HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: maj@cl.cam.ac.uk (Martyn Johnson)
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
Subject: Re: Answering machine that calls out
Date: 12 Jan 93 16:48:36 GMT
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK

In article <1993Jan12.151432.3786@dcs.warwick.ac.uk>, alfie@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Nick Holloway) writes:
|> Is it true that it is not possible to leave alpha messages via modem?
|> You feel a bit silly ringing the operator with a message "Prepare
|> for invasion at 6.30", so just leave the "We'll arrive for dinner at
|> half six". :-(

The University of Cambridge paging system allows you to send alphanumeric
messages from a touch-tone keypad.  It's a bit tedious though; your example
message would be:

**80**82**69**80**65**82**69**64**70**79**82**64**73**78**86
**65**83**73**79**78**64**65**84**646**6330

(Only upper case letters are available, unfortunately - it's really
intended for keying in room numbers, in conjunction with a menu of
pre-defined phrases like "Emergency in room " which are on other **NN
codes).

In principle, the phone line will also talk to a modem, offering full
ASCII messages, though the interface is not considered fit for public
consumption.  The public interface for alphanumeric messages is via
the data network.

This is a Philips system.
-- 
Martyn Johnson      maj@cl.cam.ac.uk
University of Cambridge Computer Lab
Cambridge UK
From: graeme@fulcrum.co.uk (Graeme Hodgson)
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
Subject: Trade Press
Date: 12 Jan 93 09:46:00 GMT
Organization: Fulcrum Communications

Can anyone recommend any industry magazines providing a general
overview of what's going on in the telecommunications industry?

I am aware of Communications International and Communications Weekly
but I don't have publishers for these.

I will post a summary of titles and publishers if there's any
interest...

--
Hodj
Email to graeme@fulcrum.co.uk     |        <witty quote pending>
 - whenever the mood takes you.   |
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: phil@dhcs.demon.co.uk (phil)
Subject: Re: BT credit lists?
Organization: IISC, Brain Surgery Dept.
Apparently-To: mail2news@news.demon.co.uk
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 17:34:36 +0000

In article <1993Jan7.100331.11097@vax.oxford.ac.uk> mjl@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:

.......
   Is this really true that credit ratings of addresses are used to determine in
   advance the likely creditability of a person living there, does anyone know?

Yes - for a long time now. Groups like the Consumers Association are trying to
get this changed since you can be credit blacklisted simply because the house
you now live in was previously occupied by a bad credit risk. It's interesting
to get a credit reference on yourself, and see who else lived at the same
address (credit reference agencies must, by law, provide a listing of all
information they have on an individual to that individual for a small fee,
usually a pound or so). When I ran a check I received credit details for the
previous two occupants of my house as well as my own!

.......
   I am
   concerned that we may be entering the time when if you are unusual enough NOT
   to have credit cards then as you have no positive credit references you 
   suffer almost as though you had a negative reference.

Been this way a long time I'm afraid. It's much harder to get credit if you
have _NO_ credit history than if you have _BAD_ credit history.

####		Phil Shotton    -    phil@dhcs.demon.co.uk	####
####		    It's life Jim, but not as we know it	####
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: rob@sound.demon.co.uk (Robert J Barth)
Subject: Re: Answering machine that calls out
Reply-To: rob@sound.demon.co.uk
Distribution: world
X-Mailer: cppnews $Revision: 1.30 $
Organization: Sound & Vision BBS (UK) 0932 252323
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 23:32:58 +0000

>I am responsible for a Large(ish) Novell network, and would like to be able
>to know about problems reported when I am not at my phone.

I guess you know that you could get an answerphone that lets you bleep at it
from wherever you are, to listen to the messages.  This is more flexible, i.e.
you can listen from wherever you are....

-rob-

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| Nominal  : Rob Barth             | RJB Communications (+44) (0)932 253131 |
| InterNet : rob@sound.demon.co.uk | Sound & Vision BBS (+44) (0)932 252323 |
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Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: evansmp@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mark Evans)
Subject: Re: BT credit lists?
Organization: Aston University
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL241235]
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 13:50:53 GMT

Robin Fairbairns (rf@cl.cam.ac.uk) wrote:
: 
: If Martin's elderly relative doesn't mind, and if Martin trusts him, I
: would suggest that _Martin_ take on the position of being the BT
: subscriber (sorry, customer) at his relative's address.  The bill will
: appear on the mat with Martin's name on, but there's nothing to stop
: the ER paying it.  The disadvantage is that Martin's name will appear
: at the ER's address in the directory (sorry, 'phone book).

