HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: steve@cstat.aztec.co.za
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Voice Line Signalling Jargon
Date: 12 Nov 92 08:16:43 GMT
Organization: Compustat (Pty) Ltd
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 840, Message 10 of 16

Hi Pat and esteemed TELECOM Digest readers,

Our company is about to install a networking device known as the Micom
NetRunner.  This box, amongst other things, is able to carry voice
traffic.

I am a computer-nerd and am ignorant about telecom.  Similarly, our
PABX supplier (Telkom SA) is/are telecom-nerds (do you get them?) and
don't know too much about computers.

So we have an understanding gap.  The Telkom guys are used to
installing PABX tie-lines using two-wire analogue leased lines between
the two premises.  My NetRunner voice-cards support the following
"interfaces":

  E&M (two or four wire)
  KTS
  OPX

Would anyone care to define these for me?

As I understand things, the NetRunner provides a full-duplex anologue
link -- presumably these acronyms are something to do with signalling
so that the NetRunner knows that the PABX wants a connection to the
remote PABX, and so that the remote NetRunner can alert the remote
PABX to the incoming connection (c.f. going off-hook and ringing).

Anyhow, I guess I want to know which of these options is most like
"copper" ...


Thanks for your time,

Stephen Davies, Compustat (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town
steve%cstat.aztec.co.za@ucthpx.uct.ac.za


[Moderator's Note: Purely by coincidence Stephen's mail arrived about
the same time as the question from Mark Wuest earlier in this same
issue. Perhaps, Stephen, you could answer Mark's question about email
in and out of South Africa.   PAT]
From: Joe.Bergstein@f544.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Joe Bergstein)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: RBOC Exit From CPE Market?
Date: 12 Nov 92 12:23:58 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 841, Message 3 of 5

Has anyone heard either rumors or specific information regarding Bell
Atlantic selling their CPE business back to Northern Telecom? (from
which they bought a big chunk not too long ago)?

Is this a trend?  Are other RBOC's getting out of the CPE business?
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 21:05:06 GMT
From: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Music On Call?
Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc., Seattle, WA
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 832, Message 8 of 12

In article <telecom12.823.6@eecs.nwu.edu> leichter@lrw.com (Jerry
Leichter) writes:

> I came home recently to find a strange message on my answering
> machine: Several minutes of music.  There was no voiceover anywhere in
> the message, or before or after it -- just music.  The sound was of
> surprisingly good quality; I'm quite sure we're talking about a direct
> electrical connection, not pickup by a handset of music playing in the
> background.

One possibility is that it WAS music on hold from somewhere.
Something that could easily happen is that someone calls from a
business and decides to not leave a message.  Instead of hanging up,
they accidentally place you on hold or perhaps (on Centrex) don't hold
down the hookswitch long enough and flash instead of disconnect, which
would also place you on hold.


Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com
Date: 06 NOV 92 01:58   
From: MPA15AB!RANDY@TRENGA.tredydev.unisys.com
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Define the A and B Carriers
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 824, Message 5 of 9

Each cellular area has two carriers, the A and the B carrier. Is the
A carrier always the LEC?  When people refer to the "landline carrier,"
is this the same as the LEC?


Randy Gellens                randy%mpa15ab@trenga.tredydev.unisys.com
A Series System Software                 if mail bounces,  forward to
Unisys Mission Viejo, CA                         rgellens@mcimail.com
Opinions are personal;   facts are suspect;   I speak only for myself


[Moderator's Note: The A carrier is the NON-landline carrier in the
area; the B carrier is the landline or wireline carrier; it is the
local telco, or usually some subsidiary of the same parent as the
local telco, as is the case with Ameritech Mobile here. The A carrier
is often known as 'Cellular One', which is a name used by a variety of
carriers on the A side; the carriers buy the right to the name much
like fast food places buy the right to use the name 'McDonalds'. The
carriers jump sides continually. For example, Southwestern Bell is the
B carrier (and local telco) in St. Louis. There they use the name
'Southwestern Bell Mobility' (I think) for their cellular service. In
Chicago, which is outside their telco marketing area, the same company
shows up on the A side as Cellular One of Chicago.   PAT]
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 04:26:02 GMT
From: ninja@halcyon.com (Jonathan Roy)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Leased Line Modems
Organization: The 23:00 News and Mail Service
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 829, Message 8 of 9

Where can I find info on CSU/DSU modems? We will need to purchase two
in a few months to establish a 57.6Kbps link over a dedicated (leased)
line. I've been unable to find info anywhere on Usenet ...

