telecom@ucbvax.ARPA (09/19/84)
From: Jon Solomon (the Moderator) <Telecom-Request@MIT-MC> TELECOM Digest Wednesday, 19 Sep 1984 Volume 4 : Issue 88 Today's Topics: Using a phone next to a noisy fan. Re: TELECOM Digest V4 #85 International "800" Service Reflections about payphones ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 17 Sep 1984 20:48 MDT (Mon) Sender: KPETERSEN@SIMTEL20 From: Keith Petersen <W8SDZ@SIMTEL20> Subject: Using a phone next to a noisy fan. Much of the trouble you have hearing when using a phone in a noisy environment is caused by the microphone (transmitter) in the handset. This is because of the "side-tone" that is provided so you can hear your own voice in the receiver while talking. A very effective solution is to get a Roanwell "Confidencer" noise-cancelling microphone. These are available direct from Roanwell or from your telephone equipment supplier. On a 500-series handset you simply unscrew the cap and remove the old carbon transmitter and replace it with the new Roanwell unit. On other types of handsets which don't have a screw-off cap, it may be necessary to replace the whole handset. --Keith ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Sep 84 11:19:44 pdt From: <hplabs!intelca!cem@Berkeley> Subject: Re: TELECOM Digest V4 #85 In Telcom V4 #85 ucbvax!tamir mentioned one of his requirements for a smart phone was continuous or more than 15 redials on busy. I recently read an article that said "attack dialing", or continous redialing on busy was illegal for more than 15 retries. Is this true? Can someone point me to the correct FCC reference, or article/paragraph? I have my modem/computer do my home dialing also and it doesn't stop after 15 tries. --Chuck ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Sep 84 8:49:55 CDT From: Will Martin -- AMXAL-RI <wmartin@ALMSA-1.ARPA> Subject: International "800" Service Just received a sample copy of one of those expensive newsletters ($277 for 24 issues), called International Communications News. Most of the data is on satellites, but this one short item looks to be of particular interest to Telecom readers: AT&T, FRENCH AGREE ON FIRST TRANSOCEANIC TOLL-FREE SERVICE AT&T today unveiled a proposal for the first transoceanic telecommunications service that would allow businesses in the US to receive toll-free telephone calls from customers in foreign locations. In a filing made today with the FCC, the company sought initial approval to make AT&T International 800 Service available between the US and France later this year. The French PTT has agreed to concurrently offer a toll-free international service for US-to-France calls. (From the Sept 14, 1984, issue.) Comment: I bet these numbers are kept really hush-hush! Think of the charges a malicious caller or prankster could force a company to pay if he found out an international 800 number and called it repeatedly. I also find it hard to imagine that this service is really that worthwhile. The usual uses of 800 numbers (telemarketing, data dial-ups, customer service) don't seem to fit well in a US-to-France link situation. Anybody have some ideas as to what kinds of businesses would use this service and for what purposes? Will Martin ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin ------------------------------ Date: 18 Sep 1984 12:20 PDT From: Lars Poulsen <LARS@ACC> Subject: Reflections about payphones Reply-to: LARS@ACC The Sep 24 issue of Communications Week has an article about equipment now available for the "Private Pay Phone" market. The issues raised about significant features made me realize some of the significant differences between the - otherwise technically similar and mostly compatible - switched networks here and in Europe. Apparently, a Private Pay Phone - like a PBX - needs a cpu and a list of long distance charges coded by prefixes, areacodes etc in order to charge for the call as it is being made. This obviously complicates the equipment. In my native Denmark, in contrast, the carrier will provide you with a charge pulse for each message charge unit spent; whether on metered local service or on long distance calls. In fact, residential lines have a meter connected across the access loop at the CO, and this is how phone bills are generated - itemized long distance bills are only available for operator-assisted calls. If you want, you can rent a meter to install at your own end of the loop so that you can verify your phone bill. This makes a pay phone very simple: all it has to do is count the coins and add available message units to an up-down counter as coins are inserted, then subtract a message unit for each charge pulse. The result of this is much lower charges for medium-distance toll calls. / Lars Poulsen ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest *********************