[Excerpt from an Global AUTOVON Telephone Directory as found in a Fort Lauderdale library... this information is likely getting dated with technological advance, but should prove to be interesting history. Even if all the terms are not self-explained the overall content should be of interest to telecom enthusiasts.] AUTOmatic VOice Network (AUTOVON) I. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE AUTOVON A. The Global AUTOVON is the principal long-haul, nonsecure, common user voice communications network for the Department of Defense (DoD). It provides worldwide direct distance dialing station to station service through a system of government owned and leased automatic switching and transmission facilities. B. At present, the AUTOVON spans the earth from Asia to the Middle East, and from Alaska to Panama. The AUTOVON has approximately 18,000 subscribers (direct access to the network). The number of users of the network (those who must dial an access code or go through an operator to obtain AUTOVON service) far exceed the number of subscribers. Calls on the network average about 1.1 million attempts daily with an average call length of 3 to 5 minutes. C. AUTOVON is a major and integral part of the Defense Communications System (DCS). It is comprised of all DoD nontactical long-haul point-to-point communications facilities and personnel. It is the non-secure common user switched voice network of the DCS. D. The AUTOVON's primary mission is to provide rapid, world-wide command and control communications for the National Command Authority (NCA) and other high priority subscribers. Its secondary mission is to provide an acceptable grade of service for operational, intelligence, logistic, administrative, and diplomatic users. II. NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM VOICE PRECEDENCE SYSTEM A. The National Communications System (NCS) voice precedence system, established by NCS Memorandum 1-70 dated 14 February 1970, is directed for use by all authorized users of the voice communications facilities in the DoD. Since the effectiveness of the system depends on the cooperation of the people authorized to employ it, users must (1) be familiar with the purpose of each precedence category and the type of call that is assigned the precedence, and (2) exercise care not to request or use a precedence higher than required. B. The NCS voice precedence system does not make provisions for conducting test and exercise calls. Those activities or individuals authorized or required to conduct such test or exercise calls will employ a precedence consistent with the nature of the test or exercise. When the originator of the test or exercise call has contacted the called party, the call will immediately be identified as a "FLASH, IMMEDIATE, or PRIORITY test or exercise." C. Calls of a given precedence will not normally preempt calls of an equal precedence. However, calls originated by the President of the United States, Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff can preempt FLASH calls in progress by application of their FLASH OVERRIDE capability. In addition, Commanders of unified and specified commands, when declaring either Defense Condition One (DEFCON ONE) or Air Defense Emergency, may preempt FLASH calls in progress by application of the FLASH OVERRIDE capability. D. The examples listed below should aid the caller in determining what precedence to use. These examples are in accordance with the NCS voice precedence system, but are not to be used exclusively for determination of the precedence of a call. This should be at the discretion of the originator of the call. 1. FLASH OVERRIDE It should be noted that FLASH OVERRIDE is a capability and is not considered a level of precedence. Exercising this capability preempts calls in "ALL" levels of precedence. FLASH OVERRIDE calls will be handled as fast as humanly possible. The FLASH OVERRIDE capacility is available to the following: (a) The President of the United States of America (b) The Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff. (c) Commanders of unified and specified commands declaring either Defense Condition One (DEFCON ONE) or Defense Emergency. (d) CINCNORAD when declaring either DEFCON ONE or Air Defence Emergency. 2. FLASH Flash calls preempt IMMEDIATE, PRIORITY, and ROUTINE calls and will be handled as fast as humanly possible. Listed below are examples of FLASH calls: (a) Calls pertaining to command and control of military forces essential to defense and retaliation. (b) Critical intelligence essential to National survival. (c) Conduct of diplomatic negotiations critical to arresting or limiting hostilities. (d) Dissemination of critical civil alert information essential to National survival. (e) Continuity of Federal Government functions essential to National survival. (f) Fulfillment of critical United States internal security functions essential to National survival. (g) Catastrophic events of National or International significance. C. IMMEDIATE Immediate calls preempt PRIORITY and ROUTINE calls and are reserved for communications pertaining to situations which GRAVELY affect the security of Natioanl and Allied forces. These calls will be handled as fast as possible. Listed below are some exampled of IMMEDIATE calls: (a) Reconstitution of forces in a post attack period. (b) Intelligence essential to National Security. (c) Conduct of diplomatic negotiations to reduce or limit the threat of war. (d) Implementation of Federal Government actions essential to National survival. (e) Situations which gravely affect the internal security of the United States. (f) Civil Defense actions concerning direction of our population and their survival. (g) Disaster or events serious enough to have an immediate and detrimental effect on the welfare of the population. (h) Vital information having an immediate effect on aircraft, spacecraft or missile operations. (i) Distress assistance. 