(Italic indicates updated questions, while bold indicates new questions.)
When a coin is inserted into a payphone, the payphone emits a set of tones to ACTS (Automated Coin Toll System). Red boxes work by fooling ACTS into believing you have actually put money into the phone. The red box simply plays the ACTS tones into the telephone microphone. ACTS hears those tones, and allows you to place your call. The actual tones are:
Nickel Signal 1700+2200 0.060s on Dime Signal 1700+2200 0.060s on, 0.060s off, twice repeating Quarter Signal 1700+2200 33ms on, 33ms off, 5 times repeating
Canada uses a variant of ACTSD called N-ACTS. N-ACTS uses different tones than ACTS. In Canada, the tones to use are:
Nickel Signal 2200hz 0.060s on Dime Signal 2200hz 0.060s on, 0.060s off, twice repeating Quarter Signal 2200hz 33ms on, 33ms off, 5 times repeating
Red boxes are commonly manufactured from modified Radio Shack tone dialers, Hallmark greeting cards, or made from scratch from readily available electronic components.
To make a Red Box from a Radio Shack 43-141 or 43-146 tone dialer, open the dialer and replace the crystal with a new one. The purpose of the new crystal is to cause the * button on your tone dialer to create a 1700Mhz and 2200Mhz tone instead of the original 941Mhz and 1209Mhz tones. The exact value of the replacement crystal should be 6.466806 to create a perfect 1700Mhz tone and 6.513698 to create a perfect 2200mhz tone. A crystal close to those values will create a tone that easily falls within the loose tolerances of ACTS. The most popular choice is the 6.5536Mhz crystal, because it is the easiest to procure. The old crystal is the large shiny metal component labeled "3.579545Mhz." When you are finished replacing the crystal, program the P1 button with five *'s. That will simulate a quarter tone each time you press P1.
3. Where can I get a 6.5536Mhz crystal?
Your best bet is a local electronics store. Radio Shack sells them, but they are overpriced and the store must order them in. This takes approximately two weeks. In addition, many Radio Shack employees do not know that this can be done.
Or, you could order the crystal mail order. This introduces Shipping and Handling charges, which are usually much greater than the price of the crystal. It's best to get several people together to share the S&H cost. Or, buy five or six yourself and sell them later. Some of the places you can order crystals are:
Digi-Key 701 Brooks Avenue South P.O. Box 677 Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677 (800)344-4539 Part Number:X415-ND /* Note: 6.500Mhz and only .197 x .433 x .149! */ Part Number:X018-ND JDR Microdevices: 2233 Branham Lane San Jose, CA 95124 (800)538-5000 Part Number: 6.5536MHZ Tandy Express Order Marketing 401 NE 38th Street Fort Worth, TX 76106 (800)241-8742 Part Number: 10068625 Alltronics 2300 Zanker Road San Jose CA 95131 (408)943-9774 Voice (408)943-9776 Fax (408)943-0622 BBS Part Number: 92A057 Mouser (800)346-6873 Part Number: 332-1066 Blue Saguaro P.O. Box 37061 Tucson, AZ 85740 Part Number: 1458b Unicorn Electronics 10000 Canoga Ave, Unit c-2 Chatsworth, Ca 91311 Phone: 1-800-824-3432 Part Number: CR6.5
4. Which payphones will a Red Box work on?
Red Boxes will work on telco owned payphones, but not on COCOT's (Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephones).
Red boxes work by fooling ACTS (Automated Coin Toll System) into believing you have put money into the pay phone. ACTS is the telephone company software responsible for saying "Please deposit XX cents" and listening for the coins being deposited.
COCOT's do not use ACTS. On a COCOT, the pay phone itself is responsible for determining what coins have been inserted.
5. How do I make local calls with a Red Box?
Payphones do not use ACTS for local calls. To use your red box for local calls, you have to fool ACTS into getting involved in the call.
One way to do this, in some areas, is by dialing 10288-xxx-xxxx. This makes your call a long distance call, and brings ACTS into the picture.
In other areas, you can call Directory Assistance and ask for the number of the person you are trying to reach. The operator will give you the number and then you will hear a message similar to "Your call can be completed automatically for an additional 35 cents." When this happens, you can then use ACTS tones.
Blue boxes use a 2600hz tone to size control of telephone switches that use in-band signalling. The caller may then access special switch functions, with the usual purpose of making free long distance phone calls, using the tones provided by the Blue Box.
This FAQ answer is excerpted from a message posted to Usenet by Marauder of the Legion of Doom.
Somewhere along the line I have seen reference to something similar to "Because of ESS Blue boxing is impossible". This is incorrect. When I lived in Connecticut I was able to blue box under Step by Step, #1AESS, and DMS-100. The reason is simple, even though I was initiating my call to an 800 number from a different exchange (Class 5 office, aka Central Office) in each case, when the 800 call was routed to the toll network it would route through the New Haven #5 Crossbar toll Tandem office. It just so happens that the trunks between the class 5 (CO's) and the class 4 (toll office, in this case New Haven #5 Xbar), utilized in-band (MF) signalling, so regardless of what I dialed, as long as it was an Inter-Lata call, my call would route through this particular set of trunks, and I could Blue box until I was blue in the face. The originating Central Offices switch (SXS/ESS/Etc..) had little effect on my ability to box at all. While the advent of ESS (and other electronic switches) has made the blue boxers task a bit more difficult, ESS is not the reason most of you are unable to blue box. The main culprit is the "forward audio mute" feature of CCIS (out of band signalling). Unfortunately for the boxer 99% of the Toll Completion centers communicate using CCIS links, This spells disaster for the blue boxer since most of you must dial out of your local area to find trunks that utilize MF signalling, you inevitably cross a portion of the network that is CCIS equipped, you find an exchange that you blow 2600hz at, you are rewarded with a nice "winkstart", and no matter what MF tones you send at it, you meet with a re-order. This is because as soon as you seized the trunk (your application of 2600hz), your Originating Toll Office sees this as a loss of supervision at the destination, and Mutes any further audio from being passed to the destination (ie: your waiting trunk!). You meet with a reorder because the waiting trunk never "hears" any of the MF tones you are sending, and it times out. So for the clever amongst you, you must somehow get yourself to the 1000's of trunks out there that still utilize MF signalling but bypass/disable the CCIS audio mute problem. (Hint: Take a close look at WATS extenders).
A Black Box is a resistor (and often capacitor in parallel) placed in series across your phone line to cause the phone company equipment to be unable to detect that you have answered your telephone. People who call you will then not be billed for the telephone call. Black boxes do not work under ESS.
