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-     RAMBUG'S HACKING VOLUME #3      -
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-   -CALL THESE GENODICAL SYSTEMS-    -
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= THE NEUTRAL ZONE ][ (604) 478-1363  =
- TCL                 (604) 384-3085  -
= /\/\ETALLAND 1      (503) 538-0761  =
- /\/\ETALLAND ][     (503) 253-5300  -
= THE METAL AE        (201) 879-6668  =
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IN THIS VOLUME WE WILL TALK ABOUT HOW
MA BELL WORKS. BUT, BEFORE I GO ON, I
WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY THANXS TO:

THE HIGHWAY MAN
JUDGE DREDD
MYSTIC WARRIOR
THE WOLF

---------------------------------------

OKAY, SO YOU SAY YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW
MA BELL WORKS EH! WELL, IN THIS VOLUME
I WILL TRY AND COVER ALL KEY POINTS AND
ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT. NOW ON WITH
IT.....


BASICALLY, MA BELL IS YOUR LOCAL PHONE
COMPANY (NO KIDDING!). THEY ARE IN
CHARGE OF YOUR PHONES AND LINES RUNNING
FROM YOUR HOUSE OR BUSINESS. YOU ARE
RENTING YOUR PHONE FROM THEM AND THEY
HAVE THE POWER TO TAKE IT AWAY, NO
QUESTIONS ASKED. THEY ARE YOUR LINKS
TO OTHER PLACES LONG-DISTANCE (UNLESS,
YOU'RE USING SPRINT,MCI, OR AT&T).
NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT MA BELL IS, I
WILL GO ON AND EXPLAIN WHAT KIND
OF JUNK THEY DO AND HAVE.

LONG DISTANCE CALLS
=-----------------=

THERE ARE BASICALLY THREE KIND OF LONG
DISTANCE CALLS: A DIRECT DIALED CALL,
OPERATOR-ASSISTED STATION-TO-STATION
CALL, AND OPERATOR-ASSISTED PERSON-
TO-PERSON CALL.

A DIRECT DIALED CALL: A CALL YOU DIAL
DIRECTLY WITHOUT OPERATOR ASSISTED.

OPERATOR-ASSISTED STATION-TO-STATION
CALL: A CALL THAT MAY REQUIRE OPERATOR
ASSISTANCE FOR COMPLETION. YOU WILL
TALK TO ANYONE WHO ANSWERS, BUT YOU
MAY NEED AN OPERATOR'S AID TO REACH THE
NUMBER OR FOR ANY OTHER REASONS.
EXAMPLES OF SUCH CALLS ARE: CALLING
CARDS, COIN CALLS, COLLECT CALLS,
BILLED TO THIRD NUMBER CALLS, HOTEL/
MOTEL CALLS, AND TIME OR CHARGES.
CHARGING BEGINS WHEN THE CALLED TELE-
PHONE IS ANSWERED.

OPERATOR-ASSISTED PERSON-TO-PERSON
CALL: FOR THOSE TIMES WHEN YOU WOULD
LIKE TO TALK DIRECTLY TO A PERSON,
TELEPHONE, DEPARTMENT, OR OFFICE
REACHED THROUGH A CUSTOMER'S SWITCH-
BOARD (PBX). PERSON-TO-PERSON CALLS
MAY BE COMBINED WITH CALLING CARDS,
COIN, COLLECT, BILLED TO THIRD NUMBER,
HOTEL/MOTEL, AND TIME AND CHARGES
CALLS. CHARGING STARTS WHEN CONVER-
SATION BEGINS.

CALLING CARDS
=-----------=

A CALLING CARD, YOU MAY PLACE CALLS
FROM TOUCH-TONE PHONES AND CHARGE THEM
TO THEIR CALLING CARDS. THESE CALLS ARE
MORE CONVENIENT THAN "COLLECT" AND
"BILL TO THIRD NUMBER" CALLS.

BILL TO THIRD NUMBER
=------------------=

THIS IS AN INTERESTING FEATURE THAT
MA BELL HAS FOR US. YOU CAN PLACE A
CALL FROM A PHONE AND CHARGE IT TO
YOUR OWN PHONE. WHAT A LITTLE NICE
TRICK TO DO IS, GO TO A PAY PHONE
AND CHARGE THE LONG-DISTANCE PHONE
CALL TO THEM. IT WORKS, CAUSE THE
OPERATOR, THINKS YOU DON'T HAVE ANY
MONEY, OR SOMETHING, AND IF YOU ASK
SHE/HE HAS TO GIVE IT TO YOU. TRY
IT. IT CREATES ALOT OF HAVOC...