But in that case, assuming martin is an existing BT customer, there
would be about 20-30 quid of the installation cost, possibly

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Evans                                   |evansmp@uhura.aston.ac.uk
+(44) 21 429 9199  (Home)                    |evansmp@cs.aston.ac.uk
+(44) 21 359 6531 x4039 (Office)             |
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: Grahame@gbd.demon.co.uk (Grahame Davies)
Subject: Re: Guest has run up HUGE bill 
Distribution: world
Organization: Demon Systems Ltd.
Reply-To: grahame@demon.co.uk
X-Mailer: Simple NEWS 1.90 (ka9q DIS 1.18)
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 16:37:50 +0000

In article <14114@ecs.soton.ac.uk> adr@ecs.soton.ac.uk writes:
>
>Moreover - can anything be done to prevent this kind of call being
>made? (e.g., disabling international calls)
>
I think you can do that with star services.

Grahame
-- 
Grahame Davies              DEMON INTERNET SERVICES       Tel +44 81-349 0063
Demon Systems Ltd.          Your computer on the          Fax +44 81-349 0309
42 Hendon Lane              Internet inc. Usenet feed     Bat 0831 528774
Finchley London N3 1TT      & email #10/month fixed.
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk (Richard Cox)
Subject: Modem access to paging services         
Cc: mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk
Reply-To: mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 03:01:00 +0000

alfie@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Nick Holloway) asks:

>>  Is it true that it is not possible to leave alpha messages via modem?
>>  You feel a bit silly ringing the operator with a message "Prepare for
>>  invasion at 6.30", so just leave the "We'll arrive for dinner at half
>>  six". :-(

No problem here.  As you're on Vodapage, that is.  ATDT 03991200 at 1200 baud
and follow the prompts.  When you enter the number of the pager you want to
send a message to, remember you MUST enter all 10 digits (0399740338) without
any spaces - or the system will reject it !

Richard D G Cox

Mandarin Technology, Cardiff Business Park, Llanishen, CARDIFF, Wales CF4 5WF
Voice: +44 222 747111      Fax: +44 222 711111      VoiceMail: +44 399 870101
E-mail: mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk       Vodapage Message link: 0399 740338
From: chl@clw.cs.man.ac.uk (Charles Lindsey)
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
Subject: Modem problem
Date: 8 Jan 93 14:12:21 GMT
Distribution: uk

I have a Linnet Quad modem at home, which I normally use at 2400baud/MNP5.

The trouble is that, if someone takes another phone on the same line
off-hook whilst the modem is modeming, one hears the carrier for a
few seconds, and then it is dropped. Is this a problem with modems in
general, with my modem in particular, or am I doing something wrong?
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: alla0008@student.tc.umn.edu (Graham Allan)
Subject: Re: Modem problem                           
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 15:11:17 GMT

In article <memo.854138@cix.compulink.co.uk> mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk writes:
>chl@clw.cs.man.ac.uk (Charles Lindsey) asks:
>
>>>  if someone takes another phone on the same line off-hook whilst the modem
>>>  is modeming, one hears the carrier for a few seconds, and then it is
>>>  dropped. Is this a problem with modems in general, with my modem in
>>>  particular, or am I doing something wrong?
>
>The modem treats the effect of the other phone being picked up as "excessive
>line noise" and decides the connection is no longer manageable.  So it drops
>the line.   This is a standard feature of most modems - in general it is not
>regarded as a problem.  If it is a problem for you there are ways to prevent
>other phones being able to connect to the line when the modem is in use.

You may be able to reduce the problem by altering the relevant modem
register to increase the amount of time the modem will tolerate carrier
loss before dropping the line. In my modem I think this is set to 2
seconds, and it seems to cope with me picking up the phone (it usually
re-trains the speed, but keeps the connection).

Graham.
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: evansmp@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mark Evans)
Subject: Re: Guest has run up HUGE bill              
Organization: Aston University
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL241235]
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 16:53:13 GMT

Richard Cox (mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk) wrote:
: Grahame@gbd.demon.co.uk (Grahame Davies) wrote:
: 
: HOWEVER neither of these would have helped in the case originally mentioned
: as the offending calls were International calls ****Transfer Charge**** and
: no Star or Network Services will stop that.  Presumably your relative had a
: friend or two call him "collect", as the Americans would say ?  Best to ask
: BT where the calls were from, just to check.   Oh, and withhold the amounts
: involved until you do get the information.   Tell BT why you're doing this.

