What Is Pulse Dialing?
Pulse dialing is a type of telephone dialing in which short pulses are used to relay what number is being dialed. These pulses are generated by having a steady tone that is interrupted by breaking the connection very briefly. This breaking of the connection sounds to a listener like a series of clicks, which is what one hears when one dials a rotary phone. Because the clicks used in pulse dialing are ultimately just breaks in the connection, they can be mimicked simply by hanging up the phone repeatedly and quickly. Generally, the system used in pulse dialing is very simple, with a single click used to denote the number one, two clicks used for the number two, three clicks used for the number three, and so on, with ten clicks used for the number zero. A brief pause must be introduced between each number to make sure they can be accurately designated. In rotary phones, this pause is automatically introduced as a result of the slow return of the rotary system, and in other systems it is
