How Evan Doorbell became a Phone Phreak - Revision history

InterLinked: /* Music */ Add Perrey and Kingsley tracks (discovery credit goes to Kurisu)

2023-11-22T00:53:32Z

Music: Add Perrey and Kingsley tracks (discovery credit goes to Kurisu)

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	* Give Me Just a Little More Time (The Chairmen of the Board) - 1970 - Part 10, song on WABC radio at 26:45		* Give Me Just a Little More Time (The Chairmen of the Board) - 1970 - Part 10, song on WABC radio at 26:45
	* Get Smart theme - Part 10, 52:00		* Get Smart theme - Part 10, 52:00
			* Barnyard in Orbit (Perrey and Kingsley)
			* The Unidentified Flying Object (Perrey and Kingsley)
			* Computer In Love (Perrey and Kingsley)

			Doorbell was interested in electronic music techniques, and many musical excerpts heard throughout the series are by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perrey_and_Kingsley Perrey And Kingsley], an early electronic music duo.

	== References ==		== References ==
	<references />		<references />

InterLinked: finished adding Part 10

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	On December 21, Evan finds that a busy signal is being played into the conference, making the party line unusable. He decides to search for new party lines in his home area code, 516, as opposed to in New York City. He notices that (516) 391 is a "no charge" exchange, but vacant numbers are handled by operators, not a recording. When dialing "0" before a 391 number, the call goes through normally from Crossbar 5, but on Crossbar 1, it goes through to the operator in a way that she is hardly audible, and afterwards times out to a recording.		On December 21, Evan finds that a busy signal is being played into the conference, making the party line unusable. He decides to search for new party lines in his home area code, 516, as opposed to in New York City. He notices that (516) 391 is a "no charge" exchange, but vacant numbers are handled by operators, not a recording. When dialing "0" before a 391 number, the call goes through normally from Crossbar 5, but on Crossbar 1, it goes through to the operator in a way that she is hardly audible, and afterwards times out to a recording.

	He encounters the Automatic Intercept System when calling 420 numbers, which almost always go to A.I.S., except for 420-2XXX, which goes to a recording that can be used as a party line.		He encounters the Automatic Intercept System when calling 420 numbers, which almost always go to A.I.S., except for 420-2XXX, which goes to an intercept recording on ESS that cannot be used as a party line. 560-31XX goes to an intercept recording for Hofstra University that takes a moment to get up to full speed, and also allows only one caller to 560-31XX vacant numbers at a time. However, another caller can get in using 560-6XXX. Additionally, a different recording is used for other ranges and can be used as a party line, with lots of crosstalk during the daytime; however, the levels are quite low for off-campus callers. Moving on to 542 and LR5, Evan again finds that only one caller can get the recording at a time. The same is true for both intercept recordings on 299.

			Evan recalls exploring the 222 exchange, one of the new ones in the latest directory. All numbers he tries go to A.I.S., but the system does not announce the number. He now finds an active "sub-exchange" in 222-3XXX, and the recording here can be used as a party line. Evan gives the number out on 3-1-1 and kickstarts the 222 party line.

			Evan learns that callers could obtain names and addresses from just a phone number through the telephone company business office. He also, in retrospect, pieces together how Felix was able to get his parents' phone number. Felix came out to Evan's house and noticed the presence of two phone lines. Using a lineman's test set, Felix tapped his line and went off-hook while Evan was dialing, triggering Evan's call to repair service. Then, Felix called Evan back, impersonating repair service to trick him into disclosing his parents' number.

			On Christmas Eve, callers to the party line find the recording suddenly "go dark", making it a "clear line" conference. On Christmas morning, they find Fred Smith has made his way to the line and has dubbed the conference "Room 222".

			Evan remarks at the end of the tape that he was paid a visit by Tom Duffy at the end of 1971. Duffy and his associate came to the back door, where they noticed the sign "Bell broken, please knock", and they both had a good laugh about that.

			=== Part 11 ===

			No Part 11 has been publicly released yet, but Evan hints at the end of Part 10 that the series is "to be continued".

