13 replies to this topic

[JmanA9]

This list was posted on the centraloffice Yahoo group a few days ago. It seems to be the most current and accurate list of #1AESS switches remaining. If you're interested in the old network, and you don't read this list, you should.

http://groups.yahoo....ce/message/6276

Phreak away!

[dmine45]

This list was posted on the centraloffice Yahoo group a few days ago. It seems to be the most current and accurate list of #1AESS switches remaining. If you're interested in the old network, and you don't read this list, you should.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/centraloffice/message/6276

Phreak away!

Yup.. and I know where two of them are at (the two in Virginia).

Don't know what there is to phreak about these COs though. Though if you like old analog sounds, these do have their fair share!

[ThoughtPhreaker]

I don't know if this applies to 1As anymore since they've been fitted with CLASS features, but someone once told me if you wanted to hold the CDPRs up indefinitely and listen to crosstalk, you could dial # or * every 10-20 seconds.

Also, supposedly they'll route calls to 101-0x PIC codes, but they never received a software patch to support 101-5x or 6x codes. If you *do* check one out (and if the Baltimore 1A is any indication of what the two others are like, I totally don't blame you for not paying a visit), I'd take a look at those two things.

As for leet phreakz0r things to look for, I'm sure there's something out there - there always is .

I got the impression the Norfolk 1A was in a place where you aren't very likely to get your ass capped. What's your impression of it?

[dmine45]

I don't know if this applies to 1As anymore since they've been fitted with CLASS features, but someone once told me if you wanted to hold the CDPRs up indefinitely and listen to crosstalk, you could dial # or * every 10-20 seconds.

Also, supposedly they'll route calls to 101-0x PIC codes, but they never received a software patch to support 101-5x or 6x codes. If you *do* check one out (and if the Baltimore 1A is any indication of what the two others are like, I totally don't blame you for not paying a visit), I'd take a look at those two things.

As for leet phreakz0r things to look for, I'm sure there's something out there - there always is .

I got the impression the Norfolk 1A was in a place where you aren't very likely to get your ass capped. What's your impression of it?

The one in Richmond is definitely on the "wrong side of town", but the one in Norfolk is in a nice quiet neighborhood. Never been to the in Baltimore.

As for the 101-5x and 101-6x codes - at least one 1A in Louisiana supports them, knowing from a friend of mine who lives there.

As for the other stuff - I'll check it out next time I'm at a 1A. Not too often I get down to the two Virginia ones.

[JmanA9]

Mark J. Cuccia just updated his list of remaining 1AESS switches on the centraloffice group. A big thanks goes out to him for keeping track of each carrier's regulatory releases. FWIW, I realized that the link I posted back in February is only available to registered members of the group, so I will post the updated list here. Let me first bring your attention to the offices that are slated for removal:

10-June-2011: 205-808,841,849 Birmingham, AL
15-July-2011: 713-330,450,451,453,455,637 Houston, TX
4Q-2011: 248-681,682,683,706.738 Pontiac, MI
4Q-2011: 410-233,362,566,624,945,947 Baltimore, MD - ThoughtPhreaker has posted scans of this 1AESS on this message board.

VeriZon/Bell-Atlantic/C&P (03):
-------------------------------

BLTMMDEDCG0 Baltimore MD
* TO BE REPLACED w/Digital Packet Remote BLTMMDEDRP0 in 2011/4Q *
"Edmondson Avenue"
410-233,362,566,624,945,947

RCMDVAHLCG0 Richmond VA
"Hull Street"
804-230,231,232,233,291,319

NRFLVAGSCG0 Norfolk-Zone-02 VA
"Granby Street"
757-480,531,583,587,588


at&t/SBC/Ameritech/Michigan-Bell (03):
--------------------------------------

PNTCMIWSCG0 Pontiac MI
* TO BE REPLACED w/Digital Packet Remote PNTCMIWSRP0 in 2011/4Q *
"West"
248-681,682,683,706.738

