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A dial tone (known in the British Isles as a '''dialling tone''') is a Telephony Signal used to indicate that the Telephone Exchange is working and ready to accept a Call . The tone stops when the first Numeral is Dial ed, or if there is no response after going Off-hook (a Timeout ), when it is usually followed by a Special Information Tone . When Automate d Telephone systems were first being deployed, Telephone Companies noticed that customers were often confused by the apparent lack of response (before this, a Telephone Operator would answer), and would often assume the phone was not working. To avoid this, exchange systems would play a small buzzing sound into the line instead. Before modern electronic Telephone Switch ing systems came into use, dial tones were usually generated by Electromechanical means; in the United States, the standard "city" dial tone consisted of a 600 Hz tone amplitude-modulated at 120 Hz. Some dial tones were simply adapted from 60 Hz AC line current. In the UK, the standard Post Office dial tone was 33 Hz: this was generated by a motor-driven ringing machine in most exchanges, and by a vibrating-reed generator in the smallest. The modern dial tone varies between Countries , being a "buzz" of two Interfering Tone s (350 Hz and 440 Hz, as defined in the Precise Tone Plan ) in the NANP (most of North America ), and a constant single tone (425 Hz) in most of Europe . Modem s, Fax Machine s, and Autodialer s must be Design ed to recognise these so-called Call-progress Tone s, as well as comply with differing Standard s and Regulation s. Private or internal PBX or Key Phone System also have their own dial tone, sometimes the same as the external PSTN one, and sometimes different to remind users to dial a prefix for an outside Line . A " Stutter ed" or interrupted dial tone may mean that there is Voice Mail waiting, or may occur to confirm that a Calling Feature such as Call Forwarding has been activated. Mobile Phone s do not have dial tones, as the user instead presses "send" to actually go Off-hook and complete the call once the desired phone number is entered. An experienced Guitar player will be able to tune their instrument to a U.S. dial tone, since its two frequencies correspond to the standard Concert Pitch "A" of 440 Hz, and (approximately) the "F" below.
"SOFT" DIAL TONES A "soft" '''dial tone''' is audibly the same as a regular one, except that there is no actual Service active on the line, and normal calls cannot be made. It is maintained only so that an attached phone can dial the Emergency Telephone Number (such as 9-1-1 or 1-1-2 ), in compliance with the Law in most places. It can sometimes call the Business Office of the Carrier Company which owns or last Lease d the line, such as via 6-1-1 . Other functions such as Ringback or ANAC may also be accessed by Technician s in order to facilitate Installation or Activation . Often, a new Telephone Number is assigned to the line so that it can function, but callback is restricted, and End-user s do not know the number. These numbers may be outside the normal range used for regular lines, potentially causing trouble when Telephone Numbering Plan s are changed. Deactivated lines can also be maintained with no dial tone at all, while still connected to and powered by the switch. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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