telecom (05/13/82)
>From JSOL@USC-ECLB Wed May 12 18:40:20 1982
TELECOM AM Digest Thursday, 13 May 1982 Volume 2 : Issue 59
Today's Topics: Phone Bill Place Names
Mobil Phones Via Satellite
Direct-Dialed Credit Card Calls
Disconnected Phones And Centrexes
Split of 714/619 Area Codes
Vadic 345x Modems
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 10 May 1982 1913-PDT (Monday)
From: lauren at UCLA-Security (Lauren Weinstein)
Subject: phone bill place names / Satellites via mobile
Well. At least in AT&T service areas (and probably in all others as
well) there is a standard list of place names and other information
for every prefix in the DDD network. You can get all this
information, and much more, on a standard reel of magtape from AT&T.
The tape has records for every area code/prefix, the associated
vertical and horizontal coordinates (used to calculate toll charges
via a rather simple algorithm [based on mileage, time of day, etc.]),
the rate center city/state name, and a number of other rather useful
items. The tape is designed to be used in association with programs
which analyze locally recorded call data from large PBX's (such as
Dimensions) which can optionally (via a gadget called an SMDR) feed
ascii call data to a customer's own local computer. The operating
companies use the same basic data to generate customer statements
(bills).
This tape (and the accompanying documentation) cost about $80 when I
last had to deal with them a couple of years ago.
---
The reported demo of a 2 meter mobile radio being used to access a
satellite is almost certainly misleading. I don't believe that the
satellite mentioned was geosynchronous -- so the stuff about the
signal going 23,000 miles would not have been true. In fact, it is
unlikely that a 20 watt 2 meter (146 MHz) signal, coming off a simple
whip antenna, has much chance of reaching geosynchronous orbit!
On the other hand, there HAVE been demonstrations of HAND HELD radios,
with very low power (less than 5 watts) operating at frequencies
around 1GHz, that can reach such satellites. They had to use a rather
strange helical antenna about 4 feet long, but it did work.
My guess is that for the 2 meter demonstration, they were using an old
non-synchronous satellite, and waited until it was overhead for the
demo. That would be more in line with the capabilities of the
euquipment reportedly used.
--Lauren--
------------------------------
Date: 11 May 82 08:48:45 EDT (Tue)
From: Steve Bellovin <smb.unc@UDel-Relay>
Subject: direct-dialed credit card calls
The new system is supposed to be available state-wide in North
Carolina by the end of June, according to Southern Bell. On in-state
calls, there will be a discount of $.40 for entering the credit card
number yourself.
------------------------------
Date: 11 May 82 10:26:34 EDT (Tue)
From: Steve Bellovin <smb.unc@UDel-Relay>
Subject: Disconnected phones and Centrexes
For assorted reasons, the Powers in the department here yanked out one
of the phones serving my building. Callers are not told what the new
number is, merely that the old one has been disconnected. The
University's Utilities people claim that that can't be done on a
Centrex. Comments? (I don't know what model Centrex it is, but I'm
pretty certain it's genuine Bell. Southern Bell installed a brand-new
ESS last year to serve the entire town, so I assume that we have
state- of-the-art equipment.)
--Steve
------------------------------
Date: 12 May 1982 1107-PDT
Sender: GEOFF at SRI-CSL
Subject: 714/619?
From: the tty of Geoffrey S. Goodfellow
Reply-To: Geoff at SRI-CSL
I just got my new '82 phone book (for Palo Alto) and it had a
blurb on its front cover as follows:
IMPORTANT NOTICE
On November 5, 1982, the 714 area code will be divided and the new 619
area code introduced. Before calling out of your area, check the area
code pages of your customer guide in the white pages diectory.
---
I thought it was the 213 area code which was running out of numbers as
was going to be divied, but here it says the 714 area code is the one
that is being divied?? anyone know how the division will be done,
etc.?
------------------------------
Date: 12 May 82 09:48:18 EDT (Wed)
From: Steve Bellovin <smb.unc@UDel-Relay>
Full-Name: Steve Bellovin
Subject: Vadic 345x modems
There have been repeated reports of reliability and infant-mortality
problems with these modems. Has this situation gotten any better of
late?
------------------------------
End of TELECOM Digest
**********************
-------