From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Mar 29 16:48:14 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i2TLmE014622; Mon, 29 Mar 2004 16:48:14 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 16:48:14 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200403292148.i2TLmE014622@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #147 TELECOM Digest Mon, 29 Mar 2004 16:46:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 147 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #426, March 29, 2004 (Angus TeleManagement) Re: Western Union Clocks (Alan Burkitt-Gray) Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? (William Robison) Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? (Paul A Lee) Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? (Dave Garland) Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? (Dale Farmer) Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service (Tony P.) Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service (Joel B. Levin) Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service (Stanley Cline) Re: Cablevision to Hike Rates, Panel Rules For YES (Tom Betz) Re: Fast Pass at Airport Security (William Warren) Re: Telephone Switchbox (Carl Navarro) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 10:03:39 -0500 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #426, March 29, 2004 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 426: March 29, 2004 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** ALLSTREAM: www.allstream.com ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca ** CYGCOM INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES: www.cygcom.com ** GROUP TELECOM: www.360.net ** JUNIPER NETWORKS: www.juniper.net ** PRIMUS CANADA: www.primustel.ca ** SPRINT CANADA: www.sprint.ca ** TELUS: www.telus.com ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Shareholder Challenges MTS-Allstream Deal ** Telus Quebec Absorbed by Telus ** CRTC Launches Deferral Account Review ** RIM, Good Settle Patent Suits ** CATA Praises Budget Incentives ** CRTC to Issue Expedited Rulings This Week ** Dark Fibre Ruling Explained ** Pennefather Reappointed to CRTC ** 724 Solutions Downsizes ** Slipstream Claims Lead in Enhanced Dial-Up ** U.S. Cellcos Report Big Growth ** U.S. Court: States Can Ban City-Owned Carriers ** Cisco Buys Security Supplier ** Iridium Offers Satellite Fax ** Telus to Offer Textpad on Cellphones ** 100-Year Domain Registration ** Contact Centre Seminar Booking Now ============================================================ SHAREHOLDER CHALLENGES MTS-ALLSTREAM DEAL: Enterprise Capital, a Toronto investment group that owns 5% of Manitoba Telecom Services, has asked the Toronto Stock Exchange to order MTS to allow shareholders to vote on its proposed acquisition of Allstream. (See Telecom Update #424a, 425) TELUS QUEBEC ABSORBED BY TELUS: All the assets of Telus Communications (Quebec) will be transferred to Telus Communications Inc. by July 31. TCI is the incumbent telco in BC and Alberta. Telus Quebec, formerly QuebecTel, is the incumbent in northeastern Quebec that Telus acquired in 2000. CRTC LAUNCHES DEFERRAL ACCOUNT REVIEW: Telecom Public Notice 2004-1 invites proposals for spending the surplus funds accumulated in the incumbent telcos' deferral accounts, established in the 2002 Price Cap decision. To participate, notify the Commission by April 7. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2004/pt2004-1.htm RIM, GOOD SETTLE PATENT SUITS: Under a settlement reached last week, Good Technology has agreed to pay Research in Motion a lump sum settlement in fiscal 2005 and quarterly royalties. CATA PRAISES BUDGET INCENTIVES: The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance has hailed measures in last week's federal government budget that encourage technology development, including increases in the capital cost allowance rates and improvements in funding for venture investment. www.cata.ca CRTC TO ISSUE EXPEDITED RULINGS THIS WEEK: On Friday, March 26, the CRTC held an oral hearing to deal with three longstanding contentious issues under its new procedure for expediting competitive disputes (see Telecom Update #420, 423). The Commission intends to rule on all three disputes on Friday, April 2. www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/process/2004/mar26.htm DARK FIBRE RULING EXPLAINED: Last November the CRTC denied most of Bell Canada's proposals to provide dark fibre to Quebec school boards (see Telecom Update #410). Telecom Decision 2004-20 gives the reason: the proposed rates were lower than Bell's General Tariff rates for the same service. A few were approved because they were already installed and operating. ** In sharply worded dissents, Commissioners Barbara Cram and Stuart Langford say the Commission should have turned down all the proposals. They say the exceptions involve inappropriate cross-subsidies, and reward Bell for breaking the rules. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-20.htm PENNEFATHER REAPPOINTED TO CRTC: The federal Cabinet has renewed Joan Pennefather's membership on the Canadian Radio- television and Telecommunications Commission for a three-year term. She was first appointed in 1998. 