Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!nike!ucbcad!ucbvax!covert.DEC.COM!covert From: covert@covert.DEC.COM (John R. Covert) Newsgroups: mod.telecom Subject: Various Submissions from National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. Message-ID: <8610310706.AA22186@ucbvax.berkeley.edu> Date: Fri, 24-Oct-86 19:27:00 EST Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8610310706.AA22186 Posted: Fri Oct 24 19:27:00 1986 Date-Received: Fri, 31-Oct-86 14:42:02 EST Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 154 Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu From: "John Keator - National Public Radio" 23-OCT-1986 19:52 To: COVERT Subj: NPR Staff comments re: Telecom Digest From:VAX1::MONTI National Public Radio 20-OCT-1986 11:21 To:KEATOR Subj:NUMBER OF PHONES ALLOWED ON A LINE >how many phones can be hooked up to a 1-pair loop from the central office? according to a recent issue of "consumer reports" magazine, you can figure this out yourself easily if you know this: the sum of the "ringer equivalence numbers" of all phones, modems, answering machines, etc. is not to exceed 5. most phones have ringer equivalence numbers of 0.8 or 0.9, some cheap ones are over 1.0. so having 8 or 9 phones is a bit much. probably it depends on how far one is from the c.o. likely the limit of 5 is based on being the furthest party from the c.o., so a larger number of phones will ring properly closer in. presumably, the house where all these phones are isn't so huge that you can hear some of the phones ring from other rooms. disconnecting the ringer (inside the phone) should make the r.e.n for that phone go to something near zero. once the ringers in half the phones are disconnected, things oughta be copascetic. um, right? From:VAX1::MONTI National Public Radio 22-OCT-1986 17:51 To:KEATOR Subj:N0X/N1X IN 214 AND 201 (FOR CARL MOORE) (1) N0X/N1X prefixes in areacode 214 are not that new. When there in April 1986, the beat-up directory in the hotel room already listed many of them. (2) No, the Dallas phone directory does not require you to dial 214 + a 7-digit number for long distance calls within 214, it requires you to dial 1 + 214 + 7-digit number. This is logical. Before N0X/N1X prefixes, the "1" was used to distinguish long distance from local calls. With the advent of N0X/N1X prefixes, the "1" can no longer do this job since there'd be ambiguous cases where an N0X/N1X prefix would follow a "1" and the switch would have no way of knowing if it was long distance (and to wait for 7 more digits) or local (and to wait for 4 more digits). Now, it's the "214" that distinguishes between local and long distance within 214. Got that? It's a bass-ackwards way of doing things, but this results from having 1 + dialing before the existence of N0X/N1X prefixes. Think about it: 1 + is never REALLY required in ANY area code until N0X/N1X prefixes begin to exist. This is the way it was in New York City and probably other places before N0X/N1X. (3) Ideally, if you were calling a local 214 number from within 817, the equipment would "know" how to route the call no matter if you dialed 7 digits or 1 + 214 + 7 digits. Both would be billed as local calls. The user shouldn't need to know whether a call is long distance, just one positive rule as to how to dial it. Sadly, many local comapnies haven't figured this out yet. Some other places (like New York City) either allow or REQUIRE (from some pay phones) you to dial 1 + area code + 7 digits for LOCAL calls withing your area code! The coin phones at Kennedy Airport require 1 + 718 + 7 digits for local calls. From there, ALL calls to 212 and 718 are local (plus a goodly number of those to 914 and 516). (4) Use care in Dallas-Fort Worth. They have a twist! There are certain prefixes which have "metrowide" or "areawide" service (or some similar name) which exist as local prefixes in BOTH the Dallas metro and Fort Worth metro areas. In other words, these prefixes have TWO area codes as seen by the outside world. Probably, they can be reached by dialing either 817 or 214 from elsewhere. The service costs a pretty penny (over $25 a month, I think) for unlimited local calling to both the Dallas and Fort Worth metros. Presumably, you have to dial 1 + an area code + 7 digits for some of these local calls since not all the prefixes in the Fort Worth metro portion of 817 and the Dallas metro portion