3. PRIORITY Priority calls preempt ROUTINE calls and are reserved for communications requiring expeditious action by called parties furnishing essential information for conducting government operations. 4. ROUTINE This precedence applies to official Government communications which require rapid transmission by telephonic means but do not require preferential handling. A ROUTINE call does not preempt any other call and is handled sequentially as placed by the calling party. III. WHAT CATEGORY OF NETWORK CUSTOMER ARE YOU? A. You are an AUTOVON SUBSCRIBER if you can make a call on your phone without going through a local operator ot DO NOT dial a special access number. This type of telephone is installed for command & control and other specific operational purposes. More technically, any individual, post, station or location directly connected to an AUTOVON switching center is a subscriber. This means a post switchboard connected to the AUTOVON is also considered a subscriber. Most people who make AUTOVON telephone calls DO NOT fall into this category. The majority are AUTOVON users. B. You are an AUTOVON USER if you dial a special access number before you can make an AUTOVON call or if an operator must place the AUTOVON call for you. This distinction between user and subscriber is made because there are differences in calling capabilities and instructions found later in this directory. IV. WHO IS LISTED IN THE GLOBAL AUTOVON DIRECTORY? A. SUBSCRIBERS are usually the only listing in this directory. If you are a subscriber and desire to be listed or if you are listed and do not want to be listed, forward requests to DCA Code B522 Washington, D.C. 20305-2000. B. USERS are not normally listed in the Global AUTOVON Telephone Directory. However, the following are exceptions: 1. If a user is served by a switch which has network in/out dial (NIOD) and is not manned 24 hours a day, calling parties must have a point of contact when the switch is unattended. Attended nonduty hour numbers may be listed in addition to the switch number. 2. If a user is an installation which has an individual information operator number in addition to the assistance operator number, that information number will be listed. C. Requests for user listings should be directed in writing to the user's serving communications facility for consideration by the Telecommunications Certification Office (TCO). Amplifying information on AUTOVON directory listings can be found in DCA Circular 310-V55-6. V. GLOBAL AUTOVON TELEPHONE DIRECTORY DISTRIBUTION A. It is not practical to publish a Global AUTOVON Directory and provide a listing of all commands, activities and agencies that have the capability to access the network. It follows that distributing the directory to all commands, activities and agencies with the capability to access the system is costly. Yet, the directory needs the widest possible distribution to be effective. This problem is recogniized and distribution of the directory is made to all subscribers either directly or indirectly via major commands and agencies world wide. All users may purchase the directory from the Government Printing Office (GPO). If a directory is unavailable, an alternate method to obtain AUTOVON numbers is to consult your local operator. B. Publishers of local directories are encouraged to include excerpts from this directory and locally tailored AUTOVON number lists in their directories. C. If you are on the DCA distribution list for this directory and your address is incorrect, notify DCA, Code B522, Washington, DC, 20305-2000, using the correction page in this book. VI. NETWORK RECORDINGS AND SIGNAL TONES A. Various tones and recorded announcements tell you about the progress or disposition of your call: 1. When you hear a DIAL TONE, the network is ready for your call. Dial your number. 2. When you hear a RINGING TONE, your called number is ringing. Wait for your party to answer. On routine calls, you should hear a normal ringing tone (10 rings per minute). On calls of higher precedence, you will hear a very fast ringing tone (30 rings per minute). 3. When you hear a BUSY TONE, your called number is busy. Try again later. If you hear the busy tone and your called number is not in use then local or network equipment is busy. Sometimes there is an equipment irregularity. Try again later. 4. When you hear a PREEMPT TONE, your call was cut off by a higher precedence call. Hang up. Wait for a moment in case the call is for you. If the preempted call requires completion, custom dictates that whomever placed the original call should reestablish it. 5. When you hear a WARBLE TONE, answer your phone and standby for a conference call or instructions. USE OF AUTOVON CONSTITUTES CONSENT TO COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY MONITORING B. Below are some of the recorded announcements you might hear while using the AUTOVON. These announcements should be noted and reported according to procedures outlined in para XV Telephone Trouble Reporting, if trouble is suspected. 1. "Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please consult your directory and call again or ask your operator for assistance. This is a recording (pause) SSB number ____." 2. "The precedence used is not authorized for your line. Please use an authorized precedence or ask your operator for assistance. This is a recording (pause) SSB number ____." 3. "Equal or higher precedence calls have prevented completion of your call or the number you have dialled is not equipped for preemption. This is a recording (pause) SSB number ____." 