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The Telecom Digest for June 15, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 145 : "text" Format
====== 30 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
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Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:30:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Singer <joeofseattle@yahoo.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Star 69 is a joke?
Message-ID: <1339612250.57025.YahooMailClassic@web161503.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:21:39 -0700 (PDT) Justin Goldberg opined:
> Is star 69 a joke in the USA? Did they have to choose the one number
> between 1 and a hundred with a prurient meaning?
Probably just as much of a joke as people in Denver, Somerville Mass,
Bowdoinham Maine, Seattle and other places who were assigned 666 as
their CO code. You know, the mark of the beast.
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 01:24:47 -0500
From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Ring voltage measurment question
Message-ID: <wK-dnQeR0rkyHkTSnZ2dnUVZ_tKdnZ2d@posted.nuvoxcommunications>
In article <87fwa3ah8g.fsf@nudel.nodomain.nowhere>,
Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>
[ sneck ]
>
>He measured the ringing & non-ringing voltage as DC! He claimed
>twenty-mumble years on the job, had never been asked to deal with
>ring voltage, insisted that the only meaningful measurement was DC
>voltage. 52 VDC at the demarc (NIJ? Outdoor thingy between my wires
>and theirs) and at the cabinet 5 miles away. Slightly higher when
>ringing. Dismissed my measurement of 18 VAC when ringing as not
>meaningful. He went away content that there was no problem leaving me
>confused. Happens that phones rang as they should when he was here.
Generally if there's something wrong with the -wiring- between you and
the C.O. it will affect both battery and ring. There are exceptions,
but they are rare. If the voltage is good, and the 'shorted' current
at the DEMARC is rational, that pretty much clears the telco wiring.
This leaves the possibility of an 'intermittent' wiring problem, but
the fact that you have a 'usable' voice connection when you take a
phone off-hook after a 'bad' ring, tends to eliminate the possibility
of something in the telco wiring. This leaves only a couple of
possibilities:
1) inside the phone that you picked up. specifically in the ringer
circuitry of that phone. If you've got multiple phones, and they
all have 'weak ring' when there's a problem, and you can pick up
any phone and have good voice volume, that eliminates =this=
possibility.
2) at the C.O, or 'remote'. Specifically, a bad 'ring generator'.
When a good ring generator is switched on to your line, the phone
rings properly. when the C.O. selects the bad one, you get the
"low-voltage" ring issue.
Also, you might try measuring the AC voltage during a good ring and
when a 'weak' one occurs. This'll give you some additional ammunition
if you have to call the telco in again.
Date: 14 Jun 2012 14:10:04 -0300
From: Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Ring voltage measurment question
Message-ID: <87y5nprf9v.fsf@nudel.nodomain.nowhere>
bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) writes:
> In article <87fwa3ah8g.fsf@nudel.nodomain.nowhere>,
> Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>>
>> [ sneck ]
>>
>> He measured the ringing & non-ringing voltage as DC! He claimed
>> twenty-mumble years on the job, had never been asked to deal with
>> ring voltage, insisted that the only meaningful measurement was DC
>> voltage. 52 VDC at the demarc (NIJ? Outdoor thingy between my wires
>> and theirs) and at the cabinet 5 miles away. Slightly higher when
>> ringing. Dismissed my measurement of 18 VAC when ringing as not
>> meaningful. He went away content that there was no problem leaving me
>> confused. Happens that phones rang as they should when he was here.
>
> Generally if there's something wrong with the -wiring- between you and
> the C.O. it will affect both battery and ring. There are exceptions,
> but they are rare. If the voltage is good, and the 'shorted' current
> at the DEMARC is rational, that pretty much clears the telco wiring.
>
> This leaves the possibility of an 'intermittent' wiring problem, but
> the fact that you have a 'usable' voice connection when you take a
> phone off-hook after a 'bad' ring, tends to eliminate the possibility
> of something in the telco wiring. This leaves only a couple of
> possibilities:
>
> 1) inside the phone that you picked up. specifically in the ringer
> circuitry of that phone. If you've got multiple phones, and they
> all have 'weak ring' when there's a problem, and you can pick up
> any phone and have good voice volume, that eliminates =this=
> possibility.
Two phones. When the problem occurs, both ring feebly or not at all.
Both have good voice volume (and no static or hum) when picked
up. Same after one of the phones has been swapped for another.
>
> 2) at the C.O, or 'remote'. Specifically, a bad 'ring generator'.
> When a good ring generator is switched on to your line, the phone
> rings properly. when the C.O. selects the bad one, you get the
> "low-voltage" ring issue.
