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From: larry@kitty.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Submission for mod.telecom (Telephone Company Technical Information)
Message-ID: <8705010425.AA01001@seismo.CSS.GOV>
Date: Fri, 1-May-87 00:25:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: seismo.8705010425.AA01001
Posted: Fri May  1 00:25:05 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 3-May-87 09:21:50 EDT
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In a recent article johnw@well.UUCP (John Winters) writes:
> I was wondering, would anybody out there be able to write me a very
> simple schematic for 5 watt amplifier which would amplify
> my outgoing voice on the phone?
> I talked to my local Bell guy and he said 5 watts would be allowed
> (my grandmother can't hear at all, along with other people i know and
> this would be handy)

	Hmmmm...  5 watts into 600 ohms; that would be sending into the
telephone line at about + 37 dBm.  Is that hot, or is that HOT?  Not only
would your grandmother hear your voice, but so would everyone else in your
central office!

	I didn't post this reply to make fun of John Winters; I believe
his statement that the "local Bell guy said 5 watts would be allowed".

	I just want to point out the INCREDIBLE ignorance which is
sometimes displayed by telephone company sales and administrative personnel
who deal with the public.  Many people naively believe that ANYTHING said
by ANYONE at the telephone company must be correct.  Wrong.  If you have
a technical question - especially concerning data transmission - INSIST
upon speaking with a person who is an engineer (common titles: "customer
services engineer" or "facilities design engineer").  You might get some
moaning and groaning from a salesperson about such a request to speak with
an engineer, but as far as I am concerned, it is your right to speak to a
technically competent person when it concerns a technical question about
transmission or network interface specifications.  This does not mean you
should abuse such a demand by asking questions about how to connect or repair
telephones, or how to design or build telephone equipment; your right to
obtain technical information should be properly confined to transmission and
network interface specifications ONLY.  You might be referred to a specific
AT&T or FCC technical reference; I consider such a referral to be a reasonable
response to a request for information, PROVIDED you are given a specific
publication number and where to obtain it.
 
	Concerning the original article, any person who has a hearing
impairment must solve the problem at THEIR END.  Amplifier handsets with
an adjustable volume control are readily available from AT&T Information
Systems and from other vendors of telephone apparatus.  Prices range from
$ 30.00 to $ 60.00 for such a handset.

<>  Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York
<>  UUCP:  {allegra|ames|boulder|decvax|rocksanne|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry
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