Somebody dial 951?

When I was a kid I used to pick up a payphone and dial the numbers 9-5-1. A series of tones played, slowly at first, then at a very rapid pace. The reason for my posting this, is I heard similar tones on an audio file from a Number Stations web site. There must be a correllation. Anyone here know what I'm talking about? I'd hate to be the only one out here who has dialed that number.

I never listened to what happened after I dialed 951, but we used to dial the 951 and then hung up twice ( hung up and picked up and hung up again rapidly). Then we wait a few seconds and the phone would ring. It was just a diagnostic tool used by the phone company.

why phone 951? why that specific number?

in my former area code (312), we used to dial 591, wait for a dial tone, then dial 6, and hang up. then the phone would ring. as to why specific numbers, it was probaly passed along from someone else.

Yes yes yes!!! You hung up twice, it would ring then you pick up and hear this odd tonal melody. Now if it is just phone company test, then why the STRIKING similarity to Number Station broadcasts? Was 951 a way for Agents to get information or are number stations run by phone companies to test broadcast lines? Intersting, but confusing. I'm glad I'm not the only one on here who dialed that strange number. To those who did it just to make the phone ring, did any of you actually pick up the phone?

Does this still work? I am goin to run a little experiment right now I think.


*EDIT* I tried with both my cell phone and home phone and got nothing. Cell phone disconnected and home phone didnt react.

[edit on 27-2-2006 by Semiazas]

It used to only work on payphones, as I recall it. If you have one near by, give it a shot. Sadly, I don't live near a payphone, and when I am near one I usually don't think to call the number to see if it still works.

951 is an area code in California.
Map

It is unlikely that entering 951 would be somekind of secret code as many people would use 951 to call places like Riverside,Ca.


Edit:
Never mind I guess you would have to dial 1 first anyway



[edit on 27/2/2006 by Umbrax]

Even so, wouldnt it be stupid to put some kind of code where it could easily be intercepted? Many a time people forget to dial the 1 in front of the area code. Even though no one would understand what the code meant, it still wouldnt make sense to put something like that where it could easily be found. It would make more sense to have a long digit of numbers that had to be dialed in my oppinion.

Well isn't a little wierd to broadcast secret information over SW where anyone with fifty bucks and a neighborhood Radio Shack can access it? Seems even safer to have something like that over a phone line. I mean, even the heads of the Illuminati have phone numbers, right?

951 and 959 used to be telephone service testing exchanges. For example, picking up a pay phone and pressing 09591230 would put it in "coin test" mode.

Not sure what they are used for today...

althoug i agree his is probab not a code i don't agree with it being a stupid idea to put it there as if it is somewhere easy to find people are less likely to think it is something secret

We had something like this in my old home town, but if i recall correctly we'd dial 9-8-1, hang up, pick up the phone and head a tone, then hang up once more. After that last hang up, the phone would ring.

Anyway, but in my my "wild" days i did a bit of exploringand found a code that would actually disable the phone for a short period of time (iirc it was 9-8-0). Later on in life, i took a telecommunications course in college, and asked my teacher about this behavior. His theory was that i was dialing a prefix that simply went nowhere, hence the dead phone (basically it was a bug in the phone system).

In any case, i'm sorry for not being able to be as exact on this topic as i'd like, but this is going back over 10 years for me