Section B: Telephony

Table of Contents

  1. What is a Red Box?
  2. How do I build a Red Box?
  3. Where can I get a 6.5536Mhz crystal?
  4. Which payphones will a Red Box work on?
  5. How do I make local calls with a Red Box?
  6. What is a Blue Box?
  7. Do Blue Boxes still work?
  8. What is a Black Box?
  9. What do all the colored boxes do?
  10. What is an ANAC number?
  11. What is the ANAC number for my area?
  12. What is a ringback number?
  13. What is the ringback number for my area?
  14. What is a loop?
  15. What is a loop in my area?
  16. What is a CNA number?
  17. What is the telephone company CNA number for my area?
  18. What are some numbers that always ring busy?
  19. What are some numbers that temporarily disconnect phone service?
  20. What is a Proctor Test Set?
  21. What is a Proctor Test Set in my area?
  22. What is scanning?
  23. Is scanning illegal?
  24. Where can I purchase a lineman's handset?
  25. What are the DTMF frequencies?
  26. What are the frequencies of the telephone tones?
  27. What are all of the * codes?
  28. What frequencies do cordless phones operate on?
  29. What is Caller-ID?
  30. How do I block Caller-ID?
  31. What is a PBX?
  32. What is a VMB?
  33. What are the ABCD tones for?

(Italic indicates updated questions, while bold indicates new questions.)


01. What is a Red Box?

When a coin is inserted into a payphone, the payphone emits a set of tones to ACTS (Automated Coin Toll System). Red boxes work by fooling ACTS into believing you have actually put money into the phone. The red box simply plays the ACTS tones into the telephone microphone. ACTS hears those tones, and allows you to place your call. The actual tones are:


Nickel Signal      1700+2200  0.060s on

Dime Signal        1700+2200  0.060s on, 0.060s off, twice repeating

Quarter Signal     1700+2200  33ms on, 33ms off, 5 times repeating


02. How do I build a Red Box?

Red boxes are commonly manufactured from modified Radio Shack tone dialers, Hallmark greeting cards, or made from scratch from readily available electronic components.

To make a Red Box from a Radio Shack 43-141 or 43-146 tone dialer, open the dialer and replace the crystal with a new one. The purpose of the new crystal is to cause the * button on your tone dialer to create a 1700Mhz and 2200Mhz tone instead of the original 941Mhz and 1209Mhz tones. The exact value of the replacement crystal should be 6.466806 to create a perfect 1700Mhz tone and 6.513698 to create a perfect 2200mhz tone. A crystal close to those values will create a tone that easily falls within the loose tolerances of ACTS. The most popular choice is the 6.5536Mhz crystal, because it is the eaiest to procure. The old crystal is the large shiny metal component labeled "3.579545Mhz." When you are finished replacing the crystal, program the P1 button with five *'s. That will simulate a quarter tone each time you press P1.


03. Where can I get a 6.5536Mhz crystal?

Your best bet is a local electronics store. Radio Shack sells them, but they are overpriced and the store must order them in. This takes approximately two weeks. In addition, many Radio Shack employees do not know that this can be done.

Or, you could order the crystal mail order. This introduces Shipping and Handling charges, which are usually much greater than the price of the crystal. It's best to get several people together to share the S&H cost. Or, buy five or six yourself and sell them later. Some of the places you can order crystals are:


Digi-Key

701 Brooks Avenue South

P.O. Box 677

Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677

(800)344-4539

Part Number:X415-ND    /* Note: 6.500Mhz and only .197 x .433 x .149! */

Part Number:X018-ND



JDR Microdevices:

2233 Branham Lane

San Jose, CA 95124

(800)538-5000

Part Number: 6.5536MHZ



Tandy Express Order Marketing

401 NE 38th Street

Fort Worth, TX 76106

(800)241-8742

Part Number: 10068625



Alltronics

2300 Zanker Road

San Jose CA 95131

(408)943-9774 Voice

(408)943-9776 Fax

(408)943-0622 BBS

Part Number: 92A057



Mouser

(800)346-6873

Part Number: 332-1066



Blue Saguaro

P.O. Box 37061

Tucson, AZ 85740

Part Number: 1458b



Unicorn Electronics

10000 Canoga Ave, Unit c-2

Chatsworth, Ca 91311

Phone: 1-800-824-3432

Part Number: CR6.5


04. Which payphones will a Red Box work on?

Red Boxes will work on TelCo owned payphones, but not on COCOT's (Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephones).


05. How do I make local calls with a Red Box?

Payphones do not use ACTS for local calls. To use your red box for local calls, you have to fool ACTS into getting involved in the call.

One way to do this, in some areas, is by dialing 10288-xxx-xxxx. This makes your call a long distance call, and brings ACTS into the picture.

In other areas, you can call Directory Assistance and ask for the number of the person you are trying to reach. The operator will give you the number and then you will hear a message similar to "Your call can be completed automatically for an additional 35 cents." When this happens, you can then use ACTS tones.


06. What is a Blue Box?

Blue boxes use a 2600hz tone to size control of telephone switches that use in-band signalling. The caller may then access special switch functions, with the usual purpose of making free long distance phone calls, using the tones provided by the Blue Box.


07. Do Blue Boxes still work?

This FAQ answer is excerpted from a message posted to Usenet by Marauder of the Legion of Doom:


        Somewhere along the line I have seen reference to something

        similar to "Because of ESS Blue boxing is impossible".  This is

        incorrect.  When I lived in Connecticut I was able to blue box

        under Step by Step, #1AESS, and DMS-100.  The reason is simple,

        even though I was initiating my call to an 800 number from a

        different exchange (Class 5 office, aka Central Office) in each

        case, when the 800 call was routed to the toll network it would

        route through the New Haven #5 Crossbar toll Tandem office.  It

        just so happens that the trunks between the class 5 (CO's) and

        the class 4 (toll office, in this case New Haven #5 Xbar),

        utilized in-band (MF) signalling, so regardless of what I

        dialed, as long as it was an Inter-Lata call, my call would

        route through this particular set of trunks, and I could Blue

        box until I was blue in the face.  The originating Central

        Offices switch (SXS/ESS/Etc..) had little effect on my ability

        to box at all.  While the advent of ESS (and other electronic

        switches) has made the blue boxers task a bit more difficult,

        ESS is not the reason most of you are unable to blue box.  The

        main culprit is the "forward audio mute" feature of CCIS (out of

        band signalling).  Unfortunately for the boxer 99% of the Toll

        Completion centers communicate using CCIS links, This spells

        disaster for the blue boxer since most of you must dial out of

        your local area to find trunks that utilize MF signalling, you

        inevitably cross a portion of the network that is CCIS equipped,

        you find an exchange that you blow 2600hz at, you are rewarded

        with a nice "winkstart", and no matter what MF tones you send at

        it, you meet with a re-order.  This is because as soon as you

        seized the trunk (your application of 2600hz), your Originating

        Toll Office sees this as a loss of supervision at the

        destination, and Mutes any further audio from being passed to

        the destination (ie: your waiting trunk!).  You meet with a

        reorder because the waiting trunk never "hears" any of the MF

        tones you are sending, and it times out.  So for the clever

        amongst you, you must somehow get yourself to the 1000's of

        trunks out there that still utilize MF signalling but

        bypass/disable the CCIS audio mute problem.  (Hint: Take a close

        look at WATS extenders).


08. What is a Black Box?

A Black Box is a resistor (and often capacitor in parallel) placed in series across your phone line to cause the phone company equipment to be unable to detect that you have answered your telephone. People who call you will then not be billed for the telephone call. Black boxes do not work under ESS.


09. What do all the colored boxes do?


Acrylic      Steal Three-Way-Calling, Call Waiting and programmable

	     Call Forwarding on old 4-wire phone systems

Aqua         Drain the voltage of the FBI lock-in-trace/trap-trace

Beige        Lineman's hand set

Black        Allows the calling party to not be billed for the call

	     placed

Blast        Phone microphone amplifier

Blotto       Supposedly shorts every fone out in the immediate area

Blue         Emulate a true operator by seizing a trunk with a 2600hz

	     tone

Brown        Create a party line from 2 phone lines

Bud          Tap into your neighbors phone line

Chartreuse   Use the electricity from your phone line

Cheese       Connect two phones to create a diverter

Chrome       Manipulate Traffic Signals by Remote Control

Clear        A telephone pickup coil and a small amp use to make free

	     calls on Fortress Phones

Color        Line activated telephone recorder

Copper       Cause crosstalk interference on an extender

Crimson      Hold button

Dark         Re-route outgoing or incoming calls to another phone

Dayglo       Connect to your neighbors phone line

Divertor     Re-route outgoing or incoming calls to another phone

DLOC         Create a party line from 2 phone lines

Gold         Dialout router

Green        Emulate the Coin Collect, Coin Return, and Ringback tones

Infinity     Remotely activated phone tap

Jack         Touch-Tone key pad

Light        In-use light

Lunch        AM transmitter

Magenta      Connect a remote phone line to another remote phone line

Mauve        Phone tap without cutting into a line

Neon         External microphone

Noise        Create line noise

Olive        External ringer

Party        Create a party line from 2 phone lines

Pearl        Tone generator

Pink         Create a party line from 2 phone lines

Purple       Telephone hold button

Rainbow      Kill a trace by putting 120v into the phone line (joke)

Razz         Tap into your neighbors phone

Red          Make free phone calls from pay phones by generating quarter tones

Rock         Add music to your phone line

Scarlet      Cause a neighbors phone line to have poor reception

Silver       Create the DTMF tones for A, B, C and D

Static       Keep the voltage on a phone line high

Switch       Add hold, indicator lights, conferencing, etc.

Tan          Line activated telephone recorder

Tron         Reverse the phase of power to your house, causing your

	     electric meter to run slower

TV Cable     "See" sound waves on your TV

Urine        Create a capacitative disturbance between the ring and

	     tip wires in another's telephone headset

Violet       Keep a payphone from hanging up

White        Portable DTMF keypad

Yellow       Add an extension phone

Box schematics may be retrieved from these FTP sites:


ftp.netcom.com

ftp.netcom.com

ftp.winternet.com


10. What is an ANAC number?

An ANAC (Automatic Number Announcement Circuit) number is a telephone number that plays back the number of the telephone that called it. ANAC numbers are convenient if you want to know the telephone number of a pair of wires.


11. What is the ANAC number for my area?

How to find your ANAC number:

Look up your NPA (Area Code) and try the number listed for it. If that fails, try 1 plus the number listed for it. If that fails, try the common numbers like 311, 958 and 200-222-2222. If you find the ANAC number for your area, please let us know.

Note that many times the ANAC number will vary for different switches in the same city. The geographic naming on the list is not intended to be an accurate reference for coverage patterns, it is for convenience only.

Many companies operate 800 number services which will read back to you the number from which you are calling. Many of these require navigating a series of menus to get the phone number you are looking for.


(800)238-4959   A voice mail system

(800)328-2630   A phone sex line

(800)568-3197   Info Access Telephone Company's Automated Blocking Line

(800)571-8859   A phone sex line

(800)692-6447   (800)MY-ANI-IS

(800)455-3256   Unknown

An non-800 ANAC that works nationwide is 404-988-9664. The one catch with this number is that it must be dialed with the AT&T Carrier Access Code 10732.

Another non-800 nationwide ANAC is Glen Robert of Full Disclosure Magazine's number, 10555-1-708-356-9646.

Please use local ANAC numbers if you can, as abuse or overuse kills 800 ANAC numbers.


NPA  ANAC number      Geographic area

---  ---------------  ---------------------------------------------

201  958              Hackensack/Jersey City/Newark/Paterson, NJ

202  811              District of Columbia

203  970              CT

205  300-222-2222     Birmingham, AL

205  300-555-5555     Many small towns in AL

205  300-648-1111     Dora, AL

205  300-765-4321     Bessemer, AL

205  300-798-1111     Forestdale, AL

205  300-833-3333     Birmingham

205  557-2311         Birmingham, AL

205  811              Pell City/Cropwell/Lincoln, AL

205  841-1111         Tarrant, AL

205  908-222-2222     Birmingham, AL

206  411              WA (Not US West)

207  958              ME

209  830-2121         Stockton, CA

209  211-9779         Stockton, CA

210  830              Brownsville/Laredo/San Antonio, TX

212  958              Manhattan, NY

213  114              Los Angeles, CA (GTE)

213  1223             Los Angeles, CA (Some 1AESS switches)

213  211-2345         Los Angeles, CA (English response)

213  211-2346         Los Angeles, CA (DTMF response)

213  760-2???         Los Angeles, CA (DMS switches)

213  61056            Los Angeles, CA

214  570              Dallas, TX

214  790              Dallas, TX (GTE)

214  970-222-2222     Dallas, TX

214  970-611-1111     Dallas, TX (Southwestern Bell)

