Chapter 8: The Telephone System

TRUE/FALSE 1. A telephone from 1930 could not work on today's public switched telephone network. ANS: F 2. The public switched telephone network is changing from an all analog to a mostly digital system. ANS: T 3. A LATA is a local calling area. ANS: T 4. A feature of the public switched telephone system is that calls cannot be "blocked". ANS: F 5. Telephones connect to the central office via trunk lines. ANS: F 6. The telephone switching hierarchy is being replaced by a "flat" network topology. ANS: T 7. Most local loops still use copper wire. ANS: T 8. A "twisted-pair" is twisted to minimize "crosstalk". ANS: T 9. The wires in a local loop are called TIP and GND. ANS: F 10. In a local loop, the red wire is positive. ANS: F 11. In a local loop, the TIP wire is positive. ANS: T 12. Local loops can carry voice signals in only one direction at a time. ANS: F

13. Local loops carry DC current. ANS: T 14. Local loops carry signaling information. ANS: T 15. Loading coils allow high-speed data loads to be carried on a local loop. ANS: F 16. Typically, when a phone is on hook, a voltage of 48 volts appears across it. ANS: T 17. When a telephone is off hook, the DC voltage across it can drop substantially from its on-hook value. ANS: T 18. The DC resistance of a telephone is about 2000 ohms. ANS: F 19. When a telephone is on hook, the DC current through it is in the range of 20 to 80 mA. ANS: F 20. Touch-Tone is a registered trademark of AT&T. ANS: T 21. DTMF is the same as Touch-Tone. ANS: T 22. DTMF uses sets of 3 tones. ANS: F 23. The technology to "dial" telephone numbers was invented in 1893. ANS: T 24. A crosspoint switch allows any incoming line to be connected to any outgoing line. ANS: T 25. The central office uses 24 volts AC at 20 hertz to cause a telephone to ring. ANS: F

26. The local-loop is full-duplex. ANS: T 27. Telephones usually contain a hybrid coil or an equivalent circuit. ANS: T 28. To allow for "sidetone", a hybrid coil should be slightly unbalanced. ANS: T 29. The signal levels in analog telephone systems have increased substantially over the past 100 years. ANS: F 30. The signal levels in modern analog telephone systems are still based on 19th-century technology. ANS: T 31. To allow multiplexing, the bandwidth of voice-grade telephone signals is deliberately restricted. ANS: T 32. The net gain of a telephone system must be greater than 0 dB for an acceptable signal level. ANS: F 33. Too much gain in a telephone system causes "singing". ANS: T 34. Echo suppressors prevent oscillations on long-distance telephone circuits. ANS: T 35. Echo suppressors can be switched off by a subscriber's equipment. ANS: T 36. C-message weighting increases the bandwidth of a local loop. ANS: F 37. The reference level for measuring noise in a telephone system is 1012 Watts. ANS: T 38. In a telephone system, signal strength is given relative to the zero transmission loss point. ANS: T

39. TDM is being replaced by the newer FDM technology in telephone systems. ANS: F 40. DS-1 can be used to carry digital data that did not originate as a voice signal. ANS: T 41. When using DS-1 to carry data, it is common to use each channel to carry 64 kbps. ANS: F 42. Digital carriers up to T3 can use copper wires. ANS: F 43. A DS-1C signal carries twice as many channels as a DS-1 signal. ANS: T 44. A DS-1C signal uses twice the bit rate of a DS-1 signal. ANS: F 45. "Stuff" bits are used to compensate for differences in clock rates. ANS: T 46. Every "in-channel" signal is also an "in-band" signal. ANS: F 47. Common-channel signaling is being replaced by the more modern MF signaling. ANS: F 48. Common-channel signaling reduces opportunities for stealing telephone service. ANS: T 49. ADSL is faster than ISDN. ANS: T 50. B-ISDN is a slower version of standard ISDN. ANS: F MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. DTMF stands for: a. Digital Telephony Multiple Frequency b. Dial Tone Master Frequency c. Dual-Tone Multifrequency d. Digital Trunk Master Frequency

