jim@central.uucp (Jim Blocker) (10/05/90)
Recent talk in the Digest regarding the "censored" _Ramparts_ article on how to steal from Ma Bell made me remember a three-part series of articles that appeared in _73 Magazine_ (an amateur radio magazine) back in 1975. These articles were probably very damaging to TPC since explicit details were provided in one of the articles on how to bypass coin-phone and long distance charges. These articles were very well written and provided me with a lot of insight as to how telephones and the network operated back then. Even though none of the circuits presented in the articles could today be used to defraud TPC (except maybe the "Red Box" :)), they are still interesting from a historical perspective. The author of all three articles was Spenser Whipple, Jr. Here is a brief summary: April 1975: "Lifting Ma Bell's Cloak of Secrecy" described how a telephone set worked, various tones in the network (dial tone, busy, re-order, ringback), and DTMF generators. May 1975: "Inside Ma Bell" described how TPC detected "unauthorized" equipment on your line, how to defeat that detection, and "couplers" for attaching "foreign" equipment to your phone line. June 1975: "Inside Ma Bell" was the most damaging (at least to Ma Bell) of the three articles. It described some more "couplers", but of greater interest were the details on how to build a "Black Box", "Red Box", and the infamous "Blue Box", all devices intended to defraud TPC. The "Black Box" was merely a simple modification to a standard telephone set which allowed one to receive telephone calls without returning an "off-hook" indication to the CO. This worked back then because a "talk path" was established during ringing of the called telephone. By using a blocking capacitor and resistor, you could establish an AC connection (talk path) and talk in between ringing. Since no DC connection was made, the CO never detected the call being answered and the call wasn't billed to the caller. The "Red Box" was used to send coin tones and make free calls from pay phones. The June 1975 article gives two different designs -- one using many transistors, and the other using a couple of IC's. Even though modern-day pay telephones contain circuitry to determine if coins have actually been inserted or not, there may still be some pay phones where the "Red Box" may work. Two designs were given for the "Blue Box". Again, one using many transistors and the other using a couple of IC's. This particular color of box was the most powerful of the three in that it allowed one to send the famous 2600 Hz tone as well as the MF tones that were used for in-band signalling. In the proper hands, this box could be used to place long distance calls virtually anywhere at no charge. Since the telephone network has changed greatly since these articles were written, I doubt very much that any of this information could be used to defraud any local or long distance telephone company. Inquire at your local library to see if they have these old issues. They make for some very interesting reading! Jim Blocker jim%kf5iw@rwsys.lonestar.org KF5IW ..!letni!rwsys!kf5iw!jim
goldstein@delni.enet.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) (10/09/90)
In article <13076@accuvax.nwu.edu>, kf5iw!jim@central.uucp (Jim Blocker) writes... >Recent talk in the Digest regarding the "censored" _Ramparts_ article >on how to steal from Ma Bell made me remember a three-part series of >articles that appeared in _73 Magazine_ (an amateur radio magazine) >back in 1975. These articles were probably very damaging to TPC since >explicit details were provided in one of the articles on how to bypass >coin-phone and long distance charges. >Inquire at your local library to see if they have these old issues. >They make for some very interesting reading! Odds are your library won't have them. Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. filed suit against "73, Inc., a foreign [not CA] Corporation, Spenser Whipple Jr.[Peter Stark] , Wayne Green, Virginia Londner Green, and Does 1 through 200, Inclusive" (where the Does were all employees of 73 Inc.). The Superior Court of the State of California ruled, in judgement C 126265, that Each of the Defendants, and each person acting in concert with it, him, or her, is hereby perpetually enjoined and restrained from disseminating, publishing, printing, selling, giving, transferring, or conveying by any means or by any manner, plans instructions, or advice respecting the making, assembly, acquistion, possession, or use of any instrument, apparatus or device, strategem, code, scheme, deception, false pretense or trick which the Defendant knows, or by reasonably investigation should know, has as its purpose the avoidance of charges for the use of telephone, telegraph, and/or any othertype of telecommunications service in which the Bell System is a participant.... Notice to Libraries. Within sixty (60) days following entry of this judgement, Defendant 73 Inc., shall notify each subscriber to 73 Magazine as of June 1975 that appears to 73, Inc. from its subscriber list to be a library, of the existence and contents of this judgement and shall request that each such library refrain from displaying or circulating the article complained of in the complaint on file herein, or any reprint or copy thereof. The notice shall be given by certified mail, return receipt requested... etc. etc., including destruction of the article from the back issues archive. Old Ma Bell sure played hardball. That's just a small excerpt from the judgement, filed Jan. 12, 1976. Of course, subscribers have their copies. Fred R. Goldstein k1io Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA goldstein@delni.enet.dec.com voice: +1 508 486 7388 Do you think anyone else on the planet would share my opinions, let alone a multi-billion dollar corporation?