Thanks for any information you care to pass on. If one of the dcom
FAQs deals with this, please direct me there. Also, are there any
magazines that deal with this sort of hardware?

Thanks again.


Jonathan Roy, Vice President, Free Access Foundation.    GEnie: J.ROY18
Mail faf@halcyon.com for information, or FTP to halcyon.com:  /pub/faf/
Internet: ninja@halcyon.com
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1992  22:56:37 EST
From: FZC@CU.NIH.GOV
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Risks of Cellular Speech
Reply-To: TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 837, Message 4 of 11

In TELECOM Digest 12-834, Frank Vance <airgun!fvance@uunet.uu.net>
wrote:

> I for one have been quite disappointed in the way the entire
> cellular privacy issue has been handled by the cellular providers and
> the U.S. Government

I'd like to quote from two books by Robert A. Heinlein.  In his last
book before he died, "To Sail Beyond The Sunset" there is --
coincidentally -- a telecommunication question asked where someone
notices that the video telephones used (in the story) in Kansas City
are flat, and the video in Dallas is stereophonic.  He asks "Why is
Kansas City still using flatties?  Dallas phones are all tanks now."
To which his mother informs him "Donald, any question that begins with
'Why do they' can usually be answered, 'Money.'"

In the second Heinlein book, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," the main
character Mannie points out that people always ask for a law to stop
other people from doing something that they don't like those people
doing.  "Nobody ever says, 'Please pass a law to make me stop doing
something I know I should stop."

So the point is that it's all about money.  It's a lot cheaper (and
dishonest) to leave cellular phones totally open and make it illegal
to listen to them, while causing people to have the (misguided)
impression that the medium is secure.

Another point is that some agencies of the government DO NOT want
telecommunications to *really* have privacy; there are some rumors
that NSA monitors *all* overseas calls, or at least all overseas calls
to 'sensitive' countries.  I am sure NSA, FBI and a few others DO NOT
want real security.

Also, you might ask the same question about why the members of
Congress involved with Mr. Keating of American Savings didn't tell him
to fix the problems with his S&L instead of "accepting the sniveling."
Call it very effective ahem "campaign contributions."  Did the same
thing happen in this instance?  We'll probably never know unless some
Senator's aide does what one did to Ted "Chappaquittick" Kennedy.


Paul Robinson -- TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM
These opinions are MINE alone and nobody else's
Date: 8 Nov 92 21:21:00 GMT
From: ray.normandeau@factory.com (Ray Normandeau)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Computer Dialed Calls
Reply-To: ray.normandeau@factory.com (Ray Normandeau)
Organization: Invention Factory's BBS - New York City, NY - 212-274-8298v.32bis
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 829, Message 6 of 9

This was really for a NYC BBS but others in other cities may like to
see this.  Updated November 4, 1992. They got me again this afternoon
using the 540-4400 number.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
=====================

                Computer Dialers Got You By The Calls?
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

by Raymond B. Normandeau

Normandeau Newswire - No matter where you are from the Nassau border
to the Hudson River you may have gotten a computer dialed call telling
you that you may be eligible for a fabulous prize.

If you have not gotten such a call yet, cheer-up, you probably will.

The recorded message is played to you extremely fast. You may have won
a life-time supply of amphetatmines so that you too may start a
similar business.

Have you gotten computer dialed calls from "Hopping Harry". Maybe
calls mentioning Reno Nevada? Have these calls told you to call a
540-???? number?

Do you think that maybe the recorded messages failed to tell you the
price of the call? Did the recording mention "Five-Four-Oh" several
times? If the recording said "The call is billed at Five-Four-Oh" they
meant that you are billed $5.40. You WERE paying attention weren't
you? Those are the bargain calls, the sky is the limit.

Was an address speed spoke so fast that "slow you" missed it?

If you have multiple phone lines and have been lucky enough to be the
recipient of multiple calls you may like to go pick up your multiple
prizes in person.

You may have been told to call 540-4400, 540-0100, 540-9900 or another
540-nnnn number.

Now ... back to that address. Sneaky us, taped one of those calls and
played back the address.

Would you like to visit the office where the calls came from?  Are you
Hopping Mad?