9. What do all the colored boxes do?
Acrylic      Steal Three-Way-Calling, Call Waiting and programmable
             Call Forwarding on old 4-wire phone systems
Aqua         Drain the voltage of the FBI lock-in-trace/trap-trace
Beige        Lineman's hand set
Black        Allows the calling party to not be billed for the call
             placed
Blast        Phone microphone amplifier
Blotto       Supposedly shorts every phone out in the immediate area
Blue         Emulate a true operator by seizing a trunk with a 2600hz
             tone
Brown        Create a party line from 2 phone lines
Bud          Tap into your neighbors phone line
Chartreuse   Use the electricity from your phone line
Cheese       Connect two phones to create a diverter
Chrome       Manipulate Traffic Signals by Remote Control
Clear        A telephone pickup coil and a small amp used to make free
             calls on Fortress Phones
Color        Line activated telephone recorder
Copper       Cause crosstalk interference on an extender
Crimson      Hold button
Dark         Re-route outgoing or incoming calls to another phone
Dayglo       Connect to your neighbors phone line
Diverter     Re-route outgoing or incoming calls to another phone
DLOC         Create a party line from 2 phone lines
Gold         Dialout router
Green        Emulate the Coin Collect, Coin Return, and Ringback tones
Infinity     Remotely activated phone tap
Jack         Touch-Tone key pad
Light        In-use light
Lunch        AM transmitter
Magenta      Connect a remote phone line to another remote phone line
Mauve        Phone tap without cutting into a line
Neon         External microphone
Noise        Create line noise
Olive        External ringer
Party        Create a party line from 2 phone lines
Pearl        Tone generator
Pink         Create a party line from 2 phone lines
Purple       Telephone hold button
Rainbow      Kill a trace by putting 120v into the phone line (joke)
Razz         Tap into your neighbors phone
Red          Make free phone calls from pay phones by generating
             quarter tones
Rock         Add music to your phone line
Scarlet      Cause a neighbors phone line to have poor reception
Silver       Create the DTMF tones for A, B, C and D
Static       Keep the voltage on a phone line high
Switch       Add hold, indicator lights, conferencing, etc..
Tan          Line activated telephone recorder
Tron         Reverse the phase of power to your house, causing your
             electric meter to run slower
TV Cable     "See" sound waves on your TV
Urine        Create a capacitative disturbance between the ring and
             tip wires in another's telephone headset
Violet       Keep a payphone from hanging up
White        Portable DTMF keypad
Yellow       Add an extension phone
 Box schematics may be retrieved from this site:
www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts/underground/boxes.html
An ANAC (Automatic Number Announcement Circuit) number is a telephone number that plays back the number of the telephone that called it. ANAC numbers are convenient if you want to know the telephone number of a pair of wires.
11. What is the ANAC number for my area?
How to find your ANAC number:
Look up your NPA (Area Code) and try the number listed for it. If that fails, try 1 plus the number listed for it. If that fails, try the common numbers like 311, 958 and 200-222-2222. If you find the ANAC number for your area, please let us know.
Note that many times the ANAC number will vary for different switches in the same city. The geographic naming on the list is not intended to be an accurate reference for coverage patterns, it is for convenience only.
Many companies operate 800 number services which will read back to you the number from which you are calling. Many of these require navigating a series of menus to get the phone number you are looking for. Please use local ANAC numbers if you can, as overuse or abuse can kill 800 ANAC numbers.
(800)425-6256 VRS Billing Systems/Integretel (800)4BLOCKME (800)568-3197 Info Access Telephone Company's Automated Blocking Line (800)692-6447 (800)MY-ANI-IS (800)858-9857 AT&T True Rewards
An non-800 ANAC that works nationwide is 404-988-9664. The one catch with this number is that it must be dialed with the AT&T Carrier Access Code 10732. Use of this number does not appear to be billed.
Note: These geographic areas are for reference purposes only. ANAC numbers may vary from switch to switch within the same city.
NPA  ANAC number      Approximate Geographic area
---  ---------------  ---------------------------------------------
201  958              Hackensack/Jersey City/Newark/Paterson, NJ
202  811              District of Columbia
203  970              CT
205  300-222-2222     Birmingham, AL
205  300-555-5555     Many small towns in AL
205  300-648-1111     Dora, AL
205  300-765-4321     Bessemer, AL
205  300-798-1111     Forestdale, AL
205  300-833-3333     Birmingham
205  557-2311         Birmingham, AL
205  811              Pell City/Cropwell/Lincoln, AL
205  841-1111         Tarrant, AL
205  908-222-2222     Birmingham, AL
206  411              WA (Not US West)
207  958              ME
209  830-2121         Stockton, CA
209  211-9779         Stockton, CA
210  830              Brownsville/Laredo/San Antonio, TX
210  951              Brownsville/Laredo/San Antonio, TX (GTE)
212  958              Manhattan, NY
213  114              Los Angeles, CA (GTE)
213  1223             Los Angeles, CA (Some 1AESS switches)
213  211-2345         Los Angeles, CA (English response)
213  211-2346         Los Angeles, CA (DTMF response)
213  760-2???         Los Angeles, CA (DMS switches)
213  61056            Los Angeles, CA
214  570              Dallas, TX
214  790              Dallas, TX (GTE)
214  970-222-2222     Dallas, TX
214  970-611-1111     Dallas, TX (Southwestern Bell)
215  410-xxxx         Philadelphia, PA
215  511              Philadelphia, PA
215  958              Philadelphia, PA
216  200-XXXX         Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH
216  331              Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH
216  959-9892         Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH
217  200-xxx-xxxx     Champaign-Urbana/Springfield, IL
219  550              Gary/Hammond/Michigan City/Southbend, IN
219  559              Gary/Hammond/Michigan City/Southbend, IN
301  2002006969       Hagerstown/Rockville, MD
301  958-9968         Hagerstown/Rockville, MD
303  958              Aspen/Boulder/Denver/Durango/Grand Junction
                      /Steamboat Springs, CO
305  200-555-1212     Ft. Lauderdale/Key West/Miami, FL
305  200200200200200  Ft. Lauderdale/Key West/Miami, FL
305  780-2411         Ft. Lauderdale/Key West/Miami, FL
310  114              Long Beach, CA (On many GTE switches)
310  1223             Long Beach, CA (Some 1AESS switches)
310  211-2345         Long Beach, CA (English response)
310  211-2346         Long Beach, CA (DTMF response)
312  200              Chicago, IL
312  290              Chicago, IL
312  1-200-8825       Chicago, IL (Last four change rapidly)
312  1-200-555-1212   Chicago, IL
313  200-200-2002     Ann Arbor/Dearborn/Detroit, MI
313  200-222-2222     Ann Arbor/Dearborn/Detroit, MI
313  200-xxx-xxxx     Ann Arbor/Dearborn/Detroit, MI
313  200200200200200  Ann Arbor/Dearborn/Detroit, MI
314  410-xxxx#        Columbia/Jefferson City/St.Louis, MO
315  953              Syracuse/Utica, NY
315  958              Syracuse/Utica, NY
315  998              Syracuse/Utica, NY
317  310-222-2222     Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN
317  559-222-2222     Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN
317  743-1218         Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN
334  5572411          Montgomery, AL
334 5572311           Montgomery, AL
401  200-200-4444     RI
401  222-2222         RI
402  311              Lincoln, NE
404  311              Atlanta, GA
770  780-2311         Atlanta, GA
404  940-xxx-xxxx     Atlanta, GA
404  990              Atlanta, GA
405  890-7777777      Enid/Oklahoma City, OK
405  897              Enid/Oklahoma City, OK