	== Music ==		== Music ==
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	* You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (Leo Sayer) - 1976 - end of Part 9		* You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (Leo Sayer) - 1976 - end of Part 9
	* Give Me Just a Little More Time (The Chairmen of the Board) - 1970 - Part 10, song on WABC radio at 26:45		* Give Me Just a Little More Time (The Chairmen of the Board) - 1970 - Part 10, song on WABC radio at 26:45
			* Get Smart theme - Part 10, 52:00

	== References ==		== References ==
	<references />		<references />

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	Evan finds he is unable to consistently break dial tone on his line. A while later, he gets a call back from Tony at repair service. Evan gives out 593-9083 as an alternate number, and gets a call on his LYnbrook3 line from Felix, letting him know they have his other number now and warning him to stay off their party lines. However, they don't care about 780-62XX anymore, leaving Evan free to use that. He decides to broadcast the 780-62XX party line numbers to people calling into the old 3-1-1. He sets up a tape to inform callers of the new party line, which successfully redirects many callers there.		Evan finds he is unable to consistently break dial tone on his line. A while later, he gets a call back from Tony at repair service. Evan gives out 593-9083 as an alternate number, and gets a call on his LYnbrook3 line from Felix, letting him know they have his other number now and warning him to stay off their party lines. However, they don't care about 780-62XX anymore, leaving Evan free to use that. He decides to broadcast the 780-62XX party line numbers to people calling into the old 3-1-1. He sets up a tape to inform callers of the new party line, which successfully redirects many callers there.

			=== Part 10 ===

			In early December, Evan gets his second phone bill, with 62 additional message units, still highly abnormal. There are also several mystery "no number" long distance charges again.

			Evan also decides to start using a nickname on the party lines. He hears somebody use the nickname "The Bell", which resonates with him. He decides to call himself "The Doorbell", which allows him to work a doorbell into his musical ID loop. He initially encounters some resistance, as his front doorbell is setup backwards, and the back doorbell is hardly audible. However, he figures out how to successfully record some tape loops using the front doorbell and the family's grand piano (and also a synthesizer, starting in 1972). He only begins using the name "Evan Doorbell" when he meets phone phreaks.

			On December 21, Evan finds that a busy signal is being played into the conference, making the party line unusable. He decides to search for new party lines in his home area code, 516, as opposed to in New York City. He notices that (516) 391 is a "no charge" exchange, but vacant numbers are handled by operators, not a recording. When dialing "0" before a 391 number, the call goes through normally from Crossbar 5, but on Crossbar 1, it goes through to the operator in a way that she is hardly audible, and afterwards times out to a recording.

			He encounters the Automatic Intercept System when calling 420 numbers, which almost always go to A.I.S., except for 420-2XXX, which goes to a recording that can be used as a party line.

	== Music ==		== Music ==
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	* Stayin' Alive (Bee Gees) - 1977 - end of Part 9		* Stayin' Alive (Bee Gees) - 1977 - end of Part 9
	* You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (Leo Sayer) - 1976 - end of Part 9		* You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (Leo Sayer) - 1976 - end of Part 9
			* Give Me Just a Little More Time (The Chairmen of the Board) - 1970 - Part 10, song on WABC radio at 26:45

	== References ==		== References ==
	<references />		<references />

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	Evan recalls at the time, airports had payphones served out of different exchanges. Most at Kennedy Airport were served by Crossbar 1s. Evan tries 3-1-1 from a Crossbar 1 line and finds it goes alternately to one of two recordings. Evan notices that many of the common test codes, such as 660, sound slightly different from each exchange. He also gets various intercept messages from throughout the New York metropolitan area. He also discusses the various forms of "machine to machine" pulsing that are used between exchanges, including dial pulsing (DID), trunk outpulsing, and revertive pulsing. He also discovers that he can reach the original 3-1-1 by dialing 516-311.		Evan recalls at the time, airports had payphones served out of different exchanges. Most at Kennedy Airport were served by Crossbar 1s. Evan tries 3-1-1 from a Crossbar 1 line and finds it goes alternately to one of two recordings. Evan notices that many of the common test codes, such as 660, sound slightly different from each exchange. He also gets various intercept messages from throughout the New York metropolitan area. He also discusses the various forms of "machine to machine" pulsing that are used between exchanges, including dial pulsing (DID), trunk outpulsing, and revertive pulsing. He also discovers that he can reach the original 3-1-1 by dialing 516-311.

