10 forgotten wonders of 1980s homes

[Christian Gauger-Cosgrove]

On 29 December 2015 at 20:15, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
> It was particularly amusing that in the heart of Silicon Valley in the
> 1980s, Pacific Telephone still had many of its exchanges outfitted with
> crossbar switches--with your shiny new touch-tone telephone, you could hear
> the clicks in the background audio as the gear converted the DTMF to
> pulses...
>
Those pulses depend on what kind of crossbar you were homing on, and
where you were calling.

On a Number 5 Crossbar, your DTMF was never converted to dial pulse
for the switch itself. The Touch-Tone Register would connect to a
digit translator that inputs the 2-of-5 binary code directly into the
relays of the Originating Register (which can still receive dial
pulse). On Number 1 Crossbar and Panel however your DTMF would be
converted to 20 pulse per second dial pulsing. Only in Step-by-Step is
your DTMF converted down to "normal" 10 pulse per second dial pulsing;
though it should be noted that in step it either gets converted by a
"dumb" Touch-Tone Reciever Converter (DTMF goes in, dial pulse goes
out) in a direct control step, in a common control step (yes that was
a thing) the DTMF actually ends up getting converted in the same way
as on #5XB with the common control elements dial pulsing.


However it should be noted: Crossbar switches make noise when
connecting through the switch fabric; and depending on trunking and
the kind of switch you're calling you might hear dial pulsing, panel
call indicator pulsing, or revertive pulsing. RP would be sent on a
direct connection between a crossbar to a Number 1 Crossbar or Panel
switch (and to Number 5 Crossbar occasionally). PCI is something you'd
*never* hear in the 80s, since the only tandems that required PCI
(namely Panel Sender Tandem) were gone by the 70s, and the tandems
that replaced them (Crossbar Tandem) while it can still "speak" PCI
would be more likely to use MF tones; also end offices that would use
PCI, namely manual offices, were also dead and gone by the 80s. Dial
pulsing however... well that goes to step offices, and if you have a
step tandem anywhere in the chain (you could have a #5XB to #5XB call
which you'd think would be MF'd; but if you have a step tandem you get
dial pulse).


Cheers,
Christian
-- 
Christian M. Gauger-Cosgrove
STCKON08DS0
Contact information available upon request.