724 SOLUTIONS DOWNSIZES: Toronto-based 724 Solutions, whose software provides mobile access to financial services, has undertaken a "consolidation of facilities" that will bring its second-quarter cost base down to two-thirds of the previous level. SLIPSTREAM CLAIMS LEAD IN ENHANCED DIAL-UP: Waterloo-based SlipStream Data says its technology, which allows Internet Service Providers to speed up their customers' dial-up access, has now been adopted by 750 ISPs worldwide, including AOL Canada. U.S. CELLCOS REPORT BIG GROWTH: Speaking at CTIA Wireless 2004 last week, the president of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association reported that U.S. wireless subscribership grew almost 10% in 2003, reaching nearly 160 million, while minutes of use grew 30%. 92% of all subscribers now use digital phones. U.S. COURT--STATES CAN BAN CITY-OWNED CARRIERS: The U.S. Supreme Court last week ruled 8-1 that state governments have the right to prevent municipal and county governments from offering telecommun- ications services to residents. Nine states have such laws. CISCO BUYS SECURITY SUPPLIER: Cisco Systems has agreed to buy California-based Riverhead Networks, a developer of security technology that protects against Distributed Denial of Service attacks. IRIDIUM OFFERS SATELLITE FAX: Iridium now provides an interface that connects its satellite phones to fax machines or fax modems, enabling subscribers to send and receive faxes from any location in the world. TELUS TO OFFER TEXTPAD ON CELLPHONES: Telus Mobility has signed an agreement with LG Electronics and Digit Wireless to produce a wireless phone incorporating Digit's Fastap keyboard, which includes letter and punctuation keys as well as a standard phone keypad. 100-YEAR DOMAIN REGISTRATION? Network Solutions, one of the largest domain registration companies in the U.S., now offers to register domain names for 100 years, for US$999. ** The company does not say whether it will provide refunds if, sometime in the next century, the domain name system is changed, the Internet is superseded by something else, or Network Solutions goes out of business. www.networksolutions.com/en_US/name-it/popup-100-yr-term.jhtml CONTACT CENTRE SEMINAR BOOKING NOW: Angus Dortmans Associates is now scheduling client-site presentations of "Contact Centre Leadership," a new seminar developed and presented by Henry Dortmans. Topics include: setting strategies and tactics; producing effective reports; understanding technology and tools; managing financials; establishing credibility. ** For information on bringing this important two-day program to your team, call Henry Dortmans at 1-800-263-4415 ext. 300 or go to the ADA's Contact Centre Seminar page. ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week at www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2004 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 500. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ From: Alan Burkitt-Gray Subject: Re: Western Union Clocks Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 16:35:05 +0100 > Al Gillis asked > Most modern DVD/VCR machines can > set the time based on signals from a TV station, most frequently a > public broadcasting stations (CPB?) So how does that work? And why > does it take so long to set the time? I don't know how it happens in North America, where you use 525 lines/60 Hz/NTSC, but in Europe -- the land of 626 lines/50 Hz/PAL -- machines use the teletext signals, a 30+ year old text-based information system which uses spare lines in the vertical blanking interval. Teletext is used for news, weather, sports results, TV listings, and so on. The signals always include channel identification plus accurate date and time, which are displayed at the top of the teletext pages -- but for some years (I don't buy a VCR that often) VCRs have also used the data to set their clocks and to tune into the channels automatically. I last bought a VCR in the middle of last year. Within minutes of my plugging it in, the display was showing the correct time and the VCR had tuned into the five terrestrial channels available locally, plus the UHF output from my digital satellite receiver. And in the early hours of this morning, when Europe moved to summer time (a week ahead of North America), the clock automatically adjusted by an hour. At least it had by the time I got up this morning. Alan Burkitt-Gray Editor, Global Telecoms Business Euromoney Institutional Investor plc, Nestor House, Playhouse Yard, London EC4V 5EX, UK tel +44 20 7779 8518 fax +44 20 7779 8248 email aburkitt@euromoneyplc.com Global Telecoms Business http://www.globaltelecomsbusiness.com is official publication at TeleManagement World, Nice, France, May 17-20 2004 ------------------------------ From: William Robison Subject: Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? Organization: Universitry of Iowa Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 15:23:40 GMT On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 22:19:01 -0600, Dave Garland wrote: > It was a dark and stormy night when PAT wrote: >> Radio Shack *used to* (maybe still does in some places) make that >> claim about the expensive gold-plated connectors in almost all >> applications, coax connectors, etc. I have never been able to figure >> out *why* the gold-plated versions of the various size/type >> connectors are supposed to be better. > Gold does not oxidize/tarnish, so gold plating is used to make > low-voltage connections that are less prone to bad-connection > problems. It's most useful on things that