407  200-222-2222     Orlando/West Palm Beach, FL (Bell South)
407  520-3111         Orlando/West Palm Beach, FL (United)
408  300-xxx-xxxx     San Jose, CA
408  760              San Jose, CA
408  940              San Jose, CA
409  951              Beaumont/Galveston, TX
409  970-xxxx         Beaumont/Galveston, TX
410  200-6969         Annapolis/Baltimore, MD
410  200-200-6969     Annapolis/Baltimore, MD
410  200-555-1212     Annapolis/Baltimore, MD
410  811              Annapolis/Baltimore, MD
412  711-6633         Pittsburgh, PA
412  711-4411         Pittsburgh, PA
412  999-xxxx         Pittsburgh, PA
413  958              Pittsfield/Springfield, MA
413  200-555-5555     Pittsfield/Springfield, MA
414  330-2234         Fond du Lac/Green Bay/Milwaukee/Racine, WI
415  200-555-1212     San Francisco, CA
415  211-2111         San Francisco, CA
415  2222             San Francisco, CA
415  640              San Francisco, CA
415  760-2878         San Francisco, CA
415  7600-2222        San Francisco, CA
419  311              Toledo, OH
423  200-200-200      Chatanooga, Johnson City, Knoxville , TN
501  511              AR
502  2002222222       Frankfort/Louisville/Paducah/Shelbyville, KY
502  997-555-1212     Frankfort/Louisville/Paducah/Shelbyville, KY
503  611              Portland, OR
503  999              Portland, OR (GTE)
504  99882233         Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA
504  201-269-1111     Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA
504  998              Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA
504  99851-0000000000 Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA
508  958              Fall River/New Bedford/Worchester, MA
508  200-222-1234     Fall River/New Bedford/Worchester, MA
508  200-222-2222     Fall River/New Bedford/Worchester, MA
508  26011            Fall River/New Bedford/Worchester, MA
509  560              Spokane/Walla Walla/Yakima, WA
510  760-1111         Oakland, CA
512  830              Austin/Corpus Christi, TX
512  970-xxxx         Austin/Corpus Christi, TX
513  380-55555555     Cincinnati/Dayton, OH
515  5463             Des Moines, IA
515  811              Des Moines, IA
516  958              Hempstead/Long Island, NY
516  968              Hempstead/Long Island, NY
517  200-222-2222     Bay City/Jackson/Lansing, MI
517  200200200200200  Bay City/Jackson/Lansing, MI
518  511              Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY
518  997              Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY
518  998              Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY
540  211              Roanoke, VA (GTE)
540  311              Roanoke, VA (GTE)
541  200              Bend, OR
603  200-222-2222     NH
606  997-555-1212     Ashland/Winchester, KY
606  711              Ashland/Winchester, KY
607  993              Binghamton/Elmira, NY
609  958              Atlantic City/Camden/Trenton/Vineland, NJ
610  958              Allentown/Reading, PA
610  958-4100         Allentown/Reading, PA
612  511              Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN
614  200              Columbus/Steubenville, OH
614  571              Columbus/Steubenville, OH
615  200200200200200  Chatanooga/Knoxville/Nashville, TN
615  2002222222       Chatanooga/Knoxville/Nashville, TN
615  830              Nashville, TN
616  200-222-2222     Battle Creek/Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo, MI
617  200-222-1234     Boston, MA
617  200-222-2222     Boston, MA
617  200-444-4444     Boston, MA (Woburn, MA)
617  220-2622         Boston, MA
617  958              Boston, MA
618  200-xxx-xxxx     Alton/Cairo/Mt.Vernon, IL
618  930              Alton/Cairo/Mt.Vernon, IL
619  211-2001         San Diego, CA
619  211-2121         San Diego, CA
659  220-2622         Newmarket, NH
703  211              VA
703  511-3636         Culpeper/Orange/Fredericksburg, VA
703  811              Alexandria/Arlington/Roanoke, VA
704  311              Asheville/Charlotte, NC
706  940-xxxx         Augusta, GA
707  211-2222         Eureka, CA
708  1-200-555-1212   Chicago/Elgin, IL
708  1-200-8825       Chicago/Elgin, IL (Last four change rapidly)
708  200-6153         Chicago/Elgin, IL
708  724-9951         Chicago/Elgin, IL
713  380              Houston, TX
713  970-xxxx         Houston, TX
713  811              Humble, TX
713  380-5555-5555    Houston, TX
714  114              Anaheim, CA (GTE)
714  211-2121         Anaheim, CA (PacBell)
714  211-2222         Anaheim, CA (Pacbell)
714  211-7777         Anaheim, CA (Pacbell)
716  511              Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Rochester, NY (Rochester Tel)
716  990              Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Rochester, NY (Rochester Tel)
717  958              Harrisburg/Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA
718  958              Bronx/Brooklyn/Queens/Staten Island, NY
770  940-xxx-xxxx     Marietta/Norcross, GA
770  780-2311         Marietta/Norcross, GA
802  2-222-222-2222   Vermont
802  200-222-2222     Vermont
802  1-700-222-2222   Vermont
802  111-2222         Vermont
804 990               Virginia Beach, VA
805  114              Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA
805  211-2345         Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA
805  211-2346         Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA (Returns DTMF)
805  830              Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA
806  970-xxxx         Amarillo/Lubbock, TX
810  200200200200200  Flint/Pontiac/Southfield/Troy, MI
810  311              Pontiac/Southfield/Troy, MI
812  410-555-1212     Evansville, IN
813  311              Ft. Meyers/St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL
815  200-3374         Crystal Lake, IL
815  270-3374         Crystal Lake, IL
815  770-3374         Crystal Lake, IL
815  200-xxx-xxxx     La Salle/Rockford, IL
815  290              La Salle/Rockford, IL
817  211              Ft. Worth/Waco, TX
817  970-611-1111     Ft. Worth/Waco, TX  (Southwestern Bell)
818  1223             Pasadena, CA (Some 1AESS switches)
818  211-2345         Pasadena, CA (English response)
818  211-2346         Pasadena, CA (DTMF response)
860  970              CT
903  970-611-1111     Tyler, TX
904  200-222-222      Jackonsville/Pensacola/Tallahasee, FL
906  1-200-222-2222   Marquette/Sault Ste. Marie, MI
907  811              AK
908  958              New Brunswick, NJ
909  111              Riverside/San Bernardino, CA (GTE)
910  200              Fayetteville/Greensboro/Raleigh/Winston-Salem, NC
910  311              Fayetteville/Greensboro/Raleigh/Winston-Salem, NC
910  988              Fayetteville/Greensboro/Raleigh/Winston-Salem, NC
914  990-1111         Peekskill/Poughkeepsie/White Plains/Yonkers, NY
915  970-xxxx         Abilene/El Paso, TX
916  211-0007         Sacramento, CA (Pac Bell)
916  461              Sacramento, CA (Roseville Telephone)
919  200              Durham, NC
919  711              Durham, NC
954  200-555-1212     Ft. Lauderdale, FL
954  200200200200200  Ft. Lauderdale, FL
954  780-2411         Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Canada:
204  644-4444         Manitoba
306  115              Saskatchewan
403  311              Alberta, Yukon and N.W. Territory
403  908-222-2222     Alberta, Yukon and N.W. Territory
403  999              Alberta, Yukon and N.W. Territory
416  997-xxxx         Toronto, Ontario
506  1-555-1313       New Brunswick
514  320-xxxx         Montreal, Quebec
514  320-1232         Montreal, Quebec
514  320-1223         Montreal, Quebec
514  320-1233         Montreal, Quebec
519  320-xxxx         London, Ontario
604  1116             British Columbia
604  1211             British Columbia
604  211              British Columbia
613  320-2232         Ottawa, Ontario
705  320-4567         North Bay/Saulte Ste. Marie, Ontario
819  320-1112         Quebec
Australia:
+61  03-552-4111      Victoria 03 area
+612 19123            All major capital cities
+612 11544
United Kingdom:
175
Israel:
110
(Italic indicates updated ANAC's, while bold
indicates new ANAC's.)