Here is the address:

Eagleton Group Inc.
717 East Jericho Turnpike #213
Huntington Station, NY 11746

If the recording tells you that you must call within "n" minutes and
you want to get more information by phone without paying a hefty fee
for the call, then dial 718-830-8781 which is a Queens tie line to the
Huntington Station address. You will only be charged for a regular
local call.

So now you have it. You can pay them a visit!

You may have to speak to them real slowly like.

They don't hear as fast as they talk.

However, no matter how slowly you tell them that you want no more
calls from them, they won't stop calling you - ever.
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 16:22:16 GMT
From: cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa.gov (David Cornutt)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: The Worst Phone Lines in the US?
Organization: NASA/MSFC
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 826, Message 11 of 14

rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP writes:

> "As far as we can tell, the worst phone line conditions in the US
> exist in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami/Fort Lauderdale areas.  The
> 'Dallas' software [firmware actually -- PMT] is optimized for these
> difficult line conditions."

I don't know about Dallas, but I lived in Ft. Lauderdale from 1983-88,
and never had any major hassles with the phone service.  (Power is
another matter ... :-(.  At the time I lived there, I believe that
they had a mix of Xbar and 1AESS equipment.  Trunkage seemed to be
sufficient for day-to-day use; blockage was uncommon.

> I seem to recall that GTE is the LEC in Miami.  Is this correct?

BellSouth (under the name Southern Bell) is the LEC in South FL.  As
far as I know, there is no GTE anywhere in Florida.


David Cornutt, New Technology Inc., Huntsville, AL  (205) 461-4517
(cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa.gov; some insane route applies)
"The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer,
not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary."


[Moderator's Note: Oh my goodness yes, there is plenty of GTE in the
stateof Florida. We've had many articles submitted here in the past
about the company there.   PAT]
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1992  18:39:02 EST
From: FZC@CU.NIH.GOV
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: AT&T's COLOR Videophone With Motion
Reply-To: TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 837, Message 1 of 11

In an ad on page A47 of the Nov. 4 {Washington Post} is an
advertisement for AT&T's Videophone.

The ad claims "{available now}.  Just plug it in, turn it on, and
dial.  Full {color} with motion.  No special wiring or separate
costs."

The last I've heard of for video on a phone line was a {still} picture
in {black and white}.  This one's got me stumped, as I haven't the
foggiest idea how they can do {color} on a standard POTS line.  And
supposedly with motion too?  I'm just a lowly telephone operations
supervisor and sometime computer programmer, I can't see how they can
do this in such a small bandwidth.

The phone number for information is 1-800-437-9504.

If their product is even close to what they promise, Picturetel and a
few others should be scared excrementless.


Paul Robinson -- TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM
Any opinions are mine alone.
Date: 11 Nov 92 19:37:32 GMT
From: infmx!jms@uunet.UU.NET (Jack Stephens)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Help With Keyline System
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 840, Message 14 of 16

I'm about to move into a house that is currently outfitted with an
older phone system ("key line", I think). It uses older phones and
five lighted push buttons connecting to some sort of central trunk.

Obviously, my knowledge and information is sketchy. Before I pay
PacBell's usurious rates for inside wiring work, I'm trying to gauge
how much work it would be to do my own wiring.  I've done a fair
abount of work on phones in other apartments, but they have all been
of the "modularjack to twisted pair" variety.

Any and all help would be much appreciaited.


Thanks!

Jack Stephens       jms@informix.com   Informix Software
From: monty@vnet.ibm.com
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: UK Dialtone Competition?
Date: 9 Nov 92 11:40:00 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 835, Message 1 of 11

Charles (C.A.) Hoequist <hoequist@bnr.ca> wrote:

> A query for the telecommies in the UK: my manager last week insisted
> that he had been told by reliable sources that competition for local
> service is allowed in the UK, and not just by Mercury, but by a lot of
> small local companies.

> Can this be? I lived in the UK 1986-88 and never saw anything of the
> sort, but up-to-date information would be appreciated.  Is there a
> choice of local dialtone providers? If not, is there legislation for
> such in the Commons, or any other move that would provoke my manager's
> belief?

This is only in very recent times, and I believe that Mercury has very
little interest in local residential dial-tone (business is a bit
different).

The main rivals are the CATV companies that have won licences in
certain areas. A recent report by the Independent Television
Commission stated a 500% rise in installed lines over the last year.
This is caused by an increase in operators providing 'phone service
and the areas receiving cable. There are currently 61,158 residential
and 11,523 buisness lines (as of Oct 1). this shouldn't be taken as a
definitive split due to the areas where service is currently
available.