LNNGMISOCG0 Lansing MI
"South"
517-272,393,394,882,887

GDRPMIBL770 Grand Rapids MI
"BEll"
(the co-located GDRPMIBLDS1 Nortel-DMS-100 has some 616-23x codes,
which were known as 'BEll-x' in the 2L-5N days)
616-770


at&t/SBC/Ameritech/Illinois-Bell (02):
--------------------------------------

CHCGILAUCG0 Chicago IL
"AUStin"
773-261,287,378,379,473,626,854,921

OKPKILOPCG1 Oak Park IL
708-209,366,383,386,445,488,524,660,763,771,848


at&t/BellSouth/Southern-Bell (18):
----------------------------------

ATLNGAAD69F Atlanta GA
"Adamsville"
404-472,505,691,696,699

ATLNGACD28F Atlanta GA
"Columbia Drive"
404-282,284,286,289,534

ATLNGAGR24F Atlanta GA
"Gresham"
404-212,241,243,244,328,381

ATLNGAHR79E Atlanta GA
"Hollywood Road"
404-792,794,799

ATLNGAWE75F Atlanta GA
"West End"
404-752,753,755,756,758

CRTNGAMA83C Carrollton GA
770-214,830,832,834,836,838
678-796

FRBNGAEB96A Fairburn GA
Atlanta-South ratecenter
"East Broad"
770-306,774,892,964,969

LGRNGAMA88C LaGrange GA
706-242,812,837,845,882,883,884,885 LaGrange GA ratecenter
334-982 Oakland (Chambers) AL ratecenter
(NOTE that there is also a co-located LGRNGAMARS1 Nortel-RSC)

SVNHGADE35C Savannah GA
"Derenne Avenue"
912-303,351,352,353,354,355,356,691,692

WYCRGAMA28C/02T Waycross GA
912-283,284,285,287,338

AGSTGAFL79C Augusta GA
"Fleming"
706-560,771,772,790,792,793,796,798

WRRBGAMA92C Warner-Robins GA
478-322,328,329,542,918,922,923,929,975

JCBHFLMA24E Jacksonville Beach FL
904-241,242,246,247,249,270

JCVLFLRV38E Jacksonville FL
"Riverside"
904-381,384,387,388,389,981

FTLDFLSU74E Fort Lauderdale FL
"Sunrise"
954-572,578,741,742,746,747,748,749

HLWDFLHA45E Hollywood FL
"Hallandale"
954-454,455,456,457,458,516

MIAMFLBA85E Miami FL
"Bayside"
305-250,285,854,856,857,858,859,860
786-314

MIAMFLME32E Miami FL
"Metro"
305-324,325,326,545,547,548,549,550,560,585
(NOTE that there is also a co-located MIAMFLMERS0 Lucent/Alcatel-5ESS-Remote)


at&t/BellSouth/South-Central-Bell (08):
---------------------------------------

NSVLTNINCG0 Nashville TN
"Inglewood"
615-226,227,228,258,262,650

BRHMALEN78E Birmingham AL
"Ensley"
205-206,780,781,783,785,786,787,788

BRHMALTA84E Birmingham AL
* TO BE REPLACED w/Digital Packet Remote BRHMALTARPA on 10-June-2011 *
"Tarrant"
205-808,841,849

BSMRALMA42E Bessemer AL
205-424,425,426,428,481

SHPTLAHDCG0 Shreveport LA
"Highland"
318-219,861,862,864,865,866,868,869

SHPTLAQBCG0 Shreveport LA
"Queensboro"
318-526,621,631,632,635,636,638

LFYTLAMACG1/04T Lafayette LA
337-231,232,233,234,235,236,237,261,264,265,266,267,268,269,262,572,920
(NOTE that there is also a co-located LFYTLAMADS0/0GT Nortel-DMS-100/200/TOPS)

LFYTLAVMCG0 Lafayette LA
"Vermillion"
337-216,273,294,295,406,981,983,984,988,989,991,993


at&t/SBC/Southwestern-Bell (21):
--------------------------------

STLSMO04CG0 St.Louis MO
"FOrest"
314-361,367,454,758,823,826,829,848,855,879

STLSMO05CG0 St.Louis MO
"JEfferson"
314-286,289,321,371,531,533,534,535,652,658
(NOTE that there is also a co-located STLSMO05RS2 Lucent/Alcatel-5ESS-Remote)