of 214 are mutually exclusive. Am I off the mark on this? They don't have such "double metro" service in Washington and Baltimore, where I live. We do have our quirks here on what needs an area code in front of it and what doesn't however. (5) 201 is a likely candidate for an area code split in a couple years, they'll probably divide it east and west, with all the population in the east. I suspect what happened in 201 when N0X/N1X was introduced is that any- thing that was a local call before remained one. The current situation is probably as follows: - Local calls within 201, dial 7 digits - Long distance within 201, dial 7 digits - Local calls into 609, dial 1 + 609 + 7 digits. - Long distance calls into 609 or anywhere else, 1 + area + 7 digits. Aren't things nice and logical when you didn't have 1 + dialing prior to N0X/N1X? The "1" distinguishes area codes from prefixes. Period. The switches know what's LD and what ain't (and what's intraLATA and what ain't). (6) Dialing instructions in the fronts of Bell Atlantic directories aren't always reliable. The front on my Norther Virginia directory gives the following instructions for long distance calls within the LATA: - Within 703, dial 1 + 7 digits - Outside 703, dial 1 + area code + 7 digits These are both wrong. The actual rule is: - Within 703, dial 703 + 7 digits - Outside 703, dial area code + 7 digits Dial-1 is neither used inside the Washington metro area nor within areas which are outside the metro but inside the local calling area to 202. Of course, the directory doesn't explain how to dial LD calls outside the LATA, telling you to check with your long distance carrier. The actual rule is, dial (optionally 10XXX) + area code + 7 digits. From:VAX1::MONTI National Public Radio 22-OCT-1986 18:00 Subj:976 FROM VIRGINIA New subject: how come Northern Virginians can't dial (202) 976-XXXX calls AT ALL? Since these are local calls, 7 digit dialing is called for. 976 numbers are trapped to the general "cannot be completedmas dialed" recording. If you dial 202 first, you get the same thing. If the 976 service provider has also signed up for the 976 exchange in Baltimore, you can reach it by dialing 301 + 976-XXXX, but you'll be charged for an interLATA LD call on the carrier of your choice, assuming that carrier accepts 976 calls (Sprint and MCI do not). Actually, there is a way to reach 202-976 numbers from Northern Virginia: use a ALDS which accepts calls via you dialing a 7-digit local access number which their switch answers. Do your security code, then 202-976-XXXX and the call will go through. The only ALDS which accepts 976 calls to my knowledge is Allnet (formerly Max), and they charge $2.00 plus tax for each call regardless of length of time or distance. AT&T accepts 976 calls, but only to other LATAs. AT&T also charges only the cost of the long distance call itself to 976 numbers; they dpn't carry back the 976 provider's premium charge to the caller. Presumably, this is the reason most ALDS's either don't allow 976 or charge through the nose for it. Neither of these reasons appear to bother AT&T. [The Virginia PUC does not allow the "dial it calls" as they believe they cost too much and are of dubious value, {ie. dial-porn}jk] -------------- From: John Keator, National Public Radio Subj: 811-xxxx for PacBell Business offices From a Pacific Bell bill insert: A new prefix - 811- will soon be available for you to call your Pacific Bell Business office toll-free from any area served by us. All our business office numbers will be replaced by toll-free numbers with an 811 prefix. If your PaCBell BO numbers changed to an 811 prefix, the new prefix and number will appear on your telephone bill... After this change, you only dial 811-XXXX from any PacBell area in the state to reach your local office toll-free. However, if you are calling from an area where 1+ dialing is required, you must continue to dial the 1 before dialing the seven digit 811 number. Some of you who have specialized equipment could have a problem in dialing the 811 prefix. You may need contact your vendor. Until equipment modification is made, you may continue dialing the old business office numbers available from 411. This change will save you thecost of a toll call to PacBell when a calls is made to all non-local offices. (Today, calls to our BO's are normally toll free from a customers home or business area.) /jk