PING: Central Office Experts

It wasn't in the past. The ring signal was offset into groups of ringing phones, to equalize the load on the ring generator.

I guess I need to build up my photo isolation and see what I have.

(Hoping for a easy solution of knowing when the blocker box stops a ring, wait x seconds, attach noise maker (knocking them off their stool), then hanging up ;-)

Maybe just convert each line's ringing to DC and generate my own cadence.

Is 2 sec ON 4 sec OFF a standard? ...Jim Thompson

Do you have two friends? Why not have them call each number simultaneously and find out?

This is called an "experiment."

Why not use the telco's "caller id" feature?

I've always screened calls by using a thing they used to call an "answering machine." I don't know if such a thing is still made; I haven't needed one in decades.

Good Luck! Rich

No, at least not with the systems I've worked with. Multiple, unsyncronized, ring generators.

Uh, no on that one too, but if you are only using this on your local system, then it will probably be standardized.

Clever idea. Capacitor isolation would also probably work. Depends on what you want to play with. If you care which line is ringing you could code the ring signal on the common ring line: L1 ring -> dah dah dah ; L2 ring -> dit dit dit; both simultaneous ->dit dah dit dah. I don't know squat about CO protocol. Sorry. Art

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Interesting idea on cadence ;-) ...Jim Thompson

At one time the ringing generator would ring 1/3 of the phones, then the next 1/3, and then the next 1/3. Which is why the ring is one third of the cycle. So there is a one in three chance that both of your phones are on the same 1/3 and are synchronous. The cadence would be the same regardless of whether they are synchronous.

All of the above is based on things being the same as they were thirty year ago.

Dan

My brain cell finally warmed up. Dirt simple solution. 2 relays. Period. L1 rings -> close Ry1 which connects L1 to common ring line & blocks Ry2 coil. Similar for L2/Ry2. No external power, no computer, nada. Ring cadence on the common could be interesting with both lines ringing. Art

While 'knocking them off their stool' is emotionally appealing you might want to rethink that as the FCC does have caveats about not 'interfering' with normal operation and weird noises on the line aren't really all that 'normal'.

Completing the loop, then hanging up leaves the 800-number nutcases with the thought of retrying.

Some tone, right at the modulation max spec, might give an idea to not call back. ...Jim Thompson

Reroute their call to another number. A police station, the FTC, a

A loud tone won't bother a rep dialer, so it must be actual humans we're talking about, here.

Given the amount of abuse and rejection they encounter, one gathers that most of the folks doing the actual calling are doing it because they can't find a better job, which means they must be pretty desperate.

It can be annoying, but responding like that is no better than kicking a beggar.

Phil Hobbs

Good point. I'll just hang-up. Besides, it's simpler to implement. ...Jim Thompson

God, how you must be consumed with hate. Sloman's a warmingist and a socialist dupe, but I don't think he's anywhere near as hateful as you're showing yourself to be here.

You seriously need some anger management classes.

Good Luck! Rich

Nah, instead of a noise-box juts stick an old fax on the line. Many of the automated dialers used by telemarketers correctly detect fax tones and mark the number as not a voice service(*). Every bit as good as a do-not-call register entry(*), as it even deters those who are exempt from the DNC(*)

(*) references to Australian situation. YMMV.

The police would see your number on their CID. What would happen next?

Who would get charged for the 900 call?

Much better to reroute it back to the 800 number. Then one rep can talk to another from the same company, and they can waste their time debugging their system.

As kids we would walk over to Laguardia Airport and hang out (like a mall for cerebral kids). One of our games was picking up the courtesy phones for Hertz and Avis and putting them together so their reps could enjoy some confusion. "Hello, Hertz. How can I help you?" "Hello, Avis. Huh?"

My suggestion isn't cruel in that way. It would just gum up the works at the company.

Through Skype or another VOIP service?

Forward their CID information.

Hell, reroute it to their CEO's office and let them figure that out. ;-)

What, no 'Alamo'?