12. What is a ringback number?
A ringback number is a number that you call that will immediately ring the telephone from which it was called.
In most instances you must call the ringback number, quickly hang up the phone for just a short moment and then let up on the switch, you will then go back off hook and hear a different tone. You may then hang up. You will be called back seconds later.
13. What is the ringback number for my area?
An 'x' means insert those numbers from the phone number from which you are calling. A '?' means that the number varies from switch to switch in the area, or changes from time to time. Try all possible combinations.
If the ringback for your NPA is not listed, try common ones such as 951-xxx-xxxx, 954, 957 and 958. Also, try using the numbers listed for other NPA's served by your telephone company.
Note: These geographic areas are for reference purposes only. Ringback numbers may vary from switch to switch within the same city.
NPA Ringback number Approximate Geographic area --- --------------- --------------------------------------------- 201 55?-xxxx Hackensack/Jersey City/Newark/Paterson, NJ 202 958-xxxx District of Columbia 203 99?-xxxx CT 206 571-xxxx WA 208 59X-xxxx ID 208 99xxx-xxxx ID 210 211-8849-xxxx Brownsville/Laredo/San Antonio, TX (GTE) 213 1-95x-xxxx Los Angeles, CA 214 971-xxxx Dallas, TX 215 811-xxxx Philadelphia, PA 216 551-xxxx Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH 219 571-xxx-xxxx Gary/Hammond/Michigan City/Southbend, IN 219 777-xxx-xxxx Gary/Hammond/Michigan City/Southbend, IN 301 579-xxxx Hagerstown/Rockville, MD 301 958-xxxx Hagerstown/Rockville, MD 303 99X-xxxx Grand Junction, CO 304 998-xxxx WV 305 999-xxxx Ft. Lauderdale/Key West/Miami, FL 312 511-xxxx Chicago, IL 312 511-xxx-xxxx Chicago, IL 312 57?-xxxx Chicago, IL 315 98x-xxxx Syracuse/Utica, NY 317 777-xxxx Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN 317 yyy-xxxx Indianapolis/Kokomo, IN (y=3rd digit of phone number) 319 79x-xxxx Davenport/Dubuque, Iowa 334 901-xxxx Montgomery, AL 401 98?-xxxx RI 404 450-xxxx Atlanta, GA 407 988-xxxx Orlando/West Palm Beach, FL 408 470-xxxx San Jose, CA 408 580-xxxx San Jose, CA 412 985-xxxx Pittsburgh, PA 414 977-xxxx Fond du Lac/Green Bay/Milwaukee/Racine, WI 414 978-xxxx Fond du Lac/Green Bay/Milwaukee/Racine, WI 415 350-xxxx San Francisco, CA 417 551-xxxx Joplin/Springfield, MO 501 221-xxx-xxxx AR 501 721-xxx-xxxx AR 502 988 Frankfort/Louisville/Paducah/Shelbyville, KY 503 541-XXXX OR 504 99x-xxxx Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA 504 9988776655 Baton Rouge/New Orleans, LA 505 59?-xxxx New Mexico 512 95X-xxxx Austin, TX 513 951-xxxx Cincinnati/Dayton, OH 513 955-xxxx Cincinnati/Dayton, OH 513 99?-xxxx Cincinnati/Dayton, OH (X=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 or 9) 515 559-XXXX Des Moines, IA 516 660-xxx-xxxx Hempstead/Long Island, NY 601 777-xxxx MS 609 55?-xxxx Atlantic City/Camden/Trenton/Vineland, NJ 610 811-xxxx Allentown/Reading, PA 612 511 Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN 612 999-xxx-xxxx Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN 613 999-xxx-xxxx Ottawa, Ontario 614 998-xxxx Columbus/Steubenville, OH 615 920-XXXX Chatanooga/Knoxville/Nashville, TN 615 930-xxxx Chatanooga/Knoxville/Nashville, TN 616 946-xxxx Battle Creek/Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo, MI 619 331-xxxx San Diego, CA 619 332-xxxx San Diego, CA 659 981-XXXX Newmarket, NH 703 511-xxx-xxxx VA 703 958-xxxx Alexandria/Arlington/Roanoke, VA 708 511-xxxx Chicago/Elgin, IL 713 231-xxxx Los Angeles, CA 714 330? Anaheim, CA (GTE) 714 33?-xxxx Anaheim, CA (PacBell) 716 981-xxxx Rochester, NY (Rochester Tel) 718 660-xxxx Bronx/Brooklyn/Queens/Staten Island, NY 719 99x-xxxx Colorado Springs/Leadville/Pueblo, CO 801 938-xxxx Utah 801 939-xxxx Utah 802 987-xxxx Vermont 804 260 Charlottesville/Newport News/Norfolk/Richmond, VA 805 114 Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA 805 980-xxxx Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA 810 951-xxx-xxxx Pontiac/Southfield/Troy, MI 813 711 Ft. Meyers/St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL 817 971 Ft. Worth/Waco, TX (Flashhook, then 2#) 906 951-xxx-xxxx Marquette/Sault Ste. Marie, MI 908 55?-xxxx New Brunswick, NJ 908 953 New Brunswick, NJ 913 951-xxxx Lawrence/Salina/Topeka, KS 914 660-xxxx-xxxx Peekskill/Poughkeepsie/White Plains/Yonkers, NY Canada: 204 590-xxx-xxxx Manitoba 416 57x-xxxx Toronto, Ontario 416 99x-xxxx Toronto, Ontario 416 999-xxx-xxxx Toronto, Ontario 506 572+xxx-xxxx New Brunswick 514 320-xxx-xxxx Montreal, Quebec 519 999-xxx-xxxx London, Ontario 604 311-xxx-xxxx British Columbia 613 999-xxx-xxxx Ottawa, Ontario 705 999-xxx-xxxx North Bay/Saulte Ste. Marie, Ontario 819 320-xxx-xxxx Quebec 905 999-xxx-xxxx Hamilton/Mississauga/Niagra Falls, Ontario Australia: +61 199 Brazil: 109 or 199 N France: 3644 Holland: 99-xxxxxx New Zealand: 137 Sweden: 0058 United Kingdom: 174 or 1744 or 175 or 0500-89-0011 Amsterdam 0196 Hilversum 0123456789 Breukelen 0123456789 Groningen 951(Italic indicates updated ringbacks, while bold indicates new ringbacks.)
