JDurand@apple.com (09/29/89)
I have been getting quite a few requests to add inbound pulse-dial (click) detection to the voice mail boards I design. Since this is fairly easy to do (we have two DSP's on the board, one dedicated to call progress), we will be adding this to some future software release. The question is, we have not been able to find any phone lines that allow the calling party to pulse dial any number higher than 2 or 3 without dropping the line. Is this just local to our area (GTE, Pac*Bell), or is this a widespread problem. I know there is a company selling boards that just detect the inbound pulses, so there must be some place it works. Please note: I am not talking about loop current detect, just the sound of the clicks transmitted through the network from the calling party. Jerry Durand, Durand Interstellar, Inc., sun!cup.portal.com!jdurand [Moderator's Note: Interestingly enough, United Airlines was doing this on the Chicago dialup to their Unitel network several years ago. If you dialed a certain number, you got dialtone from United's internal system, and could dial everywhere United flies and then some; or use the WATS lines, etc. This particular WATS-extender, as they are called, not only worked on tone signals as you would expect, but also accepted rotary dialing from the caller. Don't ask me how! But the deeper you got in the maze -- they used 'progressive dialing' as it was called in those days -- only tones would work. But a simple call in with a single hop, such as onto the WATS line and out again worked fine with rotary dial. Beats me. PT]
tad@ssc.UUCP (Tad Cook) (10/09/89)
If anyone on here knows of a system that can really detect end-to-end pulse dialing reliably, please let me know. Somehow I just don't believe it. How would you differentiate those clicks form noise? Tad Cook tad@ssc.UUCP MCI Mail: 3288544 Telex: 6503288544 Packet: KT7H @ N7HFZ