If you are new to the forum, your telephone knowledge may be somewhat limited to acronyms used by members in forum posts. Some are common sense but others are obscure. As such, this reference list was created and is being maintained to help those who would like to find out what an acronym means.
This is the most complete list to date for forum acronyms. A Generic Acronym List (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=18072.0) is available in another topic and it contains over 1,000 modern, common acronyms. Also, a list of
acronyms used by repairmen or given to repairmen on trouble work orders are listed at the end of this post (scroll to the bottom).
Feel free to make any suggestions (strongly encouraged) to add to this list by posting a new reply to this topic with one or more acronyms and their meanings and/or unknown to you acronyms followed by a few question marks. All contributions are greatly welcome. New additions will be copied into the alphabetical list below. Unknown acronyms submitted will be added to the list when their definitions become known.
Thanks for everyone's help in building this list.
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CRPF Acronym List ( last updated 12-23-2023 )1-0 1A1/1A2 -- Multi-Line (Key) Telephone Systems
2FR -- 2-party selective flat rate party lines
4FR -- 4-party semi-selective flat rate party lines
4P4C -- 4 position 4 contact modular plug/jack
6P6C -- 6 position 6 connectors modular plug/jack
8P8C -- 8 position 8 contact modular plug/jack
A AA5 -- All American 5 (refers to a 5 tube AM radio)
AC -- Alternating Current
ADSL -- Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
AE -- Automatic Electric (Company)
AFAIK -- As Far As I Know
AFB -- All Finders Busy
AKA -- Also Known As
AL -- Analog loopback
AMM -- Analog Multi-meter
ANAC -- Automatic Number Announcement Circuit
AST -- Anti-Side Tone (limited or lower volume talk feedback into receiver element)
ASTIC -- Anti-Sidetone Induction Coil (UK)
ATA -- Analog Telephone Adapter
ATB -- All Trunks Busy
ATCA -- Antique Telephone Collectors Association
ATM -- Automatic Telephone Mfg Co
B Bakelite -- Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride
BOC -- Bell Operating Company
BLR -- Bell Labs Record
BRI -- Basic Rate Interface
BSP -- Bell System Practice
BSRS -- Bell System Repair Specs
BSTJ -- Bell System Technical Journal
BTA -- Basic Trading Area (a PCS/cell phone FCC designated carrier service area, subdivisions of the MTA designated areas)
BTM -- British Telephone Manufacturing Company
BTMC -- Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company
BTTN -- Bluetooth wireless gateway device that connects a cell phone to a regular home telephone system (as in XLink BTTN)
BTW -- By The Way
C C-Stock -- telco property that was re-manufactured at one of the Western Electric service centers
CA -- Common Audible
CAB -- Tenite Butyrate plastic
CB -- Common battery; power source for the telephone is at the telco CO
(in context definition) CB -- Call Block
(in context definition) CKT -- Circuit
CLEC -- Competing Local Exchange Carrier
CLLI code -- Common Language Location Identifier code
CO -- Central Office (telephone exchange office where switching equipment and power sources for the phone system for a certain area is located)
COE -- Customer Owned Equipment
CMB -- Common Bell
COCOT -- Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephone
COT -- Chicago Old Telephones (a company that rebuilt telephones from various parts for commercial sale)
CPC -- Calling Party Control (signals)
C.R.A.P. -- 1) Communications Related Apparatus & Parts
C.R.A.P. -- 2) Completely Ridiculous And Pretentious
CRTC -- Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
D DDD -- Direct Distance Dialing
DECT -- Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications
DDI -- Direct Dialing Inward (UK & Oceania areas)
DHCP -- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
DICM -- Dial Intercom
DID -- Direct Inward Dialing (US)
DISA -- Direct Inward Station Access
DL -- Digital loopback
DMM -- Digital Multi-meter
DNS -- Domain Name Servers
DOD -- Direct Outward Dialing
DOS -- 1) Denial Of Service (internet related)
DOS -- 2) Disk Operating System (computer related)
DP -- Pulse Dialing
DRMO -- Government surplus auctions
DSL -- Digital Subscriber Line
DSLAM -- Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer
DT -- Dial Tone
DTMF -- Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency; a.k.a. "touch-tone"
DVM - Digital Volt Meter
E EB -- Elektrisk Bureau
E/W -- Equipped With
ELR -- Earth Loop Recall (UK)
ESR -- Equivalent Series Resistance (capacitor condition mearurement)
ESS -- Electronic Switching System
F FA -- Fuse Alarm
FCC -- Federal Communications Commission
FDV -- FiOS Digital Voice
FiOS -- Fiber Optic Service
Frankenphone -- A telephone assembled or reconstructed from a variety of different manufacture's parts
Friend -- A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
FXO -- Foreign Exchange Office
FXS -- Foreign Exchange Subscriber
G GM -- Global Moderator
GSP -- GTE/General System Practices
GTEP -- General Telephone Practices
GTD-5 EAX -- General Telephone Digital Number 5 Electronic Automatic Exchange; a Class 5 digital telephone switch developed by GTE Automatic Electric Laboratories
H HES1 or HES2 -- House Exchange System (run on 12-24 volts)
HES3 or HES4 -- House Exchange System (run on 50 volts)
Hybrid -- A telephonic item made by combining two or more different elements; a mixture.