This FAQ answer is excerpted from ToneLoc v0.99 User Manual by Minor Threat & Mucho Maas.
Loops are a pair of phone numbers, usually consecutive, like 836-9998 and 836-9999. They are used by the phone company for testing. What good do loops do us? Well, they are cool in a few ways. Here is a simple use of loops. Each loop has two ends, a 'high' end, and a 'low' end. One end gives a (usually) constant, loud tone when it is called. The other end is silent. Loops don't usually ring either. When BOTH ends are called, the people that called each end can talk through the loop. Some loops are voice filtered and won't pass anything but a constant tone; these aren't much use to you. Here's what you can use working loops for: billing phone calls! First, call the end that gives the loud tone. Then if the operator or someone calls the other end, the tone will go quiet. Act like the phone just rang and you answered it ... say "Hello", "Allo", "Chow", "Yo", or what the fuck ever. The operator thinks that she just called you, and that's it! Now the phone bill will go to the loop, and your local RBOC will get the bill! Use this technique in moderation, or the loop may go down. Loops are probably most useful when you want to talk to someone to whom you don't want to give your phone number.
15. What is a loop in my area?
Many of these loops are no longer functional. If you are local to any of these loops, please try them out an e-mail me the results of your research.
NPA High Low --- -------- -------- 201 666-9929 666-9930 208 862-9996 862-9997 209 732-0044 732-0045 201 666-9929 666-9930 213 360-1118 360-1119 213 365-1118 365-1119 213 455-0002 455-XXXX 213 455-0002 455-xxxx 213 546-0002 546-XXXX 213 546-0002 546-xxxx 213 549-1118 549-1119 305 964-9951 964-9952 307 468-9999 468-9998 308 357-0004 357-0005 312 262-9902 262-9903 313 224-9996 224-9997 313 225-9996 225-9997 313 234-9996 234-9997 313 237-9996 237-9997 313 256-9996 256-9997 313 272-9996 272-9997 313 273-9996 273-9997 313 277-9996 277-9997 313 281-9996 281-9997 313 292-9996 292-9997 313 299-9996 299-9997 313 321-9996 321-9997 313 326-9996 326-9997 313 356-9996 356-9997 313 362-9996 362-9997 313 369-9996 369-9997 313 388-9996 388-9997 313 397-9996 397-9997 313 399-9996 399-9997 313 445-9996 445-9997 313 465-9996 465-9997 313 471-9996 471-9997 313 474-9996 474-9997 313 477-9996 477-9997 313 478-9996 478-9997 313 483-9996 483-9997 313 497-9996 497-9997 313 526-9996 526-9997 313 552-9996 552-9997 313 556-9996 556-9997 313 561-9996 561-9997 313 569-9996 569-9996 313 575-9996 575-9997 313 577-9996 577-9997 313 585-9996 585-9997 313 591-9996 591-9997 313 621-9996 621-9997 313 626-9996 626-9997 313 644-9996 644-9997 313 646-9996 646-9997 313 647-9996 647-9997 313 649-9996 649-9997 313 663-9996 663-9997 313 665-9996 665-9997 313 683-9996 683-9997 313 721-9996 721-9997 313 722-9996 722-9997 313 728-9996 728-9997 313 731-9996 731-9997 313 751-9996 751-9997 313 776-9996 776-9997 313 781-9996 781-9997 313 787-9996 787-9997 313 822-9996 822-9997 313 833-9996 833-9997 313 851-9996 851-9997 313 871-9996 871-9997 313 875-9996 875-9997 313 886-9996 886-9997 313 888-9996 888-9997 313 898-9996 898-9997 313 934-9996 934-9997 313 942-9996 942-9997 313 963-9996 963-9997 313 977-9996 977-9997 315 673-9995 673-9996 315 695-9995 695-9996 402 422-0001 422-0002 402 422-0003 422-0004 402 422-0005 422-0006 402 422-0007 422-0008 402 572-0003 572-0004 402 779-0004 779-0007 406 225-9902 225-9903 408 238-0044 238-0045 408 272-0044 272-0045 408 729-0044 729-0045 408 773-0044 773-0045 408 926-0044 926-0045 517 422-9996 422-9997 517 423-9996 423-9997 517 455-9996 455-9997 517 563-9996 563-9997 517 663-9996 663-9997 517 851-9996 851-9997 609 921-9929 921-9930 609 994-9929 994-9930 613 966-1111 616 997-9996 997-9997 708 724-9951 724-???? 713 224-1499 759-1799 713 324-1499 324-1799 713 342-1499 342-1799 713 351-1499 351-1799 713 354-1499 354-1799 713 356-1499 356-1799 713 442-1499 442-1799 713 447-1499 447-1799 713 455-1499 455-1799 713 458-1499 458-1799 713 462-1499 462-1799 713 466-1499 466-1799 713 468-1499 468-1799 713 469-1499 469-1799 713 471-1499 471-1799 713 481-1499 481-1799 713 482-1499 482-1799 713 484-1499 484-1799 713 487-1499 487-1799 713 489-1499 489-1799 713 492-1499 492-1799 713 493-1499 493-1799 713 524-1499 524-1799 713 526-1499 526-1799 713 555-1499 555-1799 713 661-1499 661-1799 713 664-1499 664-1799 713 665-1499 665-1799 713 666-1499 666-1799 713 667-1499 667-1799 713 682-1499 976-1799 713 771-1499 771-1799 713 780-1499 780-1799 713 781-1499 997-1799 713 960-1499 960-1799 713 977-1499 977-1799 713 988-1499 988-1799 719 598-0009 598-0010 805 528-0044 528-0045 805 544-0044 544-0045 805 773-0044 773-0045 808 235-9907 235-9908 808 239-9907 239-9908 808 245-9907 245-9908 808 247-9907 247-9908 808 261-9907 261-9908 808 322-9907 322-9908 808 328-9907 328-9908 808 329-9907 329-9908 808 332-9907 332-9908 808 335-9907 335-9908 808 572-9907 572-9908 808 623-9907 623-9908 808 624-9907 624-9908 808 668-9907 668-9908 808 742-9907 742-9908 808 879-9907 879-9908 808 882-9907 882-9908 808 885-9907 885-9908 808 959-9907 959-9908 808 961-9907 961-9908 810 362-9996 362-9997 813 385-9971 385-xxxx 908 254-9929 254-9930 908 558-9929 558-9930 908 560-9929 560-9930 908 776-9930 776-9930(Italic indicates updated loops, while bold indicates new loops.)
