haber@torah.UUCP (Yaacov Haber) (04/08/90)
Does anyone know if US telephone equipment , telephones,fax,
modem, etc is usable and / or legal in Australia?
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Rabbi Yaacov Haber /~~ ~~\ internet: haber@cs.buffalo.edu
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"A tree of life for
those who embrace it"henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (04/09/90)
In article <832@torah.UUCP> haber@torah.UUCP (Yaacov Haber) writes: >Does anyone know if US telephone equipment , telephones,fax, >modem, etc is usable and / or legal in Australia? As with almost any country, you need Australian approval to use the stuff legally; US approval means nothing outside the US. The Aussies don't make trouble the way some European countries do -- for example, you can get Telebit Trailblazers in Australia, unlike in Germany -- but your US-bought equipment doesn't automatically qualify for Australian approval. As for practical issues, one non-trivial problem is that Australia uses its own eccentric phone connectors which bear no resemblance to the North American modular plugs. Also note that North American AC power is 60Hz 120V and Australian AC is 50Hz 240V, and this is not a difference that can be overcome with any trivial circuit. Some equipment is built to run off either, sometimes with a flip of a switch or change of a connector. Some isn't, and you have to replace the power supply. Apart from phone connectors and power-supply issues, I'm not aware of any serious technical problem. There is no simple way around the legal issues except buying new equipment in Australia (which is expensive). -- Apollo @ 8yrs: one small step.| Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology Space station @ 8yrs: .| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
wayner@otc.otca.oz (Wayne Robinson) (04/10/90)
in article <832@torah.UUCP>, haber@torah.UUCP (Yaacov Haber) says: > > > > Does anyone know if US telephone equipment , telephones,fax, > modem, etc is usable and / or legal in Australia? Without Telecom Australia aproval, no. If you want me to fax you a form, e-mail me. Most of the gear will work, but local regulations are among the most strict in the world. Faxes will need to run off 240v 50Hz AC, phone equipment off 50V DC. You won't be able to connect US exchange (PABX) equipment without specific authority from Telecom, and they will want to acceptance test it before you can use it. Expensive. You are probably better off buying the gear locally. wayner@otc.otc.oz
michael@fe2o3.UUCP (Michael Katzmann) (04/10/90)
In article <832@torah.UUCP> haber@torah.UUCP (Yaacov Haber) writes: > > >Does anyone know if US telephone equipment , telephones,fax, >modem, etc is usable and / or legal in Australia? > > Very few exchange lines are set up for DTMF (touch-tone) dialing so you would have to use pulse. (The pulse durations may be slightly different between the US and Australia but the tolerences are such that it would probably work (my australian phone works in the US (& I can even hook dial))). Fax should be no problem (assuming your fax-machine has a pulse dial option) since most of the world are using CCITT Group 3 standards. Modems may be a problem. US uses BELL standards for the most part (below 9600 at least) where as australia uses CCITT standards. Many modems do both so here argain you may be ok. Remember the line voltage is 240V not 110V so you may need transformers. All equipment connected to the telephone system must be type approved by TELECOM AUSTRALIA (the operator of the phone system). Many of the major brands of FAX and MODEM equipment may already have type approval for their equipment but perhaps not the phone manufacturers. --------------------------------------------------------------------- UUCP: uunet!mimsy!{arinc,fe2o3}!vk2bea!michael _ _ _ _ Amateur | VK2BEA (Australia) ' ) ) ) / // Radio | G4NYV (United Kingdom) / / / o _. /_ __. _ // Stations| NV3Z (United States) / ' (_<_(__/ /_(_/|_</_</_ Michael Katzmann
nichols@eola.UCF.EDU (04/11/90)
I know that certifying a modem in Australia is a tricky process. One requirement our FCC (USA) imposes on modems for Part 68 approval is that they withstand a 1500-volt surge on the phone line without reflecting more than "x" joules of energy to the telephone network. In Australia, they test your modem with a 3000-volt jolt. Ouch! They must have *some* kind of lightning there! Another problem deals with which standard your modem complies. A CCITT standard transmission is more likely to work there than one of the Bell standards. My former company discovered that one of the frequencies used in a Bell 103J modem (300 bps FSK) would tell the central office equipment in England to hang up (disconnect) the line! Two excellent sources for international info on telecom are the test labs of "Dash, Strauss & Goodhue", somewhere in Massachussettes. as well as a magazine they publish called "Compliance Engineering." Have fun down under! markJ nichols@eola.ucf.edu