mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus the Ranum) (10/13/86)
In article <118WGRCU@CUNYVM>, WGRCU@CUNYVM.BITNET writes: > In article <189@gouldsd.UUCP>, mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus the Ranum) says: > > > One thing I have been toying with getting made is as follows: > >splice a device into your phone that mediates between the actual phone > >pickup and the ringer. When an inbound call is detected, the device > >picks up, and produces a ring tone, without ringing the bell. > >That way, only people you care to talk to could talk to you. > >Live Free > >mjr > I've seen these devices advertised, and I never imagined what sort of person > would consider themselves so self-important that they would have to have their > calls screened for them to the point of not even allowing people to leave a > message. Gee, I am just the sort of person who is that self-important !! ;-) !! Seriously, to each his own. When I come home from work in the evening the last thing I want is to talk to anyone who doesn't have something useful to say. I get enough people screaming for me during working hours that when I get home, nobody had better call me unless it's an emergency !! I am not one of those zeeks who wants a cellular car phone or some neat toy as a status symbol, I just want to be left bloody well alone !! My phone is a convenience for ME, and when I don't want it around, that is simply that. Live Free Anyway. mjr -- Take the round flat moon Strange in the wondrous blue I find consecrate our death
moroney@jon.dec.com.UUCP (10/14/86)
In article <189@gouldsd.UUCP>, mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus the Ranum) says: > One thing I have been toying with getting made is as follows: >splice a device into your phone that mediates between the actual phone >pickup and the ringer. When an inbound call is detected, the device >picks up, and produces a ring tone, without ringing the bell. It will >continue to do so until it receives a series of 3 or 4 further tones >from a touchtone phone. If the tones are received, then it rings the >bell, otherwise it continues to blithely make a ringing noise. I believe with some electronic hacking, (and a capacitor) one can monitor the signal on the phone line while the line is ringing, so there is no need to fake the ring signal. It depends on whether the phone company sends the signal from the caller's phone to the callee's phone while it is ringing. (which I believe it does, but I've never tried it) If so, such a device is easy. >Live Free >mjr -Mike Moroney decvax!decwrl!jon.dec.com!moroney
timothym@tekigm2.UUCP (Timothy D Margeson) (10/15/86)
Hi,
About telephone vendors... I have come up with an easy way of revenge.
Since they automatically call me, even when I am not home, and load up my
recorder with dead calls, and are obstinent enough to not understand NO!,
I get rather annoyed. I get their phone number, plug it into my computer,
and have my computer try to reach their computer
- every 45 seconds ALL DAY LONG -
I have never had complaints from the phone company, and I somehow feel alot
better, even though my calls have never reached the calling computer. I really
didn't want to buy anything anyway.
--
Tim Margeson (206)253-5240
PO Box 3500 d/s C1-937 @@ 'Who said that?'
Vancouver, WA. 98668
{allegra..inhp4..decvax..ucbvax}!tektronix!tekigm2!timothym henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (10/16/86)
> I believe with some electronic hacking, (and a capacitor) one can monitor > the signal on the phone line while the line is ringing, so there is no need > to fake the ring signal. It depends on whether the phone company sends the > signal from the caller's phone to the callee's phone while it is ringing. > (which I believe it does, but I've never tried it) If so, such a device is > easy. Monitoring the signal on the line during ringing is no big trick. However, only the older phone exchanges connect the two ends during ringing. Newer ones do not, because there is an obvious possibility of sending data or even voice without ever picking up the phone. Anything that permits unrecorded calls is anathema to the phone company. So whether or not this would work is a function of what sort of equipment the phone company has on the other end, which is subject to change without notice. The simplest approach, actually, would be to include a buzzer or bell or whatever in the monitoring box. Ringing the phone bell itself is not trivial, you need fairly high voltages and the right frequency (the bell ringer is resonant at the ringing frequency). Adding your own ringer may be inelegant, but it's easier. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry