Telecom-Request%mit-mc@brl-bmd.UUCP (Telecom-Request@mit-mc) (03/08/84)
TELECOM Digest Thursday, 8 Mar 1984 Volume 4 : Issue 32
Today's Topics:
TELECOM Digest V4 #30
Re: 950-xxxx from Charge-a-phones
USOC list
Things that go "ding!" in the night...
Re: TELECOM Digest V4 #31
RJ11 jacks with punch-downs
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Date: 6 March 1984 00:29-EST
From: Richard P. Wilkes <RICK @ MIT-MC>
Subject: TELECOM Digest V4 #30
Note on MCI-MAIL:
To send an electronic message between two people costs $1, regardless
of how long it takes you to compose, edit, address, and send your 7500
character message. Whether you use 300 or 1200 bps doesn't matter.
Let's compare that to CompuServe:
At 300 baud, the price is $6/hour. That gives you roughly 10 minutes
to get into EMAIL, address, compose, and send your message. No biggy
if you are uploading, but tough for the typical typist.
At 1200 bps, the price is $12.50/hr. You now have only 5 minutes.
This is the price of sending the message only. You can, of course,
address it to more than one person at no additional cost.
But, it will cost your recipient to read your message. At 30 cps, it
will cost someone roughly $.40 to read the same 7500 character
message, assuming that he doesn't need to pause, file, or reread the
message. 1200 should be less, but few people can read at that speed
and would need to pause the output.
Add to this the fact that you can only use non-prime time for these
rates. Prime time is substantially more.
For $1 per message ($2 delivered on paper), MCI mail seems to be quite
a bargain. My only concern is whether they will end up making money.
Each welcome pack costs $1.87 to mail plus materials (at least $1).
Connect time is not charged. They are going to have to send a lot of
mail to make a reasonable return. We'll see. -r
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Date: 6 Mar 1984 02:50:43-EST
From: ima!haddock!johnl@CCA-UNIX
From: John Levine, INTERACTIVE, 441 Stuart St, Boston MA 02116
From: (617-247-1155) <johnl@haddock.UUCP>
Subject: Re: 950-xxxx from Charge-a-phones
I've found pretty inconsistent results when trying to call 950-1088
from pay phones, either the kind with or without coin slots. For
example, at the Boston airport (617-569) pay phones ask for a dime if
you dial 950-1088 or 1-950-1088, but the calls go through directly if
you dial 0-950-1088. I was in New Haven last week, and found that
calls went through on phones in 203-789 but asked for a dime in
203-785. (I thought those two were physically the same exchange.
They're both all over downtown New Haven. Hmmn.)
I also found that SBS considers New Haven to be part of New York city,
since my New York validated SBS number worked, and dialing random
digits got a recording that said it was in New York. They're
certainly not in the same LATA, so I'd be interested in what might be
going on. If I called somewhere in Connecticut, would that make it an
interstate call since they "think" I'm in New York? I assume that 950
numbers get supervision, but can they tell the calling number and
other CCIS goodies?
John Levine, cca!ima!johnl, Levine@Yale.ARPA
PS: To those who asked for SBS signup cards, I haven't forgotten you.
I'm just very disorganized.
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Date: Tue 6 Mar 84 00:46:03-PST
From: David Roode <ROODE@SRI-NIC>
Subject: USOC list
Location: EJ286 Phone: (415) 859-2774
I have been told by someone at AT&T that AT&T publication 47101
contains a descriptive list of all the USOC's. The address I have for
ordering AT&T publications dates from 1979 with on-the-fly updates
from an AT&T customer service technical representative and is:
Business Premise Engineering
Data & Special Systems
AT&T Communications
295 N. Maple Ave
Baskenridge, NJ
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Date: Tue 6 Mar 84 09:48:36-MST
From: William G. Martin <WMartin@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
Subject: Things that go "ding!" in the night...
Ever since we bought a cheapy electronic phone, which we use in
parallel with the old rotary-dial model on a rotary-only line, we have
heard the chirp of its ring at odd times of the night, mostly at 2AM
or so, and sometimes during the day. I always figured that it was some
sort of CO battery switch-over or the like, sending a transient down
the line which wasn't enough to overcome the mechanical inertia of the
bell ringer on the old phone, but which triggers the electronic ring
circuit for a single chirp.
Another odd thing about this set-up is that on SOME, but not all
calls, the old phone will ring, and the new electronic one will not.
On most calls, both ring. Every fifth call or thereabouts, the
electronic one remains silent while the old phone rings away merrily.
We don't use the ringer cut-off switch on the electronic phone, so it
isn't that it has been left turned off. I have sometimes let the
ringing continue to see if the electronic phone will begin ringing
sometime during the series of rings, but it will never start if it
didn't start at the beginning. I cannot explain this at all...
Will Martin
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From: jhh%ihldt@BRL-BMD.ARPA
From: decvax!ihnp4!ihldt!jhh@BRL-BMD.ARPA
Date: 6 Mar 84 09:57:28 CST (Tue)
Subject: Re: TELECOM Digest V4 #31
For what its worth, 8 wire modular Jacks should be available through
AT&T Technologies or AT&T Informations Systems, with screwless
installation. Our office, attached to a Dimension* PBX uses the
8-wire jacks, with two outlets in each receptacle. I am sure that
other 8 or 6 wire jacks are available.
John Haller
AT&T Bell Laboratories * Dimension is a
trademark of AT&T Information Systems
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Date: Wed 7 Mar 84 12:18:11-PST
From: Doug <Faunt%hp-labs.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
Subject: RJ11 jacks with punch-downs
3M , Telecom products division makes these and other pieces that work
very nicely with the Mod-Tap stuff. Your closest is probably
(215)728-5300.
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End of TELECOM Digest
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