need to be > high-reliability. But note that if you're getting a good connection > already, gold will not make it better, just (maybe) more reliable. Uhh, if we're talking of USB connectors, they're all gold contacts (I seem to remember that is in the standard, but this is from memory). I can't see as gold plating the shell does much, it's probably connected through a resistor to anything internal, but it's doesn't carry current. -Willy ------------------------------ From: Paul A Lee Subject: Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 13:29:45 -0500 In TELECOM Digest V23 #140, wrote: > Is this "mini-USB" connector also a general USB standard, used for > physically small devices? > Will I be able to just keep one or two such cables around for use with > a variety of USB-enabled "mini-peripherals"? Or is this some > non-standard Minolta-only connector? Where can I learn more about USB > standard device-end connectors? You can see the different USB and FireWire connectors at the following locations (be sure to get the complete URL -- everything within the "<>"): These appear to be standard connectors. I have a USB mini-hub and a digital camera that have 5-position mini-B connectors. I believe I have seen the 4-position mini-B on newer camcorders. Lots of USB resources can be found through: . > 2) Similar query for the 110 V cord for the battery charger. The > charger end of this cord has a connector that seen head on looks > something like a squared-off figure 8 (or an infinity sign) with two > circular holes about 2 mm in ID and 9 mm apart. [The connector itself > is stamped "Kawasaki KS-15F".] > Is this also a "standard" 110 V connector? Does it have a name? It's probably an IEC 60320-C7 connector, which is often referred to as a "Panasonic power cord". It is a standard in North America, when there is a NEMA 1-15P plug on the other end of the cord. See a detailed drawing of an example at: http://www.quail.com/seriesPage.cfm?seriesID=17. If you look carefully and find that one of the lobes of the connector is squared off more than the other, then it's an IEC 60320-C7P connector, which is often referred to as a "polarized Panasonic power cord". This one is also standard in North America, with a NEMA 1-15P polarized plug (one of the flat blades is wider than the other). A drawing of an example of this one is at: http://www.quail.com/seriesPage.cfm?seriesID=97. You should be able to get these cords from a local electronics service company, or from online appliance service parts suppliers, such as MCM Electronics (http://www.mcminone.com). Paul A Lee Voice: +1 717 730-8355 Sr Telecom Engineer [Voice & Transmission] Fax: +1 717 975-3789 Rite Aid Corporation, Telecomm, 30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, PA 17011-2410 ------------------------------ From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 22:19:01 -0600 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response: > Radio Shack *used to* (maybe still does in some places) make that > claim about the expensive gold-plated connectors in almost all > applications, coax connectors, etc. I have never been able to figure > out *why* the gold-plated versions of the various size/type > connectors are supposed to be better. Gold does not oxidize/tarnish, so gold plating is used to make low-voltage connections that are less prone to bad-connection problems. It's most useful on things that need to be high- reliability. But note that if you're getting a good connection already, gold will not make it better, just (maybe) more reliable. There are other ways to accomplish the same thing. In my tool box I carry a 15ml vial of "Stabilant 22A" (http://www.stabilant.com), which used to be available (in a different dilution) under the tradename "Tweek". It is an "Electrical Contact Enhancer" and turns bad connections into good ones (and prevents good ones from going bad), but won't short things out. It came with a NATO part number in case I wanted to use it on my jet fighter. At the time I bought it, the only vendor in the US seemed to be NAPA Auto Parts stores(! part#CE-1), though the store had never heard of it and had to order it from the warehouse. That 15ml cost me $50 15 years ago, but you use it in such small quantities that it will probably last the rest of my life. ------------------------------ From: Dale Farmer Organization: Furry green fuzz in the back of the refrigerator Subject: Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 22:53:20 GMT Jack Hamilton wrote: > benficus@hotmail.com (Ben Ficus) wrote: >> Speaking of which ... >> Last time I was at Best Buy, they were telling me that I should buy >> the expensive "gold" USB connector for my printer ... the other cable >> will affect the quality of my prints. >> Any thoughts, opinions? >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Radio Shack *used to* (maybe still >> does in some places) make that claim about the expensive gold-plated >> connectors in almost all applications, coax connectors, etc. I have >> never been able to figure out *why* the gold-plated versions of the >> various size/type connectors are supposed to be better. Our local >> Radio Shack store no longer makes that claim, however. PAT] > The theory is that gold is less likely to corrode. Also, there's the > mental effect that if you pay more for it it must be better. > I don't think there's any advantage if you know how to make