Various MF signaling protocols were devised by the Bell System and CCITT. Multi-frequency signaling ( MF) is a group of signaling methods that use a mixture of two pure tone (pure sine wave) sounds. Operators used an earlier type of multi-frequency signaling. Placing calls over longer distances required either operator assistance or provision of special subscriber trunk dialing equipment. The physical distance for which this type of dialing was possible was restricted by electrical distortions and was possible only on direct metallic links between end points of a line.

The exchange equipment responds to the dial pulses either directly by operating relays or by storing the number in a digit register that records the dialed number. It functions by interrupting the current in the local loop between the telephone exchange and the calling party's telephone at a precise rate with a switch in the telephone that is operated by the rotary dial as it spins back to its rest position after having been rotated to each desired number. Other multi-frequency systems are also used for signaling on trunks in the telephone network.īefore the development of DTMF, telephone numbers were dialed by users with a loop-disconnect (LD) signaling, more commonly known as pulse dialing (dial pulse, DP) in the United States.

Touch-Tone dialing with a telephone keypad gradually replaced the use of rotary dials and has become the industry standard in telephony. DTMF is standardized as ITU-T Recommendation Q.23. DTMF was first developed in the Bell System in the United States, and became known under the trademark Touch-Tone for use in push-button telephones supplied to telephone customers, starting in 1963. The red keys in the fourth column produce the A, B, C, and D DTMF events.ĭual-tone multi-frequency signaling ( DTMF) is a telecommunication signaling system using the voice-frequency band over telephone lines between telephone equipment and other communications devices and switching centers. Autovon keypads were one of the few production units to include all 16 DTMF signals.

Dtmf tone dialer