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From: moroney@jon.dec.com.UUCP
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: automatic sales calls
Message-ID: <5939@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Mon, 13-Oct-86 22:04:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.5939
Posted: Mon Oct 13 22:04:08 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Oct-86 08:20:50 EDT
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Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
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In article <189@gouldsd.UUCP>, mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus the Ranum) says:
 
>        One thing I have been toying with getting made is as follows:
>splice a device into your phone that mediates between the actual phone
>pickup and the ringer. When an inbound call is detected, the device
>picks up, and produces a ring tone, without ringing the bell. It will
>continue to do so until it receives a series of 3 or 4 further tones
>from a touchtone phone. If the tones are received, then it rings the
>bell, otherwise it continues to blithely make a ringing noise.

I believe with some electronic hacking, (and a capacitor) one can monitor the
signal on the phone line while the line is ringing, so there is no need to fake
the ring signal.  It depends on whether the phone company sends the signal from
the caller's phone to the callee's phone while it is ringing. (which I believe
it does, but I've never tried it)  If so, such a device is easy.

>Live Free
>mjr
 
-Mike Moroney

decvax!decwrl!jon.dec.com!moroney