Telecom-REQUEST@MIT-XX.ARPA (10/26/85)
From: Moderator <Telecom-REQUEST@MIT-XX.ARPA>
TELECOM Digest Friday, October 25, 1985 6:12PM
Volume 5, Issue 56
Today's Topics:
Rochester telephone service
Active line indicator
Re: what is an AML and how does it work?
mobile phones
Data Access Lines
Automatic route selection and 1+
Re: More 1+
Re: Rochester telephone service
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Date: 24 Oct 85 19:01 EDT (Thu)
From: _Bob <Carter@RUTGERS>
Subject: Rochester telephone service
From: Tom Martin <TJMartin at MIT-MULTICS.ARPA>
I have been traveling a lot to Rochester, NY lately, and the most
aggravating part of it (or even, the only aggravating part) is the
terrible service provided by Rochester Telephone.
I make fairly frequent calls from northern N.J. (201) to Hamilton, N.Y.
(315)824-XXXX, and vice versa. I very often get the tones and the "All lines
are busy, try again" msg. Is Hamilton in the Rochester LATA?
One thing *I think* I've noticed. It seems that if I punch in the
numbers slowly and very evenly (about 2 or 3/sec.) the success ratio
tends to be much higher.
Would that be a crossbar trying to deal with the output from a DTMF
decoder or something of the like?
_B
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Date: Thu, 24 Oct 85 21:29 EDT
From: Jeffrey C Honig <$jch%clvm.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA>
Subject: Active line indicator
I just received my latest DAK (800-325-0800) catalog which lists an
active line indicator for $9.50 + $2 Postage and Handling. It is not
line powered, it requires a 9V battery. The descripton implies that it
will indicate off-hook anywhere on the phone line.
Jeffrey C Honig
Clarkson University - Potsdam, NY
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Date: Thu, 24 Oct 85 23:23 EDT
From: Frankston@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Subject: Re: what is an AML and how does it work?
As I've noted in a previous note, the AML has a serious side effect of
reducing the voltage on the second line to 16 volts thereby causing
equipment that depends on voltage to fail. In particular hold buttons
that attempt to detect another phone off hook by detecting the voltage
change.
I had my AML removed and replaced by separate pairs.
------------------------------
From: crash!scotto@sdcsvax.arpa
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 85 15:57:55 PDT
Subject: mobile phones
I had my first chance to use a mobile phone today and I must say I was
impressed.
I had never been close to one, but they seem so easy to use and the
reception was great. I did notice one thing that I didn't understand
that seems annoying if nothing else. While we were listening, (on a
speakerphone) it seemed that the persons voice would always be clear,
but would vary in volume. I am sure we never left the "cell" we started
the call with because we were never more than 4 miles from the only
transmitter in the area. Any ideas?
Also, I understand each area has it's own database. The person I was
with is based out of Los Angeles, and had to "log on" in San Diego. He
was greeted with "Welcome to the San Diego cellular network". I tried
to call the Los Angeles number and was greeted with "I'm sorry, the
mobile number you have dialed is unavailable or in another area". It
all seemed to work without a flaw. Does anyone know if the prices for
air time will ever come down?
---Scott O'Connell crash!scotto@ucsd - or - crash!scotto@nosc
{ihnp4, cbosgd, sdcsvax, noscvax}!crash!scotto
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From: smb%ulysses.btl.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1985 22:49:43
Subject: Data Access Lines
From: crash!scotto@SDCSVAX.ARPA
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 85 11:47:53 PDT
Subject: DATA ACCESS LINE
Pacific Bell has a new service, thought I would relay it to Telecom.
DATA ACCESS LINE
DATA ACCESS LINE:
Provides a needed customer service, a "cleaner line", for faster,
more reliable communication over the switched network.
.....
Data Access Line is available on a measured basis only, where
measuring capability exists.
"Measured basis only". Now we see the real motivation...
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Date: Friday, 25 Oct 1985 06:50:29-PDT
From: goldstein%alpha.DEC@decwrl.DEC.COM (Fred R. Goldstein dtn247-3204)
Subject: Automatic route selection and 1+
When your PBX has Automatic Route Selectiona and an FX line, and
the user gets a recording "you must dial a 1", then there's one
conclusion: whoever programmed the ARS did it wrong. In a few cases
(some NEC PBXs, for instance), the ARS program is so brain-damaged
that it can't properly handle an FX line. In the more general case,
the person doing the programming (installer or telecom person on site)
didn't get it right.
Any toll call in 617 requires a 1+, but you NEVER dial "617-1-xxx".
The one goes before the area code, if you have one. In the case
Peter Capek described (dialing Stratus Computer in Marlboro, Mass.),
the PBX didn't recognize the relatively new 617-460 prefix, so it
sent the call on the FX line which clearly wan not local to Marlboro!
Since the FX just hits a local CO like any other line, it needed the 1.
Generally, it's not economical to use FX for calls to nonlocal areas,
so the call mayhave belonged on WATS. But one of the weirdnesses of
divestiture was the reclassification of FX as "Feature Group A",
the "ENFIA" service used by MCI and their ilk for Unequal Access.
In exchange for a high rate for local calls, tolls are waived within
the LATA. The telcos are trying to get around this (they asked for
it in the first place, but didn't think too far ahead), so it may
not last. In either case, the CO still needs the 1+ even if it isn't
billing full toll charges.
Hence the general case mentioned in the previous paragraph is on
hiatus.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 85 13:01:25 EDT
From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@BRL.ARPA>
Subject: Re: More 1+
9-617-1-460-xxxx? Are you sure you didn't get the 1 and the area code
reversed?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 85 14:01:52 edt
From: Dave Forsey <drforsey%watcgl%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
Newsgroups: mod.telecom
Subject: Re: High-speed modem query
References: <KPETERSEN.12153526239.BABYL@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
Reply-To: drforsey@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Forsey)
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
In article <KPETERSEN.12153526239.BABYL@SIMTEL20.ARPA> pjatter@SANDIA-CAD.ARPA writes:
>We are currently evaluating high-speed (i.e., > 1200 baud) modems to
>link our remote terminal users to our Vax.
>
Though probably not appropriate for your particular application there
does exist a modem, based on packet switching, that provides error free
transmission over normal phone lines at up to 21K (yes 21,000 bps).
Transmission speed varies with the quality of connection, the makers claim
that over the worst line they've found they still get 5000 bps, error free.
Of course you need one of these modems on both ends to get this throughput
(although there is a standard 300/1200 modem in each) and you pay for it
($1995 US for an IBM PC card and $2395 US for a stand-alone).
The company that markets this is Telebit in Cupertino Calif, and
Digital Communications Associates (Alpharetta, Ga.).
Dave Forsey
Computer Graphics Laboratory
University of Waterloo, Waterloo Ont. Canada.
{allegra,ihnp4}watmath!watcgl!drforsey
------------------------------
Date: Fri 25 Oct 85 18:07:11-EDT
From: Jon Solomon <JSOL@MIT-XX.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Rochester telephone service
Bob,
Dialing your dial slowly has nothing to do with how fast
the incoming trunks at Hamilton, NY. receives their tones. I would
say that if you are experiencing that symptom, that your local
switch is where the difficulty lies...
I have crossbar in Somerville, MA. now (I just moved in), while
I'm on a nostalgia kick (Oh boy! Mechanical Switching!!!), after
having been an ESS freak for 15 years or so, I also notice that
you have to dial carefully or it will get confused.
Fortunately, I don't speed-dial like I speed-type.
Cheers,
--JSol
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End of TELECOM Digest
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