covert@covert.DEC.COM (John R. Covert) (10/25/86)
From: "John Keator - National Public Radio" 23-OCT-1986 19:52
To: COVERT
Subj: NPR Staff comments re: Telecom Digest
From:VAX1::MONTI National Public Radio 20-OCT-1986 11:21
To:KEATOR
Subj:NUMBER OF PHONES ALLOWED ON A LINE
>how many phones can be hooked up to a 1-pair loop from the central office?
according to a recent issue of "consumer reports" magazine, you can figure
this out yourself easily if you know this: the sum of the "ringer equivalence
numbers" of all phones, modems, answering machines, etc. is not to exceed 5.
most phones have ringer equivalence numbers of 0.8 or 0.9, some cheap ones
are over 1.0. so having 8 or 9 phones is a bit much. probably it depends
on how far one is from the c.o. likely the limit of 5 is based on being the
furthest party from the c.o., so a larger number of phones will ring properly
closer in. presumably, the house where all these phones are isn't so huge
that you can hear some of the phones ring from other rooms. disconnecting
the ringer (inside the phone) should make the r.e.n for that phone go to
something near zero. once the ringers in half the phones are disconnected,
things oughta be copascetic. um, right?
From:VAX1::MONTI National Public Radio 22-OCT-1986 17:51
To:KEATOR
Subj:N0X/N1X IN 214 AND 201 (FOR CARL MOORE)
(1) N0X/N1X prefixes in areacode 214 are not that new. When there in
April 1986, the beat-up directory in the hotel room already listed many of them.
(2) No, the Dallas phone directory does not require you to dial 214 +
a 7-digit number for long distance calls within 214, it requires you to dial
1 + 214 + 7-digit number. This is logical. Before N0X/N1X prefixes, the "1"
was used to distinguish long distance from local calls. With the advent of
N0X/N1X prefixes, the "1" can no longer do this job since there'd be ambiguous
cases where an N0X/N1X prefix would follow a "1" and the switch would have no
way of knowing if it was long distance (and to wait for 7 more digits) or
local (and to wait for 4 more digits). Now, it's the "214" that distinguishes
between local and long distance within 214. Got that? It's a bass-ackwards
way of doing things, but this results from having 1 + dialing before the
existence of N0X/N1X prefixes. Think about it: 1 + is never REALLY required
in ANY area code until N0X/N1X prefixes begin to exist. This is the way it
was in New York City and probably other places before N0X/N1X.
(3) Ideally, if you were calling a local 214 number from within 817,
the equipment would "know" how to route the call no matter if you dialed
7 digits or 1 + 214 + 7 digits. Both would be billed as local calls. The
user shouldn't need to know whether a call is long distance, just one
positive rule as to how to dial it. Sadly, many local comapnies haven't
figured this out yet.
Some other places (like New York City) either allow or REQUIRE (from
some pay phones) you to dial 1 + area code + 7 digits for LOCAL calls
withing your area code! The coin phones at Kennedy Airport require
1 + 718 + 7 digits for local calls. From there, ALL calls to 212 and 718
are local (plus a goodly number of those to 914 and 516).
(4) Use care in Dallas-Fort Worth. They have a twist! There are
certain prefixes which have "metrowide" or "areawide" service (or some
similar name) which exist as local prefixes in BOTH the Dallas metro and
Fort Worth metro areas. In other words, these prefixes have TWO area codes
as seen by the outside world. Probably, they can be reached by dialing
either 817 or 214 from elsewhere. The service costs a pretty penny (over
$25 a month, I think) for unlimited local calling to both the Dallas and
Fort Worth metros. Presumably, you have to dial 1 + an area code + 7
digits for some of these local calls since not all the prefixes in the
Fort Worth metro portion of 817 and the Dallas metro portion of 214 are
mutually exclusive. Am I off the mark on this?
They don't have such "double metro" service in Washington and
Baltimore, where I live. We do have our quirks here on what needs an area
code in front of it and what doesn't however.
