Telephone Recordings
Our Telephone Recordings
B-series recordings were recorded using a pickup coil. Audacity was used to remove noise and to digitally amplify certain portions.
I-series recordings were recorded using Audacity WASAPI. Only the distant end (called party) was recorded (my voice was not).
P-series recordings were recorded using a pickup coil. No digital amplification was performed, to preserve the original levels.
Left-click to play, right-click to download (click Save Target/Link As). Audio may not play on mobile devices; use a computer.
Mirror links are backups of the primary Download links. The mirror links may not have player controls depending on file type.
More raw audio also available at PhreakNet Audio.
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Recording Notes:
P2/P4 - This payphone does not allow coin calls. If you listen to the recording, whenever a local or long-distance number is dialed, you can hear the prompts asking for a coin deposit. However, the phone physically will not take them, as a lock is inserted onto the coin slot and the phone is essentially good only for toll-free calls. This is more common in high crime areas. P7 - Not sure what this is; the recorder was accidentally left on. But it sounds cool, so I'll leave it up. Parts of it sound like slowed down dial pulsing! P8 - I did actually deposit 50 cents at one time. The call did not go through; instead, I received the error message of nonexistent number you hear in this tape. P9/P10 - This was NOT the pickup coil receiving interference; the line actually had TONS of *intelligible* analog crosstalk! Check it out! Super analog sounding. P11 - This is what you hear when you dial into this COCOT from another phone and you answer it on the first ring. You don't get connected with the caller; you hear this. P18 - Not recorded, but I separately dialed all the N11 codes, except for 911. None of them worked. P20 - The technique used to get directory assistance is not special to payphones.
| ID | Type | Date | Series | Topic | Narrated? | Length | Size | Ext | Download | Mirror |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | O'Hare | 2020-MAR | "Party Line" COCOTs | O'Hare Terminal 3 | Yes | 29:27 | 27MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P1 | Philly | 2019-SEP | Philadelphia COCOTs | 30th St. Station PTS | No | 36:30 | 33MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P2 | Philly | 2019-SEP | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Market NewTel No-Coin! | No | 15:39 | 14MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P3 | Philly | 2019-SEP | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Chestnut PTS | No | 21:11 | 19MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P4 | Philly | 2019-OCT | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Market NewTel No-Coin! | No | 06:13 | 5.7MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P5 | Philly | 2019-OCT | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Chestnut PTS | No | 19:16 | 17.6MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P6 | Philly | 2019-OCT | Philadelphia COCOTs | 30th St. Station PTS | No | 07:16 | 6.66MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P7 | Philly | 2019-OCT | Philadelphia COCOTs | No | 10:00 | 9.16MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror | |
| P8 | Philly | 2019-OCT | Philadelphia COCOTs | 20th and Walnut NewTel | No | 11:32 | 10.5MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P9 | Philly | 2019-OCT | Philadelphia COCOTs | Walnut and Broad NewTel | No | 09:31 | 8.7MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P10 | Philly | 2019-OCT | Philadelphia COCOTs | Walnut and Broad NewTel | No | 08:14 | 7.5MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P11 | Philly | 2019-OCT | Philadelphia COCOTs | Suburban Station PTS | No | 00:22 | 356KB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P12 | Philly | 2019-NOV | Philadelphia COCOTs | 30th Street Reporting Codes | No | 14:11 | 12.9MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P13 | Philly | 2019-NOV | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Chestnut Reporting | No | 16:20 | 14.9MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P14 | Philly | 2019-NOV | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Chestnut Collect | No | 08:14 | 7.54MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P15 | Philly | 2020-JAN | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Chestnut Test Codes | No | 18:50 | 17.2MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P16 | Philly | 2020-JAN | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Chestnut Test Codes | No | 12:09 | 11.1MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P17 | Philly | 2020-JAN | Philadelphia COCOTs | 40th & Chestnut Test Codes | No | 03:50 | 3.51MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P18 | Philly | 2020-JAN | Philadelphia COCOTs | 20th & Walnut NewTel Prompts | No | 18:39 | 17.0MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P19 | Philly | 2020-JAN | Philadelphia COCOTs | Suburban 9861 Test Codes | No | 13:13 | 12.1MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P20 | Philly | 2020-JAN | Philadelphia COCOTs | Suburban 9330 Test Codes | No | 04:24 | 19.4MB | FLAC | Download | Mirror |
| P21 | Wash D.C. | 2022-JUN | Crystal City Shops COCOTs | Nonworking COCOTs | No | 21:14 | 4.03MB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
| O1 | Philly | 2022-FEB | POTS | PBX & Verizon POTS Exploration | No | 19:59 | 10.2MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| X1 | Centrex | 2022-MAR | 5ESS Centrex | 5ESS Restricted (Courtesy Phone) Centrex Line Exploration | No | 30:53 | 5.69MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| B1 | Bay Area | 2018-AUG | Palo Alto Train Station | General Overview | Yes | 33:13 | 19MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| B2 | Bay Area | 2018-AUG | Stanford Payphones | Main Quad Payphone Overview | Yes | 24:23 | 13MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| B3 | Bay Area | 2018-AUG | Stanford Payphones | Galvez Payphone Overview | Yes | 35:45 | 15MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| B4 | Bay Area | 2018-AUG | Stanford Payphones | SIT Tones & Deposit Prompts | Yes | 40:22 | 17MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| B5 | Bay Area | 2018-AUG | Stanford Payphones | Toll-Free Fun | Yes | 34:36 | 12MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| B6 | Bay Area | 2018-AUG | Stanford FloMo Dorm Line | Stanford PBX Overview | Yes | 14:38 | 6.1MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| B7 | Bay Area | 2018-AUG | Stanford KZSU FM90.1 | Sounds of 711B SxS Switch | No | 29:35 | 5.3MB | OGG | Download | Mirror |
| I1 | 0xx/1xx | 2018-APR | 0xx/1xx Inwards | (814) 028-121x | No | 00:11 | 1.9MB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
| I2 | 0xx/1xx | 2018-APR | 0xx/1xx Inwards | (307) 025-121x | No | 00:30 | 2.6MB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
| I3 | 0xx/1xx | 2018-APR | 0xx/1xx Inwards | (612) 076-121x | No | 00:31 | 2.7MB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
| I4 | 0xx/1xx | 2018-APR | 0xx/1xx Inwards | (507) 058-121x | No | 00:33 | 3.0MB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
| I5 | 0xx/1xx | 2018-APR | Union City Operator | (307) 782-0000 | Yes | 01:13 | 6.8MB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
| I6 | 0xx/1xx | 2018-APR | 0xx/1xx Inwards | (816) 018-121x | No | 00:29 | 2.5MB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
| I7 | 0xx/1xx | 2018-APR | 0xx/1xx Inwards | (717) 032-121x | No | 00:09 | 874KB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
| I8 | 0xx/1xx | 2018-APR | 0xx/1xx Inwards | (812) 021-121x | Yes | 00:28 | 2.6MB | WAV | Download | Mirror |
Mainstream Telephone Recordings
Here are some telephone recordings that we didn't create:
- Phone Trips
- Evan Doorbell's Phone Tapes
- Payphone Radio Network
- This Is A Recording
- Sounds — C*NET
- Payphone Recording Archive
- Recordings — Stromberg Carlson
- Audio — JMANA9
- Operator sounds
Computer Generated Recordings
Here are some telephony-related audio recordings from crysknife007 (who uploads videos of all kinds of societal sounds):
- Pi Played as DTMF Phone Dialing Tones 100,000 Digits
- Pi Played as DTMF Phone Dialing Tones 10,000 Digits
- Pi Played as DTMF Phone Dialing Tones 1,000 Digits
- Pi Played as DTMF Phone Dialing Tones 100 Digits
- Pi Played as DTMF Phone Dialing Tones 100 Digits (2x Slower)
- 12 Hours of Pi Being Dialed on a Rotary Phone
- First 10,000 Digits of Pi Dialed on a Rotary Phone
- First 1,000 Digits of Pi Dialed on a Rotary Phone
- First 100 Digits of Pi Dialed on a Rotary Phone
- Jane Barbe Recites 1000 Digits of Pi
- Jane Barbe Recites 100 Digits of Pi
- The First 100 Digits of Pi in Morse Code
- If You’d Like To Make A Call Please Hang Up And Try Again Jane Barbe For 12 Hours
- Landline Phone Dial Tone North American for 12 Hours
- Off The Hook North American Telephone Sound for 12 Hours (Howler Tone, Off-Hook tone)
- Trying To Place A Call for 12 Hours (Ringback tone, ringing tone)
- Telephone Ringing For 12 Hours