Phone Tones
v2.01 r07Jun2001 1r05Sep2000
by Elf Qrin



Phone Keypad tones

In the DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequence) system, to each function are associated two tones sent simultaneously on the phone line.

These are the tones associated to the keys of a standard DTMF phone and the associated tones (note that a normal phone usually misses keys A, B, C, D, included only on operators' phones or in the phreak box known as the Silver Box):

  1209 1336 1477 1633
697 1 2 3 A
770 4 5 6 B
859 7 8 9 C
941 * 0 # D

Key Freq. 1 Freq. 2
1 697 1209
2 697 1336
3 697 1477
A 697 1633
4 770 1209
5 770 1336
6 770 1477
B 770 1633
7 859 1209
8 859 1336
9 859 1477
C 859 1633
* 941 1209
0 941 1336
# 941 1477
D 941 1633

More Dialing Tones

These tones are relative to the USA phone system.

On/Off Hook: 2600Hz. (Blue Box tone)
KP1 (National Call Start): 1700Hz+1100Hz.
KP2 (International Call Start from an intermediate): 1300Hz+1700Hz.
ST (Call Stop): 1500Hz+1700Hz.


Payphone tones (Red Box tones)

These tones are relative to the USA phone system.

Coin tones are beeps of 2200Hz+1700Hz as follows:

5 cents (nickel): 1 beep, 66 milliseconds duration.
10 cents (dime): 2 beeps, each 66 milliseconds duration with 66 millisecond pause between beeps.
25 cents (quarter): 5 beeps, each 33 milliseconds duration with a 33 millisecond pause between beeps.


Phone Company Tones

Dial-tone: 350Hz and 440Hz.
Busy-signal: 620Hz and 440Hz; on for 1/2 second, off for 1/2 second.
Attention (blasting tone you get when you forget to hang up the phone): 1400Hz, 2060Hz, 2450Hz, 2600Hz all mixed together. Pulsed at a rate of 5Hz.
Ring: 440Hz, 480 Hz.

On the old standard ESSX or DMS-100 switching systems, you only get one type of ring, while on a SLC-60 switching system, the phone company can choose which one you get.
You cannot hear the following tones, but when your phone rings, the switching office sends the following signals to activate different types of 'ringing' sounds.

Decimonic ring: 20, 30, 40, 50Hz
Harmonic ring: 16-2/3, 25, 33-1/3, 50Hz
Synchromonic ring: 20, 30, 42, 54Hz


Cellular Phones Ring Tunes

If you are looking for ring tones for your cellular phone, please check here.