really good > connections. Gold doesn't conduct as well as copper, so that's a small > disadvantage. Pure silver is the best conductor among common metals, > but silver wiring would be pricy. www.homegrownaudio will sell you a 1 > meter cable for $109.95; www.the-discount-store.com will sell you 14 > gauge silver wire for $8/foot. Gold plating on the connectors does improve the connections. Firstly, the gold doesn't corrode forming less conductive layers. The next thing is that the gold is soft, so where the to mating surfaces press together, you have more metal to metal contact than you would with harder surfaces. Dale ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 16:37:46 GMT From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Subject: Re: 110 V Cord and USB Cable Standards? Organization: Excelsior Computer Services > Last time I was at Best Buy, they were telling me that I should buy > the expensive "gold" USB connector for my printer ... the other cable > will affect the quality of my prints. The only way the quality of the connector could affect the prints is if the protocol used to transfer the data has no error correction. It's hard to imagine USB transfering gigabytes of data without error correction ... At worst, noisy connectors would slow down the data transfer. -Joel ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service Organization: ATCC Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 05:57:36 GMT In article , hukolau@NOSPAM.att.net says: > Lisa Hancock wrote: >> Charles Cryderman wrote >>> the problem was with hitting the target his response was "I don't >>> know, they are leaving here 5 by 5. >> In a recent TV show, one of the characters, when asked how things >> were, replied "5 by 5" meaning ok. The newgroup for that show was >> flooded with inquiries asking what that meant. (The show was oriented >> toward young people). > Dern ... this brings back ancient memories. > I believe (but am not sure) that the "5 by 5" term cam from radio > DX'ers (folks who would try to pick up distant radio channels on their > AM radios.) There was a code, which I recall as "SINPO". I think the > "S" stood for signal strength, but don't remember what the rest stood > for. If the station was coming in clear as a bell you would rate that > as all characteristics being a 5, thus the "five by five." (Check a > ham-radio group for more info.) Indeed - it's RST - Readability, Signal and Tone. Tone only applicable for CW stuff. ------------------------------ From: jbl Subject: Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 01:38:13 -0700 Organization: On the desert Reply-To: jbl@spamblocked.com In , Nick Landsberg wrote: > I believe (but am not sure) that the "5 by 5" term cam from radio > DX'ers (folks who would try to pick up distant radio channels on their > AM radios.) There was a code, which I recall as "SINPO". I think the > "S" stood for signal strength, but don't remember what the rest stood > for. In ham radio, the signal check is "RST" for Readability, Signal (strength) and Tone, used for CW ("Morse" code transmissions). The best (nominal) RST value is 599. Voice transmissions do not use the "Tone" component, as it doesn't apply, so the best signal transmission is 59. I would guess, because I don't know, that the "five by five" may be an older military version of this sort of thing. /JBL KD1ON/7 ------------------------------ From: Stanley Cline Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service Organization: Roamer1 Communications - Dunwoody, GA, USA Reply-To: sc1-news@roamer1.org Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 05:50:46 GMT On 26 Mar 2004 08:08:53 -0800, PAT wrote: > I have thought about getting into that business myself, brokering it > through one of the service bureaus for same, then setting up a small > shop; taking calls on an 800 number; decrementing the callers passcode > by one, and providing the desired information. Or, better still, Someone's already beat you to it: www.infone.com :) Infone is the child of Metro One, which has provided directory assistance for many cell phone companies and a few CLECs for years. Quite a few cell phone companies have pulled their contracts with Metro One, so they came up with the idea of selling their service on a retail basis and not just on a wholesale basis to other carriers -- thus Infone. I have an account with Infone and have for awhile, and have been rather pleased with them; they seem to get listings from the same places the LECs do, so accuracy hasn't been a problem. In fact, by far the worst directory assistance I've found is from Ma Bell -- the DA company AT&T long distance routes NPA-555-1212 to is absolutely rotten. (All major LD carriers and wireless carriers now route NPA-555-1212 to companies of their choosing rather than to LECs in the dialed NPA. LD and wireless carriers associated with LECs, such as Qwest and BellSouth long distance and Cingular Wireless in SBC and BellSouth LEC areas, route DA calls to their LEC division DA bureaus, while other carriers, including AT&T, MCI, T-Mobile, etc., use third-party companies. VoIP company VoicePulse uses Qwest for DA; I don't know who Vonage or others use.) Stanley Cline -- sc1 at roamer1 dot org -- http://www.roamer1.org/ "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. There might be a law against it by that time." -/usr/games/fortune ------------------------------ From: Tom Betz Subject: Re: Cablevision to Hike Rates, Panel Rules For YES Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 16:54:47 +0000 (UTC) Organization: XOme Quoth Monty Solomon in news:telecom23.140.1@telecom- digest.org: > NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) - Cablevision Systems Corp. will hike > monthly subscriber rates by 95 cents to partly cover the cost of > carrying New York Yankees games, after an arbitration panel ruled it > must offer the Yankees network to all of its subscribers on its > expanded basic package of cable channels, the company said on > Wednesday. What an effing waste. Who do I have to bribe to stop getting (and paying for) ALL the useless sports channels that I just program the TV to skip? It could easily cut my cable bill in half. "I am afeard there are few die well that die in a battle; for how can they charitably dispose of anything when blood is their argument? Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it; who to disobey were against all proportion of subjection." - W.S. ------------------------------ From: William Warren Subject: Re: Fast Pass at Airport Security Organization: Comcast Online Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 04:29:47 GMT Monty Solomon wrote in message news:telecom23.142.13@telecom-digest.org: > By Ryan Singel > Business travelers may soon have one more item to stuff in their > carry-on: a trusted-traveler card to speed them through security > lines. [snip] Bruce "Secrets and Lies" Schneier recently panned a similar idea, albeit one backed by a private company: http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0403.html#10 FWIW, I don't think this is a good idea, but it _will_ have a positive result: the _uncertified_ members of the public will howl to their congressman when they see _those_ people in line ahead of them, and the system will have to look at ways to speed things up for everybody. Schneier has written at great length on the tradeoffs involved with real security -- things like decompressing the hold baggage to trigger altitude-sensitive bombs, which El Al does routinely -- and I agree with him that the current "security" system is just window dressing, designed to fill the seats while not costing the airlines any money. Bill ------------------------------ From: Carl Navarro Subject: Re: Telephone Switchbox Reply-To: cnavarro@wcnet.org Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 05:12:41 GMT Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com On 25 Mar 2004 18:21:55 -0800, mlliw@joimail.com (Will) wrote: > I am a newbie to this type of thing. The OfficeLink Solo looks good, > but its a bit pricy for my budget. Could you please explain the > " > I setup DISA on a Samsung DCS." I don't really understand this. The point is that you only told part of the story. Is this maybe, "I set up a line at a friend's house and I'd like to use it to dial free service points that I can't dial from my house"? Where I live, spending $100 or $500 to bypass local toll calls at 4.25 CENTS per minute is not very productive, especially when my outbound LD bill is less than $5 per month.. The old Teltone 106 box IIRC had THREE digit security and once you broke the code, no dialing restrictions whatsoever. So, a compromised code could bring out a TON of misery. That brought the response from Tony P. that a Samsung DISA trunk had 2 Million possible codes (the universe of 2,000,000,000 to 3,999,999,999) as its password protection. It didn't apply to you so you could ignore it, but, I hope, most of us understood. Outside of that, Teltone was never inexpensive. Carl Navarro > Thanks > mlliw > P.S. The line I would be accessing would not be on a phone system, > just a direct line. > Tony P. wrote in message > news:: >> In article , cnavarro@wcnet.org >> says: >>> On 19 Mar 2004 19:05:27 -0800, mlliw@joimail.com (Will) wrote: >>>> Is there a box that when called to normally, it sends through, but >>>> when a code such as #22, It brings the caller to a _dialtone_ on >>>> another line? I have seen several boxes that do this (for >>>> computer/fax/telephone) that when #22 is dialed, they send to a >>>> separate place, but they don't give a _dialtone_ on a separate >>>> line. Thanks! >>> It might depend on what type of phone system you have. Some systems >>> have Direct System Inward Access (DISA) available. Teltone used to >>> make a 106 box that was a bridging unit with amplifiers. They still >>> make an Officelink Solo, but I bet it's a bit pricey. >>> http://www.teltone.com/products/remotevoice/solo/home.htm >>> One thing to keep in mind, DISA and the 106 is highly hackable. A >>> teenager with a lot of time on his hands can key the universe of 3 >>> digit numbers as a hobby to find out what makes it work. The >>> Officelink is a callback device. >> I setup DISA on a Samsung DCS. It requires a seven digit passcode. So >> that ups the possibilities. >> The way the system was configured, the first digit had to be a 2 or 3, >> the next six could be 0 thru 9. So 2x10x10x10x10x10x10 = 2,000,000 >> possible combinations. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. If you donate at least fifty dollars per year we will send you our two-CD set of the entire Telecom Archives; this is every word published in this Digest since our beginning in 1981. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V23 #147 ******************************