[fa.telecom] TELECOM Digest V4 #33

Telecom-Request%mit-mc@brl-bmd.UUCP (Telecom-Request@mit-mc) (03/10/84)

TELECOM Digest          Saturday, 10 Mar 1984      Volume 4 : Issue 33

Today's Topics:
                          phones catching fire
                         TELECOM Digest   V4 #32
                            Odd MCI behaivior
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Date: Thu, 8 Mar 84 08:51 EST
Sender: Wegeng.Henr@PARC-MAXC.ARPA
Subject: phones catching fire
From: Don Wegeng <Wegeng.Henr@PARC-MAXC.ARPA>

On last night's news there was an short segment which mentioned that 
many of the inexpensive phones on the market today may present a fire 
hazard.  Aparently AT&T puts a fuse into the phone to protect against
a short between the phone line and the power line which the low cost 
phones lack.  When AT&T recently simulated such a short all of the
units which did not have the fuse caught fire!

My questions:  Does anyone on the list have any more information about
this?  Should I consider adding some sort of protection to the phones 
which I now have in my house?  If so, what is the best solution?  
Finally, if this is indeed a problem then why is the protection placed
in the phone, and not on the phone line itself before it enters the 
house?

Thanks,

Don Wegeng (dw) Wegeng.Henr@Parc-Maxc.ARPA rocks34!dw

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Date: Thu, 8 Mar 84 11:28 EST
From: "Richard Lawhorn Jr." <RLL%SCRC-STONY-BROOK@MIT-MC.ARPA>
Subject: TELECOM Digest   V4 #32


I know that I might be asking for trouble, but would any one care to 
send me there comments/flames on the following PBX systems.

Northern Telecom SL1-N

Rolm MCBX

NEC NEAX 2400

I am interested in hearing from people who have one of the above PBXs.
Please send replies directly to me.

-Rick

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Date: 9 Mar 1984 15:24:50-EST
From: cutter at mit-ccc at mit-mc
Subject: Odd MCI behaivior

Today, while trying to call someone, I noticed something wrong with 
MCI, something I've never encountered before. When I called the local 
access number (617-262-7775), instead of the normal tone, I discovered
I was attached to a trunk line -- rather, instead of the tone, there
were conversations there. When I punched a button, it stopped. In
other words, it was as if the tone had been replaced by other MCI
users conversations.  In fact, as long as I kept hitting a number and
then '#', I could stay on as long as I wanted to.I didn't get full
conversations, too. After while I would be switched to a new call.
These were full calls, too -- ringing and all. Sometimes even the
person dialing his/her code!

Is this common? Can it be fixed? Isn't it an invasion of privacy? I 
listened to two people talking in very intimate terms, at one point!  
Any comments?

                                                Joe

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End of TELECOM Digest
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