[comp.dcom.telecom] Ring-Back and Finding Own Number

IZZYAS1@oac.ucla.edu (Andy Jacobson) (10/08/90)

 
In reference to the Moderator's comments at the end of #719:

Pat, I discovered that here in GTE-land of West LA, none of the old
techniques worked for ring-back. (These old techniques being: Calling
a special prefix followed by the last 4 digits of your phone number,
you get a dial tone that you can not dial against, you give a
switchhook flash, get a special tone, hang up and it rings. If when
you pick up again, you give another flash, it will ring back again, ad
infinitum, but if you just hang up you are back to regular service).

There were some suspicious open stretches of prefixes in the 213 that
responded like 1ESS's do when you dialed the ringback wrong (954-958),
so I got creative. I found that from 213-824, if, instead of dialing
954 and the last 4 digits, I preceded it with a 1, it worked! Ditto
for 1-958 from the 208 prefix. Both of these prefixes are on a 1ESS
(CLLI=WLANCAXJ).

Now in Evanston, Illinois, once they had 1ESS in place, 571 was the
ringback prefix for 864, 869, 491, and the non-NU part of 492.  572
was the prefix for 475, 573 for 328, and 574 for 866. (I never got to
try the newer 570 prefix.) These no longer work, but if you try
1-57n-XXXX ... Bingo. You should try these around the 312, and 708
areas to see what happens.

Interestingly these methods appear to be switch dependant. In MarVista
(part of LA, CLLI=SNMNCA??) there is an NT digital switch. One simply
dials their own number and hangs up. However in Venice (also part of
LA, CLLI=SNMNCA??) you have to dial 113 and your seven digits. In the
last two years or so, GTE has upped the stakes. From 213-208, and
213-824 anyway, it only works every third time you try it (you have to
repeat the entire process to progress). The first two are either a
decoy or perhaps for some different types of ringer I've never tried
from. It seems for me its always the third that works, and if I keep
trying, it cycles in threes.

In reference to finding your own number, in the 1ESS part of
LA, you dial 1223. In the digital part, 114. In San Francisco, 760 and
another one I can't remember BOTH work (except for a very few
prefixes, where it is one or the other). In Chicago, it used to be 290,
followed by a flash, but I could never get it to work reliably since
1980.   


Andy Jacobson (izzyas1@oac.ucla.edu)


[Moderator's Note: I've since found that 571 (wait for dial tone,
flash hook, dial 6 and hang up, then get ring back) throughout
northern Ilinois' old 312 code has been replaced by 1-57x-last four of
your phone number (get fresh dial tone, dial 6 and hang up, then get
ring back) throughout 708 and 312. In addition to getting a ring back,
if you want to test the accuracy of your touchtone pad, after you have
dialed the 1-57x-last four and received fresh dial tone, then (against
that new dial tone) dial 1234567890. If your tone pad is working
properly you will get cla-beep! cla-beep!  PAT]

dattier@ddsw1.mcs.com (David Tamkin) (10/21/90)

Pat Townson replied to Andy Jacobson in volume 10, issue 723:

| [Moderator's Note: I've since found that 571 (wait for dial tone,
| flash hook, dial 6 and hang up, then get ring back) throughout
| northern Ilinois' old 312 code has been replaced by 1-57x-last four of
| your phone number (get fresh dial tone, dial 6 and hang up, then get
| ring back) throughout 708 and 312.  PAT]

Not "throughout" by any means.  It certainly doesn't work from here in
Centel's part of 312, and I tried all ten possible 1-57X-[last four]
possibilities.

Pat, did it work from your cellular service?

290 stopped working here for reading back your own number when it was
assigned as a prefix in Elk Grove Village.  Now that the 290 in Elk
Grove Village is in another area code, dialing 290-XXXX within 312
from my Centel service gives fast busy for most XXXX but four quick
beeps and then silence on 312 290 1111.  1-290-anything gets an
intercept.


David Tamkin  Box 7002  Des Plaines IL  60018-7002  708 518 6769  312 693 0591
MCI Mail: 426-1818  GEnie: D.W.TAMKIN  CIS: 73720,1570   dattier@ddsw1.mcs.com


[Moderator's Note: No, it won't work on cellular, because Ameritech
uses DID trunks, does it not? I've tried it. It appears to work, but
never gets around to ringing me back. It no doubt rings back on
312-228-xxxx (whatever outgoing trunk I seized when I placed the
call).  I've noticed the ANI reported when I use the cell phone to
call the 800 number was a number totally different than mine. The
number reported by ANI, when dialed back, is listed to IBT Co. in
Hickory Hills, IL and is not for incoming service.  PAT]