STLSMO08CG0 St.Louis MO
"PRospect"
314-268,577,664,762,771,772,773,776,865

STLSMO23CG0 Ladue MO ratecenter
"Overland"
314-253,423,426,427,428,429,538,733,890

STLSMO24CG0 Ladue MO ratecenter
"Riverview"
314-388,867,868,869

STLSMO40CG0 Ladue MO ratecenter
"Florissant"
314-830,831,837,838,839,921,972

STLSMO43CG0 Ladue MO ratecenter
"Hazelwood"
314-551,731,895

ELPSTXNECG0 El Paso TX
"Northeast"
915-744,745,751,755,757,759

ODSSTXLICG0 Odessa TX
"Lincoln"
432-331,332,333,334,335,337 Odessa TX ratecenter
432-580,532 Odessa 'EACS' TX ratecenter

DLLSTXGPCG0 Dallas TX
"Grand Prairie" TX ratecenter
972-237,262,264,266,282,504,642 Grand Prairie TX ratecenter
972-260,263,269,558,901 Grand Prairie 'EMS' TX ratecenter

DLLSTXHACG0 Dallas TX
"HAmilton"
214-421,426,428,565,928

DLLSTXWHCG0 Dallas TX
"WHitehall"
214-779,941,942,943,944,946,947,948

FTWOTXATCG0 Ft.Worth TX
"ATlas" TX (ratecenter and 2L-5N name)
817-284,580,590,595 Atlas TX ratecenter
817-589 Atlas 'EMS' TX ratecenter
817-280,282,285 Euless TX ratecenter
817-268 Euless 'EMS' TX ratecenter

FTWOTXGLCG0 Ft.Worth TX
"GLendale" TX (ratecenter and 2L-5N name)
817-446,451,457,492,496 Glendale TX ratecenter
817-429,654,930 Glendale 'EMS' TX ratecenter

FTWOTXJECG0 Ft.Worth TX
"JEfferson"
817-413,531,534,535,536

FTWOTXWACG0 Ft.Worth TX
"WAlnut"
817-207,920,921,922,923,924,926,927

HSTNTXADCG0 Houston (Suburban) TX
"Aldine"
281-219,442,449,590,985,986,987
(NOTE that there is also a co-located HSTNTXADDS0 Nortel-DMS-100;
this DMS-100 -DS0 is to be replaced with a Digital Packet Remote -RP0
in April 2011)

HSTNTXGLCG0 Houston TX
* TO BE REPLACED w/Digital Packet Remote HSTNTXGLRP0 on 15-July-2011 *
"GLendale"
713-330,450,451,453,455,637

HSTNTXIDCG0 Houston TX
"IDlewood"
713-413,433,434 Houston TX ratecenter
713-340,436 Houston Suburban TX ratecenter

HSTNTXWLCG0 Houston (Suburban) TX
"West Ellington"
281-464,481,484,921,929

BUMTTXTECG0 Beaumont TX
"TErminal"
409-212,654,757,784,785,813,827,832,833,835,838,839,841,868,880
(NOTE that there is also a co-located BUMTTXTEDS0 Lucent/Alcatel-5ESS,
and ALSO the (Tandem ONLY) BUMTTXTE03T Nortel-DMS-100/200/TOPS)

[ThoughtPhreaker]

http://thoughtphreak.../41036299XX.txt Here's the scan in question. Maryland is kind of an unpredictable place to scan, especially at the time I made that, so it was a real treat to find this.

I went back over the numbers when I saw the thread. It turns out 9920 and 9921 are some kind of crazy looparound test line. If you've never had a chance to talk through a 1AESS before, do yourself a favor, especially in a time like now.

By the way, it's important to realize that a cutover announcement is usually a pretty set in stone thing, but they're always a little strange - particularly with 1AESSes. The reason they're still around usually has to do with the area being classified as low revenue, so they're really by no stretch of the imagination a company's priority. Most cutovers are always a few days late, and in some cases, never happen at all. Back in 2009 (or so), the Pontiac 1AESS was scheduled to be replaced by an EWSD, but someone didn't have the heart to do it apparently.