On a personal note, NYNEX have been installing CATV and POTS in my
local area for the last 15 months solid, involving many miles of
pavement (sidewalk) being laid with conduit. And also posing a serious
rival to DSB (Direct Satellite broadcast).


Bryan Montgomery  (Production Engineer)

Tel : +44 (705) / (0705) 486363 Extn 8593  Mail Point 32/21
Fax : +44 (705) / (0705) 664431            IBM Havant
Tie : 721 - 8593                           Havant
Internet : Monty@Vnet.IBM.com              Hampshire, PO9 1SA
VNET     : BRYANM at HVTVM4                Great Britain
From: leichter@lrw.com (Jerry Leichter)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Music On Call?
Date: 5 Nov 92 13:16:54 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 823, Message 6 of 6

I came home recently to find a strange message on my answering
machine: Several minutes of music.  There was no voiceover anywhere in
the message, or before or after it -- just music.  The sound was of
surprisingly good quality; I'm quite sure we're talking about a direct
electrical connection, not pickup by a handset of music playing in the
background.

The music was symphonic; I didn't place the piece, but would guess
Debussy as the composer.  (Definitely NOT the schlock you typically
get for music-on-hold.)

Nothing like this has happened before or since.

Any guesses?


Jerry


[Moderator's Note: My guess is someone was playing games. They called
your machine and let it rack up a long 'message' by simply playing
music for however long it lasted before the machine clicked off.  PAT]
From: jongsma@esseye.si.com (Ken Jongsma)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Michigan Bell Charges for Phone Number
Date: 6 Nov 92 00:12:16 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 825, Message 6 of 11


 From the "What can we do to squeeze some more revenue from the
peasants?"  department:

In the monthly Michigan Bell billing insert, there is a large article
that gushes about how Michigan Bell will allow you to pick a
"personalized" telephone number. The cost is only $38!! They conclude
by stating that your customer service rep will be more than willing to
help you.

The article is written to imply that this is some great new feature,
cleverly failing to mention that Michigan Bell had been offering this
new "service" for free up until Oct 5th of this year.

Also in the same newletter is an article about the "Scan Phone" that
someone had mentioned in a previous Digest.

In the Detroit area, you can rent a phone with a built-in credit card
reader and barcode reader. Michigan Bell provides a large book of
barcodes associated with Kroger groceries, a bill paying service and
15 other vendors of various products.

For $11.95 per month, you can use the phone to "shop" from the catalog
or pay bills. Outside 313, you have to pay the long distance charges.

The phone doubles as a caller ID display.

Another example of a supposedly local phone company getting involved
in something they know very little about, instead of concentrating on
provided higher capacity, lower cost local service.


Ken Jongsma                                          
Smiths Industries            jongsma@esseye.si.com
Grand Rapids, Michigan   73115.1041@compuserve.com
Date: 11 Nov 92 07:15:24 EST
From: Alan Boritz <72446.461@CompuServe.COM>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Confusion in Terms: It Was MTS/IMTS, Not AMPS
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 840, Message 12 of 16

TELECOM Moderator notes:

> [Moderator's Note: I am reminded of how children forty years ago liked
> to listen to the VHF radio and spy on the mobile phones of that era. I
> think the service was called AMPS.

Ack!  Shame on you, Pat!  AMPS was the grandfather (or second uncle
twice removed ;) of what we know today as CELLULAR service.  One
former boss (who's most striking thoughts about working with Alexander
Graham Bell's original notes were that his handwriting was so graceful
(no kidding!)) worked on the original AMPS project when he was a
scientist at Bell Labs.  The contemporary "mobile phone" service forty
years ago would have been MTS (which was followed by IMTS and
eventually Cellular some years later).

BTW, the "children 'spying' on mobile phone conversations" scenario
was used very similarly in a paper used to justify mobile telephone
subscriber equipment purchases for (former) New York City Mayor Koch,
as well as his commissioners (and cook).  In retrospect, it sort of
reflected characteristic poorly set priorities.  Municipal executives
worried about a child's pastime, while they let vital communications
resources (office telephone and two-way radio systems) deteriorate.
But that's a topic for another time ... ;)


Alan Boritz	72446.461@compuserve.com