CNA stands for Customer Name and Address. The CNA number is a phone number for telephone company personnel to call and get the name and address for a phone number. If a telephone lineman finds a phone line he does not recognize, he can use the ANI number to find it's phone number and then call the CNA operator to see who owns it and where they live.
Normal CNA numbers are available only to telephone company personnel. Private citizens may now legally get CNA information from private companies. Two such companies are:
Unidirectory (900)933-3330 Telename (900)884-1212
Note that these are 900 numbers, and will cost you approximately one dollar per minute.
If you are in 312 or 708, AmeriTech has a pay-for-play CNA service available to the general public. The number is 796-9600. The cost is $.35/call and can look up two numbers per call.
If you are in 415, Pacific Bell offers a public access CNA service at (415)705-9299.
If you are in Bell Atlantic territory you can call (201)555-5454 or (908)555-5454 for automated CNA information. The cost is $.50/call.
17. What is the telephone company CNA number for my area?
203    (203)771-8080         CT
312    (312)796-9600         Chicago, IL
506    (506)555-1313         New Brunswick
513    (513)397-9110         Cincinnati/Dayton, OH
516    (516)321-5700         Hempstead/Long Island, NY
614    (614)464-0123         Columbus/Steubenville, OH
813    (813)270-8711         Ft. Meyers/St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL
NYNEX  (518)471-8111         New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode
                             Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts
(Italic indicates updated CNA's, while bold
indicates new CNA's.)
18. What are some numbers that always ring busy?
In the following listings, "xxx" means that the same number is used as a constantly busy number in many different prefixes. In most of these, there are some exchanges that ring busy and some exchanges that are in normal use. *ALWAYS* test these numbers at least three times during normal business hours before using as a constantly busy number.
800 999-1803 WATS 201 635-9970 Hackensack/Jersey City/Newark/Paterson, NJ 212 724-9970 Manhattan, NY 213 xxx-1117 Los Angeles, CA 213 xxx-1118 Los Angeles, CA 213 xxx-1119 Los Angeles, CA 213 xxx-9198 Los Angeles, CA 216 xxx-9887 Akron/Canton/Cleveland/Lorain/Youngstown, OH 303 431-0000 Denver, CO 303 866-8660 Denver, CO 310 xxx-1117 Long Beach, CA 310 xxx-1118 Long Beach, CA 310 xxx-1119 Long Beach, CA 310 xxx-9198 Long Beach, CA 316 952-7265 Dodge City/Wichita, KS 501 377-99xx AR 719 472-3772 Colorado Springs/Leadville/Pueblo, CO 805 255-0699 Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA 714 xxx-1117 Anaheim, CA 714 xxx-1118 Anaheim, CA 714 xxx-1119 Anaheim, CA 714 xxx-9198 Anaheim, CA 717 292-0009 Harrisburg/Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA 818 xxx-1117 Pasadena, CA 818 xxx-1118 Pasadena, CA 818 xxx-1119 Pasadena, CA 818 xxx-9198 Pasadena, CA 818 885-0699 Pasadena, CA (???-0699 is a pattern) 860 525-7078 Hartford, CT 906 632-9999 Marquette/Sault Ste. Marie, MI 906 635-9999 Marquette/Sault Ste. Marie, MI(Italic indicates updated numbers, while bold indicates new numbers.)
19. What are some numbers that temporarily disconnect phone service?
If your NPA is not listed, or the listing does not cover your LATA, try common numbers such as 119 (GTD5 switches) or 511.
314 511 Columbia/Jefferson City/St.Louis, MO (1 minute) 404 420 Atlanta, GA (5 minutes) 405 953 Enid/Oklahoma City, OK (1 minute) 407 511 Orlando, FL (United Telephone) (1 minute) 414 958-0013 Fond du Lac/Green Bay/Milwaukee/Racine, WI (1 minute) 512 200 Austin/Corpus Christi, TX (1 minute) 516 480 Hempstead/Long Island, NY (1 minute) 603 980 NH 614 xxx-9894 Columbus/Steubenville, OH 805 119 Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA (3 minutes) 919 211 or 511 Durham, NC (10 min - 1 hour)(Italic indicates updated numbers, while bold indicates new numbers.)
20. What is a Proctor Test Set?
A Proctor Test Set is a tool used by telco personnel to diagnose problems with phone lines. You call the Proctor Test Set number and press buttons on a touch tone phone to active the tests you select.
21. What is a Proctor Test Set in my area?
If your NPA is not listed try common numbers such as 111 or 117.
805 111 Bakersfield/Santa Barbara, CA 909 117 Tyler, TX 913 611-1111 Lawrence/Salina/Topeka, KS
Scanning is dialing a large number of telephone numbers in the hope of finding interesting carriers (computers) or tones.
Scanning can be done by hand, although dialing several thousand telephone numbers by hand is extremely boring and takes a long time.
Much better is to use a scanning program, sometimes called a war dialer or a demon dialer. Currently, the best war dialer available to PC-DOS users is ToneLoc from Minor Threat and Mucho Maas. ToneLoc can be FTPed from ftp.paranoia.com.
A war dialer will dial a range of numbers and log what it finds at each number. You can then only dial up the numbers that the war dialer marked as carriers or tones.
This FAQ answer is excerpted from 2600, Spring 1990, Page 27.
In some places, scanning has been made illegal. It would be hard, though, for someone to file a complaint against you for scanning since the whole purpose is to call every number once and only once. It's not likely to be thought of as harassment by anyone who gets a single phone call from a scanning computer. Some central offices have been known to react strangely when people start scanning. Sometimes you're unable to get a dialtone for hours after you start scanning. But there is no uniform policy. The best thing to do is to first find out if you've got some crazy law saying you can't do it. If, as is likely, there is no such law, the only way to find out what happens is to give it a try.
