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From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Should Projects be Connected to the Phone Line?
Message-ID: <telecom11.124.2@eecs.nwu.edu>
Date: 16 Feb 91 15:43:33 GMT
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Reply-To: Julian Macassey <julian@bongo.info.com>
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 124, Message 2 of 8


In article <74667@bu.edu.bu.edu> atn@cory.berkeley.edu (Alan Nishioka)
writes:
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 114, Message 4 of 10

> However, in response to my article, John Higdon brought up a problem
> that had been bothering me.  He said that my project SHOULD comply
> with the various parts of the FCC rules since it needed to connect
> directly to the phone network.

	Stuff deleted

> I see two issues involved: One of safety (to craftspersons, etc. ) and
> the other of just following the rules.  I can see if I were going to
> sell these devices that I would be interested in both, but as a
> hobbyist I am mostly interested in the first.

	This comes up every now and again.   Yes, if you interpret the
rules as a paper  pusher, you  can't attach anything  to the line that
isn't certified as meeting FCC Part 68. But then how  would you design
and test a device in order to take a "production  model" of it to take
to an FCC lab for testing? This is obviously silly and not  the intent
of the regs. So yes, although it is by the book illegal,  you can make
one of devices for your own use. The telephone police  are unlikely to
call. If you want to make it availble to the public as  a product, get
it FCC certified or the telephone police will pay a visit.

	Of course if a device violates  some of the  FCC rules, it may
not work very well. The rules are there partly as a quality check. But
you don't have to  be worried about  stuff  like REN measuremnt if you
have nothing attached when the phone is on hook etc.

	Now the "damage to  the network" myth. If  you attach anything
strange to your phone line, the only part of  the network liable to be
put out  of  commission is your phone line.  If you short the line you
will busy it out. If you open the line, it will look  like there is no
phone attached. It is  much, much  more dangerous  to mess  with mains
electricity, yet people do that all the  time. Yes, if you really mess
with  electricity, the whole street can  go  dark. Yes, you  can build
your own electrical devices and connect them. Funny world isn't it?

	Please tinker with  your phones and equipment. It  is the best
way to learn. It is hard to kill yourself  playing  with phones. It is
hard to cause fires playing  with phones. I wish  I could say the same
about mains electricity.


Julian Macassey, n6are  julian@bongo.info.com  ucla-an!denwa!bongo!julian
N6ARE@N6YN (Packet Radio) n6are.ampr.org [44.16.0.81] voice (213) 653-4495