TAP No. 22 - Answeroo, "How We Catch Red Boxers"

TECHNOLOGICAL AMERICAN PARTY OCTOBER ‘73 —. SPIRO AGNEW- is it really an anagram-GROW A PENIS??? -CCR- TAP DA. Destructory Assistance has a new List of subjects out, which you can find out about by sending us info on that or another subject. Lf you don't have info to trade, don't worry, we edit and condense the mat- erial and put it in TAP. To trade info with DA, just send us a stamped, self-addressed envelope large enough to hold: the info you want, which we'll try to find for you. Wait a couple of weeks for us to dig the stuff out of our files. We've got different schematics for blue and black boxes, articles on bugs, a copy of the Bell memo on tandem stacking, newspaper articles on phone phreaks, Free electric and gas meters, and lots more. This is TAP's major source of info so Please help us out. Our List of subjects is free with an envelope as above. And if computers is your thing, write to HEAD CRASH- DA's computer sword and information exchange to trade info. Peand if you're a computer novice, write for Head Crash's new Beginner's Course on Computers (50¢). More Head Crash Courses will be available soon. NEW RATES 1! Basis James are 505 oct. ‘Bukperintions - *5 sesues - US Bulk rave $b, US Firat Ciass In plain scated envelope $7. ‘Cantila & Mexie> First Class $7. Firelyn $8, LAPORTALT Includo malltag tabol ar Xorcx copy ‘ate arity ta TAP abet your mbaeriptin ig ~ Manapaly $1.20. Courses - SOF each A - DC Eusics, Be baal, C= Sie TAP Tesnirts $4. Spe Sond anly check or monoy TAP, Room 418, 152 West ¢ ai fen, D- Amplifiors. a 0991 BUILD THE ANSWEROO 1 watt, 1000 chm, Relay 2 Resistor AAA To red & green Phone line wires "A" Contacts <—"B" Contacts Lamp ‘The Answeroo is a handy device offered by no one (yet) thet answers your phone before it rings, This is especially useful to lovers who live in their parent's homes and like to call each other late at night. Instead of the phones in the house ringing, a light or other ap- pliance (radio, TV, etc.) comes on. You can then go to the phone, turn off the Answeroo, and talk. Relay 1 is the Line Relay(Issue #17). When the phone rings, it sends current to Relay 2 and the light. Contacts "B" lock Relay 2 on, and Contacts "A" put the phone on hold(not free). Using a 56 volt zener diode in place of the 1000 chm resistor would give a "free" hold until you ans- wered the phone, unless you then answer with a Black Box(Issue #11). The single-pole, single-throw on-off Switch, two 115 volt AC relays (one of them should be double-pole, the other single-pole, for relays 2 & 1 re- spectively), the 5 mfd, non-polar capacitor (200 volts or more), and a resistor are all you need. Cost-under $15. Have fun! HELP IS NEEDED We need more information on the following topics for upcoming articles in TAP, Toll Frau tors and Detection’Methods , and especially Black Box detectors(Hekiman Labs), We already have Teltronics info, ing Free Gas and Electricity -IMPORTANT- if you know anything about it please write in quick! Maqnets- We'd like to know all esoteric uses for magnets that you know of. DEFENSE FUND Please send whatever you can afford to prevent Abbie and his friends from being sent to Jail for Aife (no parole for 15 Years), because cocaine is classified as heroin (though it is non-addictive and shunned by junkies), Send your support to Abbie Hoffman & Friends Legal Defense, 640 Broadway, N.Y.,N.¥, 10012. Please don't sand cash, Thanks. Hie ‘This may end some of the confusion about the number to call which gives you a computer-generated voice . telling you your phone number: In NYC there are 4 numbers-They are: 730, 840, 958, 880. One will always work(except in a few C,O,s) The numbers rotate each month, Other boros may lead or lag 1 month. List is for 1973 but I think it will be same next year. -FLH, NY- TAP- . You might tell Phellow Phreaks in NYC that there are three different 3-digit numbers to dial for finding out . the number you're calling from, and that they are _req-- donal, What's more, Pa Bell likes to switch 'em now & then to confuse us. That's the reason(they're regional) that one might work for one area but not another. They are; 958,311, and 221. If N, Y,C, telephone subscribers have suspected that the number of “additional message units" they're being charged for on their monthly bill is too high, it's probably true. I got it on good authority, (a former operator) that NY Tel routinely overcharges customers on additional m.u. 