while to discover.)

In my case, the logical next step was to dial 1-XYZ-1234, which drew
an intercept "It is not necessary to dial one when dialing this
number", which is apparently Bell-speak for "dial one all you like,
but we're not going to connect you until you don't."

Ugh.  The upshot of all of this seems to be that you're not allowed to
call someone unless you know where you yourself are dialing from.  How
bogus.
Date: 30 Aug 92 15:54:35 GMT
From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Modem Noise on Line
Reply-To: julian@bongo.info.com (Julian Macassey)
Organization: The Hole in the Wall  Hollywood California U.S.A.
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 672, Message 8 of 12

In article <telecom12.664.9@eecs.nwu.edu> shapiro@trade.enet.dec.com
(Steve Shapiro) writes:

> I have a residence in which I have two phone lines. The wire coming to
> the house is a 'standard' four wire line (red, black, yellow, green).
> For one line I use red/green and for the other I use black/yellow. On
> one line I have my BBS attached and so the modem attached to that line
> is quite busy. The other line is for voice.

> The problem is that whenever the modem is active, there is a lot of
> hissing and noise heard on the voice line.
	
	The reason for this problem is the cheesy wire you describe
above. This wire is known as "Quad Wire". It is not designed to
isolate signals. The wire you need for this is called "twisted pair".
For your installation, it would be usually called "Three pair". Three
pairs of twisted wire. The colour coding on twisted pair is always
white/blue stripe & blue/whire stripe etc. Most business telephone
installations use twisted pair. The phone company uses twisted pair
between your home and their central office -- yes this is why you can't
hear everyone else's modems and phone calls.
	
> Is there something I can do on my end or do I have to have the phone
> company come out and string a second physical wire in support of the
> second line?

	Yes, rewire the house with three pair or use three pair to
wire in just the modem. You can do this ($), the telco can do this
($$$), or you can call in an electrician or independant phone
installer (Called Interconnects) ($$).

	The big question is "Why are people still doing installations
with quad wire?"


Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com  N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA
742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 08:50:37 CST
From: apollo@n2sun1.ccl.itri.org.tw (Yee-Lee Shyong)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Asking Something About SLC-120 From AT&T
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 661, Message 15 of 19

Does anybody out there know the architectures or specifications anout
SLC-120 Network Access System from AT&T?  How the Automatic Protection
Switching Unit work? (E1 Trunk).

Thanks in advance !


Apollo
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 10:51:13 -0500
From: David S. Wise <dswise@seafox.cs.indiana.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: What Does This "Western Electric" Box Do?
Organization: Computer Science, Indiana University
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 657, Message 8 of 10

rnewman@bbn.com (Ron Newman) writes:

> I moved into a new apartment this weekend, and found a mysterious box
> plugged into an electric outlet, with wires running into a telephone
> junction box.  Various writing on the box reads:
>    Western Electric
>    2012C  Trnsf.

> [Moderator's Note: It is indeed a transformer to light the dial on a
> Princess phone ... a style long since replaced by the Trimline models.
> The reason you do not need it on the Trimline is because instead of an
> actual little light bulb under the case of a Princess phone, the newer
> Trimline model uses LED's under each push button and they light up

Amendment: Sometime before 1984, ITT sold a Trimline clone -- "Trendline" 
I believe was the cloned name.  The original Trendline (with heavier
"Indestructible 500"-style components) uses the transformer/bulb
arrangement Pat ascribes to the Princess.  BUT, the bulb was not
delivered with the instrument although the phone was already wired for
it (yellow/black).  The Trendline 2 uses a modified LED arrangement,
similar to what Pat describes for the Trimline.

Both these are fully modular phones, and so the original is likely to
be plugged in where it doesn't belong.  Thus, the following is not for
novices: for $1 you can buy a bulb and plug it in to a Trendline.  If
you still have such a transformer, you now have a WELL lighted phone.

Not all the transformers started fires, but a specific subset was
URGENTLY recalled.  LOC (which installed it) should still be able to
identify a nasty, but would probably just beg you to unplug it.

WARNINGS:

If you have such a transformer and don't need it, please UNPLUG IT.

If you want to keep it, check its recall status before using it.

DO NOT ATTACH ANY 2-LINE phones.  Competent rewiring might save you,
but I would not have both in the same building.

And if you put a bulb into an original Trendline, BEWARE OF 2-LINE
wiring.


