BY: MARK TABAS
AS POSTED ON THE GREEK INN BBS
312-774-2035
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HELLO,
LATELY, I HAVE BEEN QUESTIONED ABOUT THE SUBJECT OF BOXING INTO THE SOVIET
UNION. WHILE I AM BY NO MEANS AN EXPERT IN THIS, I HAVE PICKED UP A FEW
THINGS.
STANDARD DIALING TO RUSSIA WOULD BEGIN SOMETING LIKE THIS:
IF ALL WENT WELL, YOU WOULD BE ROUTED INTO RUSSIA AS AN OPERATOR-ASSISTED
CALL. (BY THE WAY, THE NUMBER ABOVE IS THE KREMLIN). HOWEVER, SINCE ALL IS
NOT WELL BETWEEN US AND THE SOVIETS, YOU WILL PROBABLY GET A RECORDING. THIS
WILL GO SOMETHING LIKE, "INTERNATIONAL DIRECT-DIAL SERVICE IS NO LONGER
AVAILABLE TO THE SOVIET UNION..." OR, "DUE TO CIRCUT CONGESTION IN THE COUNTRY
YOU DIALED, YOUR CALL DID NOT COMPLETE..."
THESE RECORDINGS, HOWEVER, LIE. THEY ARE MERELY PLACED THERE TO DETER THE
BLUE BOXER. HE HEARS THEM AND THEN, BELIEVING THEM, GIVES UP.
SEE, THE LAST THING THAT AT&T AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IN GENERAL NEED IS A
BUNCH OF 11-YEAR-OLD BLUE BOXERS CALLING RUSSIA AND SAYING SOMETHING LIKE:
"HA HA, YOU FORNICATING COMMY PINKOS,WE'RE GONNA BOMB THE HELL OUT OF YOU!"
SO, THEY MAKE IT *VERY* DIFFICULT TO BOX THE CALL. AS I SAID BEFORE, THE
RECORDINGS THAT YOU GET ARE FAKES. WHEN NORMAL TSPS PLACE A CALL TO RUSSIA
(LEGALLY), THEY MUST CONTEND WITH THE SAME RECORDING, ONLY INTERNATIONAL HAS
THIS NEAT EQUIPMENT THAT KEEPS DIALING THE NUMBER OVER AND OVER AND OVER UNTIL
THE CALL GOES THROUGH. THIS NORMALLY TAKES A FEW HOURS. IT WOULD TAKE YOU A
YEAR ON A BLUE BOX. THIS IS WHY WHEN YOU ATTEMPT TO PLACE A LEGAL CALL TO THE
U.S.S.R., IOCC (TSPS) WILL TELL YOU THAT THERE IS A 2-3 HOUR DELAY. OFTEN IT
IS MORE THAN THAT, IF THEY HAVE A LINE OF CALLS.
TO HAVE IOCC PLACE A CALL, ONE WOULD BOX KP+160+700+ST FOR RUSSIA. THIS WILL
GIVE YOU AN IOCC OPERATOR WHO ASKS FOR COUNTRY, CITY AND NUMBER, AND A BILLING
NUMBER (THINKING THAT YOU ARE TSPS YOURSELF). THEN THEY WANT A CUSTOMER
RINGBACK NUMBER (LOOP OR PAYFONE, IF YOU PLAN TO HANG AROUND FOR A FEW HOURS OR
SO). HOWEVER, ON CALLS TO OTHER COUNTRIES, THEY WILL CONNECT YOU DIRECTLY AND
DO NOT REQUIRE RINGBACK.
IOCC COUNTRY ROUTINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
KP+011+XXX+ST, WHERE XXX IS THE COUNTRY CODE PADDED TO THE *RIGHT* WITH ZEROS.
TO CONTINUE ABOUT IOCC ROUTINGS, THE COUNTRY CODE IS PADDED TO THE RIGHT WITH
ZEROS. THUS, AUSTRALIA (COUNTRY CODE OF 61) WOULD BECOME 610, AND THE ROUTING
WOULD BE KP+160+610+ST.
THIS MESSAGE HASN'T SAID MUCH SINCE I HAVEN'T TOLD HOW TO BOX A CALL TO
RUSSIA, I'VE JUST TALKED ABOUT ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH CALLING THERE. THAT'S
BECAUSE IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DO. UNLESS YOU ARE VERY PATIENT AND FEEL
LIKE TRYING TO BOX IT ABOUT 5000 TIMES BEFORE YOU FINALLY GET THROUGH (IN WHICH
CASE IT WOULD BE BUSY ANYWAY) THEN YOU NEED THE HELP OF THE BELL SYSTEM OR
POSSIBLY SOME INFERIORS LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE IRON CURTAIN.
TO PLACE A CALL TO RUSSIA, OTHER THAN GOING THROUGH IOCC, ONE MIGHT TRY TO
CONTACT SOME SORT OF INWARD SOMEWHERE, LIKE YUGOSLAVIA (KARL MARX'S
SUGGESTION), OR MAYBE EAST GERMANY. TO BEGIN WITH, CALL RATE & ROUTE FOR THE
IOTC ROUTING (SAY YOU ARE ON CORDBOARD) FOR INWARD IN YUGOSLAVIA. SHE'LL SAY
SOMETHING LIKE "038 PLUS BLAH-BLAH-BLAH" SO YOU WOULD BOX KP+011+038+ST, WAIT
FOR INT'L TONE, THEN DIAL KP+0+38+BLAH BLAH BLAH+121+ST. THAT SHOULD GET YOU
INWARD, YUGOSLAVIA, WHO SPEAKS LITTLE OR NO ENGLISH AND IS AT BEST UNPLEASANT
TO DEAL WITH.
THAT'S ALL I KNOW. IF YOU HAVE A BETTER WAY (OR ANY WAY AT ALL) TO CALL
MOTHER RUSSIA, LET ME KNOW.
