DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu) (DOUGLAS SCOTT REUBEN) (07/25/90)
Hello Everyone! A while back the Digest covered 0+ dialing procedures in the 415 (San Francisco Bay) area, and, from what I recall, it was mentioned that all local calling in 415 is now in the format 0+415-xxx-xxxx, ie, there is no 0+xxx-xxxx dialing. I've been out here for five weeks now, and EVERY phone in 415 (and a good deal in 408) accept, and most REQUIRE 0-xxx-xxxx dialing when placing a calling card call within your own area code. I've tried it from Pac*Bell payphones and COCOTs, as well as from GTE in Novato (415) and Los Gatos (408). (BTW, I must apologize for some of my previous cracks about GTE ... I've been used to GTE in the LA area which is plain awful, whereas GTE in the Bay Area, at least in my limited experience, seems up to par with Pac*Bell in some areas, and exceeds Pac*Bell in the speed with which it processes 0+ calls from its payphones, at least in Novato.) Additionally, the "#" sign can be used as a terminator for 0+ calls that are ambiguous. IE, there is a 415-302 exchange, so if I dial 0-302-9999, the exchange doesn't know if I am dialing "415-302-9999" or "302-999-9xxx", and I just didn't fisnish dialing in the "xxx" part. So, if you want to dial 415-302-9999 from area code 415 as a calling card call, you can dial "0-302-9999 #", and the call will go through to Pac*Bell's calling card equipment much faster. Anyhow, I've overstayed my welcome at the computer center incurring large long distance charges from CA, so I best be going ... If anyone has any info to the contrary, let me know where these exchanges are so if I pass by I can give 'em a try. Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet P.S. I've been away for five weeks allready, so if anyone from the Digest sent me any mail, please be patient and I'll try to get back to you the next time I log in from here. (As if you're waiting on pins and needles to hear from me...! :-) )
john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) (07/26/90)
"DOUGLAS SCOTT REUBEN)" <DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu> writes: > (BTW, I must apologize for some of my previous cracks about GTE Never apologize about GTE put downs. They always deserve it. > ... I've been used to GTE in the LA area > which is plain awful, whereas GTE in the Bay Area, at least in my > limited experience, seems up to par with Pac*Bell in some areas, and > exceeds Pac*Bell in the speed with which it processes 0+ calls from > its payphones, at least in Novato.) You're lucky to find a phone in Los Gatos that works at all. You mean to say that it's WORSE in LA? How can that be? And in LA you have the advantage of being somewhere in the same region as their centralized everything. Also, I'm sure they have heard of equalized lines, data circuits, OPXs, and tie lines in the southland. There is so litte demand for that in the sleepy town of Los Gatos that installers take on their jobs with blank stares. Live a local call away from Los Gatos and say that again. I dare you. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@bovine.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !
ergo@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Isaac Rabinovitch) (07/27/90)
In <10062@accuvax.nwu.edu> DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu) (DOUGLAS SCOTT REUBEN) writes: > (BTW, I must apologize for some of my >previous cracks about GTE ... I've been used to GTE in the LA area >which is plain awful, whereas GTE in the Bay Area, at least in my >limited experience, seems up to par with Pac*Bell in some areas, and >exceeds Pac*Bell in the speed with which it processes 0+ calls from >its payphones, at least in Novato.) I dunno. A few years ago, some GTE employees crashed the newly-installed digital switch (I'm sure that's not the right telecom jargon, but you know what I mean) in Los Gatos. I believe there was *no* phone service in the entire town for over a day! Lucky there wer no fires or anything! ergo@netcom.uucp Isaac Rabinovitch atina!pyramid!apple!netcom!ergo Silicon Valley, CA uunet!mimsy!ames!claris!netcom!ergo
john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) (07/27/90)
Isaac Rabinovitch <ergo@netcom.uucp> writes: > I dunno. A few years ago, some GTE employees crashed the > newly-installed digital switch (I'm sure that's not the right telecom > jargon, but you know what I mean) in Los Gatos. I believe there was > *no* phone service in the entire town for over a day! Lucky there wer > no fires or anything! In all fairness, it was the 1EAX that preceeded the GTD-5 that caused the Los Gatos town council to resolve that the town no longer desired to have GTE as the local operating company. There are three COs in Los Gatos: Town Center (Montebello), Northeast (Vasona), and Mountain. Town Center was the first to convert from SXS and did so with the 1EAX. (NE and Mountain converted directly to GTD-5 somewhat later.) As you might guess, Town Center serves Town Hall, the police, the fire dept., and all of the quaint touristy businesses near town square. After the town resolution, many rumors sprang up about the possibility of Pacific Telesis buying up the GTE system. There were even dates mentioned. We just KNEW it was going to happen because all of the (then) local GTE people were so firm in their denials. This HAD to mean that something was afoot. Unfortunately, it never happened. Too bad because we missed a great opportunity to see how a real phone company would handle all that awful GTE junk. From the GTE glossary: reorder -- end-of-dialing signal John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@bovine.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !