Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department wrote:
> I need to devise a way to keep users from playing touch tones over the
> paging system. If you can suggest a way to prevent users from
> sounding touch tones over the paging amplifier circuit post it here or
> E-mail direct. Be advised that my ISP's anti Spam software will
> generate a service message to which you will have to respond in order
> for me to receive your e-mail.
> Tom H
> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: At least on the older Bell
> switchboards, there was a certain contact on the network (inside the
> switchboard) to mute your earpiece from the audio on touch tones while
> still playing them out over the phone. It was generally only done for
> switchboard operators to prevent them having to listen to the tones
> all the time as they placed calls. PAT]
Pat,
I think he's asking how to keep people from _deliberately_ playing
touch-tones over the paging system when they dial the PA access code
from their phone. In other words, they've probably got some pranksters
in the fire station who like to pretend they're the organist for Deep
Purple, using the PA as their amplifier and the Touch Tone keypad as
ntheir organ.
A ham radio operator would be the best guy to ask, since hams have been
using Touch Tone on FM repeaters for a while now. The only question
would be if Tom H is trying to hang up on any PA access call that has
Touch Tone in it, or if he wants to just mute the tone and keep the call
active.
William
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Maybe you are right. I used to see (or
actually hear) this happen a lot in Chicago at the Transit Atrocity
stations. The overhead loud speaker would come on, which was
_supposed_ to be for an announcement from either one of the control
tower operators, or some other employee. When the loud speaker came
on, all you would hear was 'dee, dee, dee, doop' and then a hang up.
Obviously someone had pressed the wrong key on his multiline phone
or had started dialing without looking to see which line key was
pressed down. PAT]
William Warren (william_warren_nonoise@comcast.net)