CONFERENCE CALLS
=--------------=

YOU CAN TALK WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE IN
DIFFERENT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME.
A SPECIAL CHARGE IS MADE FOR THESE KIND
OF CALLS.


WELL, THAT BASICALLY COVERS THE KINDS
OF MAIN CALLS YOU CAN MAKE. OTHER KINND
OF CALLS INCLUDE: TIME AND CHARGE
CALLS, RADIOTELEPHONE CALLS, INTER-
NATIONAL CALLS, 800 SERVICE, 900
SERVICE.

NOW, TO END THIS FILE, I WILL TALK
ABOUT THE THREE TYPES OF SWITCHING
SYSTEMS.

STEP BY STEP SWITCHING SYSTEM
=---------------------------=

IT WAS THE FIRST SWITCHING SYSTEM TO
EVER BE USED BY MA BELL. IT IS A LONG,
AND CONFUSING BUNDLE OF SWITCHES. IT
IS A VERY SUCKY SYSTEM. ITS DISAD-
VANTAGES INCLUDE: SWITCH TRAIN MAY
BECOME JAMMED BLOCKING THE CALL. NO
TOUCH-TONE DIALING. BREAKS DOWN ALOT,
AND USES ALOT OF ELECTRICITY. AND LAST,
BUT NOT LEAST, THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS
HARDWIRED. YOU CAN TELL IF YOU ARE
CALLING THROUGH A STEP-BY-STEP SWITCH-
ING SYSTEM BY JUST A FEW SIMPLE THINGS:
NO PULSING DIGITS AFTER DIALING OR
DTMF. IT SOUNDS LIKE A BUNCH OF TYPE-
WRITERS. THERE IS NO SPEED CALLING,
CALL FORWARD, AND OTHER SERVICES. PAY
PHONE WANTS MONEY FIRST BEFORE DIALING.

CROSSBAR SWITCHING SYSTEM
=-----------------------=

CROSSBAR SWITCHING HAS BEEN MA BELL'S
PRIMARY SWITCHING SYSTEM AFTER 1960.
THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF CROSSBAR
SWITCHING THAT EXIST: #1 CROSSBAR
(1XB), #4 CROSSBAR (4XB), AND #5
CROSSBAR (5XB). A SWITCHING MATRIX IS
USED FOR ALL THE PHONES IN AN AREA.
IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN SOMEONE CALLS, THE
ROUTE WHERE THEY ARE CALLING FROM IS
DETERMINED AND IS MET UP WITH THE OTHER
PHONE. THERE IS REALLY NO DEFINATE RE-
MARKED FEATURES OF CROSSBAR SWITCHING.

ESS SWITCHING
=-----------=

WITH ESS SWITCHING (YUCK!), ANYTHING
YOU PRACTICALLY DO, BELL KNOWS ABOUT
THE TIME YOU PICK UP THE PHONE, TO
THE TIME YOU HANG-UP. WITH ESS MA BELL
KNOWS THE FOLLOWING:

[1] EVERY DIGIT DIALED

[2] WHO YOU CALLED

[3] WHEN YOU CALLED

[4] HOW LONG YOU WERE CONNECTED

[5] IN SOME CASES, WHAT YOU TALKED
    ABOUT!

ESS IS PROGRAMMED TO PRINT OUT PEOPLE
WHO MAKE EXCESSIVE CALLS TO WATT LINES
OR DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE. THIS IS CALLED
"800 EXCEPTIONAL CALLING REPORT" OR
KNOWN EVEN BETTER AS "800 ECR". TRACING
IS DONE VERY QUICKLY AND IS PRINTED OUT
ON THE COMPUTER'S MONITOR OF THE
OPERATOR IN CHARGE. ESS CAN ALSO PICK
UP FOREIGN TONES ON THE LINE, LIKE
BLUE BOX TONE'S (2600 HZ). YOU KNOW
IF YOUR LOCAL PHONE COMPANY IS USING
ESS BY THE FOLLOWING CLUES: SUPPORTS
911 FOR EMERGENCIES. DIAL TONE FIRST
BEFORE PUTTING COIN IN ON PAY PHONES.
CALLING SERVICES LIKE CALL FORWARDING,
SPEED DIALING, AND CALL WAITING.
ANI, (AUTOMATIC NUMBER IDENTIFICATION)
FOR LONG DISTANCE CALL.