215  410-xxxx         Philadelphia, PA

215  511              Philadelphia, PA

215  958              Philadelphia, PA

216  200-XXXX         Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH

216  331              Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH

216  959-9892         Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH

217  200-xxx-xxxx     Champaign-Urbana/Springfield, IL

219  550              Gary/Hammond/Michigan City/Southbend, IN

219  559              Gary/Hammond/Michigan City/Southbend, IN

301  958-9968         Hagerstown/Rockville, MD

310  114              Long Beach, CA (On many GTE switches)

310  1223             Long Beach, CA (Some 1AESS switches)

310  211-2345         Long Beach, CA (English response)

310  211-2346         Long Beach, CA (DTMF response)

312  200              Chicago, IL

312  290              Chicago, IL

312  1-200-8825       Chicago, IL (Last four change rapidly)

312  1-200-555-1212   Chicago, IL

313  200-200-2002     Ann Arbor/Dearborn/Detroit, MI

313  200-222-2222     Ann Arbor/Dearborn/Detroit, MI

313  200-xxx-xxxx     Ann Arbor/Dearborn/Detroit, MI

313  200200200200200  Ann Arbor/Dearborn/Detroit, MI

314  410-xxxx#        Columbia/Jefferson City/St.Louis, MO

315  953              Syracuse/Utica, NY

315  958              Syracuse/Utica, NY

315  998              Syracuse/Utica, NY

317  310-222-2222     Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN

317  559-222-2222     Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN

317  743-1218         Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN

334  5572411          Montgomery, AL

334  5572311          Montgomery, AL

401  200-200-4444     RI

401  222-2222         RI

402  311              Lincoln, NE

404  311              Atlanta, GA

404  940-xxx-xxxx     Atlanta, GA

404  990              Atlanta, GA

405  890-7777777      Enid/Oklahoma City, OK

405  897              Enid/Oklahoma City, OK

407  200-222-2222     Orlando/West Palm Beach, FL

408  300-xxx-xxxx     San Jose, CA

408  760              San Jose, CA

408  940              San Jose, CA

409  951              Beaumont/Galveston, TX

409  970-xxxx         Beaumont/Galveston, TX

410  200-6969         Annapolis/Baltimore, MD

410  200-555-1212     Annapolis/Baltimore, MD

410  811              Annapolis/Baltimore, MD

412  711-6633         Pittsburgh, PA

412  711-4411         Pittsburgh, PA

412  999-xxxx         Pittsburgh, PA

413  958              Pittsfield/Springfield, MA

413  200-555-5555     Pittsfield/Springfield, MA

414  330-2234         Fond du Lac/Green Bay/Milwaukee/Racine, WI

415  200-555-1212     San Francisco, CA

415  211-2111         San Francisco, CA

415  2222             San Francisco, CA

415  640              San Francisco, CA

415  760-2878         San Francisco, CA

415  7600-2222        San Francisco, CA

419  311              Toledo, OH

502  2002222222       Frankfort/Louisville/Paducah/Shelbyville, KY

502  997-555-1212     Frankfort/Louisville/Paducah/Shelbyville, KY

503  611              Portland, OR

503  999              Portland, OR (GTE)

504  99882233         Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA

504  201-269-1111     Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA

504  998              Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA

504  99851-0000000000 Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA

508  958              Fall River/New Bedford/Worchester, MA

508  200-222-1234     Fall River/New Bedford/Worchester, MA

508  200-222-2222     Fall River/New Bedford/Worchester, MA

508  26011            Fall River/New Bedford/Worchester, MA

509  560              Spokane/Walla Walla/Yakima, WA

510  760-1111         Oakland, CA

512  830              Austin/Corpus Christi, TX

512  970-xxxx         Austin/Corpus Christi, TX

515  5463             Des Moines, IA

515  811              Des Moines, IA

516  958              Hempstead/Long Island, NY

516  968              Hempstead/Long Island, NY

517  200-222-2222     Bay City/Jackson/Lansing, MI

517  200200200200200  Bay City/Jackson/Lansing, MI

518  511              Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY

518  997              Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY

518  998              Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY

603  200-222-2222     NH

606  997-555-1212     Ashland/Winchester, KY

606  711              Ashland/Winchester, KY

607  993              Binghamton/Elmira, NY

609  958              Atlantic City/Camden/Trenton/Vineland, NJ

610  958              Allentown/Reading, PA

610  958-4100         Allentown/Reading, PA

612  511              Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN

614  200              Columbus/Steubenville, OH

614  571              Columbus/Steubenville, OH

615  200200200200200  Chatanooga/Knoxville/Nashville, TN

615  2002222222       Chatanooga/Knoxville/Nashville, TN

615  830              Nashville, TN

616  200-222-2222     Battle Creek/Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo, MI

617  200-222-1234     Boston, MA

617  200-222-2222     Boston, MA

617  200-444-4444     Boston, MA (Woburn, MA)

617  220-2622         Boston, MA

617  958              Boston, MA

618  200-xxx-xxxx     Alton/Cairo/Mt.Vernon, IL

618  930              Alton/Cairo/Mt.Vernon, IL

619  211-2001         San Diego, CA

619  211-2121         San Diego, CA

703  811              Alexandria/Arlington/Roanoke, VA

704  311              Asheville/Charlotte, NC

707  211-2222         Eureka, CA

708  1-200-555-1212   Chicago/Elgin, IL

708  1-200-8825       Chicago/Elgin, IL (Last four change rapidly)

708  200-6153         Chicago/Elgin, IL

708  724-9951         Chicago/Elgin, IL

708  356-9646         Chicago/Elgin, IL

713  380              Houston, TX

713  970-xxxx         Houston, TX

713  811              Humble, TX

714  114              Anaheim, CA (GTE)

714  211-2121         Anaheim, CA (PacBell)

714  211-2222         Anaheim, CA (Pacbell)

716  511              Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Rochester, NY (Rochester Tel)

716  990              Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Rochester, NY (Rochester Tel)

717  958              Harrisburg/Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA

718  958              Bronx/Brooklyn/Queens/Staten Island, NY

802  2-222-222-2222   Vermont

802  200-222-2222     Vermont

802  1-700-222-2222   Vermont

802  111-2222         Vermont

805  114              Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA

805  211-2345         Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA

805  211-2346         Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA (Returns DTMF)

805  830              Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA

806  970-xxxx         Amarillo/Lubbock, TX

810  200200200200200  Flint/Pontiac/Southfield/Troy, MI

812  410-555-1212     Evansville, IN

813  311              Ft. Meyers/St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL

815  200-xxx-xxxx     La Salle/Rockford, IL

815  290              La Salle/Rockford, IL

817  211              Ft. Worth/Waco, TX

817  970-611-1111     Ft. Worth/Waco, TX  (Southwestern Bell)

818  1223             Pasadena, CA (Some 1AESS switches)