's every month. And they get away with it since message units are not verifiable, because they are not itemized like toll calls, You have to take their word. The padding takes place not in the computers but in Accounting, where Pa Beli's hard- working CPA's are under orders to pile on a heap of extra message units because who'll be the wiser? And when one complains to the B.O, Rep, that he keeps track of his calls and couldn't possibly have made so many, we're told that they will'theck our equipment"= @ ruse, a divérsionary tactic, because that's not where the skullduggery is being done. Get it? . -H.R, Holdafone- Dear TAP, ; ‘There existed among the gang back in Vancouver some very sick minds who delighted in setting various parts of a payphone on fire. What they would do is open the phone book up around the middle, pour gasoline on same, Placed a paper cup containing a particular mixture in it upon the soaked book and walk away. In about two min- utes, the book would be aflame and would parboil the Plastic handset into submission and if the booth itself was molded out of plastic, a cheerful blaze greeted the pigs and other such carbon compaounds, The mix- ture in the cup was about half a heaping teaspoon of Potassium Permanganate(chemical and hobby stores) and, to be added just before an innocent departure, one drop of glycerine(drugstores for ointment use). ‘This pile of goodies usually erupts into a white hot flare capable of igniting almost anything, including gas fumes. The reaction, by the way, takes from 30 seconds on a hot day with finely ground Pot Per to 6 minutes on a cold day with clunky Compound P, Also ideal for quiet little garbage cans at school or maybe even Telco vehicle's gas tank in a small bag- gie or a gas sodden piece of construction that you feel is bad for the environment or simply remote & safe ignition of fireworks. Fagen Das Telefunken Ges- elischaftI! Freundlichst, -BW, MANITOBA- ‘We have some inexpensive instructional plan sheets for the display models featured at the Convention. The 2600 whistle perfector is a 2600 detector similar to existing toll-fraud detectors, The Displayed Red Box is similar to Issue #16's circuit with an improved IC timer, LED lights to demonstrate operation, and a few other improvements. The circuit can be used as a portable with a few changes wé explain, and is far more reliable than the older circuit, The Dual Tone Oscillator is a circuit for demonstrating signalling tones, and can even be uged as a simple blue box. The sheets are 15¢ each(free if you can't afford it). We | also have copies of the Convention schedule(free), including Cap'n Crunch's and Joe Engressia's #'s. YOU DECIDE-> TAP WOULD LIKE TO MAKE. ‘A T-SHIRT FOR You. BuT WE. war youR OPINION, SO WAITE US’ + + HERE ARE. THE CHOICES. — Dear TAP, When using a blue box to call any country which is on the IDDD list, if it has a 2-digit country code you can leave off the zero from in front of the country code ‘once you have obtained a register(i. e.-KP6122074 ST instead of KPO61 22074), It will be treated as a cust- omer-dialed call, which means you won't be able to reach the inward or other operators. If it is a 3-digit country code then it will be automatically treated as a customer-dialed call unless you use a special "op- erator country code" which starts with 0-& has no re- lation to the regular C. C. -H, GORDON LIDDY, NY- ‘To Destructory Assistance- Two IOTC accessable areas are 202 and 713. Any WATS number such as 800-392-XXXXor 800-424-XXxXXto these areas will work. Also 800-447-XXXX. (IOTC means you can box KP 011 country code ST and you'll be automatically routed to the correct 18- sender). Is there a direct route to Moscow off of the 182 sender?(White Plains) I've been get~ ting some overseas point by dialing KP182ST, KP171121ST. It's usually a busy signal (distant) and when I call Japan and ask for Moscow she says it's too early in the morning and they don't answer. * Dial KP713141ST or KP202 141ST and ask for"overseas. routing for Paris France please", or whatever. Ask for IOTC, She'll give you ail the routing instructions(ignore "Mark XXX..."). Call KP713151ST. It's called "Ist at- tempt failure desk" and it will record everything you say to it, Play a radio newscast for them or talk about chone phreaking. -SW, TEXAS- NOTE: You can reach a Moscow Test Center by using overseas sender KP188ST, (although it's supposed to be served by NY4, 183) or IOTC KPO11071ST, then KPO71 095080ST, when the trunk chirps play KPO1 6ST. A Moscow test board will answer. They often speak some foriegn languages(including some poor English). Also, try Israel, 972, or just 72. Here are some cities: - 2-Jerusalem 53-08378-Tul Karem 65-23854-Genin 3-Tel Aviv 53-98373-Nablus 2-97-Hebron 4-Haifa 59-Elat 2-922610-Auja §3-Natania 65-Afula, Nazareth . Dear TAP, Did you know the restricted line feature of many Cen- trex installations can be bypassed? One may usually call outside by dialing 9 for an external dial tone and then dialing the number, provided that it lies in the local area. If more than 7 digits are dialed a record- ing comes on, But this may be bypassed by dialing 9 then 0 followed immediately by the first digit of the # then complete dialing of the number without the area code. When the assistance operator comes on insist that you have been having difficulty, reaching the local mumber even though you've been dialing the area code. ‘Then you ask her to try the numberfor you, billing it to a credit card or the centrex line. This info should be very useful, “JA, NY- Dear TAP, Toll restrictors are usually used at motels that have direct dial out type phones, A typical one will say " Dial 8 for local""Dial 9 for long distance". When you dial 8 or 9 you will get another dial tone and then you can proceed to dial your own local number. Some Phones you can dial info and/or 800 without the oper- ator coming on the line but these are rare and on most types, the operator comes on the line and makes your call. The