4. "AUTOVON service disruption has prevented the completion of your call. Please wait 30 minutes and try again. In case of an emergency, call your operator. This is a recording (pause) SSB number ____." VII. CONFERENCE CALLS A. Dial one of the following numbers and tell the operator you wish to make a conference call: CONUS Alaska OVERSEAS 1. Subscribers dial 0 0 550-1411 2. Users dial 0 0 0 VIII. CALLS TO COMMERCIAL NUMBERS Official long-distance calls should be placed using a combination of AUTOVON and local base switchboard lines where possible. You can use this procedure if the called base switchboard is permitted by the commander to connect incoming AUTOVON calls to a commercial number and the called commercial number is within the toll free radius of the switchboard. OFF-NET extensions will not be completed unless adequate call supervision is installed. IX. CALL ASSISTANCE AUTOVON Assistance Operators (AAO) are available to assist subscribers when needed. If you are having trouble completing a call, dial "0" to reach the AAO. X. SUBSCRIBER PROVIDED EQUIPMENT The terminal equipment provided by the subscriber for connection to an AUTOVON switching center must meet the technical interface criteria outlined in DCA Circular 310-V175-6, System Interface Criteria. XI. NEW OR ADDITIONAL SERVICE In order to obtain a new AUTOVON service or to change the type of service you now have, consult DCA Circular 310-130-1, Submission of Telecommunications Service Requests. XII. GLOBAL AUTOVON CALLING A. The AUTOVON telephone network provides global telephone service for the DCS. Some subscribers can call everywhere while others are limited to one particular area or combination of areas. Where you can call depends on your mission and whether your telephone line is equipped accordingly. If your calling area is limited, you will not be able to dial outside of your limit. The directory indicates calling areas and codes. The area code need not be dialed for calls within the area. Calls to an area outside the boundary require an area code plus the seven digit AUTOVON number. If you are transmitting data, alternate area codes are used. Voice and Data area codes are listed on the first page of eacg geographical listing. (NOTE: All CONUS and Alaska subscribers can make respective inter-area calls by following the above procedures.) B. Secure calls via an AUTOSEVOCOM telephone will be made in accordance with instructions in the AUTOSEVOCOM Telephone Directory. XIII. CALLING PROCEDURES A. VOICE TELEPHONE CALLS: Listen for the dial tone, depress the appropriate precedence button if the call is to be higher than routine, and dial the AUTOVON number as outlined above under global AUTOVON calling. B. DATA TELEPHONE CALLS: Data telephones and associated data equipment are operated in accordance with local restrictions. If you send data via AUTOVON, it is necessary to observe the following restrictions: 1. DO NOT: (a) transmit more than 18 continuous minutes. (b) transmit more than one hour during the busy calling time. (c) use a precedence higher than ROUTINE. 2. DO: (a) use nonbusy hours for data transmission when possible (b) dial "11" to properly condition telephone lines for data calls (c) ensure that the device is equipped with an automatic disconnect to free the telephone circuit after the device becomes inactive for one minute. XV. TELEPHONE TROUBLE REPORTING A. Ensure that the AUTOVON number you used is correct. If you dialed the number correctly and you are still having trouble, report the problem as follows: 1. Keep the line connected if you can. Call the AUTOVON trouble desk at 550-1611 on a different line. (550-1611 will ring at your serving AUTOVON switch.) Tell the trouble desk attendant: (a) Your AUTOVON number and location (b) Called party AUTOVON number and location (c) What the problem was and when it occurred (d) Get the attendant's initials then request a call back when the trouble is repaired. (e) If you hear an announcement, listen until the end; you will hear a number (SSB Nr ____). Provide this to the trouble desk. This will help trace the source of the trouble. 2. If you can not reache the AUTOVON trouble desk, call your local repair service or the operator using a local base telephone. Be sure to state that you are reporting an AUTOVON trouble. REPAIR ITEMS SUCH AS BROKEN PARTS OR FRAYED CORDS ARE NOT AUTOVON PROBLEMS AND SHOULD BE REFERRED TO THE LOCAL REPAIR SERVICE. XVI. UNSATISFACTORY SERVICE REPORTING A. If you are not satisfied with the results when you reported an AUTOVON trouble, please inform DCSO Code B522 in writing. Keep in mind that we have to give this report to engineers and technicians for resolution, so we have to ask for some fairly technical details. If you need help in making the report, contact you local telecommunications officer or OIC of the station switchboard. The following information is necessary: 1. Your station name, unit name, AUTOVON telephone number and whether the trouble concerns a telephone or a switchboard. 2. The time and date you first noticed the problem, the AUTOVON trouble desk you reported it to and whether the problem was solved. 3. What kind of problem you had and the impact it had on your mission. B. If you are unhappy with the agency which was supposed to fix the problem, tell us exactly what unit it is, when you called them, when they arrived and when/if the problem was repaired. Let us know why you think their service was unsatisfactory. If this is a repeated problem, inform us how many times and whether your comments apply to each occurrence. C. Give us any background on the problem you have including what the maintenance technicians say the trouble was. Suggest any changes you would like to see. Pinpoint any trends of performance which may result in unsatisfactory service. 1. Send the report to the agency nearest you: (a) Action: (1) DCA HQ, DCSO Code B522 Washington, D.C. 20305-2000 (2) DCA EUR Code E520 APO New York, NY 09131 (3) DCA PAC Code P420 Wheeler AFB, Hi 96854 (b) Info: O&M Agency in your area responsible for providing service XVII. GLOBAL AUTOVON CALLING USERS are normally limited to placing ROUTINE calls within a geographic area whether they do the dialling or go through an operator. To call outside a calling area, dial "0" and ask the switchboard operatore for assistance.