(5) 201 is a likely candidate for an area code split in a couple years,
they'll probably divide it east and west, with all the population in the east.
I suspect what happened in 201 when N0X/N1X was introduced is that any-
thing that was a local call before remained one. The current situation is
probably as follows:
- Local calls within 201, dial 7 digits
- Long distance within 201, dial 7 digits
- Local calls into 609, dial 1 + 609 + 7 digits.
- Long distance calls into 609 or anywhere else, 1 + area + 7 digits.
Aren't things nice and logical when you didn't have 1 + dialing prior to
N0X/N1X? The "1" distinguishes area codes from prefixes. Period. The
switches know what's LD and what ain't (and what's intraLATA and what ain't).
(6) Dialing instructions in the fronts of Bell Atlantic directories
aren't always reliable. The front on my Norther Virginia directory gives
the following instructions for long distance calls within the LATA:
- Within 703, dial 1 + 7 digits
- Outside 703, dial 1 + area code + 7 digits
These are both wrong. The actual rule is:
- Within 703, dial 703 + 7 digits
- Outside 703, dial area code + 7 digits
Dial-1 is neither used inside the Washington metro area nor within areas
which are outside the metro but inside the local calling area to 202.
Of course, the directory doesn't explain how to dial LD calls outside
the LATA, telling you to check with your long distance carrier. The actual
rule is, dial (optionally 10XXX) + area code + 7 digits.
From:VAX1::MONTI National Public Radio 22-OCT-1986 18:00
Subj:976 FROM VIRGINIA
New subject: how come Northern Virginians can't dial (202) 976-XXXX
calls AT ALL? Since these are local calls, 7 digit dialing is called for.
976 numbers are trapped to the general "cannot be completedmas dialed"
recording. If you dial 202 first, you get the same thing. If the 976
service provider has also signed up for the 976 exchange in Baltimore, you
can reach it by dialing 301 + 976-XXXX, but you'll be charged for an
interLATA LD call on the carrier of your choice, assuming that carrier
accepts 976 calls (Sprint and MCI do not).
Actually, there is a way to reach 202-976 numbers from Northern
Virginia: use a ALDS which accepts calls via you dialing a 7-digit
local access number which their switch answers. Do your security code,
then 202-976-XXXX and the call will go through. The only ALDS which
accepts 976 calls to my knowledge is Allnet (formerly Max), and they
charge $2.00 plus tax for each call regardless of length of time or distance.
AT&T accepts 976 calls, but only to other LATAs. AT&T also charges only
the cost of the long distance call itself to 976 numbers; they dpn't carry
back the 976 provider's premium charge to the caller. Presumably, this is
the reason most ALDS's either don't allow 976 or charge through the nose
for it. Neither of these reasons appear to bother AT&T.
[The Virginia PUC does not allow the "dial it calls" as they believe they
cost too much and are of dubious value, {ie. dial-porn}jk]
--------------
From: John Keator, National Public Radio
Subj: 811-xxxx for PacBell Business offices
From a Pacific Bell bill insert:
A new prefix - 811- will soon be available for you to call your Pacific Bell
Business office toll-free from any area served by us. All our business office
numbers will be replaced by toll-free numbers with an 811 prefix.
If your PaCBell BO numbers changed to an 811 prefix, the new prefix and number
will appear on your telephone bill...
After this change, you only dial 811-XXXX from any PacBell area in the state
to reach your local office toll-free. However, if you are calling from an area
where 1+ dialing is required, you must continue to dial the 1 before dialing
the seven digit 811 number.
Some of you who have specialized equipment could have a problem in dialing the
811 prefix. You may need contact your vendor. Until equipment modification
is made, you may continue dialing the old business office numbers available
from 411.
This change will save you thecost of a toll call to PacBell when a calls is
made to all non-local offices. (Today, calls to our BO's are normally toll
free from a customers home or business area.)
/jk