			=== Part 9 ===

			A month into having his own phone line, Evan is getting a lot of phone calls and suspects that somebody is playing music on one of Fred's party lines, prompting an influx of calls to his line. The Business Office also gets back to him, letting him know that there's nothing atypical with the equipment counting message units. Evan is still disconcerted, having carefully measured his calls and dialing test numbers and nonworking numbers.

			Evan gets a call from "The Wizard", inviting him to another party line in 990-55XX, which Fred doesn't know about. Three weeks into December 1970, this party line also gets a recording. In 1976, the recording gets stuck, making it suitable for use as a party line again and gets used by other phreaks, including Captain Crunch. He also explores the 620 party line in Manhattan.

			Evan finds he is unable to consistently break dial tone on his line. A while later, he gets a call back from Tony at repair service. Evan gives out 593-9083 as an alternate number, and gets a call on his LYnbrook3 line from Felix, letting him know they have his other number now and warning him to stay off their party lines. However, they don't care about 780-62XX anymore, leaving Evan free to use that. He decides to broadcast the 780-62XX party line numbers to people calling into the old 3-1-1. He sets up a tape to inform callers of the new party line, which successfully redirects many callers there.

	== Music ==		== Music ==
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	* Gimme Dat Ding (The Pipkins) - 1970 - beginning of Part 6		* Gimme Dat Ding (The Pipkins) - 1970 - beginning of Part 6
	* Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry) - 1976 - middle and end of Part 7		* Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry) - 1976 - middle and end of Part 7
			* I'm Your Captain (Grand Funk Railroad) - 1970 - beginning of Part 9
			* Stayin' Alive (Bee Gees) - 1977 - end of Part 9
			* You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (Leo Sayer) - 1976 - end of Part 9

	== References ==		== References ==
	<references />		<references />

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	Evan stays on 3-1-1 and 6-6-0, staying away from Fred's party line. However, the original 3-1-1 is soon shut down by a loud recording on the line.		Evan stays on 3-1-1 and 6-6-0, staying away from Fred's party line. However, the original 3-1-1 is soon shut down by a loud recording on the line.

			=== Part 8: Kennedy Airport Phone Trip ===

			Evan recalls at the time, airports had payphones served out of different exchanges. Most at Kennedy Airport were served by Crossbar 1s. Evan tries 3-1-1 from a Crossbar 1 line and finds it goes alternately to one of two recordings. Evan notices that many of the common test codes, such as 660, sound slightly different from each exchange. He also gets various intercept messages from throughout the New York metropolitan area. He also discusses the various forms of "machine to machine" pulsing that are used between exchanges, including dial pulsing (DID), trunk outpulsing, and revertive pulsing. He also discovers that he can reach the original 3-1-1 by dialing 516-311.

	== Music ==		== Music ==

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	=== Part 6 ===		=== Part 6 ===

