(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 (.._)