The problem has not recurred since the telco tech was here. Nothing
was dis- and re-connected here. I suppose it's possible -- wild
surmise -- that when he "checked" the voltage at the cabinet out on
the highway [1] he tweaked or bumped something that altered the ring
voltage or generation.
>
> Also, you might try measuring the AC voltage during a good ring and
> when a 'weak' one occurs. This'll give you some additional ammunition
> if you have to call the telco in again.
Good idea. And I can do that beacuse, for now, ringing is good even
with the 2500 clapper spring set in default position.
Tnx.
[1] Is there a name for that cabinet? The central office is ca. 13
miles away, the cabinet only 4 as the wire runs.
--
Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:04:13 -0500
From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Ring voltage measurment question
Message-ID: <2omdnX12Yo2ABUfSnZ2dnUVZ_jadnZ2d@posted.nuvoxcommunications>
In article <87y5nprf9v.fsf@nudel.nodomain.nowhere>,
Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
>
>[1] Is there a name for that cabinet? The central office is ca. 13
> miles away, the cabinet only 4 as the wire runs.
Frequently referred to, generally, as a 'vault', especially if underground.
Above-ground units may be called a 'pedestal' (if small) or a 'hut' (if big
enough to walk into).
Beyond that, "it depends". <grin>
It -may- be nothing more than a splice point, where multiple small feeder
cable runs that each feed a group of residences are connected to a single
larger trunk cable that runs back towards the C.O. Depending on geography
and the density of subscribers, there may be more than one level of this
'concentration' into bigger cables.
OR it may have active electronics in it. Anything from a full 'remote'
extension of the C.O. switch, down to just a 'channel bank' equivalent
which breaks out a multiplexed, (usually) fiber, circuit from the C.O.
into the individual copper circuits to the customer premises. There are
different names for this kind of an installation, depending on what kind
of functionality (and the degree of autonomy from the C.O. switch) that
the on-site electronics provide.
'vault'/'pedestal'/'hut' describes the physical enclosure, without any
assumptions, implicit or otherwise, about what is 'inside' the enclosure.
Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:25:00 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Hands-on: Windows or MacOS on your tablet, smartphone with PocketCloud
Message-ID: <p0624083ccbfefb91e1b5@[10.0.1.2]>
Hands-on: Windows or MacOS on your tablet, smartphone with PocketCloud
The app and cloud service makes remote desktop access nearly automatic.
by Sean Gallagher
Ars Technica
June 12 2012
Yesterday, I went to my desktop to launch a few processes on my
server, pulled up a document in Word to edit, and then mailed it
off-all while I was parked in my car waiting for my kid to get out of
school. I managed to do it from a remote desktop session running on
my iPhone, courtesy of the iOS version of Wyse's PocketCloud, a set
of iOS and Android apps and cloud services that make PC and Mac
desktops accessible over a 3G or WiFi connection.
Wyse, which recently was acquired by Dell, is best known for its
thin-client systems. [Full disclosure: I once worked for a Wyse
value-added reseller, back when Wyse made PCs and Unix terminals; I
try not to hold that past against them.] Dell is positioning Wyse as
its "cloud client" unit in its bid to get more end-to-end
virtualization business. And it's likely that PocketCloud-and the
enterprise version Wyse has been working on-had something to do with
that.
PocketCloud is not perfect. There are many things about it that show
just how much of a work in progress it is. But warts and all, it's
the easiest way I've seen to give individuals or small businesses the
kind of virtual desktop infrastructure that big enterprises have.
PocketCloud is clearly a proof of concept for something much bigger.
Packaged as a mix-and-match set of free and paid mobile apps for
Apple iOS and Android, free client software, and free and premium
cloud services, you can get started with PocketCloud casually at no
cost. The Pro version of the PocketCloud Remote Desktop app allows
you to add additional computers to your account-making it an
intriguing tool for anyone who does small office desktop support or
needs access to multiple consoles.
PocketCloud Remote Desktop uses well-established protocols for its
remote desktop sessions-the Virtual Networking Protocol for MacOS
clients and Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol for Windows.
PocketCloud auto-discovers the settings for connecting to its own
clients, but you can also manually configure connections to RDP, VNC,
and VMware View-based virtual desktop infrastructure-making it a
potential solution for mid-size organizations and enterprises who
want to do something a little bit more structured for the "bring your
own device" crowd than having them connect back to a desktop.
...