Hz -- Hertz (frequency), kHz (Hz / 1,000)
I ICAMBI -- In Case Anyone May Be Interested
IIRC -- If I Remember Correctly
ILEC -- Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier
IMHO -- In My Humble Opinion
IP -- Internet Protocol (address)
ISDN -- Integrated Services Digital Network
ISPS -- Internet Service Provider System
ISTR -- I Seem To Remember
ITT -- International Telephone & Telegraph
K KSU -- Key System Unit, used in KTS exchanges
KTS -- Key telephone system (similar to a PABX but can be manually programmed by the user, such as a Panasonic 616)
L LB -- Local battery; power source for the telephone is on-site, where it is being used (now rarely implemented)
LD -- Loop Disconnect, ie Pulse Dialling (UK)
LFB -- Last Finder Busy
Line Cord -- 2 types: flat 4 conductor used with modular plugs and round 2-4 conductor used with spade lugs
LRC -- Inductance (L), Resistance (R), Capacitance (C) circuit as in a bridged ringing circuit
LTB -- Last Trunk Busy
M M -- When found above the phone's number on a number card indicates the phone is "M"odular
mF -- Microfarad (capacitance), or µF
MFP -- Moisture & Fungus Proofed
(military phones) MGCP -- Media Gateway Control Protocol
MJA -- Major Alarm
MM -- Multi-Meter
MNA -- Minor Alarm
MSL -- Motor Start Lead
MG -- Motor Generator (ringing machine)
MW -- Message Waiting
MTA -- Major Trading Area (a PCS/cell phone FCC designated carrier service area)
N NANP -- North American Numbering Plan
NAS -- Network Attached Storage
NAT -- Network Address Translators
NIB -- New In Box
NIC -- Network Interface Controller
NID -- Network Demarcation Device (Network Interface Device)
N/M -- Nortel Millennium (payphone)
NOS - New Old Stock (can also be found applied to "C stock"
NPSTN -- Novelty/Nostalgia Public switched telephone network (see PSTN)
NPA-NXX -- Numbering Plan Area (area code); central office exchange code (see NANP)
MTU -- Maximum Transmission Unit
O ONT -- Optical Network Terminal
OOMA -- A Private Company Providing Products for the Telephone Industry
OSP -- Outside Plant
OTOH -- On The Other Hand
P PAP2T -- Linksys ATA phone adapter
PBX/PABX/PMBX -- Private branch exchange/private automatic branch exchange/private manual branch exchange
PCS -- Personal Communication Services (refers to digital, not analog cell, telephone services)
Phreak (...ing) - - Someone who breaks (breaking) into the telephone network illegally, typically to make free long-distance phone calls or to tap phone lines. The term is now sometimes used to include anyone who breaks or tries to break the security of any network.
