[comp.dcom.telecom] The Tone Which Announces Request for Card Number

89.KREMEN@gsb-how.stanford.edu (The Arb) (07/31/89)

I am wondering about the "special tone" that one hears when
making a telephone credit card call using AT&T. Does anyone out know
at what frequency the tone is or is there even a standard?

edg@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Edward Greenberg) (08/01/89)

My understanding is that this is octothorpe (pound) followed by a
decaying volume dialtone.

The octothorpe unlocks the touchtone pad in certain cases.  The
dialtone is just a cue to the human to go ahead and dial.
				-e
--
Ed Greenberg
uunet!apple!netcom!edg

dave@rutgers.edu (Dave Levenson) (08/01/89)

In article <telecom-v09i0265m05@vector.dallas.tx.us>, 89.KREMEN@gsb-how.
stanford.edu (The Arb) writes:
> I am wondering about the "special tone" that one hears when
> making a telephone credit card call using AT&T. Does anyone out know
> at what frequency the tone is or is there even a standard?


The tone that prompts the caller for the Calling Card number is the
MCCS (mechanized calling card service) logo tone.  It is usually
called BONG.  It consists of approximately 50 milliseconds of the
touch-tone # symbol (two tones) followed by a frequency and
amplitude shift that makes it appear to fade away.  The # is used
because the calling party may be using a tone phone behind a pulse
PBX with a tone-to-pulse converter.  Many such converters are
disabled by the #, thus allowing the subscriber to dial the card
number with touch-tones, and avoid having them translated into dial
pulse.

--
Dave Levenson                Voice: (201) 647 0900
Westmark, Inc.               Internet: dave@westmark.uu.net
Warren, NJ, USA              UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave
[The Man in the Mooney]      AT&T Mail: !westmark!dave

tom@gatech.edu (Tom Wiencko) (08/02/89)

In article <telecom-v09i0265m05@vector.dallas.tx.us> 89.KREMEN@gsb-how.stanford
 .edu (The Arb) writes:
>I am wondering about the "special tone" that one hears when
>making a telephone credit card call using AT&T. Does anyone out know
>at what frequency the tone is or is there even a standard?

As a matter of fact, yes, there is a standard.  My copy of the 1980
"Notes on the Network" tells it like this:

A 941Hz plus 1477Hz tone for 60 msec at -10dBm/-3TLP

followed by

a 440Hz plus 350Hz tone for 940 msec exponentially decayed from
   -10dBm per frequency at -3TLP at time constant of 200 msec.

This tone is affectionately known in some circles as the "bong."

I believe that this is still the standard.

Tom

deej@bellcore.bellcore.com (David Lewis) (08/05/89)

In article <telecom-v09i0265m05@vector.dallas.tx.us>, 89.KREMEN@gsb-how.
stanford.edu (The Arb) writes:
> I am wondering about the "special tone" that one hears when
> making a telephone credit card call using AT&T. Does anyone out know
> at what frequency the tone is or is there even a standard?

Once more, back to Notes on the BOC Intra-LATA Networks... from Table
AQ, "Call Progress Tones"...  Calling Card Service Prompt Tone consists
of 941+1477 Hz followed immediately by 440 + 350 Hz, for 940
milliseconds (exponentially decayed from -10dBm per frequency an -3 TLP
at time constant of 200 milliseconds).

whatever *that* means...

--
David G Lewis				...!bellcore!nvuxr!deej

			"If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawnmower."