Section B: Telephony

Table of Contents

  1. What is a Red Box?
  2. How do I build a Red Box?
  3. Where can I get a 6.5536Mhz crystal?
  4. Which payphones will a Red Box work on?
  5. How do I make local calls with a Red Box?
  6. What is a Blue Box?
  7. Do Blue Boxes still work?
  8. What is a Black Box?
  9. What do all the colored boxes do?
  10. What is an ANAC number?
  11. What is the ANAC number for my area?
  12. What is a ringback number?
  13. What is the ringback number for my area?
  14. What is a loop?
  15. What is a loop in my area?
  16. What is a CNA number?
  17. What is the telephone company CNA number for my area?
  18. What are some numbers that always ring busy?
  19. What are some numbers that temporarily disconnect phone service?
  20. What is a Proctor Test Set?
  21. What is a Proctor Test Set in my area?
  22. What is scanning?
  23. Is scanning illegal?
  24. Where can I purchase a lineman's handset?
  25. What are the DTMF frequencies?
  26. What are the frequencies of the telephone tones?
  27. What are all of the * codes?
  28. What frequencies do cordless phones operate on?
  29. What is Caller-ID?
  30. How do I block Caller-ID?
  31. What is a PBX?
  32. What is a VMB?
  33. What are the ABCD tones for?
  34. What are the International Direct Numbers?

(Italic indicates updated questions, while bold indicates new questions.)


1. What is a Red Box?

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


2. How do I build a Red Box?

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.


6. What is a Blue Box?

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.


7. Do Blue Boxes still work?

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).


8. What is a Black Box?

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


10. What is an ANAC number?

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.)


14. What is a loop?

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.)


16. What is a CNA number?

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


22. What is scanning?

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.


23. Is scanning illegal?

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 (.._)