PF -- Power Failure (circuit)
Phoneitis -- A disease caught by most forum member which presents as the inability to stop buying telephones
Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride -- Bakelite
PON -- Passive Optical Network
PoE -- Power over Ethernet
POTS -- Plain Old Telephone Service
PPS -- Pulses per Second
PRI -- Primary Rate Interface
PST -- Plug and Socket Telephone (UK)
PSTN -- Public switched telephone network [POTS can be is either one of the elements which make up the PSTN or is synonymous with PSTN itself)
PTT -- Push To Talk
PUC -- Public Utilities Commission
Q Q&A -- Questions and Answers
QoS -- Quality of Service
R RDD -- Raised Dumb Dumb
REC -- Receiver or Receiver Element
REN -- Ringer equivalence number (represents drain on ringing voltage a single phone will have; Western Electric 500 = 1)
RIP -- Retired In Place
RJxx -- Registered Jack (nn defining the modular plug positions and connectors)
ROH -- Receiver Off Hook
RUD -- Rapid Unexpected Disassembly (explosion)
RX -- Receiver or Receiver Element
S S.C.R.A.P. -- Surplus Communications Related Apparatus & Parts
SDD -- Shallow Dumb Dumb
SIP -- Session Initiation Protocol
SIP -- Single In-line Package
SIT -- Special Information Tones
SLACK -- A channel-based messaging platform
SLIC -- Subscriber's Line Interface Card
SLT -- Single Line Telephone station
SOHO -- Small Office, Home Office (PBX)
SOLR -- Sidetone Objective Loudness Rating
SRTP -- Secure Real Time Transport Protocol
Station Wire -- 22 or 24 gauge 4 conductor solid/color coded conductors in parallel within a jacket
ST -- Self test
STC -- Standard Telephones & Cables: A British telephone, telegraph, radio, telecommunications and related equipment manufacturer started London in 1883 as International Western Electric (the UK arm of the US Western Electric) and became known as STC (Standard Telephones & Cables) in 1925 when Western Electric sold its international operations to ITT Corporation who then named it STC.
STD -- Subscriber Trunk Dialing (UK)
STK -- Standard Telefon & Kabelfabrikk (Norwegian)
STL -- A file format native to the stereolithography CAD software created by 3D Systems with several backronyms such as "Standard Triangle Language" and "Standard Tessellation Language"
STUN -- Session Traversal Utilities for NAT
SxS -- Step-by-Step (electro-mechanical automatic stepping switch; now obsolete in most PSTN systems)
T T&R -- Tip and Ring
TAM -- Telephone Answering Machine (UK)
TBR -- Time Break Recall (UK)
TCI -- Telephone Collector's International
Telampternphone -- A lamp made from a telephone, a lantern and an electric bulb with or without a shade
Telco -- Telephone Company
TLS -- Transport Layer Security
TRS -- Tip, Ring and Sleeve
TTBOMK -- To The Best Of My Knowledge
TX -- Transmitter or Transmitter Element
U µF -- Microfarad (capacitance), or mF
V VBX -- Virtual Branch Exchange
VDSL -- Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line
VoIP -- Voice over Internet Protocol
VTVM -- Vacuum Tube Volt Meter
V XLink BTTN -- Bluetooth wireless gateway device that connects a cell phone to a regular home telephone system
Z ZIP -- Zone Improvement Plan
===============================
Repairmen Work Order Trouble Related Acronyms BDR -- bell doesn't ring
BRCM -- bell rings can't meet
CB -- cross battery (TS, RS, BS, etc)
CBDT -- can't break dial tone
CBH -- can't be heard
CH -- can't hear
DIY -- dog in yard
DLL -- dial long lines (unit or circuit)
DTAD -- dial tone after dialing
ETIR -- every time it rains
GEN -- generator
GRD -- (TS, RS, BS, etc)
HICAP -- high capacitance
HIRES -- high resistance
HOOL -- hears others on line
HS -- handset
ICKY-PIC -- PIC flooded with a waterproof chemical that is thick and gooey
IDF -- intermediate distribution frame
LD -- long distance
MDF -- main distribution frame
NDT -- no dial tone
O/D -- out of order
OBS -- open both sides
OHOP -- only has one phone
ORS -- open ring side
OTS -- open tip side
PIC -- Plastic Insulated Cable
RX -- receive(r)(ing)
S/C -- short circuit
SOL -- static on line
ST -- Side Tone (full or high volume talk feedback into receiver element)
TX -- transmit(ter)(ing)
UNBAL -- unbalanced
WAK/SDD -- works at night/sleeps during day
XBOX -- cross box
XTALK -- cross talk
Saw the acronym/abbreviation list thread, and wanted to post some to it. Thought I'd add these to the list, since I had no idea what these meant when I was a newbie a few short months ago. Even though they're now second nature to us, they might not be to a "n00b":
Telco: Telephone company