	Now that Evan has his own phone line (599-3662<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.evan-doorbell.com/production/HowBPhreak06.flac \|title=How Evan Doorbell became a Phone Phreak, part 6, 11:45 \|last=Doorbell \|first=Evan}}</ref>), he knows he will need to keep costs under control, since local calls in New York are not free, but cost one or more "message units", depending on destination and duration. The phone bill at the end of the month indicates how many additional message units were used that month, since local calls were not itemized. The rate schedule is extremely complicated and hard to understand. Calls nearby are only a single message unit for unlimited talk time. Calls more than 10 miles away cost significantly more: such as to BUtterfield8 in Manhattan, 15-20 miles away, which costs 3 message units for the first 5 minutes, and then another message unit for every 2 minutes thereafter. Calls to eastern Suffolk County are 7 message units for the first 3 minutes and then 2 additional message units each additional minute, higher than toll calls to many states. From payphones, 10-cent local calls were also timed, requiring another 5 cents every 5 minutes.		Now that Evan has his own phone line (599-3662<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.evan-doorbell.com/production/HowBPhreak06.flac \|title=How Evan Doorbell became a Phone Phreak, part 6, 11:45 \|last=Doorbell \|first=Evan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.evan-doorbell.com/production/HowBPhreak07-rough.flac \|title=How Evan Doorbell became a Phone Phreak, part 7, 43:55 \|last=Doorbell \|first=Evan}}</ref>), he knows he will need to keep costs under control, since local calls in New York are not free, but cost one or more "message units", depending on destination and duration. The phone bill at the end of the month indicates how many additional message units were used that month, since local calls were not itemized. The rate schedule is extremely complicated and hard to understand. Calls nearby are only a single message unit for unlimited talk time. Calls more than 10 miles away cost significantly more: such as to BUtterfield8 in Manhattan, 15-20 miles away, which costs 3 message units for the first 5 minutes, and then another message unit for every 2 minutes thereafter. Calls to eastern Suffolk County are 7 message units for the first 3 minutes and then 2 additional message units each additional minute, higher than toll calls to many states. From payphones, 10-cent local calls were also timed, requiring another 5 cents every 5 minutes.

	"Flat rate" service is also a big moneymaker for New York Telephone. It provides free calling within a 5 mile radius, charging much more for calls within 5 to 10 miles away, with twice the monthly charge and without the free 75 message unit allowance. However, message units are not used everywhere. Atlanta is home to the world's largest free calling area, including Atlanta and many surrounding communities, proving to be cost-effective for subscribers.		"Flat rate" service is also a big moneymaker for New York Telephone. It provides free calling within a 5 mile radius, charging much more for calls within 5 to 10 miles away, with twice the monthly charge and without the free 75 message unit allowance. However, message units are not used everywhere. Atlanta is home to the world's largest free calling area, including Atlanta and many surrounding communities, proving to be cost-effective for subscribers.
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	Evan checks 780 again and finds the beeping still present, preventing its use as a party line. However, two weeks later, Evan finds that the beeping has been removed from 780 and a normal intercept recording is present. It is also being used again as a party line. However, Fred and the gang are not present, and Evan recalls them mentioning that they had another line in reserve. Evan tries various 780 numbers to see if he can find it. In the process, he encounters very short, rapid (PBX) rings, with varying sounds, and various intercept recordings for different organizations. He eventually finds the gang at 780-84XX. He also realizes that 780 was a collection of "mini exchanges" with individual recordings that could break down occasionally, and explores the 780-85XX range to find a smaller "party line". He also confirms, using the radio, that 830 is also suitable as a potential "party line", as the recording only plays once every 2 minutes.		Evan checks 780 again and finds the beeping still present, preventing its use as a party line. However, two weeks later, Evan finds that the beeping has been removed from 780 and a normal intercept recording is present. It is also being used again as a party line. However, Fred and the gang are not present, and Evan recalls them mentioning that they had another line in reserve. Evan tries various 780 numbers to see if he can find it. In the process, he encounters very short, rapid (PBX) rings, with varying sounds, and various intercept recordings for different organizations. He eventually finds the gang at 780-84XX. He also realizes that 780 was a collection of "mini exchanges" with individual recordings that could break down occasionally, and explores the 780-85XX range to find a smaller "party line". He also confirms, using the radio, that 830 is also suitable as a potential "party line", as the recording only plays once every 2 minutes.

			=== Part 7: The Dark Side of Party Lines ===

			Evan is shocked to discover that there are 43 additional message units ($2.67 extra) on his phone bill. There are also a number of "no number" calls to Harvey, Illinois and Beacon, New York. Evan calls the Business Office, noting the number for the Business Office had recently changed from 811 to 766-9950. In the meantime, Evan has previously found that he could dial using the switchhook, which works better on his Crossbar 1 line than on the Crossbar 5 line, which could trip the automatic detection capabilities of the Crossbar 5. Consequently, Evan has been working on an automatic telephone dialer, which he uses to prank operators.