818  211-2345         Pasadena, CA (English response)

818  211-2346         Pasadena, CA (DTMF response)

903  970-611-1111     Tyler, TX

904  200-222-222      Jackonsville/Pensacola/Tallahasee, FL

906  1-200-222-2222   Marquette/Sault Ste. Marie, MI

907  811              AK (All)

908  958              New Brunswick, NJ

910  200              Fayetteville/Greensboro/Raleigh/Winston-Salem, NC

910  311              Fayetteville/Greensboro/Raleigh/Winston-Salem, NC

910  988              Fayetteville/Greensboro/Raleigh/Winston-Salem, NC

914  990-1111         Peekskill/Poughkeepsie/White Plains/Yonkers, NY

915  970-xxxx         Abilene/El Paso, TX

916  211-2222         Sacramento, CA (Pac Bell)

916  461              Sacramento, CA (Roseville Telepohone)

919  200              Durham, NC

919  711              Durham, NC



Canada:

204  644-4444         Manitoba

306  115              Saskatchewan, Canada

403  311              Alberta, Yukon and N.W. Territory

403  908-222-2222     Alberta, Yukon and N.W. Territory

403  999              Alberta, Yukon and N.W. Territory

416  997-xxxx         Toronto, Ontario

506  1-555-1313       New Brunswick

514  320-xxxx         Montreal, Quebec

519  320-xxxx         London, Ontario

604  1116             British Columbia, Canada

604  1211             British Columbia, Canada

604  211              British Columbia, Canada

613  320-2232         Ottawa, Ontario

705  320-4567         North Bay/Saulte Ste. Marie, Ontario



Australia:

+61  03-552-4111      Victoria 03 area

+612 19123            All major capital cities

+612 11544



United Kingdom:

175



Israel:

110

(Italic indicates updated ANAC's, while bold indicates new ANAC's.)


12. What is a ringback number?

A ringback number is a number that you call that will immediately ring the telephone from which it was called.

In most instances you must call the ringback number, quickly hang up the phone for just a short moment and then let up on the switch, you will then go back off hook and hear a different tone. You may then hang up. You will be called back seconds later.


13. What is the ringback number for my area?

An 'x' means insert those numbers from the phone number from which you are calling. A '?' means that the number varies from switch to switch in the area, or changes from time to time. Try all possible combinations.

If the ringback for your NPA is not listed, try common ones such as 951-xxx-xxxx, 954, 957 and 958. Also, try using the numbers listed for other NPA's served by your telephone company.

Note: These geographic areas are for reference purposes only. Ringback numbers may vary from switch to switch within the same city.


NPA  Ringback number  Approximate Geographic area

---  ---------------  ---------------------------------------------

201  55?-xxxx         Hackensack/Jersey City/Newark/Paterson, NJ

202  958-xxxx         District of Columbia

203  99?-xxxx         CT

206  571-xxxx         WA

208  99xxx-xxxx       ID

213  1-95x-xxxx       Los Angeles, CA

215  811-xxxx         Philadelphia, PA

216  551-xxxx         Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH

219  571-xxx-xxxx     Gary/Hammond/Michigan City/Southbend, IN

219  777-xxx-xxxx     Gary/Hammond/Michigan City/Southbend, IN

301  579-xxxx         Hagerstown/Rockville, MD

301  958-xxxx         Hagerstown/Rockville, MD

303  99X-xxxx         Grand Junction, CO

304  998-xxxx         WV

305  999-xxxx         Ft. Lauderdale/Key West/Miami, FL

312  511-xxxx         Chicago, IL

312  511-xxx-xxxx     Chicago, IL

312  57?-xxxx         Chicago, IL

315  98x-xxxx         Syracuse/Utica, NY

317  777-xxxx         Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN

317  yyy-xxxx         Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN (y=3rd digit of phone number)

319  79x-xxxx         Davenport/Dubuque, Iowa

334  901-xxxx         Montgomery, AL

401  98?-xxxx         RI

404  450-xxxx         Atlanta, GA

407  988-xxxx         Orlando/West Palm Beach, FL

412  985-xxxx         Pittsburgh, PA

414  977-xxxx         Fond du Lac/Green Bay/Milwaukee/Racine, WI

414  978-xxxx         Fond du Lac/Green Bay/Milwaukee/Racine, WI

415  350-xxxx         San Francisco, CA

417  551-xxxx         Joplin/Springfield, MO

501  221-xxx-xxxx     AR

501  721-xxx-xxxx     AR

502  988              Frankfort/Louisville/Paducah/Shelbyville, KY

503  541-XXXX         OR

504  99x-xxxx         Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA

504  9988776655       Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA

505  59?-xxxx         New Mexico

512  95X-xxxx         Austin, TX

513  951-xxxx         Cincinnati/Dayton, OH

513  955-xxxx         Cincinnati/Dayton, OH

513  99?-xxxx         Cincinnati/Dayton, OH (X=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 or 9)

516  660-xxx-xxxx     Hempstead/Long Island, NY

601  777-xxxx         MS

609  55?-xxxx         Atlantic City/Camden/Trenton/Vineland, NJ

610  811-xxxx         Allentown/Reading, PA

612  511              Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN

612  999-xxx-xxxx     Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN

614  998-xxxx         Columbus/Steubenville, OH

615  920-XXXX         Chatanooga/Knoxville/Nashville, TN

615  930-xxxx         Chatanooga/Knoxville/Nashville, TN

616  946-xxxx         Battle Creek/Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo, MI

619  331-xxxx         San Diego, CA

619  332-xxxx         San Diego, CA

703  958-xxxx         Alexandria/Arlington/Roanoke, VA

708  511-xxxx         Chicago/Elgin, IL

714  330?             Anaheim, CA (GTE)

714  33?-xxxx         Anaheim, CA (PacBell)

716  981-xxxx         Rochester, NY (Rochester Tel)

718  660-xxxx         Bronx/Brooklyn/Queens/Staten Island, NY

719  99x-xxxx         Colorado Springs/Leadville/Pueblo, CO

801  938-xxxx         Utah

801  939-xxxx         Utah

802  987-xxxx         Vermont

804  260              Charlottesville/Newport News/Norfolk/Richmond, VA

805  114              Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA

805  980-xxxx         Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA

810  951-xxx-xxxx     Pontiac/Southfield/Troy, MI

813  711              Ft. Meyers/St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL

817  971              Ft. Worth/Waco, TX (Flashhook, then 2#)

906  951-xxx-xxxx     Marquette/Sault Ste. Marie, MI

908  55?-xxxx         New Brunswick, NJ

908  953              New Brunswick, NJ

913  951-xxxx         Lawrence/Salina/Topeka, KS

914  660-xxxx-xxxx    Peekskill/Poughkeepsie/White Plains/Yonkers, NY



Canada:

204  590-xxx-xxxx     Manitoba

416  57x-xxxx         Toronto, Ontario

416  99x-xxxx         Toronto, Ontario

416  999-xxx-xxxx     Toronto, Ontario

506  572+xxx-xxxx     New Brunswick

514  320-xxx-xxxx     Montreal, Quebec

519  999-xxx-xxxx     London, Ontario

613  999-xxx-xxxx     Ottawa, Ontario

705  999-xxx-xxxx     North Bay/Saulte Ste. Marie, Ontario



Australia:            +61 199

Brazil:               109 or 199

Holland:              99-xxxxxx

New Zealand:          137

Sweden:               0058

United Kingdom:       174 or 1744 or 175 or 0500-89-0011

(Italic indicates updated ringbacks, while bold indicates new ringbacks.)


