TAP No. 36 - Ultimate (hah!) Red Box, TEL Update, Discovering Unlisted Numbers

QUESTION What do you suppose old Alex really said when he spilled the acid on himself? Could it be that History's first phone call was an obscene one?! Agent 038 {If you didn't understand it, we will explain it in a future issue.) ULTIMATE RED BOX by AlBelt JUNE 1976 NO.36 SPST Momentary Pushbuttons = Ground (Negative end of 9 volt battery) NEN ‘The circuit is easy to build on perf-board, and cheap Ve LM oO ‘Transistor because the most expensive part, the XR-2240, costs ve fe under $3,00 at most mail-order electronics stores (the Our our E l. 8 Stores are listed in TAP Course B and Issue 29), Top v e To tune the two oscillators, disconnect one at a time by v= View ¥" Bottom View removing one end of its 15K resistor, and then tune the other oscillator for its proper frequency with a frequency Resistors - 1/4 watt, 10% counter or any of the methods outlined in Issues 7, 12, Op-Amp - 741CV (National, Signetics, etc.) or 16. Do the same for the other oscillator. Of course, Capacitors are in mfd. Values above . 5 mfd determining the pitch of an oscillator that's gating on are electrolytic, 15 volts or more. Observe and off is not easy, so for tuning connect the top of the proper polarity in these units, 3 15K resistor right to V+ and a constant tone will result. ae a pna-signal silicon, 1N914, 1N4002, More information on calibrating frequency sources will be Po oe cOK i 10 or 20 turn trimpots given in upcoming articles. Timer. a ema 0 or bi pots, ‘The circuit runs quite well on a standard 9 volt battery or Patan Sonate by Exar. t the small 8,2 volt cells now becoming popular. _ . ash * momentary, 5p s.t The speed at which the tones gate on and off is determined ‘ood units made by Alco, Grayhill and C&K. by the resistance to pin 13, In the schematic, the 5, 6K resistor controls the 5¢ and 10¢ gating speed, while the This is the Ultra-new Red Box that uses the new Exar 8. 2K resistor determines the speed of the 25¢ tones. Of programmable counter-timer. This Red Box is different course, with this circuit the speeds can be ¢ ‘and from all others in that it actually counts to 1, 2, or 5 as the number of pulses (1, 2 or 5) will remain oaeae the the case may be. The old versions, you may recall, same. Neat, huh? would produce a time "window" that the user would ° ’ adjust to allow the required number of pulses to fit in. This adjustment, if done carelessly, would allow © Youth Hot Line Reports, Inc. 1976 - Do not*make checks 5 1/2 or 4 1/2 pulses on the 25¢ tone, for example. out to Youth Hot Line Reports, PLEASE! Movement groups This circuit incorporates the new dual tones that are may reprint without permission with TAP's address given rapidly becoming the standard throughout the country, with all credits. Please send us a copy of reprinted work. 1700 Hz and 2200 Hz. Warning: We will prosecute copyright violators. ODDS & ENDS by TOM EDISON THE TAP T-SHIRTS ARE FINALLY HERE!!! The cost is $4. The TAP T-shirts are white with black TAP logo. We're only making a few so order right away. Make sure you are "HIP TO YIP" this summer at the Democratic National Convention! Please make all checks payable to TAP, I received a request from a reader in West Virginia in- quiring how to connect your own battery to my Automatic Black Box (See issue #33) for increased volume. I sent him a possible solution and he wrote back informing me that the circuit is working well: + RING Z=56 volt zener 5 watts R D=diode 100 piv DPDT =6-24 volt battery KOhm Pot, audio taper with on-off switch ‘The standard 10 K ohm resistor is NOT needed. The capacitor passes the audio but blocks the DC voltage which results in an "on-hook" condition. The 1 K ohm pot gives you 2 level control for YOUR voice. And speaking of Black Box modifications here's a circuit sent in by a reader from Brooklyn, N. Y. on how to connect a phone answering device to the Auto Black Box: Z=56 volt zener 5 watts Dediode 100 piv lamp DPDT R=10 KOhm resistor, 1/2 watt C=1 MFD capacitor, 100 wvDC ‘The device is connected between the two diodes but please note that only answering devices equipped with A & Al terminals can be connected this way. Only the better machines have these terminals clearly marked. On the el cheapo equipment they are either not available or hidden. Check out the schematic diagram that usually comes with the answering device and you may be able to find these two unused terminals, In my "Odds & Ends" last