TELECOM@Usc-Eclb.arpa (03/15/83)
TELECOM AM Digest Monday, 17 January 1983 Volume 3 : Issue 5
Today's Topics:
Administrivia - More Mail Service Problems
Cellular Mobile In Washingon, D.C. Area.
NPA 555 + Not Always Directory Assistance
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Date: 16 Jan 1983 1553-PST
From: The Moderator <JSol@USC-ECLC>
Subject: Administrivia - More mail service problems
We are still (!) having problems related to the delivery of TELECOM.
Things are firming up in the mail software, but we are far from being
"home free". Issue #4 was delivered at least 3 times to quite a few
addresses, and never made it to at least half of the recipients of
TELECOM. I'm hoping for a better record today.
If you receive this one (it's pretty small) you know that we are up to
issue 5 of volume 3. The last issue of volume 2 was #141. If you want
duplicate copies of issues, please send to TELECOM-REQUEST@USC-ECLB
asking for said duplicates. Please be sure to include the specific
issues you want, it will be sufficient to ask me for "all the issues
since Volume 2 Issue <nnn>"... I will fill in the rest of the details
and shuffle all of the issues out to you, barring unforseen mail
problems.
TELECOM continues to serve as a "guinea pig" for testing new mailers
so if you get multiple copies, garbled messages, etc. etc. Please let
me know. Thanks for your cooperation and patience in this difficult
time.
Enjoy,
--JSol
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Date: 15 Jan 1983 1312-PST
Sender: GEOFF at SRI-CSL
Subject: Re: TELECOM Digest V3 #3, Cellular mobile in Washingon,
D.C. area.
From: the tty of Geoffrey S. Goodfellow
Reply-To: Geoff at SRI-CSL
You are quite correct in that the moment the cellular mobile changes
cells (i.e. hand-off) the channel is muted. However, only the mobile
side is muted. The mute duration is 50ms. This would only cause a
minimal glitch at 300 baud. I would expect that most people using
data over cellular systems would be stationary (after all it is kind
of hard to drive your car and type on your terminal at the same time,
isn't it?), and hence not be subject to the hand-off mute.
A way around the 'glitch' in hand-off is to have your receive modem
directly attached to the MTSO (so it knows you are communicating
digitally), and when it comes time to hand you off, the MTSO could
either stop transmission (by sending an X-OFF down the pipe) OR the
MTSO could momentarily buffer the data while it does the hand-off.
The Motorola developmental system in Washington you referred to is
really the American Radio Telephone Service (ARTS) developmental
system supplied by Motorola and is totally owned by American Radio
Telephone Service. The system is therefore not subject to purchase by
who ever wins the non-wire line license in the Washington DC and
Baltimore SMSA's.
As far as Metrorail being one cell: none of the 5 applicants filed for
Metrorail coverage initially on June 7th, but the idea of stringing
leaky coax thru out the Metrorail system has been banded about as a
possible future enhancement.
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Date: Sat Jan 15 1983 19:18:13-PST
From: Lauren Weinstein <vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM.ARPA>
Subject: 555+
Pacific Telephone has just announced a "Let's Talk Response Center"
for people interested in finding out "details" regarding the AT&T
breakup's effects on PacTel services. The really interesting aspect
of this is the number:
(800) 555-5000
This is the first instance I've ever seen of a ten digit 555+ number
being used for *anything* other than directory assistance. In fact,
in most areas, it has usually been possible to dial:
NPA+555+XXXX
to get D.A. for a remote area code -- any random values for the last
four digits were sufficient.
--Lauren--
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End of TELECOM Digest
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