TELECOM@Usc-Eclb (07/30/82)
TELECOM AM Digest Friday, 30 July 1982 Volume 2 : Issue 95
Today's Topics:
Dart II - Another Hart Line?
Portable Telephones And Other Losing FCC Decisions
Whats NPANXX - A Query About Dialing "1+" for Long Distance
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 28 Jul 1982 2027-EDT
From: Charles B. Weinstock <Weinstock at CMU-20C>
Subject: Dart II
Does anyone out there know anything about an alternative long distance
service known as Dart II. They are advertising locally that for a $15
installation fee, and a $3 monthly charge, you can save 20% or more on
interstate calls to anywhere in the country. Sounds like the Hart
Line scheme to me, but I suppose it could be like MCI's new deal (call
anywhere in the country, and MCI will take you on their net as close
as possible, and then use Bell the rest of the way). Also, I wonder
why the $15 fee?
Chuck
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jul 1982 0800-PDT
Sender: WMARTIN at OFFICE-8
Subject: Portable telephones
From: WMartin at Office-8 (Will Martin)
Since the subject was mentioned, I thought I'd relay some comments
about the cheap portable telephones that are flooding the market that
have been aired on Glenn Hauser's "World of Radio" syndicated radio
show. (This is aired on some NPR [and other] FM stations, and on
shortwave on WRNO, 2330 GMT Sundays, 11855 kHz. It is a "magazine"
show about all aspects of radio, emphasizing shortwave and
international broadcasting.)
Glenn has been discussing reports from SWL's (shortwave listeners)
about hearing these portable phones; they use the chunk of spectrum
from 1600 to 1900 kHz, just above the AM BCB. The main reaction is
disgust at yet another source of spectrum pollution degrading the RF
environment. Also it seems many users don't realize that the signals
carry farther than their home environs; they disclose private matters
as if it was a closed-line telephone call.
There are also opportunities for phone phreak abuse of these; using
the portable portion to access someone else's base and thus make
long-distance calls on their bill is one obvious technique. Another
is to monitor the frequencies for users of Sprint, MCI, and the like,
and decode the customer code numbers from the transmitted tones.
I haven't been listening for those portable phone signals, but I gusee
I should try -- any other SWL's out there picked up any?
It's really amazing that the frequencies chosen for this service were
so poorly determined; of course, the FCC has a long history of
complete ineptitude in frequency choosing; consider the ill effects of
the 26-27 MHz choice of CB frequencies, encouraging harmonic TVI and
selecting frequencies which would skip for long-distance
communications, and then trying to administratively prohibit what is
technically possible! (Dumb!)
Sigh, Will Martin
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jul 1982 11:20 EDT
From: Axelrod.WBST at PARC-MAXC
Subject: Re: Whats NPANXX - A Query About Dialing "1+" for Long Distance
cc: Axelrod.wbst
Several people have discussed the matter of dialing "1" + 10 digits in
terms of distinguishing between 7 and 10 digit numbers. However,
recently I have heard some discussions of another reason for having
the Long Distance access code, related to the impending Bell split,
and deregulation. The conjecture is that ATT Long Lines will no
longer have a monopoly on long distance calling, and that other long
distance comon carriers, (MCI, Sprint, etc) will ask for, and be
granted access to local CO's. According to this conjecture, the
subscriber might then have the option of dialing "1"+10 digits for ATT
Long Lines, and say, "10"+10 digits for MCI, etc. (This would seem to
introduce a whole new set of ambiguities, wouldn't it?)
Does anyone have any information, or educated opinions on this
subject?
Art Axelrod
Xerox Webster Research Center
------------------------------
End of TELECOM Digest
**********************
-------