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Dial tone

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754: 539: 199: 1825: 343:'s international subsidiary, first introduced dial tone as a standard facility with the cutover of the 7A Rotary Automatic Machine Switching System at Darlington, England, on 10 October 1914. Dial tone was an essential feature, because the 7A Rotary system was a common control switching system. It used the dial tone to indicate to the user that the switching system was ready to accept digits. 43: 1835: 1814: 1845: 329:
system was ready to accept dialed digits. Each digit was transmitted as it was dialed which caused the switching system to select the desired destination circuit. Modern electronic telephones may store the digits as they are entered, and only switch off-hook to complete the dialing when the subscriber presses a button.
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tone that was amplitude-modulated at 120 Hz. Some dial tones were simply adapted from 60 Hz AC line current. In the UK, the standard Post Office dialing tone was 33 Hz; it was generated by a motor-driven ringing machine in most exchanges and by a vibrating-reed generator in the smaller
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when a subscriber picked up the telephone handset to make a call. The operator answered requesting the destination of the call. When manual exchanges were replaced with automated switching systems, the exchange generated a tone to the caller when the telephone set was picked up, indicating that the
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retired in 1961 it was nearly universal, but the president himself had never encountered a dial tone. When he picked up his own household phone, his assistant had to explain what the strange noise was, as well as show Eisenhower how to use a
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A secondary dial tone is a dial tone-like sound presented to the caller after a call has been set up to prompt for additional digits to be dialed. Secondary dial tones are often used in call queuing and call forwarding systems.
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A soft dial tone or express dial tone may be used when no actual service is active on a line, and normal calls cannot be made. It is maintained only so that an attached phone can dial the
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of 90 Hz. The UK dial tone is similar, but combines 350 Hz and 450 Hz tones instead, creating a 100 Hz beat frequency. Most of
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services do not generate dial tones as no connection is made until the entire number has been specified and transmitted.
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A stutter dial tone is a rapidly interrupted tone used to indicate special service conditions. It may serve as a
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Before modern electronic telephone switching systems came into use, dial tones were usually generated by
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condition is detected. It indicates that the exchange is working and is ready to initiate a
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may also be accessed by technicians in order to facilitate installation or activation.
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In the United States, dial tone was introduced in the 1920s. By the time President
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also play a dial tone to station users. It may be the same type as used by the
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Invented by engineer August Kruckow, the dial tone was first used in 1908 in
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Listen to a dial tone from the United Kingdom of 350 Hz + 450 Hz.
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ones. Some later ringing machines also generated a 50 Hz dial tone.
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Listen to a dial tone from North America of 350 Hz + 440 Hz.
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The Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company (BTMC) in Antwerp, Belgium,