David S. Wise +1(812)855-4866;  fax: +1(812)855-4829  dswise@cs.indiana.edu
Computer Science Dept., Indiana University, Bloomington, IN  47405-4101, USA
From: schuh@mdd.comm.mot.com (Michael Schuh)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: A Bad Time to Fall Asleep
Date: 31 Aug 92 18:45:05 GMT
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 674, Message 2 of 10

I enjoyed the article.  Thanks for re-posting it.

Fermi's method of locating the exchange reminds me of an anectode
Feyman mentions in one of his books, using the denisty of phone lines
to find the way back to town.

Also, if all atomic/nuclear weapons could be stopped by napping
operators, then we might never have had a cold war.  Interesting
concept ...

Thanks again.


Mike Schuh   schuh@mdd.comm.mot.com


[Moderator's Note: But then again, maybe it never happened at all,  or
maybe it happened, but a little differently than related.   PAT]
From: qianli@ecf.toronto.edu (QIAN Li)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Where Can I Get TL1 Software Package?
Date: 25 Aug 92 19:27:33 GMT
Organization: University of Toronto, Engineering Computing Facility
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 661, Message 2 of 19

I am going to buy a TL1 software package which can be stored in PC.
If you have any information about this package, please send a E-mail
to me: qianli@ecf.toronto.edu.

Thank you for your information.
From: jongsma@swdev.si.com (Ken Jongsma x7702)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: A Bad Time To Fall Asleep
Date: 29 Aug 92 13:13:03 GMT
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 674, Message 4 of 10

I used to live in Alamogordo a few years ago. The town is not that
much larger today than it was in Mrs. Fermi's story. Twice a year,
they allow the public to drive out to both the detonation site and the
ranch house where the scientists were staying. Both locations are
within the White Sands Missile Range and are usually not accessable by
the public.

I was fortunate enough to have been doing some test flights on the
range one day and asked for permission to overfly both places. Ground
Zero is about the size of a round football field. It's been fenced in
and leveled, with a black monument commemorating the event. On the
public access days, they allow a convoy of civilian vehicles to leave
from Alamogordo and drive about two hours to the site. They usually
have a mockup of the actual bomb there as well.

The ranch house has not been used in many years and is pretty much
weathered and falling apart.

When you first ran your story a few years ago, I contacted the
International Space Museum in Alamogordo and the Atomic Energy Museum
in Albuquerque. Both were very pleased to receive FAXed copies of it
for their historical records.


Ken Jongsma                      ken@wybbs.mi.org
Smiths Industries           jongsma@benzie.si.com
Grand Rapids, Michigan  73115.1041@compuserve.com


[Moderator's Note: Alamogordo now has a population of about 24,000 I
believe. I think a half century ago the population was less. Perhaps
you also should send the lead story in this issue to the same places
where you sent the original.   PAT]
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 92 00:00 PDT
From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Another Valuable Service From Pac*Bell
Reply-To: John Higdon <john@zygot.ati.com>
Organization: Green Hills and Cows
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 664, Message 7 of 12

Here, right from the horse's mouth, is a new subsidized service to
attempt to put the competition out of business (and exploit the
network which Pac*Bell controls):

"Pacific Bell plans to upgrade a small number of Pacific Bell Public
payphones in its franchise territory to trial Public Coin voice
Messaging Service (CVM). Our intent is to trial this service from a
limited base beginning the first quarter of 1993 pending regulatory
approval. CVM will allow a caller, encountering a busy or no answer
condition, to send up to a one minute message to their called party for
an additional fee above the cost of the call. 

The caller, after hearing a busy or set number of ring-no-answers, is
presented with a voice prompt offering the service. The caller accepts
the service by following the instructional voice prompts that are
provided when the aforementioned conditions are encountered. Once the
service is accepted, the caller is forwarded to a messaging system
where the message is recorded and the call delivery is attempted at
pre-determined intervals for a set period of time depending on the
condition encountered by the caller (i.e. every 30 minutes for the
next four hours for no answer, every 15 minutes for the next two hours
on a busy).

"During the trial, customers using Pacific Bell public payphones can
leave a message for the party they are trying to reach whenever they
encounter a busy or no answer condition. Customers can now exchange
important information even without reaching the called party live.
Messaging is an important tool for people on the go."

Remember the discussion about whether a telco should charge for busy
or no-answer condition? Looks like Pac*Bell has discovered a way to do
just that (and make the customer think he got something for his money
in the process).


        John Higdon         |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 264 4115
    john@zygot.ati.com      | San Jose, CA 95150 |       M o o !