			Evan again revisits the party lines, including 780-85XX, and discusses with Charlie how their use of amplifiers and theme songs was to the ire of Fred and the gang. Evan also discusses the Service Crisis of 1969-1970 in New York, and how the flat-rate and message unit scheme led to New York Telephone running out of cable pairs and trunk lines. During Operator Number Identifications, Evan also realizes that operators dial using the MF tones as well.

			Evan learns that Fred has his number and is therefore resolved to stay off his party line. He discusses what happened to Charlie Steiner, the person named in Fred's speech against messing around on the party line. Charlie describes that one night, a few people came to the door and he was shot in the collarbone with a low-caliber weapon. The shooter was named Felix and was eventually found and charged, though Charlie later dropped the charges. Later, he and Kathy met at a mall, but it turned out to be a setup with Fred Smith, Felix, and the gang, with Charlie escaping through the mall. Later, his house is egged.

			Evan stays on 3-1-1 and 6-6-0, staying away from Fred's party line. However, the original 3-1-1 is soon shut down by a loud recording on the line.

	== Music ==		== Music ==
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	* Beginnings (Chicago) - 1970, multiple parts - instrumental refrain		* Beginnings (Chicago) - 1970, multiple parts - instrumental refrain
	* Gimme Dat Ding (The Pipkins) - 1970 - beginning of Part 6		* Gimme Dat Ding (The Pipkins) - 1970 - beginning of Part 6
			* Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry) - 1976 - middle and end of Part 7

	== References ==		== References ==
	<references />		<references />

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 '''''How Evan Doorbell became a Phone Phreak''''' is an introductory 10-part series of narrated telephone recordings by former phone phreak [[Evan Doorbell]], recounting the early years of his interest in the telephone system. This series of recordings is part of Evan Doorbell's [[List of Evan Doorbell recordings|collection of telephone recordings]]. This series is presented as a narrative by Evan, frequently interspersed with recordings from the time. Songs from the 1970s are also often used as background music.
 === Part 1 ===
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 On one occasion, Evan is told he can dial 958, which reads back his number to him. He calls this from his parents' phone line. In late October, he also finds that the new 3-1-1 has been shut down, as the recording is back up. On the 780 party line, there is also a new recording that says "Connection to this line is a violation of Bell Telephone tariffs. Violators are subject to suspension and disconnection of service." A few days later, there is a loud tone (the same one as on 9900 numbers) on the line that further inhibits its use as a party line. Finally, a loud beeping sound completely prevents use as a party line, marking the end of the 780-62 party line, prompting Evan to return to 3-1-1 and 6-6-0.

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	In a mixup, an installer shows up to install the 887 number that Evan had cancelled. However, the installer is able to explain that he can ring back his phone using 660 + his last 4 digits. However, this 6-6-0 works slightly differently from the 6-6-0 with the party line. He then dials 3-1-1 from his parents' LYnbrook3 home phone again to find silence, leading him to discover that this 3-1-1 can now be used as a party line. Evan helps start a new party line conference on this 3-1-1, introducing himself as "Evan from Malverne". With his help, the new party line takes off, ironically just as about Evan is about to get his own phone line from the switch with access to the other party line.		In a mixup, an installer shows up to install the 887 number that Evan had cancelled. However, the installer is able to explain that he can ring back his phone using 660 + his last 4 digits. However, this 6-6-0 works slightly differently from the 6-6-0 with the party line. He then dials 3-1-1 from his parents' LYnbrook3 home phone again to find silence, leading him to discover that this 3-1-1 can now be used as a party line. Evan helps start a new party line conference on this 3-1-1, introducing himself as "Evan from Malverne". With his help, the new party line takes off, ironically just as about Evan is about to get his own phone line from the switch with access to the other party line.

			=== Part 5 ===

			Near the end of October 1970, Evan is eagerly awaiting the installation of his LYnbrook9 phone line. He is keenly aware that there are differences between different types of switching equipment. His line is installed even as Evan's new 3-1-1, accessible from his parents' phone line, is getting underway. Evan also encounters his childhood classmate Dave, who can also access both 3-1-1's. One day on 3-1-1, Evan hears about "the new party line" at (212) 780-62XX. Calls to 780 numbers are dial pulsed in, making intriguing clicking sounds. There is no recording present and participants are clearly audible. There is also a distinct tone audible when new callers join. Someone named Fred also makes a speech on the party line against those playing music and otherwise disrupting the 780 party line. Evan finds that only one caller can call a particular 780-62XX number, as sometimes he receives a busy signal calling particular numbers in that range.

