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From: motcid!segal@uunet.uu.net (Gary Segal)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: COCOT's on the Corner
Message-ID: <15512@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 18 Dec 90 19:05:52 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 890, Message 7 of 11


stanley@phoenix.com (John Stanley) writes:

>   Aha! I will dial the operator and see who the AOS is. I pick up the
>handset, and hear, in addition to dialtone, McGruff the Crimefighting
>Dog talking about neighborhood watch and taking a bite out of crime.
>How unique -- PSA's on COCOT's. I dial 0. Country music comes on. So
>does the operator. 

Is this a case of YASC (Yet Another Slimey COCOT :), or could there
actually be another type of problem?  A former friend of mine in
Bloomingdale Illinios had the unfortunate problem being served by a CO
that is close to the transmit tower for a FM radio station.  Somehow
the radio program found it's way into the local loops.  Don't ask me
how; I haven't been able to figure it out either.  All I know is that
when I called, I would hear the radio station very faintly in the
background (My guess would be about 8-10dB below talk level.)
Apparantly Illinios Bell claimed that this was a problem for the FCC,
but the bureaucrats had been taking years to sort out the problem.  I
haven't called the line recently, but I doubt if it has been fixed.

But did Mr. Stanley experience a case of COCOTery gone bonkers, or did
the phone get bitten by it's proximity to someone's transmitter?  I'd
love to blame the COCOT too, but don't forget that there could be
something else wrong outside of the phone.


Gary Segal	...!uunet!motcid!segal		+1-708-632-2348
Motorola INC., 1501 W. Shure Drive, Arlington Heights IL, 60004
The opinions expressed above are those of the author, and do not consititue
the opinions of Motorola INC.


[Moderator's Note: Sometime take a drive out near Wheaton, IL where
two powerhouse radio stations (WGN - 720 AM and WBBM - 780 AM) have
their transmitters within about a quarter-mile of each other. The area
is *so saturated* with RF that no matter where you tune the radio dial
all you hear is those two for a half mile in any direction. All the
telephones in the area have special filters on them provided by IBT.
The hetrodyne from those two beating each other constantly is
something to hear! And the harmonics are incredible. I've picked up
WBBM at 2x (1560 kilocycles), 3x (2340 kilocycles) and even 4x (3120
kilocycles) just as plain as at 780. No one lives very close; they'd
go crazy if they did.  Probably the COCOT is getting the same thing.
Either that or the serving CO has some Muzak circuits which need a
little cleaning up.  A grocery near me several years ago had some
problem with their Muzak circuits once. For a couple days it was
bleeding all over the CO.  PAT]