CO: Central office (the telephone exchange office where the switching equipment and power source for the phone system covering a certain area is located)
REN: Ringer equivalence number (represents drain on ringing voltage a single phone will have; Western Electric 500 = 1)
DTMF: Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency; a.k.a. "touch-tone"
PBX/PABX/PMBX: Private branch exchange/private automatic branch exchange/private manual branch exchange
KTS: Key telephone system (similar to a PABX but can be manually programmed by the user, such as a Panasonic 616)
POTS: Plain-old telephone service
PSTN: Public switched telephone network [Depending on which Wikipedia entry you look up, POTS is either one of the elements which make up the PSTN, or is synonymous with the PSTN itself... demonstrating one of the many reasons Wikipedia should be taken with a grain of salt... :P ]
SxS: Step-by-step (electro-mechanical automatic stepping switch; now obsolete in most PSTN systems)
NPA-NXX: Numbering Plan Area (area code); central office exchange code (see NANP)
NANP: North American Numbering Plan
ATA: Analog telephone adapter
VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol
CLLI code: Common Language Location Identifier code
GTD-5 EAX: General Telephone Digital Number 5 Electronic Automatic Exchange; a Class 5 digital telephone switch developed by GTE Automatic Electric Laboratories
CB: Common battery; power source for the telephone is at the telco CO
LB: Local battery; power source for the telephone is on-site, where it is being used (now rarely implemented)
I pulled this topic for about a day to update it, sort it out. It is now back and open to both use and suggestions of new acronyms, unlisted acronyms.
Please suggest them by posting a reply to this topic. All suggestions will be copied to the alphabetical list in the first topic.
The topic is now Unlocked.
If you know the meaning, please provide it.
If you don't know the meaning of an acronym not of the list, submit it with a few question marks following it ( ? ? ? ) and it will be added to the list once the meaning is known.
Thanks.
Some trouble-related terms that a repairman would find on his/her work orders:
NDT no dial tone
CH can't hear
CBH can't be heard
BDR bell doesn't ring
BRCM bell rings can't meet
SOL static on line
CBDT can't break dial tone
HOOL hears others on line
OHOP only has one phone
HS handset
LD long distance
DTAD dial tone after dialing
ETIR every time it rains
DIY dog in yard
XTALK cross talk
XBOX cross box
O/D out of order
TX transmit(ter)(ing)
RX receive(r)(ing)
HICAP high capacitance
HIRES high resistance
UNBAL unbalanced
MDF main distribution frame
IDF intermediate distribution frame
DLL dial long lines (unit or circuit)
GEN generator
S/C short circuit
OTS open tip side
ORS open ring side
OBS open both sides
CB cross battery (TS, RS, BS, etc)
GRD (TS, RS, BS, etc)
WAK/SDD works at night/sleeps during day
CO terms:
DSLAM Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer
MG motor generator (ringing machine)
MSL motor start lead
Key system terms:
A-lead answer lead
H-lead hold lead
B-lead balance lead
L-lead lamp lead
DICM dial intercom
CMB common bell
CA common audible
POTS is plain old telephone service as noted above, and along with this is PANS "pretty amazing new stuff."
MBSWWYPBX "Mus be somfin wrong widge yo PBX" The telco repair clerk's standard reply to a vendor who is attempting to relate a central office-based problem on behalf of a customer, whether or not the customer has a PBX.
BOC Bell operating company
RBOC Regional Bell operating company
ILEC Incumbent local exchange carrier
CLEC Competing local exchange carrier
BSTJ Bell System Technical Journal
BLR Bell Labs Record
IITYWYBMAD
OK, this one is strictly for use on the forum.
W.L.P. = We Love Pictures/Photographs
For use in greeting new members or when a post lacks photos!
OK Johnathan. Relax, I guess humor is not your strong point.
As a former telco employee, I stopped myself from using an acronym in the "Troubleshooting" forum to describe the condition a subset is manifesting on my POTS line that I'm currently trying to resolve:
ROH = Receiver Off Hook
When I was in Electronics school/college my instructor would get real bent when someone used the term Volt meter when we all had (MM) Multi-meters. He'd say a volt meter is one that measures ONLY volts and nothing else and I reckon I've become the same way. So MM = Multi-meter You can put a "D" on it for Digital and or an "A" for analog if it makes you happy DMM AMM. ;D