14. What is a loop?

This FAQ answer is excerpted from: ToneLoc v0.99 User Manual by Minor Threat & Mucho Maas

Loops are a pair of phone numbers, usually consecutive, like 836-9998 and 836-9999. They are used by the phone company for testing. What good do loops do us? Well, they are cool in a few ways. Here is a simple use of loops. Each loop has two ends, a 'high' end, and a 'low' end. One end gives a (usually) constant, loud tone when it is called. The other end is silent. Loops don't usually ring either. When BOTH ends are called, the people that called each end can talk through the loop. Some loops are voice filtered and won't pass anything but a constant tone; these aren't much use to you. Here's what you can use working loops for: billing phone calls! First, call the end that gives the loud tone. Then if the operator or someone calls the other end, the tone will go quiet. Act like the phone just rang and you answered it ... say "Hello", "Allo", "Chow", "Yo", or what the fuck ever. The operator thinks that she just called you, and that's it! Now the phone bill will go to the loop, and your local RBOC will get the bill! Use this technique in moderation, or the loop may go down. Loops are probably most useful when you want to talk to someone to whom you don't want to give your phone number.


15. What is a loop in my area?

Many of these loops are no longer functional. If you are local to any of these loops, please try them out an e-mail me the results of your research.


NPA    High      Low

---  --------  --------

201  666-9929  666-9930

206  827-0018  827-0019

206  988-0020  988-0022

208  862-9996  862-9997

209  732-0044  732-0045

201  666-9929  666-9930

210  993-9929  993-9930

210  330-9929  330-9930

210  333-9929  333-9930

210  376-9929  376-9930

210  467-9929  467-9930

212  220-9977  220-9979

212  283-9977  283-9979

212  283-9977  283-9997

212  352-9900  352-9906

212  365-9977  365-9979

212  529-9900  529-9906

212  562-9977  562-9979

212  986-9977  986-9979

213  360-1118  360-1119

213  365-1118  365-1119

213  455-0002  455-XXXX

213  455-0002  455-xxxx

213  546-0002  546-XXXX

213  546-0002  546-xxxx

213  549-1118  549-1119

305  778-9952  778-9951

305  964-9951  964-9952

307  468-9999  468-9998

308  357-0004  357-0005

310  365-1118  365-1119

310  445-0002  445-????

310  455-0002  455-????

310  545-0002  545-????

310  546-0002  546-????

312  262-9902  262-9903

313  224-9996  224-9997

313  225-9996  225-9997

313  234-9996  234-9997

313  237-9996  237-9997

313  256-9996  256-9997

313  272-9996  272-9997

313  273-9996  273-9997

313  277-9996  277-9997

313  281-9996  281-9997

313  292-9996  292-9997

313  299-9996  299-9997

313  321-9996  321-9997

313  326-9996  326-9997

313  356-9996  356-9997

313  362-9996  362-9997

313  369-9996  369-9997

313  388-9996  388-9997

313  397-9996  397-9997

313  399-9996  399-9997

313  445-9996  445-9997

313  465-9996  465-9997

313  471-9996  471-9997

313  474-9996  474-9997

313  477-9996  477-9997

313  478-9996  478-9997

313  483-9996  483-9997

313  497-9996  497-9997

313  526-9996  526-9997

313  552-9996  552-9997

313  556-9996  556-9997

313  561-9996  561-9997

313  569-9996  569-9996

313  575-9996  575-9997

313  577-9996  577-9997

313  585-9996  585-9997

313  591-9996  591-9997

313  621-9996  621-9997

313  626-9996  626-9997

313  644-9996  644-9997

313  646-9996  646-9997

313  647-9996  647-9997

313  649-9996  649-9997

313  663-9996  663-9997

313  665-9996  665-9997

313  683-9996  683-9997

313  721-9996  721-9997

313  722-9996  722-9997

313  728-9996  728-9997

313  731-9996  731-9997

313  751-9996  751-9997

313  776-9996  776-9997

313  781-9996  781-9997

313  787-9996  787-9997

313  822-9996  822-9997

313  833-9996  833-9997

313  851-9996  851-9997

313  871-9996  871-9997

313  875-9996  875-9997

313  886-9996  886-9997

313  888-9996  888-9997

313  898-9996  898-9997

313  934-9996  934-9997

313  942-9996  942-9997

313  963-9996  963-9997

313  977-9996  977-9997

315  673-9995  673-9996

315  695-9995  695-9996

402  422-0001  422-0002

402  422-0003  422-0004

402  422-0005  422-0006

402  422-0007  422-0008

402  572-0003  572-0004

402  779-0004  779-0007

406  225-9902  225-9903

517  422-9996  422-9997

517  423-9996  423-9997

517  455-9996  455-9997

517  563-9996  563-9997

517  663-9996  663-9997

517  851-9996  851-9997

609  921-9929  921-9930

609  994-9929  994-9930

616  997-9996  997-9997

708  724-9951  724-????