month I told how to use your MF Red Box but I failed to mention a very important point. You will recall that Pa Bell is now having operators check o determine if coins are being deposited so it is now necessary to redeposit a slug to reset the coin relay and get at least one real "beep" and then "beep" the balance with your Red Box, It is now more important than ever to have your Red Box on frequency. If the operator hears a tone difference she'll know you're boxing. Also, you should know if the pay phone you're using has the new MF tone generator set on one or two tones. It's doubtful if the operators know which pay phones are single tone and which are MF tones but if you use a new MF Red Box on a Single tone pay phone the operator sure as hell will know you're boxing if you deposit a slug to get one real "official Bell" beep and then beep the balance with MF tones. To determine if the corner pay phone is le or MF tone have a friend call from the pay phone and Black Box the call. Now have him deposit coins. He won't hear anything because the earpiece is shorted but you will hear the beeps and can easily tell if they're single or MF tone. And because you're boxing the call he'll get all deposited coins back when he hangs up. Since you're actually testing the pay phone for an out of tune condition Pa Bell should be glad to foot the bill, don't you agree? TELEPHONE ELECTRONICS LINE, better known as TEL, has lost its suit wi was forced to ‘commit the unpardonable sin of turning over their mail- ing list to PT&T. (We don't intend TAP subscribers to suffer the same fate. Only one person has access to the mailing list. He and it are being wired to self-destruct in the case of attack ) The Gestapo tactics of PT&T's in- security department has included the mailing of a threat note telling all TEL subscribers to not only remove all "foreign" equipment from their phone but demanding that all back issues of TEL and related TEL publications be destroyed! They've got fuckin'balls! Asking to remove homemade equipment is one thing but demanding that printed information be destroyed just reeks of 1984,8-1, and Fahrenheit 4511! While TEL left much to be desired and at best can only be considered an illegitimate offspring of TAP they are nevertheless to be applauded for printing information that apparently pissed off PT&T enough to take them to court, My own gut reaction to the tactics of PT&T can be sumed up in two words: Phuck youl For you customers "served" by P&T may I suggest that you look to GT&E or some other independent telephone company for all your future business. And for all TEL subscribers who received PT&T's threat note, may I suggest that you either roll it up and smoke a joint in it or keep it handy in the smallest room in your house and put it to good use whenever you get the urge from Mother Nature, Ever have Pa Bell charge you for a long distance call that you never made? This annoyance is due to the usual billing incompetence of Bell and due to a new breed of telephone linemen who are misusing that staple of the Phone company, the lineman's test set. You know the one I'm talking about. The blue handset with the dial built into the earpiece and the special "roach" clips with center spikes for easy access to, thick rubber insulated wires. Ever wonder what the hell they're doing on the pole for such a long time? They're calling their friends using your phone line, With bis test set all he has to do is clip onto a pair of wires, wait for dial tone, and dial away. Bell is trying to keep this growing occurance under wraps but news of this abuse has leaked out. Here's some more good news, Litton Industries has recently sued Pa Bell for $333 million in damages charging Bell of monopolizing the manufacture, distribution, sale- rental and leasing of terminal equipment. Good luck Litton! And speaking about blasting Big Brother Bell, let me add my 2¢ worth. On March 18, 1976 the FCC, in one of the smartest decisions they've ever made, ruled that subscribers could legally own and connect terminal equipment to their phone lines, Basically this meant that you could buy and own @ phone and hook it yourself to your phone line. Bell panicked -at the thought of all the money they'd loose in equipment rentals, You cannot legally own Bell equipment and before you start screaming about all the different types of "Fun- Fones" currently being "sold" by Bell let me remind you that the only part of those phones that you really own is the plastic