From: gordon@sneaky.lonestar.org (Gordon Burditt)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: What Are the Prefix "Codes" For Tone Dialing?
Date: 3 Jan 93 18:50:53 GMT
Organization: Gordon Burditt
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 13, Issue 7, Message 13 of 13

>>> *65 turn on delivery of caller id (if you are subscribed)
>>> *85 turn off delivery of caller id (why would anyone want to do this?)

>> Because some phone companies charge for Caller-ID on a per-number-
>> delivered basis?

>> [Moderator's Note: IBT used to do that, but starting a few months ago
>> they no longer charge for delivery over a certain number. One monthly

So someone might want to turn it off if they don't normally exceed
that number, or they're going on vacation for a good portion of a
month and won't exceed the "certain number".  (My incoming VOICE calls
probably wouldn't exceed that number in a month, whatever it is.)

>> fee pays for it all.  Another oddity IMHO here is that call screening
>> can be turned on with *60 and turned off with *80. This is despite the
>> fact that while within the *60 menu of things to do, one can both add
>> and remove numbers from the repertoire. If you can add or delete
>> whatever you want there, why bother to have a command to turn it off?

Individually adding and deleting 10 or 20 numbers takes a lot of time.
(I still claim that for this service to replace Caller-ID in getting
rid of telemarketers, the list needs to be able to hold 10 or 20
thousand numbers).  Can you delete all the numbers and add them back
later?  This implies an ability to list all the numbers, including
ones added with "screen out last caller".  Can you do that?  If so,
the anti-Caller-ID folks will scream about that one.

By the way, can you reliably load up your list with a modem or
autodialer?  In spite of certain modems with voice mail capability,
you're not easily going to have voice recognition capability, and
you'll have to put up with using blind pauses, "wait for bong", "wait
for dial tone", "wait for quiet answer" and such which most modern
modems have.  Is there some way to load your list starting from an
unknown state, again with a modem or autodialer?  You can't if the
menu items change numbers depending on whether you have numbers in the
list, or if the tone sequence varies depending on whether you have
numbers programmed (conditional "are you sure" prompts, for example).

>> Perhaps it is because IBT is not marketing Call Screening as a
>> permanent way to get rid of troublesome callers, but merely as a way
>> to avoid certain people at certain times of day; although I cannot
>> imagine be willing to chat with certain numbers on my list regardless
>> of the time of day or occassion. Ditto the feature where you can list

One way it could be used is to screen out somewhat over-enthusiastic
callers from, say, your spouse's family except when your spouse is there.
Or except when you have time to talk after the kids are asleep.
These callers might even like it if it saves them LD charges on
"sorry, s/he's not home yet" calls.  You don't have to use Call
Screening to get rid of telemarketers and other pests; it may not be 
very effective anyway if they have lots of lines.  And not everyone 
has obscene callers bothering them.

>> certain callers to get the red carpet with special ringing on your
>> end; that too can be turned off, although if your boss is an important
>> person to hear from at 3 PM, why wouldn't he be important at 3 AM?  PAT]  

If you're using the distinctive ring pattern to ring the phone in your
workshop (where you don't want to be disturbed except in emergencies),
it's not going to be very effective to route calls there unless you're
IN your workshop (which you probably won't be at 3AM).  So you turn it
on and off depending on where you are.

By the way, who said the treatment you give callers on the list has to
be "red carpet"?  It could be just the opposite, as in asking certain
deadbeats to pay their bills or contact your lawyer.  You could also
use a pre-arranged setup that calls from certain people during the day
get voice, and calls after hours get the fax machine or modem.  This
may not be very good for businesses, but it might be for
work-in-the-field or work-at-home employees.


Gordon L. Burditt    sneaky.lonestar.org!gordon