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Message Digest 
Volume 28 : Issue 18 : "text" Format

Messages in this Issue:
  Re: AT&T drops Appleton, WI time/temp service - local guy picks   it up  
  Re: AT&T drops Appleton, WI time/temp service - local guy picks     it up  
  Re: Cell Phone Clock Inaccuracy 
  Re: Any user reviews of the Magic Jack? 
  Re: AT&T drops Appleton, WI time/temp service - local guy picks   it up  
  Re: AT&T drops Appleton, WI time/temp service - local guy picks it up  


====== 27 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:36:33 -0800 (PST)
From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: AT&T drops Appleton, WI time/temp service - local guy picks   it up  
Message-ID: <8794e46c-d536-4f66-b34f-05879269244c@v42g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>

On Jan 16, 12:53 pm, John Stahl <al...@stny.rr.com> wrote:
> As I recall, ETC "owned" most of the Time and Weather telephone
> numbers (WE-6-1212 and ME-6-1212) in most MSA's and leased them to
> either the local Teleco or to a local business who sponsored the
> services. There were all sorts of sponsors (including the bank
> mentioned) like car dealers and so on.

IIRC, from an old Bell Labs record, New York Telephone in NYC had live
operators annouce the time every 30 seconds circa 1940.  The operators
sat there for 15 or 30 minute shifts and then relieved.

The Bell System was always interested in voice recording media.  When
audio tape came out in the US I don't think it was usable since a
repeated tape loop would soon wear out.  In early years the Bell
System used optical movie film sound track on a rotating drum.

In the 1970s a customer Bell System announcement device was in a large
cabinet and controlled by staff through a standard keyset.  Presumably
this was a heavy duty device able to handle a high volume of calls
reliably.


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

Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:13:58 +0000 (UTC)
From: Koos van den Hout <koos+newsposting@kzdoos.xs4all.nl>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: AT&T drops Appleton, WI time/temp service - local guy picks     it up  
Message-ID: <gkv9um$gmo$8@kzdoos.xs4all.nl>

David Kaye <sfdavidkaye2@yahoo.com> wrote in
<014f6346-a08b-4703-abf6-2012be086b39@g3g2000pre.googlegroups.com>:
> On Jan 14, 2:40 pm, "Michael G. Koerner" <mgk...@dataex.com> wrote:

> This is so funny.  Ever since AT&T dropped both the time and the
> weather services (here in San Francisco they were POPCORN and
> WE6-1212, I've had a hankering for time and temp.  Time, especially.

> to handle it.  Heck, I used to have a 5-line POTS line broadcaster but
> no longer have it.  I shouldn't have tossed it.

> Anybody have leads to a fairly inexpensive multi-line POTS
> broadcaster?

All those phone companies stopping this service should have secondhand
equipment for sale.

But: if you can live without the solder smell and copper of POTS lines,
building something which tells time in an Asterisk voip pbx is easy.
Incoming numbers via voip are either free or cheap (depending on area
code and arrangements). You just need a reliable broadband connection
and a computer that is always on to handle the incoming calls, and a
bit of scripting to tell time and do a readout of your temperature sensor.

                                         Koos van den Hout

--

The Virtual Bookcase, the site about books, book    | Koos van den Hout
news and reviews http://www.virtualbookcase.com/    |
http://idefix.net/~koos/                            |
PGP keyid DSS/1024 0xF0D7C263 or RSA/1024 0xCA845CB5|


***** Moderator's Note *****

I love the smell of hot solder in the morning! 

It smells like ... VICTORY.

Bill Horne
Temporary Moderator

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

Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:23:37 -0800 (PST)
From: alex.puxley@gmail.com
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Cell Phone Clock Inaccuracy 
Message-ID: <96c67eb2-1fd3-4509-8b48-3e5bd09408b6@l16g2000yqo.googlegroups.com>

Anyone has the same problem with iPhone? It seems other cellphones
have a lot of QA issues.


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

Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:59:49 -0800 (PST)
From: "www.Queensbridge.us" <NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Any user reviews of the Magic Jack? 
Message-ID: <93bef9fb-486f-4cb0-bcfa-4e293ecf114c@d32g2000yqe.googlegroups.com>

On Jan 17, 10:43 am, Stephen <stephenco...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Actually, Onesuite prepaid calling card rates via local access numbers
> across the US [are] only 2.5 cents per minute [when] calling a US
> number and only 1.9 cpm to Canada. The .5 cents and 1.1 cents
> difference (versus the 3 cents you mentioned) adds up if you make [a
> lot of] calls.

I usually use the toll free number for OneSuite access as local access
calls here in NYC are billed at 11 cents with tax.

If I were to know that my OneSuite LDX call would [were to?] be long
talk-length I would use local access # and then get the 2.5CPM.
Otherwise it is cheaper to pay 2.9CPM for =<3 minutes.

I usually use OneSuite for my LOCAL calls here in NYC unless I am
calling totally free [of cost] via GrandCentral.com

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

Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:28:58 -0800 (PST)
From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: AT&T drops Appleton, WI time/temp service - local guy picks   it up  
Message-ID: <9fadcf37-6bf6-4292-b553-ec001ff346aa@n2g2000vbl.googlegroups.com>

On Jan 15, 10:28 pm, John Levine <jo...@iecc.com> wrote:

> In Boston, time is 617-637-xxxx and weather is 617-936-xxxx, for any xxxx.
> I just called them, both say they're Verizon.

I was able to get time & temperature at 617-637-1212, but 617-936-1212
had a recording of number out of service.  could the incoming lines be
restricted to Boston only?

Any other cities that have the service?


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

Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:08:11 -0600
From: Michael Grigoni <michael.grigoni@cybertheque.org>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: AT&T drops Appleton, WI time/temp service - local guy picks it up  
Message-ID: <4973C46B.9040606@cybertheque.org>

Koos van den Hout wrote:

> David Kaye <sfdavidkaye2@yahoo.com> wrote in
> <014f6346-a08b-4703-abf6-2012be086b39@g3g2000pre.googlegroups.com>:
>
> On Jan 14, 2:40 pm, "Michael G. Koerner" <mgk...@dataex.com> wrote:
>>
>> This is so funny.  Ever since AT&T dropped both the time and the
>> weather services (here in San Francisco they were POPCORN and
>> WE6-1212, I've had a hankering for time and temp.  Time, especially.
>>
>> Heck, I used to have a 5-line POTS line broadcaster but no longer
>> have it.  I shouldn't have tossed it.
>>
>> Anybody have leads to a fairly inexpensive multi-line POTS
>> broadcaster?
>
> All those phone companies stopping this service should have secondhand
> equipment for sale.
>
> But: if you can live without the solder smell and copper of POTS lines,
> building something which tells time in an Asterisk voip pbx is easy.

Asterisk of course also supports FXO cards, including ordinary
Winmodem clones of the "Wildcard X100" which can be bought for
typically $3.00 online, as well as the Digium multiport cards, and
those from other makers, and of course PRI cards, etc.

I run an asterisk box that accepts incoming POTS calls and routes them
into an audio feed of an online communications receiver. They can
listen to WWV if they wish for their time sync ;)

Michael

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

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