EDIT: While we're talking about switches on this list, I found the combination of 'pretend high tech sounds' and 'guy holding a microphone up to a speaker' on 281-227-9960 strangely hilarious.

Edited by ThoughtPhreaker, 04 April 2011 - 10:08 PM.

[JmanA9]

I think the person I'm trying to reach is in The Twilight Zone. Do you think the "high tech" sounds might be someone dialing #231?

The "high tech" sounds can be implemented in other applications in which the caller's immediate attention is required. For example:
 high_tech_sounds.mp3   43.16K   10 downloads

Edited by JmanA9, 05 April 2011 - 12:41 AM.

[dmine45]

To expand a bit on TP's post:

The Baltimore "Edmondson" office is the last 1AESS in Maryland and only one of three remaining 1AESS switches in Verizon territory. The other two are the Richmond "Hull Street" office and the Norfolk "Granby Street" office.

http://www.co-buildi...e_edmondson.JPG

http://www.co-buildi...hull_street.jpg

and

http://www.co-buildi.../norfolk_gs.jpg

The Baltmore and Richmond ones are in very.... err... "dark" sections of town The one in Norfolk is an older housing neighborhood. None of these have any "growth" and in fact probably are decreasing in line usage as many people in these areas are going all celullar or some VoIP (e.g. Comcast cable based phone) connection.

The Baltimore Edmonson office 1A is being replaced with a Nortel/Genband MG-9000 packet REMOTE switch. The location of the host is surprising... it's in ANNAPOLIS - about 30 miles to the south.

I am assuming this will only be temporary until a host packet switch is installed in the Baltimore area.

Thanks for doing the scan TP. I'll have to check it out in detail later.

[pepsibottle1]

Believe it or not, I live but a block from the Granby St. station. It is currently a Verizion station but was formerly Bell Atlantic. It is a very nice neighborhood actually, and the building is in good shape on the outside. On the inside, however,the place looks completely empty. I don't know a lot about this kind of stuff but there are a bunch of empty racks where I believe equipment used to be, and I've seen a Cavilier Telephone truck outside of the building about two years ago. I dunno if they are dismantling the station or what, but if you would like, I can easily get some pictures. I'm very close and it would take 5 minutes to walk to and from.

Being new here to this BR, I do have a keen interest in retro phone technology, although I know nothing about it like I said. What are these stations and what do they do? I'm only 16 but I think that kind of stuff is really interesting to look back at and see how far we've progressed upon it

Edited by pepsibottle1, 15 May 2011 - 05:42 AM.

[ThoughtPhreaker]

heh, wow, have we really turned into a retro phone community? I guess given our topics lately, it does sorta look that way.
Anywho, nice! Some pictures would be great. I've talked with people on a looparound test line on that switch every so often before (757-480-9908 and 9909), and even did a scan of it with a friend earlier. It's been as clicky and 1AESS-y as ever, so I think wherever it is, it's most certainly still working. As for the Cavalier truck, they could have equipment co-located in there.

What the station, as you put it, does, is serve each and every Verizon line in your area. This is still a common model of operation today. The switching equipment - in this case, the 1AESS, is holding the strings from the second the phone is picked up until you set it down. What makes the 1AESS so different from everything else in our network is it's the last central office switch still out there to have a completely analog switching matrix. While the fully digital switches being introduced during the last days of the 1AESS's installation (the last 1AESSes were installed in 1983-ish, the first fully digital switches started to pop up in 1976 or 1977) use pulse code modulation and a switching network made up of semiconductors, the 1AESS represents the last of a network made up of real copper and steel. Everything you hear through a 1AESS comes through some degree of relay.

Here's some pictures of a 1AESS, among some of it's fully digital counterparts; http://www.montagar....ne-switches.htm

As for this 1AESS, storm and I did a scan of one of these ranges last year. Take a look at what we found; http://gonullyoursel...-March-2010.txt

The SASS in particular (storm marked it as a ringback test) stands out. Basically, it's an aftermarket test device, but it can dial out from the 1AESS to any number in the 757 area code.

