[fa.telecom] TELECOM Digest V4 #157

telecom@ucbvax.ARPA (02/10/85)

From: Jon Solomon (the Moderator) <Telecom-Request@BBNCCA>


TELECOM Digest     Sun, 10 Feb 85  0:04:04 EST    Volume 4 : Issue 157

Today's Topics:
                          Carrier invocation
                     Re: Residential PABX System
               Re: TELECOM Digest V4 #155 - phone noise
                         Billing strangeness
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Date: 8 Feb 85 19:27:54 EST
From: *Hobbit* <AWalker@RUTGERS.ARPA>
Subject: Carrier invocation
To: telecom@RUTGERS.ARPA

In a normal ESS exchange, if I dial my own number I get a busy signal
immediately, which is the proper thing to do.  Now, if I prefix that with
1-201-<number>, there is a delay with a couple of clicks [meaning it's 
doing more involved routing], and then I get the busy.  Is the switcher 
interpreting this as an inter-LATA call and passing the details to AT&T
blindly without figuring out what the number was first?  This is weird???

_H*
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Date: Sat 9 Feb 85 01:27:42-CST
From: Werner Uhrig  <CMP.WERNER@UTEXAS-20.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Residential PABX System
To: telecom@UTEXAS-20.ARPA

Lars Poulsen (LARS@ACC) wonders if this wouldn't constitute being a small
phone-company which would come under FCC-regulation.

just happens that on local TV tonight was a report where SWB attacks the
internal phone-installations of a Dallas high-rise, which might now get
direct connections to LD-carriers.  I'll keep you posted as things develop.

in general, I think I have heard that as long as you don't cross a utility
easement you can string a private phone-line to a neighbors house, but I
might be wrong and any crossing of property lines would put you under FCC
control.
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From: fortune!redwood!rpw3@Berkeley
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 85 14:06:25 pst
To: fortune!dual!ucbvax!telecom@Berkeley
Subject: Re: TELECOM Digest V4 #155 - phone noise

+---------------
| From: kyle.wbst@XEROX.ARPA
| re: noise & Southwestern Bell...
| I have had a problem with noise on the lines up here in Rochester, NY.
|                                 ... What I have discovered is that there
| is an AM radio station that comes in loud and clear on the phone lines
|                                                    ... When I disconnect
| the modem from the phone line, the music goes away, so clearly the modem
| card is somehow acting like an antenna and picking up this radio station. 
| Any suggestions for a cheap fix (short of building agiant Faraday cage).
+---------------

As you describe it, the radio signal is most probably coming in through
the power lines, not the phone lines. This is not unusual, if the power
lines run near the radio station's antenna. When I was at Fortune Systems,
at one of their early locations, we were in the ground wave of a 50kW talk
station. If a prototype system was not properly grounded (and how many are,
all spread out on the bench?), one could see VOLTS! of R.F. on the logic
"ground" with an oscilloscope. This caused MOS logic errors, to say the least!
(It's confusing enough when your prototypes are crashing for other reasons...)

The solution was to make sure the power supplies were all properly grounded
to the "green wire" in the power cord. In your case, if you don't have a
modern house with good solid grounds (third prong) in the outlets, you may
have to make your own (see any book on ham radio for tips and techniques).
If you already have good grounds, you may have to try an "RFI" filter, or
even an isolation transformer. Borrowing an oscilloscope may be of use in
measuring/tracing the problem (especially if the scope's connected to a
friend who has RFI-killing experience, such as a neighborhood ham operator).


Rob Warnock
Systems Architecture Consultant

UUCP:	{ihnp4,ucbvax!dual}!fortune!redwood!rpw3
DDD:	(415)572-2607
USPS:	510 Trinidad Lane, Foster City, CA  94404



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From: ima!johnl@bbncca
Date: Sat Feb  9 14:45:00 1985
Subject: Billing strangeness
To: bbncca!telecom

I was looking at my typical zillion page phone bill ("this page is to tell you
that we don't care if you pay the bill on the next two pages") and noticed that
every month for quite a while, AT&T has been billing me for exactly two calls
to interstate directory assistance.  For a while, I assumed that friends had
absent-mindedly called D.A. direct before carefully billing the following call
to their credit cards.  I make all of my L.D. calls through SBS, including
D.A. calls, and I'm rather suspicious, since two calls is the number that
you get for free if you make any AT&T phone calls.  Anybody else notice this?

Also, I saw in a flyer from SBS that General Telephone of California has been
charging message units in some areas for calls to 950 numbers.  You can get
your money back by applying in writing to General Tel's central billing office.
They claim they'll have it fixed by April.  Uh huh.

John Levine, ima!johnl or Levine@YALE.ARPA

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End of TELECOM Digest
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