Keypad letters- how?!

[RoyGun3]

Probably a stupid question by a newbie but...

Using phone keypad to input info into an automated parking system (via a phone call), it asked for car reg. My car reg number has letters in it.. how do you get the keypad to produce letters instead of numbers.

Any help gratefully received.

 

[sting7k]

The same way you do on any other phone. The letters are arbitrary, if your calling something it can only read the tones which correspond to the numbers.

2=abc
3=def
4=ghi
etc...

Unless you have some new system where it some how reads the letters. Maybe it counts the number of tones to determine the letters?

 

[RoyGun3]

Ta very much...

Thanks for your post. I had thought of your idea but if you try it, the display just shows lots of numbers - no letters.
Thanks anyway.

 

[Leanna Lofte]

Thanks for your post. I had thought of your idea but if you try it, the display just shows lots of numbers - no letters.
Thanks anyway.

But the automated system knows that 2=abc... etc. It does the conversions on its end. Unless the system was actually asking for you to speak your registration, this is the only method of sending letters via a phone call on any phone.

 

[DRLyman]

Thanks for your post. I had thought of your idea but if you try it, the display just shows lots of numbers - no letters.
Thanks anyway.

Mine shows letters below the numbers. Yours should, too.

 

[Stevie No-Wonder]

I doubt the system interprets repeated Touch-Tone numbers as letters. "22233" could be CE, or it could be ABE, or ABDD... etc, etc...

... and since different states have different arrangements of numerals and letters in their registration numbers, it only becomes more doubtful.

I'd ask someone familiar with the system.

 

[Leanna Lofte]

I doubt the system interprets repeated Touch-Tone numbers as letters. "22233" could be CE, or it could be ABE, or ABDD... etc, etc...

... and since different states have different arrangements of numerals and letters in their registration numbers, it only becomes more doubtful.

I'd ask someone familiar with the system.

It depends on the context of the call. If the system is asking for verification purposes, then surely it can determine if his entry is match. But if it's asking for new data, then you're right, there is no way for the system to know which letter he meant. That's why I'm wondering the automated system was actually asking him to speak his entry into the phone; this is very common now. This is the only method of sending letters through a telephone call (without speaking).

Technically, a machine would be able to receive letters if the entry is in old school texting format (2=1, 22=b, 222=c, etc). But as far as I know, this is not a method that is in practice. If so, I'm certain the automated person would have gave him instructions to enter it like that.

 

[Stevie No-Wonder]

Technically, a machine would be able to receive letters if the entry is in old school texting format.

True, but he specifically stated that this was "via a phone call." Therefore, the only possibilities are speech recognition or Touch-Tone (not SMS).