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Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 505:which owns or last leased the line, such as via 187:, requiring the caller to hang up and redial. 783: 649: 307:Listen to a Japanese dial tone of 400 Hz 265:Listen to a European dial tone of 425 Hz 8: 1798:Global telecommunications regulation bodies 286:Listen to a French dial tone of 440 Hz 1834: 790: 776: 768: 656: 642: 634: 127:Learn how and when to remove this message 27:Signal indicating that a call is possible 175:procedure is invoked, often eliciting a 555: 398:nations specifies a combination of two 324:Early telephone exchanges signaled the 251:Example of a current European dial tone 314: 209:Example of a North American dial tone 7: 1844: 65:adding citations to reliable sources 592:"Eisenhower National Historic Site" 469:for voice mail, or indicate that a 563:Engber, Daniel (12 January 2014). 315:Problems playing these files? See 25: 446:public switched telephone network 230:Example of a UK/British dial tone 1843: 1833: 1824: 1823: 1812: 1433:Free-space optical communication 752: 537: 297: 276: 255: 234: 213: 41: 30:For the G.I. Joe character, see 293:Example of a Japanese dial tone 52:needs additional citations for 665:Signaling (telecommunications) 1: 384:North American Numbering Plan 272:Example of a French dial tone 1819:Telecommunication portal 1600:Telecommunications equipment 1336:Alexander Stepanovich Popov 1886: 1040:Telecommunications history 565:"Who Made That Dial Tone?" 509:. Other functions such as 487:emergency telephone number 29: 1807: 1648:Public Switched Telephone 1460:telecommunication circuit 1421:Fiber-optic communication 1166:Francis Blake (telephone) 961:Optical telecommunication 749: 731:Multi-frequency signaling 726:Dual-tone multi-frequency 671: 467:message-waiting indicator 1559:Orbital angular-momentum 996:Satellite communications 835:Communications satellite 706:Special information tone 438:Private branch exchanges 177:special information tone 1438:Molecular communication 1261:Gardiner Greene Hubbard 1090:Undersea telegraph line 825:Cable protection system 741:Signalling System No. 7 617:"Dial Tone – Elmer Cat" 161:private branch exchange 1580:Communication protocol 1366:Charles Sumner Tainter 1181:Walter Houser Brattain 1126:Edwin Howard Armstrong 934:Information revolution 736:Signaling System No. 5 503:local exchange carrier 202: 1554:Polarization-division 1286:Narinder Singh Kapany 1251:Erna Schneider Hoover 1171:Jagadish Chandra Bose 1151:Alexander Graham Bell 882:online video platform 759:Telephones portal 598:on September 23, 2009 544:Telephones portal 442:key telephone systems 410:, as well as much of 201: 1396:Vladimir K. Zworykin 1356:Almon Brown Strowger 1326:Charles Grafton Page 981:Prepaid mobile phone 909:Electrical telegraph 477:has been activated. 348:Dwight D. Eisenhower 326:switchboard operator 61:improve this article 32:Dial Tone (G.I. Joe) 1346:Johann Philipp Reis 1105:Wireless revolution 1067:The Telephone Cases 924:Hydraulic telegraph 452:Secondary dial tone 1544:Frequency-division 1521:Telephone exchange 1391:Charles Wheatstone 1321:Jun-ichi Nishizawa 1296:Innocenzo Manzetti 1231:Reginald Fessenden 966:Optical telegraphy 799:Telecommunications 570:The New York Times 422:Cellular telephone 203: 183:, followed by the 157:telephone exchange 1870:Telephony signals 1857: 1856: 1595:Store and forward 1590:Data transmission 1504:Network switching 1455:Transmission line 1301:Guglielmo Marconi 1266:Internet pioneers 1131:Mohamed M. Atalla 1100:Whistled language 765: 764: 461:Stutter dial tone 380:Precise Tone Plan 360:electromechanical 302: 281: 260: 239: 218: 181:intercept message 137: 136: 129: 111: 16:(Redirected from 1877: 1847: 1846: 1837: 1836: 1827: 1826: 1817: 1816: 1815: 1688:Notable networks 1678:Wireless network 1618:Cellular network 1610:Types of network 1585:Computer network 1472:Network topology 1386:Thomas A. Watson 1241:Oliver Heaviside 1226:Philo Farnsworth 1201:Daniel Davis Jr. 1176:Charles Bourseul 1136:John Logie Baird 845:Data compression 840:Computer network 792: 785: 778: 769: 757: 756: 755: 658: 651: 644: 635: 628: 627: 625: 623: 613: 607: 606: 604: 603: 588: 582: 581: 579: 577: 560: 542: 541: 540: 433:Second dial tone 364:motor-generators 362:devices such as 341:Western Electric 304: 303: 283: 282: 262: 261: 241: 240: 220: 219: 200: 153:telephony signal 132: 125: 121: 118: 112: 110: 69: 45: 37: 21: 1885: 1884: 1880: 1879: 1878: 1876: 1875: 1874: 1860: 1859: 1858: 1853: 1813: 1811: 1803: 1745: 1682: 1604: 1568: 1525: 1474: 1466: 1407: 1400: 1306:Robert Metcalfe 1161:Tim Berners-Lee 1109: 