TELECOM@Usc-Eclb (09/03/82)
TELECOM AM Digest Friday, 3 September 1982 Volume 2 : Issue 113
Today's Topics: Reprogramming ESS Touch-Tone Line
Bryant Pond - Address Correction Requested
DTMF Signalling and Encoding Documentation Pointer
DTMF Encoders & Decoders - Experience
Calling Cards Revisited
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Date: 1 September 1982 20:55 mst
From: Lippard at M (James J. Lippard)
Subject: Touch-tone line
Sender: Lippard.Scouting at M
Reply-To: Lippard%PCO-Multics at MIT-MULTICS
In my phone bill last month was included a notice which stated that
touch-tone phones were now available for my area, as well as call
forwarding, call waiting, and the other special features. It said
that my area was now on new equipment, so calls to other people on the
same equipment would result in the ring as soon as the last number was
dialed.
I sent in the card requesting a touch-tone phone, and about a week
later I get a call from Colorado (I'm in Arizona). It turns out they
want to charge me for shipping from Colorado, plus they want to charge
me $27.50 for "reprogramming the line" for touch-tone. I said forget
it, and just plan to go down to the local Phone Center Store to take
care of it.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? What is this "reprogramming
the line" business?
Jim
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Date: 2-Sep-82 15:33:33 PDT (Thursday)
From: Jheinrich at PARC-MAXC
cc: Jheinrich at PARC-MAXC
Anybody know if the address for Bryant's Pond in this digest
For more info, contact:
DON'T YANK THE CRANK
BOX 56
BRYANT POND, MAINE 04216
or call,
Alice Johnson at:
Bryant Pond 137
is correct?
An earlier Digest gave it as Box 67, as I recall.
Joe
JHeinrich.pa@PARC-MAXC
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Date: 2 Sep 1982 at 1403-PDT
From: worthington at SRI-TSC
To: AWalker at Rutgers
There is a fairly extensive rundown on the options available for DTMF
signaling and decoding for just the application you describe in Ciarcia's
Circuit Cellar feature in the December, 1981 issue of BYTE entitled
"Build a Touch Tone Decoder for Remote Control"... Dave
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Date: 2 Sep 1982 21:27:12-PDT
From: D.jlapsley at Berkeley
Subject: Touch-tone chips
The two Touch-tone chips that I have had experience with are the
MM5395 touch-tone generator (by National Semiconductor), and the MM53125
(also made by National Semiconductor).
Both of these chips are CMOS and require an external 3 .58... MHz
crystal. They both use 3x4 or 4x4 matrix keyboards to decide on which
tone to generate. The only real difference between the two is that the
MM53125 generates the 1633 Hz tone for the fourth column of touch-tones.
On the subject of receiving touch-tone signals, there is an excellent
article on doing this (as well as generating touch-tones, and there are
circuits given which do both) in the December 1981 Byte magazine.
Phil
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Date: 3 Sep 1982 0043-EDT
From: Hobbit <AWalker at RUTGERS>
Subject: Calling cards revisited
It seems that the customer-entry system has just been implemented [cut
over, rather] here in New Brunswick. When I was near the Morristown
office I tried to find out when they were going to install it there also.
I went through a number of loops and backtraces that the readership may
find entertaining.
I talked to a regular operator, and no, they had not received any training
about the system yet, nor had the supervisor received any instructional
material for it. One super gave me a mumble that it wasn't due till
next year, but I'd better try the business office, they'd know better.
I tried them. They gave me a similar mumble. It was at this point that
I introduced my real complaint: that the dials did not work when connected
on an existing call thru TSPS [which has been true around here for years,
but with the increasing popularity of MCI and friends, one would expect
that more people would find this out and complain about it.] It took
me about 3 tries to make these people understand what I was driving at.
I did the standard thing and asked for a supervisor. Finally from there
I was directed to repair [they probably thought I was trying to report
*one* broken pay phone]. I gave up on the B.O. and tried business
repair, and finally from them I got the number of the ''coin
headquarters'' for the state. I talked to a friendly supervisor there
who gave me the following information:
A local company in Morristown had requested that polarity guards be installed
on the pay stations in their plant. This work was done. She didn't know
about the rest of the area.
The Mechanized Calling Card System [MCCS [Oh, so **that**'s what
you call it!]] was not due to be cut over until May '83. To find this
out, she had to go off the line for about 5 minutes while she called
elsewhere, to someone who had the implementation schedule for the
whole state. Therefore I found out that there is indeed a statewide
master plan for MCCS cutovers, and Morristown's problem is just that
it's at the end of the line. She didn't know why. She couldn't find
out about projected installation of polarity guards, either.
So there sits the Morristown office: While the rest of the state is turning
digital all around it, it sits there with two of its exchanges happily
clacking away on some of the oldest #5 crossbar equipment around, and
making its operators bear the full burden of calling card calls. Oy, vey.
_H*
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End of TELECOM Digest
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