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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!amdcad!chronon!eric
From: eric@chronon.UUCP (Eric Black)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: RS phone cords (really party lines)
Message-ID: <176@chronon.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Mar-86 15:37:47 EST
Article-I.D.: chronon.176
Posted: Wed Mar 12 15:37:47 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Mar-86 07:43:56 EST
References: <1130@milano.UUCP>
Organization: Chronon Computer Corp., Mtn. View, CA
Lines: 50

>> For party lines with two parties this means nobody gets
>> a ring meant for the other party.  If there are more than two parties
>> on the line, the long-short-count-'em codes for rings must be used.
>
>Not quite true.  For my first 3 years in my farmhouse, I was on a 4-party
>line and we each got only the rings that were meant for us.  There was a
>"ring decoder" outside the house which apparently took care of the "address
>recognition".  One caveat (no explanation offered) is that I couldn't get
>touch-tone service with the party line.  Telco said it would mess up the
>other people on the party line.
>-------
>	Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.
>
>Michael L. Begeman              Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp
>Software Technology Program     Austin (where the sun always shines) Texas
>
>uucp:	{ihnp4, seismo, harvard, gatech, pyramid}!ut-sally!im4u!milano!begeman
>arpa:	begeman@mcc.ARPA


I greatly simplified the discussion to explain why more than 2 wires
could be needed.  There are several methods of selective ringing, ranging
from the bridged ringer scheme using ground that I described to frequency-
selective ringers (the bell itself is physically constructed so as to
resonate at 20, 30, 50, 60 (or whatever) cps and AC of the appropriate
frequency is used from the CO (Central Office).  On rural subscriber
loops (several customers on the end of a long pair of wires) in recent
years has been implemented a method which all of us high-tech-types would
love -- a small number of talk lines, and a digital control channel
from the CO talking to a "bathtub" out in the boonies; the talk circuits
are assigned as needed, and the remote bathtub connects each subscriber
to the appropriate talk circuit to get to the CO (what's that you say?
Sounds like a mini PBX?  How 'bout that!).

Anyway, for those of us living out in the middle of nowhere (I myself
am on the edge of nowhere, out in the redwoods), the high cost of copper
has made service from TPC somewhat of an on-again, off-again hassle.  I
am ecstatic to see the economic incentive for TPC to use party lines
going away with improving technology.  But as the recent rains have
pointed out, we're still a small number of customers on the end of
a long wire, and whenever we have trouble it takes a while for TPC to
take care of it (they're busy fixing the break that has 10,000 customers
disconnected, why should they hurry to get 25 back up?).
-- 
Eric Black   "Garbage In, Gospel Out"
UUCP:        {sun,pyramid,hplabs,amdcad}!chronon!eric
VOICE:       (415) 941-0403
US SNAIL:    Chronon Computer Corp.
             2570 El Camino Real W.   Suite 206
             Mountain View, CA   94040