			Evan discovers that calling 9970 numbers in each prefix gives him a busy signal from that exchange. 9971 always goes to a reorder, and 9972 provides a steady ticking sound (supervision test). 9906 provides two clicks every ten seconds, and the related 9900 provides a milliwatt test. 9932 trips the ring quickly and is then silent. 9901 or "Official 1" goes to an operator that answers "verifying", for Busy Line Verification. 9990 rings the phone in each switching office. Evan can hear the switching equipment operating and learns by talking to switchmen that there are two types of crossbar equipment: Crossbar 1 from which all the good stuff is accessible, and Crossbar 5 which serves his parents' phone line. There is also "electronic", but not in that part of Long Island yet. He is also told that 9972 is a "timing feature", but this turns out to be false.

			On one occasion, Evan is told he can dial 958, which reads back his number to him. He calls this from his parents' phone line. In late October, he also finds that the new 3-1-1 has been shut down, as the recording is back up. On the 780 party line, there is also a new recording that says "Connection to this line is a violation of Bell Telephone tariffs. Violators are subject to suspension and disconnection of service." A few days later, there is a loud tone (the same one as on 9900 numbers) on the line that further inhibits its use as a party line. Finally, a loud beeping sound completely prevents use as a party line, marking the end of the 780-62 party line, prompting Evan to return to 3-1-1 and 6-6-0.

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	Armed with this information, and the knowledge that pay stations were typically assigned in the 9XXX range, Evan and his friends would call payphone numbers given out on party lines (recalling one incident of this as late as 1974) and hold people up when they tried to make a new call, pretending to be from the "Dime Holders of America".		Armed with this information, and the knowledge that pay stations were typically assigned in the 9XXX range, Evan and his friends would call payphone numbers given out on party lines (recalling one incident of this as late as 1974) and hold people up when they tried to make a new call, pretending to be from the "Dime Holders of America".

	=== Part 3 ===		=== Part 3: Atlanta in September 1970 ===

	Evan and his family fly to Atlanta, where Evan has been visiting since his early youth. Evan is able to play with the phone from his grandma's back port. On the upside, Atlanta has a large free local calling area, in contrast to the complex message unit scheme used in Long Island. He recognizes the voice on the local Time and Temperature number from shortwave radio. However, he is unnerved at the relative lack of richness characterizing the electronic switch he encounters. In contrast to his home phone line, the switch here is much more non-communicative about call progress; for example, there is no click at the end of dialing, and the musical MF tones from Long Island are not audible here. He is likewise disappointed with most of the phone lines he is able to access, such as at Uncle Harry's house. However, from some payphones, he discovers that call setup begins to suburban exchanges as soon as the exchange code has been dialed, and some of the ringback tones he hears are very strange. Finally, at the airport, Evan finds there are payphone lines from 4 different prefixes, which he explains is due to the phone company importing payphone lines from multiple exchanges. From a phone which has a burst of dial tone after the initial deposit, he hears the "friendly Atlanta" intercept recording for the first time.		Evan and his family fly to Atlanta, where Evan has been visiting since his early youth. Evan is able to play with the phone from his grandma's back port. On the upside, Atlanta has a large free local calling area, in contrast to the complex message unit scheme used in Long Island. He recognizes the voice on the local Time and Temperature number from shortwave radio. However, he is unnerved at the relative lack of richness characterizing the electronic switch he encounters. In contrast to his home phone line, the switch here is much more non-communicative about call progress; for example, there is no click at the end of dialing, and the musical MF tones from Long Island are not audible here. He is likewise disappointed with most of the phone lines he is able to access, such as at Uncle Harry's house. However, from some payphones, he discovers that call setup begins to suburban exchanges as soon as the exchange code has been dialed, and some of the ringback tones he hears are very strange. Finally, at the airport, Evan finds there are payphone lines from 4 different prefixes, which he explains is due to the phone company importing payphone lines from multiple exchanges. From a phone which has a burst of dial tone after the initial deposit, he hears the "friendly Atlanta" intercept recording for the first time.