There unfortunatly appears to be no (easy) way to bar these calls.
: 
: If you don't think there were any "collect" calls for your relative  (while
: you were out, possibly?) then you/your relative may be the victim of a scam
: that's been prevalent in the States recently: run by the people who operate
: the 900 lines (the US equivalent of 0898 numbers).  What seems to happen is

If I remember correctly the 900 area code (together with the 800 code) should
NOT be dialable outside of NA.

: that someone rings an ORDINARY number in the States, to get a "value-added"
: service, and then EITHER they call you back (collect), OR log the call with
: the local US phone company as if they HAD called you back collect.  As such
: companies can input billing directly into the phone system, as if they were
: a phone company, the call just turns up on your bill anywhere in the world,

Is this exactly legal?
I thought under UK law you could not be charged for something you never
requested, and certainly for something you had never recieved.

: without any checks being made.  The US phone companies are now used to this
: fiddle, and normally cancel such charges on the customer's request. However
: whether BT are prepared to adopt a similar approach, remains to be seen !

Maybe they should approach the relevent US phone company, if they can discover
which company it is.
It amazes me that the US companys are able to behave in such an iresponsible
manner!

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Evans                                   |evansmp@uhura.aston.ac.uk
+(44) 21 429 9199  (Home)                    |evansmp@cs.aston.ac.uk
+(44) 21 359 6531 x4039 (Office)             |
From: mjl@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
Subject: Re: BT credit lists?
Date: 12 Jan 93 13:57:41 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

In article <C0oy6o.23A@micrognosis.co.uk>, jharuni@micrognosis.co.uk (Jonathan Haruni) writes:
> 
> Yes, it is true.  Perhaps BT has found that in rented accomodation, the
> financial behavior of tenants can be relied upon to predict the behavior
> of future tenants ?  I doubt they have found that, but it's the best
> I can do at struggling to explain away this foolish policy.
> 
> Anyway, this doesn't help you or your elderly relative.  BT will always
> overlook any lack of credit history if you pay a sufficiently large deposit,
> which is usually from 30 to 250 pounds and is usually refunded from 1 to
> 24 months after opening the account.  This is in addition to the installation
> fee.

...and various suggestions for achieving goal deleted.

BT has stated a date for installation now, so we shall see, maybe they have 
got the references they want, I dont know.

This leaves me even more concerned than ever about credit ratings against
persons, but that I suppose is something for discussion elsewhere like
misc.consumer.credit or something.

Thanks for all the helpful comments.
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: mark@mark-one.inet-uk.co.uk (Mark Powell)
Subject: Re: Modem problem
Organization: Mark-One Public Access UNIX (+44 942 273926)
Distribution: uk
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 18:15:25 GMT

In article <C0JGsM.Boz@clw.cs.man.ac.uk> chl@clw.cs.man.ac.uk (Charles Lindsey) writes:
>I have a Linnet Quad modem at home, which I normally use at 2400baud/MNP5.
>
>The trouble is that, if someone takes another phone on the same line
>off-hook whilst the modem is modeming, one hears the carrier for a
>few seconds, and then it is dropped. Is this a problem with modems in
>general, with my modem in particular, or am I doing something wrong?

Not sure. The modem *should* still here the carrier and keep retrying to
send the MNP packet until it succeeds ie you put the phone down. However,
modems detect a loss of carrier by looking for the carrier to be dropped for
a pre-defined time period, usually 0.7s. Maybe when you pick the phone up
a >0.7s blip occurs on the line which obscures the carrier. Or maybe your modem is
set for a shorter period than 0.7s.

-- 
Mark Powell

Mark-One Public Access UNIX, Manchester, UK 	BBS:	+44 942 273926
UniBoard, *the* UNIX BBS, UK distribution site	Voice:	+44 942 714317
From: jpv9@aber.ac.uk (Jean Paul Versteeg)
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
Subject: Re: BT credit lists?
Date: 8 Jan 93 15:54:47 GMT
Organization: University of Wales, Aberystwyth


Yes, I had the same problem a year ago.  Because I dont have a credit rating
at the moment, BT did not want to put in a new line.  In the end, I just had to 
put up with going out to the local phonebox.

Perhaps one day, I might get a credit card or something since if this is going
to happen each time I need a credit rating.