housing, Bell retains ownership to all the components including earpiece, mouthpiece, dial or touch tone pad, ringer, network, and all connecting cords. So if you want to spend $60 for a piece of plastic, go ahead! For the first time people in authority are beginning to question the necessity of Bell's monopoly, Bell finally realizes that Washington and the public aren't going to be snowed by Bell bull shit any longer! Bell recently launched a three prong counter attack. First, pressure was put on ‘Washington and the FCC by Bell's powerful lobby. Second, TELENEWS, Bell's propaganda handout inclosed with your ‘phone bill, carried editorials denouncing the attack on its monopoly and warning that you will get worse service (if that's possible) and a higher phone bill if Bell has to compete with other companies. And third, Bell went to its stockholders and warned them that if they didn't get off their fat asses and write their Congressmen (who are probably too busy screwing their secretaries!) in support of any and all pro Bell legislation the dividends would be smaller than whale shit and would undoubtable force many stockholders to collect welfare. The results of this campaign have been moderately successful. ‘The FCC ruling has been appealed and temporarily shelved. Bell is continuing to claim that its monopoly is necessary to maintain service. Bell also claims that it looses money on every private line phone and needs the revenues it gets from the rental of extra equipment to subsidise this loss. Bull shit! ‘The majority of Bell customers have only one line so based on their own statement Bell should be broke. Not so! Bell's profit for 1976 is up 17. 6% over last year. And as for Bell's claim that telephone equipment manufactured by independent companies is not compatible with Bell system equipment again I say bull shit! You can connect just about any telephone made after 1900 on to your phone line and it will work. And as for the independent companies making telephones, they are ALL better than anything made by Pa Bell. I havea candlestick-roaring twenty's phone that I bought from Lafayette Radio Electronics. It's made by a company in Italy and is far superior to the one made by Bell and what's more I own every piece of it, not just the plastic housing! Another game the linemen like to play is listening to your conversations and because of the special "Monitor" switch which puts the test set in series with a 1 MFD capacitor there's no telltale click when the lineman connects his "roach" clips across your line. And even the Snoop Detector (See issue #29) will NOT indicate a "Monitor" snoop on your line due to the fact that the test set in the monitor position draws NO DC current. Why let just the lineman have all the fun? Lineman's test sets are legally available, Check with your independent phone dealer. Remember, your friends are only a "roach" clip away. If this were the 1890's I would not be so anti-monopoly because manufacturing standards were crude and with the many independent telephone companies around at the time all making their own phones, standardized equipment would be difficult to obtain: But today, with the wealth of technology available, standardization of all telephone equipment regardless of manufacturers is no problem. When you want a 100 watt light bulb you don't care if it's made by GE, Westinghouse, Sylvania, or any other manufacturer because they're all compatible with one another. How dare Bell claim that only Western Electric can make "usable" phone equipment! !1 And speaking of Western Electric, what the hell are they doing spending my money advertising on "@0 Minutes", which recently has had some excellent segments on acquiring false YD and ripping off the unemployment insurance game while living like a king in Florida. The purpose of TV advertising is to get you to buy the advertised product but since you cannot buy. from Western Electric why are they spending money obtained by increasing my telephone bill? If they want to advertise, let Bell pay for it by robbing the stochholders pocket instead of the public's! And if the reduced dividend ‘means that some of you rich capitalist bastards might actually have to work for your money, tough shitil! . ‘There has been much propaganda by Pa Bell recently on the need for their interface coupling device required to connect any non-Bell equipment to your phone line. As usual, Bell's argument.is pure 100€ bull shit! Your telephone does not generate any electricity. It