"Steven L. Finberg" <w1gsl@athena.mit.edu> (03/16/90)
While local calls from pay phones are still $.10 here in MA (at least from real NET/NYNEX ones), I noticed they are rather user unfriendly compared to the Bell of PA ones I used last weekend. The problem seems to be associated with the way calls are timed. The phone delivers a dial tone with out a coin, but insists on ten cents before any local call can be dialed. So far no problem. The problem occurs about once a minuite durring the first three, - the battery and talk path are broken for about 3 seconds, making conversations difficult, and making it obvious that you are at a payphone. Then about 30 seconds before the end of the 3 min initial period, a recorded "operator" comes on demanding 5 cents more for the next 3 min! No matter when you put the nickel in she dosen't stop talking till she is done her whole speel. This makes for significant breaks in any conversation. Any ideas why the talk path interuptions are needed? And why the recording can't be stoped as soon as the coin deposited? The Bell of PA phone wanted 25 cents but didn't ever interupt, I don't know what the initial period was, as I never made any extended local calls. ************************************************************************** Steve Finberg PO Box 82 MIT BR Cambridge MA 02139 617-258-3754 w1gsl@athena.mit.edu **************************************************************************