toll restrictor will not allow you to dial "1" in order to make your own long distance calls. However ‘several of these restrictors only protect the first and Second digits and can be beat in the following way. Dial the one digit shown on the phone to make local calls (usually 8) then dial the first two digits of the exchange you're in plus the digit 1 and you will find a new dial tone and the world at your fingertips. You may dial direct and the motel line is charged for the call, or you may use your favorite box without worry, assuming you have used another name at the register, ~Sparky- Dear TAP, Tam an electronics technician by trade and a past em- Ployee of Pa Bell and Johnny General. I have been a Phreak since 1956 when I made my first free call, The resistance of the ringers is not the factor meas- ured when friendly test board "bridges" your line, The circuit(basically)that they use is as follows: You will re e the circuit as a simple ohmmeter, but why is the voltmeter connected in series?I don't know but Pa measures current with it. 100 volts of short" means a dead short on the line. Zero volts, an In In four home Phone Building x A lot of misc. junk 47 OW WE CATCH RED BOXERS by Milton Moritz, United Telephone System I personally view the red box as a much less dan- gerous item to us than the blue box. The basis for this is as follows: 1, The red box does not work on all pay phones, The electronic tones which it produces match those of the - new "single slot" pay stations. Older pay phones still use the two internal bells to register the coins dropped into the phone. 2, Telephone operators are trained the electronic tones. Our pay stations all produce exactly the same tones. If the red box is slightly out of adjustment, the operator will normally recognize the tone as abnormal and report the call for further inquiry or investigation. 3, Each toll call, whether from a residence phone or pay station, is rated and billed by our computer. The amount of money collected from each pay station is also reported to data processing and a computer printout compares the calls billed te that station against the money collected. When a pay station starts going "short" we immediately check to see if this is electromechanical failure, operator error, data processing problems, int- ernal theft, or external theft, Thieves and cheats are, like the rest of us(our emphasis), creatures of habit, and their activities will form a pattern in a fairly brief period of time," Security Letter is an anti-ripoff newsletter for corp- orations that is itself a ripoff at $48/yr., and wb at- tended our convention last year without permission to rip us off and report on the convention in Telephony, Ed. Robert McCrie'‘s latest issue, we're told, rips off part of Ron Rosenbaum's excellent article from the Village Voice on our second convention. If you happen to be receiving SL, you're wasting your money. ‘The articles are a waste and filled with (stolen)errors. anyway. -TAP, Dear TAP, In a past issue, you told us about Security Letter, and I'sent off for a subscription. Why the fuck didn't you people teli me that they also charge $48 a year for a subscription to their 4-page deal that comes out every 2 weeks. A little hint about sending tele- grams by phone: I sent one to Florida on April 29, and didn't get the bill until September 1. A nice little thing to keep in mind... You mentioned this obliquely in one issue, but I thought I'd clarify it. To get a call for a nickel on a fortress phone: insert a nickel. You will hear a slight change in the background noise. Hold down the hook switch until you hear a very faint click in the handset, about a second. Let up the hookswitch, and you have a dial tone. Unfortunately, the dial will ~ 100 volt test battery 0-100 voltmeter. Polarity Reversing Switch mfd. not be connected, So you have to tap out the number on. the hookswitch, which takes practice. -CS, HOUSTON- cables Dear Persons, (DPDT Center Off) open. Now the important part, the reversing switch. The testboardman flips it back and forth and the bounce of the meter(hook an ordinary ohmmeter to a capacitor and re= verse the leads and you'll see the same effect) lets him estimate the # of ringers. Cruddy insulation, temperature, . and distance from the C, O, affect readings, A key tele- Phone may look like 3 ringers, etc. Capacitance is most important with the D, C. winding resistance next. At one flip per second, coil inductance is very important, too, As for detecting phones without ringers, Pa Bell can't do it, Thave 17 telephones and a key system(I use my own “one bell simulator", 3650ohms and .47 mfd, in series). You can safely connect as many ringerless phones as you like. Peace be with you on the tandems forever(ka-chirp). ~Almon B. Strowger, CA, - NOTE: Connecting extra extensions is in Issue #1, Under the bank Security Act, passed several years ago, all banks that handle checking accounts must make photo copies of all cancelied checks and keep microfilm records in their central records dept. These copies can be inspected on demand by Treasury Dept. agents,_without any warrants whatsoever. When the Fed snoops get around to harrassing radical liber- tarians(individualist anarchists) then