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/06/hands-on-windows-or-macos-on-your-tablet-smartphone-with-pocketcloud/
***** Moderator's Note *****
I get a feeling, seeing stories like this, that we're all starting to
use "Magical thinking" when deciding on what electronic tools to
use. I just can't see how having the capability to edit a document
while sitting in a car is the same as using it effectively.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:18:01 -0500
From: gordonb.7y6kq@burditt.org (Gordon Burditt)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Merging Cellphones and Dashboards
Message-ID: <q7ednVUXd_60MkXSnZ2dnUVZ_h6dnZ2d@posted.internetamerica>
> No, G.M.'s strategy is not to shortchange buyers, but simply to let
> them avoid buying what they already own. Today, calling home is
> rarely done on a phone built into the dashboard, and recorded music
> is less often stored on CDs jammed into the glove box; increasingly,
> the smartphone in the driver's pocket serves both needs.
A town in Texas recently decided to outlaw all phone use in cars,
except for phones built into the car. Of course, the news reporters
initially reported it as outlawing phones in cars, suggesting that
it is illegal to put your cell phone in the trunk to get it from
home to work without using it on the way. (IMHO, the law should
only exempt phone use while driving when the DRIVER is built into
the car). And I should be able to keep a phone in my pocket should
the car come to an unexpected stop for reasons like accident, mechanical
breakdown, or medical emergency, which don't require the phone to be
used while the car is in motion.
Under this law, something like OnStar would be allowed. GM's new
setup probably wouldn't. It's amazing how many new ways there are
to distract drivers from driving and how much effort is being put
into it. New problem I expect soon: on-windshield advertising for
businesses you are about to drive by, obscuring the traffic you are
driving in.
Date: 14 Jun 2012 15:26:44 -0000
From: "John Levine" <johnl@iecc.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Merging Cellphones and Dashboards
Message-ID: <20120614152644.57287.qmail@joyce.lan>
> (IMHO, the law should only exempt phone use while driving
> when the DRIVER is built into the car).
I wasn't aware that cars like that were commercially available yet.
R's,
John
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:03:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon's shared data plans won't save solo users much money
Message-ID: <706ffc65-2cc9-48a6-a664-3d83fc24b771@q29g2000vby.googlegroups.com>
On Jun 12, 12:25 pm, Monty Solomon <mo...@roscom.com> wrote:
> Verizon's shared data plans won't save solo users much money
> But they should save families with multiple devices some dough.
A perspective offered by the business writer of the Philadelphia
Inquirer:
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20120614_Tech_Life__Apple_entices__Verizon_watches_the_meter.html
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:42:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: NYC's MTA wins technology award
Message-ID: <4e41641f-4664-4334-951c-4a6ee4b13b6a@5g2000vbf.googlegroups.com>
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, serving New York City and
environs, received a ITS-NY award for its 'On the Go!' Touch-Screen
Travel Stations.
"The enclosure supports a large screen with a colorful display,
offering passengers information about their entire trip, from planning
with Trip Planner+, real-time service status, escalator & elevator
status and local neighborhood maps. In addition, the MTA has partnered
with third party developers to include applications which provide
additional information, such as local history, shopping and dining
options nearby provided by Zagat, myCitiApp, and History Bus. As
added features, the screens provide news and weather information."
For the full press release please see:
http://www.mta.info/news/stories/?story=710
also:
http://www.mta.info/innov-onthego.htm
The MTA also announced weekend subway construction notices can be
received on an iPhone.
http://www.mta.info/news/stories/?story=707
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 18:58:48 -0400
From: "ABLE1" <royboynospam@somewhere.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: MOH box ID
Message-ID: <I0uCr.150328$eR7.129978@en-nntp-16.dc1.easynews.com>
Hello all,
I am trying to ID a MOH (Music On Hold) box. It is black in color,
has a CD player on one end and other controls, power, audio output on
the other end. There is no CD installed.
Presently it is working just fine but the current message needs to
be changed to something new. Customer has no documentation and the
original installer is non existent. I think that a CD with a
Message File, .MP3 or .wav or something is loaded and the message
then is transferred to Memory where it plays in an endless loop.
The unit has no brand name anywhere. The links below are pictures.
And yes, they are very poor pictures, but the best I could get.
What I am trying to do is acquire the install and set up
documentation. Or at the very least some idea has to how to load a
new message.
If I can't locate the unit will be in the nearest landfill very
soon.
http://db.tt/jg19AKQe
http://db.tt/ytU1BGiN
Thanks to all that reply. Have a good day.
Les
***** Moderator's Note *****
Able, we're going to need more than that: please check again for part
numbers, and send the dimensions and/or the circuit board ID codes,
and/or something besides those images.
Bill Horne
Moderator
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