ANS: C 2. PSTN stands for: a. Public Switched Telephone Network b. Private Switched Telephone Network ANS: A 3. POTS stands for: a. Private Office Telephone System b. Primary Office Telephone Service ANS: D 4. LATA stands for: a. Local Access and Transport Area b. Local Access Telephone Area ANS: A 5. A LATA is a: a. a local calling area b. a type of digital local network ANS: A 6. Central offices are connected by: a. local loops b. trunk lines ANS: B 7. Local loops terminate at: a. a tandem office b. a toll station ANS: C 8. Call blocking: a. cannot occur in the public telephone network b. occurs on the local loop when there is an electrical power failure c. occurs only on long-distance cables d. occurs when the central office capacity is exceeded ANS: D 9. In telephony, POP stands for: a. Post Office Protocol b. Point Of Presence ANS: B 10. The cable used for local loops is mainly: a. twisted-pair copper wire b. shielded twisted-pair copper wire c. coaxial cable d. fiber-optic c. Power-On Protocol d. none of the above c. a central office d. an interexchange office c. both a and b d. none of the above c. a way of accessing a tandem office d. a way of accessing a central office c. Local Area Telephone Access d. Local Area Transport Access c. Primary Operational Test System d. Plain Old Telephone Service c. Primary Service Telephone Network d. Primary Service Telephone Numbers

ANS: A 11. FITL stands for: a. Framing Information for Toll Loops b. Fiber In the Toll Loop ANS: D 12. Loading coils were used to: a. increase the speed of the local loop for digital data b. reduce the attenuation of voice signals c. reduce crosstalk d. provide C-type conditioning to a local loop ANS: B 13. DC current flows through a telephone: a. when it is on hook b. when it is off hook ANS: B 14. The range of DC current that flows through a telephone is: a. 20 A to 80 A c. 2 mA to 8 mA b. 200 A to 800 A d. 20 mA to 80 mA ANS: D 15. The separation of control functions from signal switching is known as: a. step-by-step switching control c. common control b. crossbar control d. ESS ANS: C 16. The typical voltage across a telephone when on-hook is: a. 48 volts DC c. 90 volts DC b. 48 volts, 20 hertz AC d. 90 volts, 20 hertz AC ANS: A 17. The typical voltage needed to "ring" a telephone is: a. 48 volts DC c. 90 volts DC b. 48 volts, 20 hertz AC d. 90 volts, 20 hertz AC ANS: D 18. The bandwidth of voice-grade signals on a telephone system is restricted in order to: a. allow lines to be "conditioned" c. allow signals to be multiplexed b. prevent "singing" d. all of the above ANS: C 19. VNL stands for: a. voltage net loss b. volume net loss ANS: C c. via net loss d. voice noise level c. as long as it is attached to a local loop d. only when it is ringing c. Framing In The Loop d. Fiber-In-The-Loop

20. Signal loss is designed into a telephone system to: a. eliminate reflections c. improve signal-to-noise ratio b. prevent oscillation d. reduce power consumption ANS: B 21. The reference noise level for telephony is: a. 1 mW b. 0 dBm ANS: C 22. The number of voice channels in a basic FDM group is: a. 6 c. 24 b. 12 d. 60 ANS: B 23. Basic FDM groups can be combined into: a. supergroups b. mastergroups ANS: D 24. In telephone system FDM, voice is put on a carrier using: a. SSB c. PDM b. DSBSC d. PCM ANS: A 25. PABX stands for: a. Power Amplification Before Transmission b. Private Automatic Branch Exchange c. Public Automated Branch Exchange d. Public Access Branch Exchange ANS: B 26. SLIC stands for: a. Single-Line Interface Circuit b. Standard Line Interface Card ANS: C 27. In DS-1, bits are "robbed" in order to: a. provide synchronization b. carry signaling ANS: B 28. "Bit-stuffing" is more formally called: a. compensation b. rectification ANS: C c. justification d. frame alignment c. cancel echoes d. check for errors c. Subscriber Line Interface Card d. Standard Local Interface Circuit c. jumbogroups d. all of the above c. 1 pW d. 0 dBr