929:Information Age 801: 796: 766: 761: 753: 751: 745: 701:Disconnect tone 667: 662: 632: 631: 621: 619: 615: 614: 610: 601: 599: 590: 589: 585: 575: 573: 562: 561: 557: 552: 538: 536: 523: 483: 481:Soft dial tones 475:call forwarding 471:calling feature 463: 454: 435: 430: 322: 321: 313: 311: 310: 309: 308: 305: 298: 295: 289: 288: 287: 284: 277: 274: 268: 267: 266: 263: 256: 253: 247: 246: 245: 242: 235: 232: 226: 225: 224: 221: 214: 211: 204: 198: 193: 133: 122: 116: 113: 70: 68: 58: 46: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1883: 1881: 1873: 1872: 1862: 1861: 1855: 1854: 1852: 1851: 1841: 1831: 1821: 1808: 1805: 1804: 1802: 1801: 1794: 1789: 1784: 1779: 1774: 1773: 1772: 1767: 1759: 1753: 1751: 1747: 1746: 1744: 1743: 1738: 1733: 1728: 1723: 1718: 1713: 1708: 1703: 1698: 1692: 1690: 1684: 1683: 1681: 1680: 1675: 1670: 1665: 1660: 1655: 1650: 1645: 1640: 1635: 1630: 1625: 1620: 1614: 1612: 1606: 1605: 1603: 1602: 1597: 1592: 1587: 1582: 1576: 1574: 1570: 1569: 1567: 1566: 1561: 1556: 1551: 1546: 1541: 1539:Space-division 1535: 1533: 1527: 1526: 1524: 1523: 1518: 1517: 1516: 1511: 1501: 1500: 1499: 1489: 1484: 1478: 1476: 1468: 1467: 1465: 1464: 1463: 1462: 1452: 1451: 1450: 1440: 1435: 1430: 1429: 1428: 1418: 1412: 1410: 1402: 1401: 1399: 1398: 1393: 1388: 1383: 1378: 1376:Camille Tissot 1373: 1368: 1363: 1358: 1353: 1351:Claude Shannon 1348: 1343: 1341:Tivadar Puskás 1338: 1333: 1328: 1323: 1318: 1313: 1311:Antonio Meucci 1308: 1303: 1298: 1293: 1288: 1283: 1281:Charles K. 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Retrieved 611: 600:. Retrieved 596:the original 586: 574:. Retrieved 568: 558: 484: 464: 455: 436: 420: 377: 357: 345: 338: 331: 323: 173:partial dial 144: 140: 138: 123: 114: 104: 97: 90: 83: 71: 59:Please help 54:verification 51: 1731:NPL network 1443:Radio waves 1381:Alfred Vail 1291:Hedy Lamarr 1276:Dawon Kahng 1236:Elisha Gray 1196:Yogen Dalal 1121:Nasir Ahmed 1055:Teleprinter 919:Heliographs 691:Busy signal 532:Busy signal 353:rotary dial 336:, Germany. 117:August 2007 76:"Dial tone" 1777:Antarctica 1736:Toasternet 1658:Television 1141:Paul Baran 1073:Television 1057:(teletype) 1050:Telegraphy 1028:transistor 1006:Phryctoria 976:Photophone 954:Smartphone 944:Mass media 622:11 January 602:2010-09-06 576:10 January 550:References 473:, such as 440:(PBXs) or 334:Hildesheim 317:media help 155:sent by a 87:newspapers 1761:Americas 1750:Locations 1721:Internet2 1482:Bandwidth 1186:Vint Cerf 1083:streaming 1061:Telephone 1001:Semaphore 892:streaming 676:Dial tone 489:(such as 396:Caribbean 368:vibrators 141:dial tone 1864:Category 1829:Category 1716:Internet 1706:CYCLADES 1623:Ethernet 1573:Concepts 1497:terminal 1448:wireless 1271:Bob Kahn 1114:Pioneers 939:Internet 830:Cable TV 716:Zip tone 681:Ringtone 521:See also 511:ringback 428:Variants 382:for the 165:off-hook 18:Dialtone 1849:Commons 1839:Outline 1792:Oceania 1711:FidoNet 1696:ARPANET 1509:circuit 1078:digital 807:History 721:2600 Hz 386:of the 355:phone. 191:History 179:and an 151:) is a 147:in the 101:scholar 1787:Europe 1757:Africa 1741:Usenet 1701:BITNET 1638:Mobile 1514:packet 1023:MOSFET 1018:device 815:Beacon 416:Africa 408:Europe 392:Canada 103:  96:  89:  82:  74:  1770:South 1765:North 1726:JANET 1663:Telex 1653:Radio 1492:Nodes 1487:Links 1408:media 986:Radio 971:Pager 899:Drums 865:video 860:image 850:audio 507:6-1-1 400:tones 108:JSTOR 94:books 1782:Asia 1668:UUCP 1628:ISDN 624:2021 578:2014 515:ANAC 414:and 80:news 1673:WAN 1643:NGN 1633:LAN 914:Fax 855:DCT 513:or 499:999 497:or 495:112 491:911 366:or 159:or 63:by 1866:: 567:. 493:, 390:, 388:US 372:Hz 149:UK 139:A 1800:) 1796:( 791:e 784:t 777:v 657:e 650:t 643:v 626:. 605:. 580:. 319:. 143:( 130:) 124:( 119:) 115:( 105:· 98:· 91:· 84:· 57:. 34:. 20:)

Index

Dialtone
Dial Tone (G.I. Joe)

verification
improve this article
adding citations to reliable sources
"Dial tone"
news
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books
scholar
JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message
UK
telephony signal
telephone exchange
private branch exchange
off-hook
telephone call
partial dial
special information tone
intercept message
off-hook tone
Example of a North American dial tone
Example of a UK/British dial tone
Example of a current European dial tone
Example of a French dial tone
Example of a Japanese dial tone
media help
switchboard operator

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