TTY
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TTY (Teletypewriter) is a communication system used in Payphone Tag that allows text to be transmitted over telephone lines using encoded audio signals.
In the context of Payphone Tag, TTY is primarily used through certain Telstra Smart Payphone units that include a physical slide-out keyboard.
Usage in Payphone Tag
When a TTY-capable payphone is captured, the Operator may initiate TTY mode after the login sequence. If the payphone supports it, the TTY keyboard can slide out, allowing the agent to type a message.
The typed message is transmitted as an ITA2 (Baudot) encoded signal over the phone line. The game backend decodes this signal and posts the message in real time to the Discord server’s #tty channel.
Forcing TTY mode
Agents can also manually trigger TTY mode on most payphones by:
- Entering
*after their PIN - Playing a pre-encoded ITA2 audio file into the handset
This allows messages to be injected into the system without requiring a physical TTY keyboard.
Technical details
- Encoding: ITA2 (Baudot code)
- Transmission: Audio tones over phone line
- Output: Decoded and displayed in Discord
Limitations
Not all TTY-enabled payphones function correctly. Many units connected via cellular (4G) networks have been reported to fail when attempting TTY communication.
Real-world context
TTY systems were historically used to assist deaf or hard-of-hearing users in communicating via telephone networks.