Edited by ThoughtPhreaker, 15 May 2011 - 08:32 AM.

[pepsibottle1]

Man, that's pretty cool. I'll definitly see if I can get you some pictures this week of the inside.

Edited by pepsibottle1, 15 May 2011 - 02:57 PM.

[dmine45]

Man, that's pretty cool. I'll definitly see if I can get you some pictures this week of the inside.

I'd like to see them as well. I visited the building about four years ago and took a picture of it. I did notice that it had windows you could see inside, but wasn't able to see very much.

I haven't heard when Verizon plans on changing this out to another switch (probably some packet remote, like they're doing in Baltimore) but it will probably be sooner than later.

So if you're able to get some pictures on the inside, that would be appreciated!

[dmine45]

Updated list of 1AESS switches as of July 20, 2011
(Includes information on soon to be replaced switches)

(Source: Mark Cuccia)

1AESS Summary, 52 known to be in operation for end-of-July-2011
===============================================================


03 for VeriZon/Bell-Atlantic/C&P
--------------------------------
Baltimore MD "Edmondson Avenue" ***TO BE REMOVED/REPLACED in 4Q/2011***
Richmond VA "Hull Street"
Norfolk VA "Granby Street"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


02 for at&t/SBC/Ameritech/Michigan-Bell
---------------------------------------
Pontiac MI "West" (NPA 248) (suburb of Detroit MI) ***TO BE REMOVED/REPLACED in 4Q/2011***
Lansing MI "South" (NPA 517)


02 for at&t/SBC/Ameritech/Illinois-Bell
---------------------------------------
BOTH in the Chicago IL Metro area
Chicago IL "AUStin" (NPA 773)
Oak Park IL (NPA 708) ***TO BE REMOVED/REPLACED in 1Q/2012***


18 for at&t/BellSouth/Southern-Bell
-----------------------------------
(08) Atlanta/northern GA Metro Area (LaGrange GA "Main" has a co-located digital)
(04) others in Georgia:
Savannah GA (NPA 912) "Derenne Avenue"
Waycross GA (NPA 912)
Augusta GA (NPA 706) "Fleming"
Warner-Robbins GA (NPA 478)
(02) Jacksonville FL Metro Area -- "Jacksonville Beach" and "Riverside"
(04) Miami/southeastern FL Metro Area (Miami FL "Metro" has a co-located digital)


07 for at&t/BellSouth/South-Central-Bell
----------------------------------------
(01) Nashville TN "Inglewood"
(02) Birmingham AL Metro Area
***"Ensley" to be removed/replaced in 2Q/2012***
(02) Shreveport LA "Highland" and "Queensboro"
(02) Lafayette LA (Lafayette LA "Main" has a co-located digital) also "Vermillion"


20 for at&t/Southwestern-Bell
-----------------------------
(07) St.Louis MO Metro Area (St.Louis MO 05 "JEfferson" has a co-located digital)
(03) Dallas TX Metro Area
(04) Fort Worth TX Metro Area
***"ATlas" to be removed/replaced in 1Q/2012***
(03) Houston TX Metro Area
***"Aldine" has a co-located digital-now-packet-remote which is to ABSORB the 1A in 1Q/2012***
(03) others in Texas:
Beaumont TX (NPA 409) (Beaumont TX "TErminal" has co-located digitals)
Odessa TX (NPA 432) "Lincoln"
El Paso TX (NPA 915) "Northeast"
================================================================================================

[ThoughtPhreaker]

Seeing this makes me wonder what'll happen when there's only one 1AESS left for a certain operating company. Will they keep it there until the FCC intervenes for regulatory reasons? As some of you probably know, GTE kept a step in service until 1998 to justify charging for touchtones.


Then again, we're living in a very different climate right now. Most incumbent telcos have finally realized that competitive carriers - along with wireless are a considerable threat, and have started to make their pricing a lot more competitive.

Anywho, we should scan some of these 1AESS offices while they're still around. Finding an extender on one in particular would be really awesome. Anybody have any thoughts on where we should start?

Edited by ThoughtPhreaker, 23 July 2011 - 03:20 PM.