It should be noted that a law making scanning illegal was recently passed in Colorado Springs, CO. It is now illegal to place a call in Colorado Springs without the intent to communicate.
24. Where can I purchase a lineman's handset?
Contact East 335 Willow Street North Andover, MA 01845-5995 (508)682-2000 Jensen Tools 7815 S. 46th Street Phoenix, AZ 85044-5399 (800)426-1194 Specialized Products 3131 Premier Drive Irving, TX 75063 (800)866-5353 Time Motion Tools 12778 Brookprinter Place Poway, CA 92064 (619)679-0303
25. What are the DTMF frequencies?
DTMF stands for Dual Tone Multi Frequency. These are the tones you get when you press a key on your telephone touchpad. The tone of the button is the sum of the column and row tones. The ABCD keys do not exist on standard telephones.
	 1209 1336 1477 1633
 
     697   1    2    3    A
     770   4    5    6    B
     852   7    8    9    C
     941   *    0    #    D
26. What are the frequencies of the telephone tones?
Type Hz On Off --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dial Tone 350 & 440 --- --- Busy Signal 480 & 620 0.5 0.5 Toll Congestion 480 & 620 0.2 0.3 Ringback (Normal) 440 & 480 2.0 4.0 Ringback (PBX) 440 & 480 1.5 4.5 Reorder (Local) 480 & 620 3.0 2.0 Invalid Number 200 & 400 Hang Up Warning 1400 & 2060 0.1 0.1 Hang Up 2450 & 2600 --- ---
27. What are all of the * codes?
Local Area Signalling Services (LASS) and Custom Calling Feature Control Codes:
(These appear to be standard, but may be changed locally)
Service                     Tone    Pulse/rotary   Notes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assistance/Police           *12         n/a        [1]
Cancel forwarding           *30         n/a        [C1]
Automatic Forwarding        *31         n/a        [C1]
Notify                      *32         n/a        [C1] [2]
Intercom Ring 1 (..)        *51         1151       [3]
Intercom Ring 2 (.._)       *52         1152       [3]
Intercom Ring 3 (._.)       *53         1153       [3]
Extension Hold              *54         1154       [3]
Customer Originated Trace   *57         1157
Selective Call Rejection    *60         1160       (or Call Screen)
Selective Distinct Alert    *61         1161
Selective Call Acceptance   *62         1162
Selective Call Forwarding   *63         1163
ICLID Activation            *65         1165
Call Return (outgoing)      *66         1166
Number Display Blocking     *67         1167       [4]
Computer Access Restriction *68         1168
Call Return (incoming)      *69         1169
Call Waiting disable        *70         1170       [4]
No Answer Call Transfer     *71         1171
Usage Sensitive 3 way call  *71         1171
Call Forwarding: start      *72 or 72#  1172
Call Forwarding: cancel     *73 or 73#  1173
Speed Calling (8 numbers)   *74 or 74#  1174
Speed Calling (30 numbers)  *75 or 75#  1175
Anonymous Call Rejection    *77         1177       [5] [M: *58]
Call Screen Disable         *80         1180       (or Call Screen) [M: *50]
Selective Distinct Disable  *81         1181       [M: *51]
Select. Acceptance Disable  *82         1182       [4] [7]
Select. Forwarding Disable  *83         1183       [M: *53]
ICLID Disable               *85         1185
Call Return (cancel out)    *86         1186       [6] [M: *56]
Anon. Call Reject (cancel)  *87         1187       [5] [M: *68]
Call Return (cancel in)     *89         1189       [6] [M: *59]
Notes:
[C1]     - Means code used for Cellular One service
[1]      - for cellular in Pittsburgh, PA A/C 412 in some areas
[2]      - indicates that you are not local and maybe how to reach you
[3]      - found in Pac Bell territory; Intercom ring causes a distinctive
           ring to be generated on the current line; Hold keeps a call
           connected until another extension is picked up
[4]      - applied once before each call
[5]      - A.C.R. blocks calls from those who blocked Caller ID
           (used in C&P territory, for instance)
[6]      - cancels further return attempts
[7]      - *82 (1182) has been mandated to be the nationwide code for
           "Send CLID info regardless of the default setting on this
           phone line."
[M: *xx] - alternate code used for MLVP (multi-line variety package)
           by Bellcore. It goes by different names in different RBOCs.
           In Bellsouth it is called Prestige. It is an arrangement of
           ESSEX like features for single or small multiple line groups.
           The reason for different codes for some features in MLVP is that
           call-pickup is *8 in MLVP so all *8x codes are reassigned *5x
28. What frequencies do cordless phones operate on?
Here are the frequencies for the first generation 46/49 MHz phones.
Channel Handset Transmit Base Transmit ------- ---------------- ------------- 1 49.670 MHz 46.610 MHz 2 49.845 46.630 3 49.860 46.670 4 49.770 46.710 5 49.875 46.730 6 49.830 46.770 7 49.890 46.830 8 49.930 46.870 9 49.990 46.930 10 49.970 46.970
The new "900 Mhz" cordless phones have been allocated the frequencies between 902-228 MHz, with channel spacing between 30-100 kHz.
Following are some examples of the frequencies used by phones currently on the market.
Panasonic KX-T9000 (60 Channels) base 902.100 - 903.870 Base frequencies (30 KHz spacing) handset 926.100 - 927.870 Handset frequencies CH BASE HANDSET CH BASE HANDSET CH BASE HANDSET -- ------- ------- -- ------- ------- -- ------- ------- 01 902.100 926.100 11 902.400 926.400 21 902.700 926.700 02 902.130 926.130 12 902.430 926.430 22 902.730 926.730 03 902.160 926.160 13 902.460 926.460 23 902.760 926.760 04 902.190 926.190 14 902.490 926.490 24 902.790 926.790 05 902.220 926.220 15 902.520 926.520 25 902.820 926.820 06 902.250 926.250 16 902.550 926.550 26 902.850 926.850 07 902.280 926.280 17 902.580 926.580 27 902.880 926.880 08 902.310 926.310 18 902.610 926.610 28 902.910 926.910 09 902.340 926.340 19 902.640 926.640 29 902.940 926.940 10 902.370 926.370 20 902.670 926.670 30 902.970 926.970 31 903.000 927.000 41 903.300 927.300 51 903.600 927.600 32 903.030 927.030 42 903.330 927.330 52 903.630 927.630 33 903.060 927.060 43 903.360 927.360 53 903.660 927.660 34 903.090 927.090 44 903.390 927.390 54 903.690 927.690 35 903.120 927.120 45 903.420 927.420 55 903.720 927.720 36 903.150 927.150 46 903.450 927.450 56 903.750 927.750 37 903.180 927.180 47 903.480 927.480 57 903.780 927.780 38 903.210 927.210 48 903.510 927.510 58 903.810 927.810 39 903.240 927.240 49 903.540 927.540 59 903.840 927.840 40 903.270 927.270 50 903.570 927.570 60 903.870 927.870 V-TECH TROPEZ DX900 (20 CHANNELS) 905.6 - 907.5 TRANSPONDER (BASE) FREQUENCIES (100 kHz SPACING) 925.5 - 927.4 HANDSET FREQUENCIES CH BASE HANDSET CH BASE HANDSET CH BASE HANDSET -- ------- ------- -- ------- ------- -- ------- ------- 01 905.600 925.500 08 906.300 926.200 15 907.000 926.900 02 905.700 925.600 09 906.400 926.300 16 907.100 927.000 03 905.800 925.700 10 906.500 926.400 17 907.200 927.100 04 905.900 925.800 11 906.600 926.500 18 907.300 927.200 05 906.000 925.900 12 906.700 926.600 19 907.400 927.300 06 906.100 926.000 13 906.800 926.700 20 907.500 927.400 07 906.200 926.100 14 906.900 926.800 OTHER 900 MHZ CORDLESS PHONES AT&T #9120 - - - - - 902.0 - 905.0 & 925.0 - 928.0 MHz OTRON CORP. #CP-1000 902.1 - 903.9 & 926.1 - 927.9 MHz SAMSUNG #SP-R912- - - 903.0 & 927.0 MHz
This FAQ answer is stolen from Rockwell.
