Letters: £etters
Dear 2600:
Which of the many computer networks are the best to use?
We looked for a few replies to this and here are a couple of them:
"I access a database that is on UNINET, Tymnet, Telenet, and DUSNET. I've only used Tymnet and Telenet, and Tymnet is far superior. Telenet is one of the most exasperating experiences I've ever had.
"Why, Tymnet, of course!'
"Seriously, Tymnet has more nodes than any of the others; it is also more secure. I have used Telenet as a private user and it is MUCH slower than Tymnet, but since you're not going to out-and-out believe someone who works for one of them, I suggest you look at a study done by Datapro Research Corporation (they're in Delran, NJ) which compares Telenet, Tymnet and several other companies."
We'd like to hear more on this.
Dear 2600:
What are Silver Box tones?
Every Touch-Tone phone can produce sixteen tones, not just twelve. There is the capability for an additional row of buttons on the right side. These tones are labeled (moving from top to bottom) A, B, C, and B. They are also referred to as Flash, Flash Override, Priority, and Priority Override (in increasing order of importance). This is how the calls are treated when they are made. Thus a "D" call gets priority over a "B" call. This system is used primarily on AUTOVON, or Pa Bell, the military phone network, which can shut down the regular network at any time. The tones are also used for test purposes and occasionally do interesting things for phone phreaks.
Dear 2600:
What is 950?
950 is an exchange created to fulfill part of the purpose of Equal Access. It was designed to work in all area codes, so that the same access number could be used by a long-distance company nationwide. In other words, 950-1022 will get you MCI wherever you are. There is no charge to call 950 numbers and the connection is always crystal clear. You can only dial this exchange locally, i.e. you cannot access San Francisco's 950 exchange from Los Angeles.
Dear 2600:
Is it easier to trace 800 calls or 950 calls?
Tracing an 800 call simply is not as easy as tracing a 950 call. 800 numbers exist all l over the country whereas 950s aren't an actual exchange, but are located within every central office. Thus, Automatic Number Identification (ANI) intra-exchange is very easy. The further away from the central office, the harder this becomes.
Dear 2600:
What is REMOB?
REMOB is remote observation. Call a number, enter a code, enter a number, and listen. We need more info on this one ourselves. Especially as to if these numbers really exist. We do admit that the technology is there. In fact, we were told of the number where you could overhear random MCI conversations in Texas, a few months ago, without entering any codes, but it stopped working by the time we went to print.
What follows are two true accounts of adventures that were sent to us. The first was sent by The Crazy Man. It depicts thievery and destruction. 2600 in no way condones this type of activity. We really do not.
But there are some things to learn frog the first adventure about the construction of payphones, so we decided to include it. As they say: Learn good things - the bad will teach you by themselves.
The second adventure is presented for your amusement only.
I am writing you because I have done something that might be of importance to the readers of this mag. Well, a few days ago me and a friend went to a construction site and found a telephone on a piece of wood with a wood base, so we decided to take the bitch hone. Well, never underestimate the power of a fortress fone.
We read a file that BIOC wrote called Basic Telecommunications, Part VI. It said that you could drill out the main lock located on the right side of the coin box. So we tried to attempt this daring feat. Never, I repeat, waste your never time drilling out the lock. It will take days and days and probably about 30 drill bits.
After about five hours of drilling, me and my friend decided to try a different approach. We knocked off the metal washer located right on top of the coin return (it should just break right off). Then we used a pair of Vise-Grips to tear the metal off around the coin return. By doing this we came upon the coin box, but it still had the lock on top of it!
Now, this is the part that takes the longest time. You have to rip out (with the grips) the metal, which is only 1/8 inch, that surrounds the entire coin box. Then you must push all of the locks around the silver plate in, or the silver plate will never come off. After pushing in the locks, you might be able to remove the silver plate. If not, then take a good size sledge hammer and a trusty crowbar and whack the plate as hard as you can, making the lid come off.
;Now, you might think, "Now that I got the plate off, I can just pull the coin box right out?" Wrong. To pull the box out you must have a key to unlock the coin box. If you don't have a key (which I didn't) then put the trusty crowbar around the coin box and bend the box till it's removable. Now be sure to get the little slips of paper that say "Sorry, this phone is temporarily out of order." They are compliments of Bell.
Now you should be 50 or 60 bucks richer by now, so spend it on parts to make a Blue Box, or something related to phreaking. Good luck.
Monday, 04/01/85 6:08 am
The phone range. I got up, looked at the desk, it's 6:08 am, an hour before I go to school. I pick the receiver up. "Is this John McKee?" asked the caller urgently. "Yes," I replied half asleep. "You better get rid of your printouts and your stuff on your disks, you're gonna get a visit within the next 20 minutes," the kid said. He hung up. I got nervous. The phone rang again, "John, this is Jim, Greg just got busted and his brother has been calling up all his friends on a sheet Greg had. Did he call you?" "Yes he did," I said. "You better believe it, because you're gonna get nailed with the rest of us. Get rid of everything, burn it." I thought to myself, "What did I do to make them want me?" Codes? No time, have to burn everything pertaining to illegal wrongdoings." I was panic-stricken. I go it together and went outside and burned it, disks, printouts, everything. As I was returning to my house, I wondered if they had a tap on my line. The phone rang another time. "Oh no. Who is it now?" I went in and answered it, only to be told "April Fools!" Click.