713  224-1499  759-1799

713  324-1499  324-1799

713  342-1499  342-1799

713  351-1499  351-1799

713  354-1499  354-1799

713  356-1499  356-1799

713  442-1499  442-1799

713  447-1499  447-1799

713  455-1499  455-1799

713  458-1499  458-1799

713  462-1499  462-1799

713  466-1499  466-1799

713  468-1499  468-1799

713  469-1499  469-1799

713  471-1499  471-1799

713  481-1499  481-1799

713  482-1499  482-1799

713  484-1499  484-1799

713  487-1499  487-1799

713  489-1499  489-1799

713  492-1499  492-1799

713  493-1499  493-1799

713  524-1499  524-1799

713  526-1499  526-1799

713  555-1499  555-1799

713  661-1499  661-1799

713  664-1499  664-1799

713  665-1499  665-1799

713  666-1499  666-1799

713  667-1499  667-1799

713  682-1499  976-1799

713  771-1499  771-1799

713  780-1499  780-1799

713  781-1499  997-1799

713  960-1499  960-1799

713  977-1499  977-1799

713  988-1499  988-1799

805  528-0044  528-0045

805  544-0044  544-0045

805  773-0044  773-0045

808  235-9907  235-9908

808  239-9907  239-9908

808  245-9907  245-9908

808  247-9907  247-9908

808  261-9907  261-9908

808  322-9907  322-9908

808  328-9907  328-9908

808  329-9907  329-9908

808  332-9907  332-9908

808  335-9907  335-9908

808  572-9907  572-9908

808  623-9907  623-9908

808  624-9907  624-9908

808  668-9907  668-9908

808  742-9907  742-9908

808  879-9907  879-9908

808  882-9907  882-9908

808  885-9907  885-9908

808  959-9907  959-9908

808  961-9907  961-9908

810  362-9996  362-9997

813  385-9971  385-xxxx

908  254-9929  254-9930

908  558-9929  558-9930

908  560-9929  560-9930

908  776-9930  776-9930

(Italic indicates updated loops, while bold indicates new loops.)


16. What is a CNA number?

CNA stands for Customer Name and Address. The CNA number is a phone number for telephone company personnel to call and get the name and address for a phone number. If a telephone lineman finds a phone line he does not recognize, he can use the ANI number to find it's phone number and then call the CNA operator to see who owns it and where they live.

Normal CNA numbers are available only to telephone company personnel. Private citizens may now legally get CNA information from private companies. Two such companies are:


Unidirectory    (900)933-3330

Telename        (900)884-1212

Note that these are 900 numbers, and will cost you approximately one dollar per minute.

If you are in 312 or 708, AmeriTech has a pay-for-play CNA service available to the general public. The number is 796-9600. The cost is $.35/call and can look up two numbers per call.

If you are in 415, Pacific Bell offers a public access CNA service at (415)781-5271.


17. What is the telephone company CNA number for my area?


203  (203)771-8080         CT

312  (312)796-9600         Chicago, IL

506  (506)555-1313         New Brunswick

513  (513)397-9110         Cincinnati/Dayton, OH

516  (516)321-5700         Hempstead/Long Island, NY

518  (518)471-8111         Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY

614  (614)464-0123         Columbus/Steubenville, OH

813  (813)270-8711         Ft. Meyers/St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL

(Italic indicates updated CNA's, while bold indicates new CNA's.)


18. What are some numbers that always ring busy?


216  xxx-9887              Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH

303  431-0000              Denver, CO

303  866-8660              Denver, CO

316  952-7265              Dodge City/Wichita, KS

501  377-99xx              AR

719  472-3773              Colorado Springs/Leadville/Pueblo, CO

805  255-0699              Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA

818  885-0699              Pasadena, CA

906  632-9999              Marquette/Sault Ste. Marie, MI

906  635-9999              Marquette/Sault Ste. Marie, MI

914  576-9903              Peekskill/Poughkeepsie/White Plains/Yonkers, NY


19. What are some numbers that temporarily disconnect phone service?


314  511        Columbia/Jefferson City/St.Louis, MO (1 minute)

404  420        Atlanta, GA                          (5 minutes)

405  953        Enid/Oklahoma City, OK               (1 minute)

407  511        Orlando/West Palm Beach, FL          (1 minute)

512  200        Austin/Corpus Christi, TX            (1 minute)

516  480        Hempstead/Long Island, NY            (1 minute)

603  980        NH

614  xxx-9894   Columbus/Steubenville, OH

805  119        Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA        (3 minutes)

919  211 or 511 Durham, NC                           (10 min - 1 hour)


20. What is a Proctor Test Set?

A Proctor Test Set is a tool used by telco personell to diagnose problems with phone lines. You call the Proctor Test Set number and press buttons on a touch tone phone to active the tests you select.


21. What is a Proctor Test Set in my area?


805  111        Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA

909  117        Tyler, TX

913  611-1111   Lawrence/Salina/Topeka, KS


22. What is scanning?

Scanning is dialing a large number of telephone numbers in the hope of finding interesting carriers (computers) or tones.

Scanning can be done by hand, although dialing several thousand telephone numbers by hand is extremely boring and takes a long time.

Much better is to use a scanning program, sometimes called a war dialer or a demon dialer. Currently, the best war dialer available to PC-DOS users is ToneLoc from Minor Threat and Mucho Maas. ToneLoc can be FTPed from ftp.paranoia.com.

A war dialer will dial a range of numbers and log what it finds at each number. You can then only dial up the numbers that the war dialer marked as carriers or tones.


23. Is scanning illegal?

Excerpt from: 2600, Spring 1990, Page 27:


In some places, scanning has been made illegal.  It would be hard,

though, for someone to file a complaint against you for scanning since

the whole purpose is to call every number once and only once.  It's

not likely to be thought of as harassment by anyone who gets a single

phone call from a scanning computer.  Some central offices have been

known to react strangely when people start scanning.  Sometimes you're

unable to get a dialtone for hours after you start scanning.  But

there is no uniform policy.  The best thing to do is to first find out

if you've got some crazy law saying you can't do it.  If, as is

likely, there is no such law, the only way to find out what happens is

to give it a try.

It should be noted that a law making scanning illegal was recently passed in Colorado Springs, CO. It is now illegal to place a call in Colorado Springs without the intent to communicate.


24. Where can I purchase a lineman's handset?


Contact East

335 Willow Street

North Andover, MA 01845-5995

(508)682-2000



Jensen Tools

7815 S. 46th Street

Phoenix, AZ 85044-5399



Time Motion Tools

12778 Brookprinter Place

Poway, CA 92064

(619)679-0303


25. What are the DTMF frequencies?

DTMF stands for Dual Tone Multi Frequency. These are the tones you get when you press a key on your telephone touchpad. The tone of the button is the sum of the column and row tones. The ABCD keys do not exist on standard telephones.