uses power supplied by the local CO. The worst thing that can happen in electronics is a dead short. Do you know what would happen if you shorted your two phone lines together? You'd get a dial tone on the line! No sparks, flame, smoke or fireworks-just a dial tone! Wake up people! Don't believe ANYTHING Pa Bell says and don't be afraid to experiment with YOUR phone. Remember, playing with your phone is half the fun of having the damn thing in the first place! . I've been informed by readers that Ballantine’ Books, publishers of I'M SORRY, THE MONOPOLY YOU HAVE DIS NOT IN SE! » are no longer in service themselves. I'm sorry to have whetted so many appetites for a book that's out of print. I'll try and make it up to you by recommending a better book next issue. My thanks to all TAP readers who wrote in to expose my goof. Smart asses! Congratulations to all recent Jr. High, Sr. High, and college grads. Have a fun filled summer and remember, don't get caught! We'll see you in the Fall with our "Back To School" issue. are 50 cach, 40¢ each if you order a full Sat See previous issues for list of feature articles. = 10 issues - US bulk rate M4. ‘U8 First Class in plain sealed envelope $0. Canada stapled $6 Foreqn #7. ARSE Gilitg abel or xerox copy when writing to TAP thou your aubeeripon. ‘Book - Monopoly $1.20 MeGPTetta A Beste Bloctricty B- A.C. QP ER mooce Operation D- Amplifiers Serd Qnly check or money orsr (NO CASH) to, TAP, 1&2 W 42 Street, Room 504, New York 10030 ‘This is a mail drop only. Office: 1201 Broadway, Rogm 608, New York 10001 Hours: Wednesday, 4-7pm. S-1 UPDATE ‘S11 Tn Deep Trouble S.1. the gargantuan and oppressive ‘ro- vision and recodlfication” of the Federal Criminal Code, is n sortous trouble ahd Wt ‘now appears that chances for this ‘your ara quite poor. Politics can bi sur Pronies ter ‘poutble, but ft rw ap- ‘are ol tt now a Poors that St will got bo muscled through ‘even the Senate judiciary Commniiten, ‘Among the compromisos accepted sivtpeuon wos parial Socket, zation of possession of small amoonts of marijuans, repoal of the 1940 Smith Act, and cutbacks in the number of crimes for ‘Watergate Defensa” which would have prosecution tay thought thn were wa Ing on Iawful orders from superiors. The provision making itacrimstodivulge clas- 4sifled information would also have boon dropped. ‘The key to success for opponents of 5.1 ‘was thelr insistence on having the entire bill returned fo subcommitton.ts be rawrit- ten trom scratch, Insteed of dropping thelr dbjections after S.1 proponents made some compromises. This required parsaveranca, for some of the were tempt- ing, and most politicians, suckled on the necessity of compromise, had to fight thetr Inetincta, ‘Tho Importance of SA In its pravnt orm enn be sumed bray ‘Traditional, American Constitutlonal while ‘opposit iret aanteetcy benavalant force, and should have the authority needed to do what theagents of and the govarament thfek bast foe the poop. ‘Wo noed not concern oursalves too much about amblguitios in tha law which could ead to abuses af pawar, becauso most gov- ernment are sincera peoplo who, ‘want what's bost for the country and have? tho wisdom and training todo what's best. Abridged from Libertarian Party News ‘This is no cause to relax. It'll probably be back next year, ina slightly less objectionable version. ASK Mr, PHELPS Q. My ex-husband has custody of our children and has an unlisted phone number. How can I find out his number? A, There are several ways which I will describe, but first you'll have to bear with me for a few paragraphs. You realize, Iam sure, that you are asking me to show you how to violate someone else's privacy. It is most unfortunate that people get into’such situations. If you had it all to do over again, knowing how it might end up, would you have had the children? I realize that it is too late for you, So the following is directed at everyone else out there, before they are caught.in"The Baby Trap? Read this excel- wat book by Ellen Peck before you make a mistake you might regret for twenty years or more. Why have children? There's a surplus of people so they're not needed; they're incredibly expensive and offer negligible return; they'll occupy all of your time; they won't thank you - you might even produce another Alexander Portnoy. The number of children being born with birth defects is signifi- cant (probably caused by all the chemicals we eat and breathe) ‘so why play the game when the odds are so poor? You