Subject: Plugging in Down Under

From: "Ole J. Jacobsen" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 12:54:16 -0800 (PST)

A surprising number of attendees of the Oslo IETF came without the proper
power adapter plug. This is a reminder that Australia uses yet another
style of plug. The blades are similar to the US or Japanese plug but set
at an angle in an inverted "V" arrangement (with a third ground blade
below the inverted V should you care). The official voltage is 240 at
50Hz, and they had the sense to adapt PAL as the TV standard, A4 paper
and a semi-proper version of English :-)

By popular demand, I will be bringing a number of "Purple Power Monsters"
also know as Sascom Super adapters, that will let you plug into any power
outlet in the world more or less, see:

http://home.catv.ne.jp/dd/norihiro/benri/sasukomu/sasukomu.html

...but not enough for everyone. Thus, I'd suggest you get your adapter
before getting on the plane for Australia. Yes, I am sure you can buy
the adapter in Adelaide, but they may sell out like they did in Oslo.

If you need to connect to telephone network, Australia has its own
telephone connector too of course (although I suspect that major hotels
may have the familar "data port" on the side of the phone).

Most of what you need is available from online suppliers like Magellans
and others.

Have fun, and don't forget to bring back som Kangaroo Jerky for your
friends.

Ole

Ole J. Jacobsen 
Editor and Publisher
The Internet Protocol Journal
Cisco Systems, Office of the CTO
Tel: +1 408-527-8972
e-mail: [email-masked]
URL: http://www.cisco.com/ipj

* See you at INET 2000, Yokohama, Japan July 18-21
  http://www.isoc.org/inet2000

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From: Bill Manning <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 16:32:10 -0800 (PST)

% 
% If you need to connect to telephone network, Australia has its own
% telephone connector too of course (although I suspect that major hotels
% may have the familar "data port" on the side of the phone).

	is it the goofy british plug they use in HongKong?
	flipped pairs like hongkong?

--bill

---

From: "Ole J. Jacobsen" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 16:49:58 -0800 (PST)

I don't think so. *If* there is a "dataport" it should be vanilla RJ-11,
but I would strongly recommend getting a native phoneplug/adapter in any
case.

ole

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From: John C Klensin <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 20:10:54 -0500

--On Sunday, 05 March, 2000 16:32 -0800 Bill Manning 
<[email-masked]> wrote:

> %
> % If you need to connect to telephone network, Australia has
> its own % telephone connector too of course (although I
> suspect that major hotels % may have the familar "data port"
> on the side of the phone).
>
>

Think about two parallel flat pins, then a square-ish rod, then 
another flat pin, also with its surface parallel to the others. 
i.e., something like
                _
    |     |     |_|     |

and, no, not like the British or Hong Kong ones.

    john

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 11:52:55 +1030 (CST)

> 	flipped pairs like hongkong?

Checkout the adaptor products on page 14 of the online catalogue at
http://www.dse.com.au/ .

Regards,

Mat F.

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From: Randy Bush <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 17:22:21 -0800

> flipped pairs like hongkong?

no.  it is unique

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From: Bruce Campbell <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 13:11:31 +1000 (EST)

On Sun, 5 Mar 2000, Randy Bush wrote:

randy> > is it the goofy british plug they use in HongKong?
randy> > flipped pairs like hongkong?
randy> no.  it is unique

The native Australian phone plug, just like the Fauna and Flora, is like
nothing else on earth ;) .

I've yet to see an Australian hotel (IETF class[1]) without the RJ-11
socket, with standard pinouts.  In most cases, this is all that you will
need.  Failing that, Australian phone adaptors can be purchased either
from Duty-Free as you enter the country, or the local DSE store (Dick
Smith Electronics).

If you are transitting via Japan or ( *insert name of city which has
decent electronic goods* ), step down transformers from anything[2] to
110V can be purchased for approx 4,500 Yen (40 USD or similar), quite
possibly the same item which Ole mentioned previously.  (personally I just
buy equipment that can deal with any voltage ;) )

If you were at APRICOT in the last week, you will be relived to hear that
Adelaide will not have the same static electricity problem.

--==--
Bruce.

Sysadmin, APNIC
Brisbane, Australia.

[1] The type of hotel able to deal with the jetlagged international
    traveller just wanting to check their email at 3am local time.
[2] 'anything' temporarily redefined to be the range 110V to 250V.

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From: Mark Prior <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 23:27:38 +1030

I doubt it, I think it was something weird that Telstra dreamt up
during its monology years :-) Most hotels should have RJ12's but you
can readily buy the adaptor if you find you need it as a lot of new
equipment has an RJ instead of the standard plug.

Mark.

---

From: James Seng <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 04:19:41 +0800

>         flipped pairs like hongkong?

no..worst, it is neither :)

imaging your US plug without the grounding. Then imaging someone with a
twisted mind bending them to each side at 30degree giving you a sort of a V
shape.

This probably means you _can_ try bending your plug to fit oz power :))) but i
wouldnt recommend anyone to do so...

james

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From: Geoff Huston <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 13:36:28 +1100

> >       flipped pairs like hongkong?

I haven't had to use a spade phone plug for over 5 years
in Australia

RJ-11's are pretty much the rule in Australian hotels these days.

-------
Geoff Huston   Chief Scientist, Internet
                Telstra Strategy & Research
phone: +61 2 6208 1908  fax: +61 2 6248 6165
www.telstra.net/gih

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From: "Bruce Morgan" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 09:52:35 +0800

> RJ-11's are pretty much the rule in Australian hotels these days.

Well Geoff, I was almost forced to use one this weekend in Adelaide. Only an
Aussie P601(?) available  and no RJ11 socket in sight.

I unplugged the phone from the RJ11 and used a barrel connector - worth
their weight in gold...

--
Bruce Morgan		mailto:[email-masked]
Network Engineer, Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet)
Ph: 08-9334-8944		Fax: 08-9334-8001		Mobile: 0408 88 2390