	 1209 1336 1477 1633

 

     697   1    2    3    A



     770   4    5    6    B



     852   7    8    9    C



     941   *    0    #    D


26. What are the frequencies of the telephone tones?


Type                Hz          On      Off

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dial Tone         350 & 440     ---     ---

Busy Signal       480 & 620     0.5     0.5

Toll Congestion   480 & 620     0.2     0.3

Ringback (Normal) 440 & 480     2.0     4.0

Ringback (PBX)    440 & 480     1.5     4.5

Reorder (Local)   480 & 620     3.0     2.0

Invalid Number    200 & 400

Hang Up Warning 1400 & 2060     0.1     0.1

Hang Up         2450 & 2600     ---     ---


27. What are all of the * codes?

Local Area Signalling Services (LASS) and Custom Calling Feature Control Codes:

(These appear to be standard, but may be changed locally)


Service                     Tone    Pulse/rotary   Notes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Assistance/Police           *12         n/a        [1]

Cancel forwarding           *30         n/a        [C1]

Automatic Forwarding        *31         n/a        [C1]

Notify                      *32         n/a        [C1] [2]

Intercom Ring 1 (..)        *51         1151       [3]

Intercom Ring 2 (.._)       *52         1152       [3]

Intercom Ring 3 (._.)       *53         1153       [3]

Extension Hold              *54         1154       [3]

Customer Originated Trace   *57         1157

Selective Call Rejection    *60         1160       (or Call Screen)

Selective Distinct Alert    *61         1161

Selective Call Acceptance   *62         1162

Selective Call Forwarding   *63         1163

ICLID Activation            *65         1165

Call Return (outgoing)      *66         1166

Number Display Blocking     *67         1167       [4]

Computer Access Restriction *68         1168

Call Return (incoming)      *69         1169

Call Waiting disable        *70         1170       [4]

No Answer Call Transfer     *71         1171

Usage Sensitive 3 way call  *71         1171

Call Forwarding: start      *72 or 72#  1172

Call Forwarding: cancel     *73 or 73#  1173

Speed Calling (8 numbers)   *74 or 74#  1174

Speed Calling (30 numbers)  *75 or 75#  1175

Anonymous Call Rejection    *77         1177       [5] [M: *58]

Call Screen Disable         *80         1160       (or Call Screen) [M: *50]

Selective Distinct Disable  *81         1161       [M: *51]

Select. Acceptance Disable  *82         1162

Select. Forwarding Disable  *83         1163       [M: *53]

ICLID Disable               *85         1165

Call Return (cancel out)    *86         1186       [6] [M: *56]

Anon. Call Reject (cancel)  *87         1187       [5] [M: *68]

Call Return (cancel in)     *89         1189       [6] [M: *59]



Notes:



[C1]     - Means code used for Cellular One service

[1]      - for cellular in Pittsburgh, PA A/C 412 in some areas

[2]      - indicates that you are not local and maybe how to reach you

[3]      - found in Pac Bell territory; Intercom ring causes a distinctive

           ring to be generated on the current line; Hold keeps a call

           connected until another extension is picked up

[4]      - applied once before each call

[5]      - A.C.R. blocks calls from those who blocked Caller ID

           (used in C&P territory, for instance)

[6]      - cancels further return attempts

[M: *xx] - alternate code used for MLVP (multi-line variety package)

           by Bellcore. It goes by different names in different RBOCs.

           In Bellsouth it is called Prestige. It is an arrangement of

           ESSEX like features for single or small multiple line groups.



           The reason for different codes for some features in MLVP is that

           call-pickup is *8 in MLVP so all *8x codes are reaasigned *5x


28. What frequencies do cordless phones operate on?

Here are the frequencies for the first generation 46/49mhz phones.


Channel    Handset Transmit    Base Transmit

-------    ----------------    -------------

   1          49.670mhz          46.610mhz

   2          49.845             46.630

   3          49.860             46.670

   4          49.770             46.710

   5          49.875             46.730

   6          49.830             46.770

   7          49.890             46.830

   8          49.930             46.870

   9          49.990             46.930

  10          49.970             46.970

The new "900mhz" cordless phones have been allocated the frequencies between 902-228MHz, with channel spacing between 30-100KHz.

Following are some examples of the frequencies used by phones currently on the market.


Panasonic KX-T9000 (60 Channels)  

base     902.100 - 903.870 Base frequencies (30Khz spacing) 

handset  926.100 - 927.870 Handset frequencies 

CH   BASE    HANDSET    CH   BASE    HANDSET    CH   BASE   HANDSET

--  -------  -------    --  -------  -------    --  ------- -------

01  902.100  926.100    11  902.400  926.400    21  902.700 926.700

02  902.130  926.130    12  902.430  926.430    22  902.730 926.730

03  902.160  926.160    13  902.460  926.460    23  902.760 926.760

04  902.190  926.190    14  902.490  926.490    24  902.790 926.790

05  902.220  926.220    15  902.520  926.520    25  902.820 926.820

06  902.250  926.250    16  902.550  926.550    26  902.850 926.850

07  902.280  926.280    17  902.580  926.580    27  902.880 926.880

08  902.310  926.310    18  902.610  926.610    28  902.910 926.910

09  902.340  926.340    19  902.640  926.640    29  902.940 926.940

10  902.370  926.370    20  902.670  926.670    30  902.970 926.970

31  903.000  927.000    41  903.300  927.300    51  903.600 927.600

32  903.030  927.030    42  903.330  927.330    52  903.630 927.630

33  903.060  927.060    43  903.360  927.360    53  903.660 927.660

34  903.090  927.090    44  903.390  927.390    54  903.690 927.690

35  903.120  927.120    45  903.420  927.420    55  903.720 927.720

36  903.150  927.150    46  903.450  927.450    56  903.750 927.750

37  903.180  927.180    47  903.480  927.480    57  903.780 927.780

38  903.210  927.210    48  903.510  927.510    58  903.810 927.810

39  903.240  927.240    49  903.540  927.540    59  903.840 927.840

40  903.270  927.270    50  903.570  927.570    60  903.870 927.870



V-TECH TROPEZ DX900 (20 CHANNELS) 

905.6 - 907.5   TRANSPONDER (BASE) FREQUENCIES (100 KHZ SPACING)

925.5 - 927.4   HANDSET FREQUENCIES 

 

CH   BASE    HANDSET    CH   BASE    HANDSET    CH   BASE   HANDSET

--  -------  -------    --  -------  -------    --  ------- -------

01  905.600  925.500    08  906.300  926.200    15  907.000 926.900

02  905.700  925.600    09  906.400  926.300    16  907.100 927.000

03  905.800  925.700    10  906.500  926.400    17  907.200 927.100

04  905.900  925.800    11  906.600  926.500    18  907.300 927.200

05  906.000  925.900    12  906.700  926.600    19  907.400 927.300

06  906.100  926.000    13  906.800  926.700    20  907.500 927.400

07  906.200  926.100    14  906.900  926.800 



OTHER 900 MHZ CORDLESS PHONES 

AT&T #9120  - - - - - 902.0 - 905.0 & 925.0 - 928.0 MHZ 

OTRON CORP. #CP-1000  902.1 - 903.9 & 926.1 - 927.9 MHZ 

SAMSUNG #SP-R912- - - 903.0         &         927.0 MHZ 


29. What is Caller-ID?

This FAQ answer is stolen from Rockwell:

Calling Number Delivery (CND), better known as Caller ID, is a telephone service intended for residential and small business customers. It allows the called Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) to receive a calling party's directory number and the date and time of the call during the first 4 second silent interval in the ringing cycle.