JP.
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: pete@tecc.co.uk (Pete Bentley)
Subject: Re: Modem problem
Organization: T.E.C.C. Ltd, London, England
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Distribution: uk
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 19:45:01 GMT

Neil Watson (nnw@concurrent.co.uk) wrote:
 >> In article <20969@acorn.co.uk> andy@acorn.co.uk (Andy Ingle) writes:
 >> >chl@clw.cs.man.ac.uk (Charles Lindsey) writes:
 >> >
 >> >>The trouble is that, if someone takes another phone on the same line
 >> >>off-hook [...]
 >> There's a little box you can get in the US, from Radio Shack, that
 >> "exclusively" grabs the line. Its design use is either to "cut off" an
 >> answerphone that doesn't do so automatically when you pick up another
 >> phone, or to "protect" a modem from the other phones in the house.
 >> 
A complete aside, but...

Does anyone have a design for a simple circuit that detects a phone 
going off hook? I am sure I have seen it somewhere, but can't remember 
where.

In our office we have 3 or 4 voice lines, all coming in via a distribution
point on the wall, and what would be nice would be to wire a little box
across them that tripped a relay if any phone was picked up - preferably
without introducing cross-talk between the individual extensions.
(The relay would be connected in place of the 'mute' switch in an audio
amp. so we can listen to music in the office, but have it auto-mute
whenever anyone picks up a 'phone).

As a related point:  The 'phone lines in question are all extensions
of a PABX (well, a GPT iSDX digital switch, actually...), and so aren't
connected directly to the BT network.  Can we connect things without
a green BABT approved sticker (eg the box described above) legally?
After all, the worst case scenario would be that we fry a line card
in the iSDX, which would have no effect on BT...(although it would
probably badly upset some of the other Technopark residents).

Pete.
From: HR-6@ia.ph.bham.ac.uk (Christopher Underhill)
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
Subject: Re: BT credit lists?
Date: Friday, 08 Jan 93 15:09:33 GMT
Organization: Physics Department, Birmingham University, England
NNTP-Posting-Host: ia.ph.bham.ac.uk
X-Disclaimer: Birmingham University has no views on the subject of this article
X-Newsreader: KWIKrn v.2.05 - THE nntp client for VM/CMS systems

 In message <1993Jan8.135416.6573@wraxall.inmos.co.uk> des@inmos.co.uk (David Shepherd) writes...

>Michael Saunby (swssauby@susssys1.reading.ac.uk) wrote:
>: >Is this really true that credit ratings of addresses are used to determine in
>: >advance the likely creditability of a person living there, does anyone know?
>
>: It is probably a good way of getting around the data protection act as I guess
>: you can store any information you like about an address.
>
>They are/were, but the data protection registrar has stepped in so it
>certainly won't be possible for a credit rating agency to use the
>rating of anyone else was lives/has lived at that address. I would
>assume that more widescale ratings may be permissible - i.e. deciding
>anyone who lives in postcode area XY4 is probably a bad risk - what
>will be disallowed will be to say that anyone living at 42 Acacia
>Avenue can't be trusted as Joe Bloggs who lived there 5 years ago was
>made bankrupt.

I don't believe this problem is the result of the data protection act. The
reason as I understand it is that the credit rating agencies realise it
is easier to change your name than your address. Thus if the aforementioned
"Joe Bloggs" applies for credit under the name of "Fred Smith" for instance,
and gives the same address as "Joe Bloggs", the credit rating agency will
produce information about the bad record of the occupier "Joe Bloggs" and in
order to protect themselves, they will assume that the customer is being
dishonest. They will then associate a bad rating with "Fred Smith".
From: jharuni@micrognosis.co.uk (Jonathan Haruni)
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
Subject: Re: BT credit lists?
Date: 11 Jan 93 13:16:00 GMT
Reply-To: jharuni@micrognosis.co.uk
Organization: Micrognosis International, London

Martin Loach (mjl@vax.oxford.ac.uk) writes:
> I recently tried to request of BT (on 150) that a phone be installed for
> an elderly relative who has lived in his rented house for nearly 40 years
> but without a phone.
> ...
> Without going into too much detail, the problem seemed to centre around the
> absense of his ADDRESS on their computer database. ...  Is this really true
> that credit ratings of addresses are used to determine in advance the
> likely creditability of a person living there ...