shoot craps with the DNA code, and if you lose, Big Brother says "Sorry, you are stuck with it! “As for parental urges, these ‘can be satisfied by regular visits to friends with children, When you are satiated (fed up) with them, you can leave and revel in the fact that you gan leave. I want to make it perfectly clear (where have I heard that before?) that I do not condone your intended action and am describing the procedures only as an exercise. Just about all of the methods are illegal. ‘You haven't mentioned whether the subject lives in a house or an apartment, but the procedures are similar. Everyone should know one, or two, or more, enterprising Telco employees. It is 4 simple matter for him (or her) or even a skilled amateur to tap the phone and get the number from the operator. In the old days, before all operators (in this area, anyway) were TSPS opefators (Traffic Service Position System"), it was necessary to call a verification number. But now he simply dials the operator and says: “Operator, frameman Gr switchman/ testing. What number am I coming in on?" She has the number on a LED readout. Another method (which is a Federal rap) would be to inter- cept his mail. If it remains in an accessible box all day, you could check it daily and steal Kis phone bill when it arrives. Or you might be able to see the number thru the envelope and not have to steal it. Unless you are on very good terms with his mailman (Maybe I should say "intimate terms"), he probably won't want to be an accessory, or it would be simple. If you are acquainted with a burglar, he could do his thing and note the number on the phone while he's there. ‘The least esthetic possibility is the A, J. Weberman bit. You've never heard of A.J. ? Well, I don't think you've missed much. I heard him once on the radio and every other phrase was "Ya know?" He's sort of a modern archeologist who digs into celebrities' garbage and reports his discoveries. If you get to the subject's garbage regularly, just before it is picked up, you might find a discarded portion of a bill, unless he is the kind of person who saves all old bills. T would suggest that you come to some sort of an arrange- ment with him, but I don't want to sound like Dear Abby. IDIOT OF THE MONTH SHAPE HALL Frank B walking around with his chest stuck out to here. On December 15 an carly Christmas sift in the form of an 8 Ib. 4 oz. bundle of joy was delivered, They have named her Andrea Lorretty, ‘This makes it the fifth child for the B ‘s, four girls and one boy. 20% of the Local's members are out of work, including this idiot, so he and his brood sow have another one! Remember that every Bowery bum and 8th Avenue hooker ‘was once an innocent, newborn "bundle of joy". What went wrong? FANTASIA is Back! Or should be, on its annual visit, by the time you read this. If you've seen it, you understand my enthusiasm. If you've never seen it, DO ITI Seeing it straight is like seeing it in black and white. I'm certainly not about to encourage anyone to break the law (who, me?}, but if you're planning on taking another trip, or are considering losing your psychopharmaceutical virginity, there are few better times and places that I can think of. Enjoy! A BOY AND HIS DOG is not a Walt Disney film. I read the novella by Harlan Ellison years ago and was delighted to see it appear asa movie. It is "an R rated, rather kinky tale of survival", T will not reveal the ending. Being familiar with it, I was able to Savor the audience's reactions. Thank you, Harlan. ‘Thank you for all of your stories. FEA computer pyyistes for iniormational purposes only by Youth Hot.Line Reports, Inc. tapped in theft BALTINORE, (AP) Sat ame ‘programmer, it was: described as the “white collar crime of ‘the future,” has been convicted of stea!- ‘ing classified information from the com- poter banks of the Federal Energy Ad- ‘ministration. ‘The ent said Bertram Seidlitz, 131, used a computer terminal attached to {us telephone to tap the FEA central com poter banks and extract 39 rolls of prin- ‘touts containing the agency's top-secret US. Aug. Jervis S. Pinney sald oo fy luted from the compte tanks of ms headquortered agency. Bat with the |, Seidlitz had free access to any FEA classified Information, including sensitive data on offshore cil fret leases and. energy” development 36 From The News Tribune Address all mail and checks to TAP, ROOM 504, 152 W. 42 ST.,NY10036 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 209 Great Neck, N.Y.