			=== Part 4 ===

			Evan recalls that telephone exchanges rarely ended in 0, and decides to try calling exchanges ending in 0. Dialing "290" rings somebody whom he cannot hang up on. Some codes go to a continuous ring to an intercept recording. Dialing "450" from his friend Larry's house provides an old city dial tone which fails to respond to further digits. The code "890" from Larry's house also provides the same type of dial tone used on 6-6-0. Codes of format N10 go to the local operator, whom Evan notes can hold someone up indefinitely. "970" is a code that goes to a continuous ring to an all circuits busy intercept. He also observes that the differing 3-1-1s are simply due to different recordings being present on them. Evan also further explores the identifiers at the end of different intercept recordings around the country, making up the routing hierarchy of the North American phone network.

			One day on the 3-1-1 conference, someone named Herbie has amplified his voice so that it's three times louder. This inspires them to connect an amplifier to the telephone to talk on the 3-1-1 party line. From a payphone, Evan observes this method works very well. Evan and his friend use the amplifier to help people get their phone numbers out, also jamming the line when drawing ire from other participants.

			Evan decides to get his own phone line, one like his friend's, rather than one like the phone at home now. He knows that he can tell what type of line a phone is on by the prefix, and decides to get a LYnbrook9 (599) number, since these can access the 3-1-1 party line and 6-6-0. After initially being assigned an 887 number, he cancels the order and requests a 599 number, which will get installed in a week. In the meantime, he plays around with the special operator automatic intercept recordings. The first Automatic Intercept System voiced by Jane Barbe is also debuted in Hempstead, Long Island, running from 9:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday.

			In a mixup, an installer shows up to install the 887 number that Evan had cancelled. However, the installer is able to explain that he can ring back his phone using 660 + his last 4 digits. However, this 6-6-0 works slightly differently from the 6-6-0 with the party line. He then dials 3-1-1 from his parents' LYnbrook3 home phone again to find silence, leading him to discover that this 3-1-1 can now be used as a party line. Evan helps start a new party line conference on this 3-1-1, introducing himself as "Evan from Malverne". With his help, the new party line takes off, ironically just as about Evan is about to get his own phone line from the switch with access to the other party line.

InterLinked: added Part 3

2022-08-18T00:19:57Z

added Part 3

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:19, 18 August 2022
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	Armed with this information, and the knowledge that pay stations were typically assigned in the 9XXX range, Evan and his friends would call payphone numbers given out on party lines (recalling one incident of this as late as 1974) and hold people up when they tried to make a new call, pretending to be from the "Dime Holders of America".		Armed with this information, and the knowledge that pay stations were typically assigned in the 9XXX range, Evan and his friends would call payphone numbers given out on party lines (recalling one incident of this as late as 1974) and hold people up when they tried to make a new call, pretending to be from the "Dime Holders of America".

			=== Part 3 ===

			Evan and his family fly to Atlanta, where Evan has been visiting since his early youth. Evan is able to play with the phone from his grandma's back port. On the upside, Atlanta has a large free local calling area, in contrast to the complex message unit scheme used in Long Island. He recognizes the voice on the local Time and Temperature number from shortwave radio. However, he is unnerved at the relative lack of richness characterizing the electronic switch he encounters. In contrast to his home phone line, the switch here is much more non-communicative about call progress; for example, there is no click at the end of dialing, and the musical MF tones from Long Island are not audible here. He is likewise disappointed with most of the phone lines he is able to access, such as at Uncle Harry's house. However, from some payphones, he discovers that call setup begins to suburban exchanges as soon as the exchange code has been dialed, and some of the ringback tones he hears are very strange. Finally, at the airport, Evan finds there are payphone lines from 4 different prefixes, which he explains is due to the phone company importing payphone lines from multiple exchanges. From a phone which has a burst of dial tone after the initial deposit, he hears the "friendly Atlanta" intercept recording for the first time.