29. ISDN stands for: a. Integrated Services Digital Network b. Information Services Digital Network ANS: A

c. Integrated Services Data Network d. Information Systems Digital Network

30. Basic ISDN has not been widely adopted because: a. it took to long to develop b. it is too slow c. it has been surpassed by newer technologies d. all of the above ANS: D 31. ADSL stands for: a. All-Digital Subscriber Line b. Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line ANS: B 32. Compared to ISDN, internet access using ADSL is typically: a. much faster c. much more expensive b. about the same speed d. none of the above ANS: A COMPLETION 1. A ____________________ is a local calling area. ANS: LATA 2. Central offices are connected together by ____________________ lines. ANS: trunk 3. One central office can be connected to another through a ____________________ office. ANS: tandem 4. With 7-digit phone numbers, ____________________ thousand telephones can connect to a central office. ANS: ten 5. Call ____________________ is when it becomes impossible for a subscriber to place a call due to an overload of lines being used. ANS: blocking 6. New ____________________ switching equipment uses TDM to combine signals. ANS: digital c. Allocated Digital Service Line d. Access to Data Services Line

7. Most local loops still use ____________________ copper wire. ANS: twisted-pair 8. As compared to a hierarchical network, a ____________________ network never needs more than one intermediate switch. ANS: flat 9. ____________________ coils were used to reduce the attenuation of voice frequencies. ANS: Loading 10. In a twisted-pair telephone cable, the red wire is called ____________________. ANS: ring 11. In a twisted-pair telephone cable, the green wire is called ____________________. ANS: tip 12. Of the red and green 'phone wires, the ____________________ wire is positive with respect to the other. ANS: green 13. A telephone is said to have ____________________ the line when the central office sends it dial tone. ANS: seized 14. The ____________________ functions are provided by a SLIC. ANS: BORSCHT 15. A ____________________ coil prevents loss of signal energy within a telephone while allowing full-duplex operation over a single pair of wires. ANS: hybrid 16. In a crosspoint switch, not all ____________________ can be in use at the same time. ANS: lines 17. The old carbon transmitters generated a relatively ____________________ signal voltage. ANS: large 18. The generic term for Touch-Tone signaling is ____________________. ANS: DTMF 19. A ____________________ line provides more bandwidth than a standard line.

ANS: conditioned 20. In the telephone system, amplifiers are called ____________________. ANS: repeaters 21. An echo ____________________ converts a long-distance line from full-duplex to half-duplex operation. ANS: suppressor 22. ____________________ weighting is an attempt to adjust the noise or signal level to the response of a typical telephone receiver. ANS: C-message 23. In FDM telephony, the modulation is usually ____________________. ANS: SSB SSBSC 24. In FDM telephony, ____________________ bands separate the channels in a group. ANS: guard 25. Because of "bit robbing", a channel in a DS-1 frame allows only ____________________ kbps when used to send digital data. ANS: 56 26. A ____________________ is a group of 12 DS-1 frames with signaling information in the sixth and twelfth frames. ANS: superframe 27. In DS-1C, ____________________ bits are used to compensate for differences between clock rates. ANS: stuff 28. Busy and dial tone are referred to as ____________________ signals because they use the same pair of wires as the voice signal. ANS: in-channel 29. SS7 is the current version of _________________________ signaling. ANS: common-channel 30. SS7 is a ____________________-switched data network.

ANS: packet 31. In ISDN, the ____________________ channel is used for common-channel signaling. ANS: D 32. In ISDN, the ____________________ channels are used for voice or data. ANS: B 33. Terminal equipment especially designed for ISDN is designated ____________________ equipment. ANS: TE1 34. The A in ADSL stands for ____________________. ANS: asymmetrical 35. In ADSL, the speed from the network to the subscriber is ____________________ than the speed in the opposite direction. ANS: greater faster SHORT ANSWER 1. For a certain telephone, the DC loop voltage is 48 V on hook and 8 V off hook. If the loop current is 40 mA, what is the DC resistance of the local loop? ANS: 1000 ohms 2. For a certain telephone, the DC loop voltage is 48 V on hook and 8 V off hook. If the loop current is 40 mA, what is the DC resistance of the telephone? ANS: 200 ohms 3. Which two DTMF tones correspond to the digit "1"? (Use the table in the text.) ANS: 697 Hz and 1209 Hz 4. Calculate the dB of VNL required for a channel with a 3 ms delay. ANS: 1 dB 5. If a telephone voice signal has a level of 0 dBm, what is its level in dBrn? ANS:

90 dBrn 6. A telephone test-tone has a level of 80 dBrn at a point where the level is +5dB TLP. If Cweighting produces a 10-dB loss, what would the signal level be in dBrnc0? ANS: 65 dBrnc TLP