Calling Number Delivery (CND), better known as Caller ID, is a telephone service intended for residential and small business customers. It allows the called Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) to receive a calling party's directory number and the date and time of the call during the first 4 second silent interval in the ringing cycle.
Link Type: 2-wire, simplex Transmission Scheme: Analog, phase-coherent FSK Logical 1 (mark) 1200 +/- 12 Hz Logical 0 (space) 2200 +/- 22 Hz Transmission Rate: 1200 bps Transmission Level: 13.5 +/- dBm into 900 ohm load
| Channel | Carrier | Message | Message | Data | Checksum | | Seizure | Signal | Type | Length | Word(s) | Word | | Signal | | Word | Word | | |
If the calling party's directory number is not available to the terminating central office, the data word field contains an ASCII "O". If the calling party invokes the privacy capability, the data word field contains an ASCII "P".
04 12 30 39 33 30 31 32 32 34 36 30 39 35 35 35 31 32 31 32 51
04h=  Calling number delivery information code (message type word)
12h=  18 decimal; Number of data words (date,time, and directory
      number words)
ASCII 30,39= 09; September
ASCII 33,30= 30; 30th day
ASCII 31,32= 12; 12:00 PM
ASCII 32,34= 24; 24 minutes (i.e., 12:24 PM)
ASCII 36,30,39,35,35,35,31,32,31,32= (609) 555-1212; calling
      party's directory number
51h=  Checksum Word
To obtain Bellcore documents contact:
Bellcore Customer Service 60 New England Avenue, Room 1B252 Piscataway, NJ 08834-4196 (908) 699-5800
Always test as much as possible before relying on any method of blocking Caller-ID. Some of these methods work in some areas, but not in others.
Dial *67 before you dial the number.  (141 in the United Kingdom)
Dial your local TelCo and have them add Caller-ID block to your line.
Dial the 0 Operator and have him or her place the call for you.
Dial the call using a pre-paid phone card.
Dial through Security Consultants at (900)PREVENT for U.S. calls
     ($1.99/minute) or (900)STONEWALL for international calls ($3.99/minute).
Dial from a pay phone.  :-)
A PBX is a Private Branch Exchange. A PBX is a small telephone switch owned by a company or organization. Let's say your company has a thousand employees. Without a PBX, you would need a thousand phone lines. However, only 10% of your employees are talking on the phone at one time. What if you had a computer that automatically found an outside line every time one of your employees picked up the telephone. With this type of system, you could get by with only paying for one hundred phone lines. This is a PBX.
A VMB is a Voice Mail Box. A VMB is a computer that acts as an answering machine for hundreds or thousands of users. Each user will have their own Voice Mail Box on the system. Each mail box will have a box number and a pass code.
Without a passcode, you will usually be able to leave messages to users on the VMB system. With a passcode, you can read messages and administer a mailbox. Often, mailboxes will exist that were created by default or are no longer used. These mailboxes may be taken over by guessing their passcode. Often the passcode will be the mailbox number or a common number such as 1234.
33. What are the ABCD tones for?
The ABCD tones are simply additional DTFM tones that may be used in any way the standard (0-9) tones are used. The ABCD tones are used in the U.S. military telephone network (AutoVon), in some Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) systems, for control messages in some PBX systems, and in some amateur radio auto-patches.
In the AutoVon network, special telephones are equipped with ABCD keys. The ABCD keys are defined as such:
A - Flash B - Flash override priority C - Priority communication D - Priority override
Using a built-in maintenance mode of the Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) systems once used by Directory Assistance operators, you could connect two callers together.
The purpose of the Silver Box is to create the ABCD tones.
See also "What are the DTMF Frequencies?"
34. What are the International Direct Numbers?
The numbers are used so that you may connect to an operator from a foreign telephone network, without incurring long distance charges. These numbers may be useful in blue boxing, as many countries still have older switching equipment in use.
Australia         (800)682-2878
Austria           (800)624-0043
Belgium           (800)472-0032
Belize            (800)235-1154
Bermuda           (800)232-2067
Brazil            (800)344-1055
British VI        (800)278-6585
Cayman            (800)852-3653
Chile             (800)552-0056
China (Shanghai)  (800)532-4462
Costa Rica        (800)252-5114
Denmark           (800)762-0045
El Salvador       (800)422-2425
Finland           (800)232-0358
France            (800)537-2623
Germany           (800)292-0049
Greece            (800)443-5527
Guam              (800)367-4826
HK                (800)992-2323
Hungary           (800)352-9469
Indonesia         (800)242-4757
Ireland           (800)562-6262
Italy             (800)543-7662
Japan             (800)543-0051
Korea             (800)822-8256
Macau             (800)622-2821
Malaysia          (800)772-7369
Netherlands       (800)432-0031
Norway            (800)292-0047
New Zealand       (800)248-0064
Panama            (800)872-6106
Portugal          (800)822-2776
Philippines       (800)336-7445
Singapore         (800)822-6588
Spain             (800)247-7246
Sweden            (800)345-0046
Taiwan            (800)626-0979
Thailand          (800)342-0066
Turkey            (800)828-2646
UK                (800)445-5667
Uruguay           (800)245-8411
Yugoslavia        (800)367-9842 (Belgrade)
                       367-9841 (Zagreb)
USA from outside  (800)874-4000  Ext. 107