Parameters

The data signalling interface has the following characteristics:

        Link Type:                              2-wire, simplex

        Transmission Scheme:            Analog, phase-coherent FSK

        Logical 1 (mark)                        1200 +/- 12 Hz

        Logical 0 (space)                       2200 +/- 22 Hz

        Transmission Rate:                      1200 bps

        Transmission Level:                     13.5 +/- dBm into 900 ohm load

Protocol

The protocol uses 8-bit data words (bytes), each bounded by a start bit and a stop bit. The CND message uses the Single Data Message format shown below.

| Channel  |  Carrier  |  Message  |  Message  |  Data       | Checksum |

| Seizure  |  Signal   |  Type     |  Length   |  Word(s)    | Word     |

| Signal   |           |  Word     |  Word     |             |          |

Channel Siezure Signal

The channel seizure is 30 continuous bytes of 55h (01010101) providing a detectable alternating function to the CPE (i.e. the modem data pump).

Carrier Signal

The carrier signal consists of 130 +/- 25 mS of mark (1200 Hz) to condition the receiver for data.

Message Type Word

The message type word indicates the service and capability associated with the data message. The message type word for CND is 04h (00000100).

Message Length Word

The message length word specifies the total number of data words to follow.

Data Words

The data words are encoded in ASCII and represent the following information:

If the calling party's directory number is not available to the terminating central office, the data word field contains an ASCII "O". If the calling party invokes the privacy capability, the data word field contains an ASCII "P".

Checksum Word

The Checksum Word contains the twos complement of the modulo 256 sum of the other words in the data message (i.e., message type, message length, and data words). The receiving equipment may calculate the modulo 256 sum of the received words and add this sum to the reveived checksum word. A result of zero generally indicates that the message was correctly received. Message retransmission is not supported.

Example CNS Single Data Message

An example of a received CND message, beginning with the message type word, follows:

04 12 30 39 33 30 31 32 32 34 36 30 39 35 35 35 31 32 31 32 51



04h=  Calling number delivery information code (message type word)

12h=  18 decimal; Number of data words (date,time, and directory

      number words)

ASCII 30,39= 09; September

ASCII 33,30= 30; 30th day

ASCII 31,32= 12; 12:00 PM

ASCII 32,34= 24; 24 minutes (i.e., 12:24 PM)

ASCII 36,30,39,35,35,35,31,32,31,32= (609) 555-1212; calling

      party's directory number

51h=  Checksum Word

Data Access Arrangement (DAA) Requirements

To receive CND information, the modem monitors the phone line between the first and second ring bursts without causing the DAA to go off hook in the conventional sense, which would inhibit the transmission of CND by the local central office. A simple modification to an existing DAA circuit easily accomplishes the task.

Modem Requirements

Although the data signalling interface parameters match those of a Bell 202 modem, the receiving CPE need not be a Bell 202 modem. A V.23 1200 bps modem receiver may be used to demodulate the Bell 202 signal. The ring indicate bit (RI) may be used on a modem to indicate when to monitor the phone line for CND information. After the RI bit sets, indicating the first ring burst, the host waits for the RI bit to reset. The host then configures the modem to monitor the phone line for CND information.

Signalling

According to Bellcore specifications, CND signalling starts as early as 300 mS after the first ring burst and ends at least 475 mS before the second ring burst

Applications

Once CND information is received the user may process the information in a number of ways.
  1. The date, time, and calling party's directory number can be displayed.
  2. Using a look-up table, the calling party's directory number can be correlated with his or her name and the name displayed.
  3. CND information can also be used in additional ways such as for:
    1. Bulletin board applications
    2. Black-listing applications
    3. Keeping logs of system user calls, or
    4. Implementing a telemarketing data base

References

For more information on Calling Number Delivery (CND), refer to Bellcore publications TR-TSY-000030 and TR-TSY-000031.

To obtain Bellcore documents contact:

        Bellcore Customer Service

        60 New England Avenue, Room 1B252

        Piscataway, NJ   08834-4196

        (908) 699-5800


30. How do I block Caller-ID?

Always test as much as possible before relying on any method of blocking Caller-ID. Some of these methods work in some areas, but not in others.


Dial *67 before you dial the number.  (141 in the United Kingdom)

Dial your local TelCo and have them add Caller-ID block to your line.

Dial the 0 Operator and have him or her place the call for you.

Dial the call using a pre-paid phone card.

Dial through Security Consultants at (900)PREVENT for U.S. calls

     ($1.99/minute) or (900)STONEWALL for international calls ($3.99/minute).

Dial from a pay phone.  :-)


31. What is a PBX?

A PBX is a Private Branch Exchange. A PBX is a small telephone switch owned by a company or organization. Let's say your company has a thousand employees. Without a PBX, you would need a thousand phone lines. However, only 10% of your employees are talking on the phone at one time. What if you had a computer that automatically found an outside line every time one of your employees picked up the telephone. With this type of system, you could get by with only paying for one hundred phone lines. This is a PBX.


32. What is a VMB?

A VMB is a Voice Mail Box. A VMB is a computer that acts as an answering machine for hundreds or thousands of users. Each user will have their own Voice Mail Box on the system. Each mail box will have a box number and a pass code.

Without a passcode, you will usually be able to leave messages to users on the VMB system. With a passcode, you can read messages and administer a mailbox. Often, mailboxes will exist that were created by default or are no longer used. These mailboxes may be taken over by guessing their passcode. Often the passcode will be the mailbox number or a common number such as 1234.


33. What are the ABCD tones for?

The ABCD tones are simply additional DTFM tones that may be used in any way the standard (0-9) tones are used. The ABCD tones are used in the U.S. military telephone network (AutoVon), in some Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) systems, for control messages in some PBX systems, and in some amateur radio auto-patches.

In the AutoVon network, special telephones are equipped with ABCD keys. The ABCD keys are defined as such:


A - Flash

B - Flash override priority

C - Priority communication

D - Priority override

Using a built-in maintenance mode of the Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) systems once used by Directory Assistance operators, you could connect two callers together.

The purpose of the Silver Box is to create the ABCD tones.

See also "What are the DTMF Frequencies?"