I'll be under strong possibility that Big Brother is watohing my financial transactions, Until then, however, I'm not going fo give them @ head start over a miniscule 50¢ check to YIPL. (I'm not saying "I don't care until it hits me"). ACLU, Proxmire and others are fighting the Act, but. Ghairman Patman of the House Banking committe is for it and won't hold hearings on it. RE, NY- NOTE: TAP sts readers send money orders, which need not contain your real name or address. SF CHRONICLE 10/2/73 BEGINNERS ONLY! ' e . e ‘You can now learn about Electronics easily and Ma Bell's Ripoff Warning 222225 =- samp game. company peo- ple said. will certainly be passed onto telephone cus- tomers, Here's what whe phone company has in store for the to pay. thelr Bills, took customers. it describes 6 wrest taepe yenterd “postage offenders": stop “the ‘ghtcemt: Hp © The Post Office.acting , at company arsed yes: antl ow lfercept al ot, will now intercept: cee amar eta, Sah hati ne MYT ib air Snlllion exsto hat does not havea postage mp on it: 4 if the envelope has are- address, carriers will take it back to the sender. colteet eight cents for pos- tage, and ten cents tor han- nd the sender pay anciher eight cents for a new stamp to mail his bill © If there is no return aa- dress, the Post Office will open the envelope in an ef- fort to locate the sender, and, if It can't, postal off Gials will destroy the checks or money orders or return ‘them to issuing agencies to ‘stop payment on them. © Wf ine payment is in cash and there is no return address. the Post Office will eventuaily turh the money over to its general fund i fi ay z (used to pay claims on Io- sured mail). Phone company officials said yesterday that in where the ‘Post Office i mail and is unable to find the sender. the customers ‘wil be considered detin- jue: on their bills, ene teaver louse hold tetephone ball va the Bay Area is $15 per month, the phone company officials admit there.is some risk to the company treasury inthe crackdown, “We don't ‘hin. the second place, we believe our warning will salve the problem.” Pocific Telephone. e stl mating 2 30 per cent in- erease this year in the no- stamp practice, is not alone, ‘of course, in the field. ‘Other ulilities — especial- ly Pacific Gas and Electric Co, — along with banks, in- ‘i hig deporte ores and ‘stores an get cough a slage-due messages from reir most oval customers, Nothing mentioned about many EMPTY (or stuffed with bill envelopes folded). Hal -CALIFORNIA- CORRECTION NEW CORRECT 4 OLD INCORRECT { 8 i 15K 39K One more correction to the Displayed Red Box sheet. a few TAP-type projects and easy-to-read explana~ tions of electricity. By reading this and others com= {ng out each month you'll Learn how to build any of the projects that have boon printed by us in the past, You'll learn how to read schematics, buy parts and mmaierials cheap, safety, ete. You cin no longer say ‘that what we publish is above your head beeause any beginner can learn trom these courses. Wamon are espectally urged to take the course as they usually have fear of electronic concepts and this cource veill bo understood by’all. Low's hear trom you! It's ike a back issue and is £0°,and free Hf you can't afford itflet ua know), Dear TAP, Bell's PR dept. bas free films available on various topics such as TASI, ESS, EDDD. Call up telco bus- iness office, and say you would like to find out about renting phone co. educational films. Put on your best Sunday School voice, and tell them that you're in charge of programming for your church youth group (that's how I found out), If they ask what church, have a name ready, They have a nice brochure, and some of the films are very informative. Have you ever mentioned the fact that out-of-city Phone books can be obtained free from Pa? Just call the business office and say you want to get a phone book for another city. They'll switch you to the rep. for your exchange, Give her the info, and she'li(or he'll) get your name & address. If they ask why you want it, just say that you've just moved from there and have a lot of friends there. When they ask if it's a business or residence, say residence(they charge businesses more). Dear TAP, . Just thought you might be interested in a few pieces of information, First of all, a guy named Dial has invented a He detector that can be used over the phone. Fun, huh? It measures the stress in a per- son's voice. He also said that he had sold them to P,D,'s, Gov't. agencies and Big Corporations! What corporation has more voices to deal with and is larger than our friend Pa? Don't get stressed when calling! Right! For you bugged phreaks, Samuel Line, Jr., Vice-President of a Bell subsidiary in Penn., says, "We have been historically against wire-tapping". However, Bell provides a line to the FBI if needed directly from the_tapee's home. You can beat the simplest type of bug (A trans- _ mitter in the phone's microphone) by ripping a new mic. off from some other phone and replacing your transmitter with it. If you bang,a payphone long enough, the mic, will loosen up. Keep up the good work, Published for informational purposes only by the Technological American Party. -P, ARIZONA- ¢ 22 x TAP, ROOM 418.,152 W.42 ST., N.Y. N.Y.10036