Yes, it is true.  Perhaps BT has found that in rented accomodation, the
financial behavior of tenants can be relied upon to predict the behavior
of future tenants ?  I doubt they have found that, but it's the best
I can do at struggling to explain away this foolish policy.

Anyway, this doesn't help you or your elderly relative.  BT will always
overlook any lack of credit history if you pay a sufficiently large deposit,
which is usually from 30 to 250 pounds and is usually refunded from 1 to
24 months after opening the account.  This is in addition to the installation
fee.

If your relative is sufficiently elderly to make medical emergencies an
important possibility, you may get somewhere by pointing this out to BT
(in writing, perhaps cc'd to Oftel) and pointing out that should such an
emergency arise you will attempt to cast blame on them for any delay in
treatment caused by unavailability of telephone service.  You do not have
to have any intention of actually doing this.

I think BT are sympathetic to such cases.  They even have a special phone
account with reduced rental charges (and higher call charges) for such
people.  You may not have to make any threats either, just speak to the
right person and make sure the situation is clear (and is not being
rejected by some computer operator who can't see past the operating
instructions.)

Jon.
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: alfie@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Nick Holloway)
Subject: Re: Answering machine that calls out 
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, England
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 15:14:32 GMT

In <726836948snx@cursci.demon.co.uk> gtoal@cursci.demon.co.uk (Graham Toal) writes:
> How do you call out to someone's pager without having to talk to a
> human operator?  I thought only the Americans had modem access to pagers?

My Mum has an alpha-numeric pager, and you can either call the operator
on "0399 1133", or you can bypass the human, and call "0399 <pager no>"
and leave a phone number using a touch tone keypad.  So if a number is
enough, then you don't need the operator.

Is it true that it is not possible to leave alpha messages via modem?
You feel a bit silly ringing the operator with a message "Prepare
for invasion at 6.30", so just leave the "We'll arrive for dinner at
half six". :-(

	Alfie
--
Nick Holloway |  `O O'  | alfie@dcs.warwick.ac.uk, alfie@warwick.UUCP,
[aka `Alfie'] | // ^ \\ | ..!uunet!mcsun!uknet!warwick!alfie
From: steve@prd.co.uk (Steve Blinkhorn)
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
Subject: ISDN
Summary: Anyone with experience of ISDN willing to pass on experience?
Keywords: ISDN
Date: 10 Jan 93 11:18:18 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Psychometric Research & Development Ltd

If there's anyone out there with experience of setting up an
ISDN-based data capture network who would be willing to pass on any
experience, knowledge of pitfalls, wrinkles etc, I'd like to hear from
them by email.

Initial interest is in relatively small volumes of data from many
sites, going to image transfer later.

--
Steve Blinkhorn <steve@prd.co.uk>
Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: rob@sound.demon.co.uk (Robert J Barth)
Subject: Re: 112
Reply-To: rob@sound.demon.co.uk
Distribution: world
X-Mailer: cppnews $Revision: 1.30 $
Organization: Sound & Vision BBS (UK) 0932 252323
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 16:19:17 +0000

>One of you experts out there is bound to be able to tell me how many
>countries already have 112?

try posting this to alt.dcom.telecom - more international than uk.telecom!

-rob-

=----------------------------------.----------------------------------------=
| Nominal  : Rob Barth             | RJB Communications (+44) (0)932 253131 |
| InterNet : rob@sound.demon.co.uk | Sound & Vision BBS (+44) (0)932 252323 |
| FidoNet  : sysop, 2:254/14       |  The best UK BBS with a full UseNet &  |
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Newsgroups: uk.telecom
From: leilabd@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Leila Burrell-Davis)
Subject: Re: PhoneBase
Organization: Computing Service, University of Sussex, UK
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 11:43:21 GMT

Graham Allan (alla0008@student.tc.umn.edu) wrote:
: ...           Armed with the theory that DialPlus is a subsidiary of
: British Telecom, we  entered a search for Bristish Telecom. And obtained
: one number (seemingly head office in London) together with the advice to
: find further listings under "BT". However, entering a search of "BT" gave
: the response "You must enter four or more characters".

My recollection is that if you want to search for a name of less than
four characters you have to terminate it with a semi-colon. Try a
search for BT;

Leila
-- 
Leila Burrell-Davis, Computing Service, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
Tel:   +44 273 678390              Fax:   +44 273 678470
Email: leilabd@syma.sussex.ac.uk  (JANET: leilabd@uk.ac.sussex.syma)