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Title:   Listening in on Cordless Telephone Conversations
Date:    10/30/87
Time:    2:32 pm




Title:   Various stuff to do.....
Date:    9/4/87
Time:    11:57 am


Listening in on cordless telephone conversations
------------------------------------------------
    The original cordless telephones (about '78-83) were made to be used on the
1.6 to 1.8 MHz band.  If you notice, 1.6 MHz is also the top end of the AM
broadcast band.  These phones operate on AM (just like the radio stations)  and
use the wiring in your house for an antenna.  The power of these phones is 1/10
of a watt in most cases, or about 1/50th of the power that your average CB
radio will pull out.  So, with not having a lot of power its tough to hear
these phones.  You know how they say 500 foot range?  Sure thats the range of
the handset to the base, but not of the signals emitted by the base.  This in
turn means that you can hear them for about 25-30 miles away.  The newer
phones, however, are not as easy to hear.  They operate on FM on the 49 MHz
band, which is the same frequency which your little walkie-talkies operate on
(the same ones that you loved as a 10 year old).  These phones require a little
bit more effort to be heard than do the old ones (and a little more money).
Never fear, however, because about 1 out of 10 phones is the old style, and
they are still being made and sold today.
    For the old style phones, you will need to get a pocket size AM transistor
radio.   There should be a small plastic box inside the radio.  This little
'box' is the VFO (Variable Frequency Oscillator) which controlls the frequency
of the radio.  Now of course, you aren't going to have a digital frequency
counter (they only cost $400, so everyone should have at least two of them) so
before you do anything, turn on the radio and tune to the top of the band and
find the station which is closest to the top of the broadcast band.  Write down
the frequency so you have something to compare later.
    Now, turn off the radio, get a small screwdriver and adjust the small
screw(s) on the back of the little plastic box.  Don't turn them more than a
quarter at a time.  Now when you have done this to your radio and see where
that station at the top of the band is now on the frequency dial.  When you
have gotten the station 150-200 kHz down from where it was (like if the
frequency was 1600, get it down between 1400 and 1450), you are all set to
recieve cordless telephones at the top end of the radio.  NOTE: This little
trick might not work as well on all radios, but its worth a try.  If worse
comes to worse, you can turn them back.
    The ideal distance is a close to the base phone as you can get, but this
thing should pull in signals from up to 500 feet with no problem.  Simply go
near someones house with this.
    Another way to do this, if the VFO adjustment trick dosen't work, is to
adjust the small metal boxes that have colored screws in them.  These are the
tuning coils for the reciever circuit, and they affect the frequency also.
Another possiblity is a combination of turning the VFO screws and the coils to
try and get the desired affect.
    Now for the tough ones, the new phones.  The new phones work on 49 MHz FM
(the cheap ones are AM).  If you decide to invest in one make damn sure you get
FM walkie-takies.  If you get AM, you're screwed, unless you have a friend who
is major into electronics or ham radio who has the knowledge to convert AM to
FM (it can be done).  When you get your FM walkie-talkie, you can do one of two
things:
  A) You can play with the adjust coils trick as mentioned (there is no VFO
because walkie-talkies are crystal controlled).
  B) You can change the crystal.  Popular frequencies for cordless phones are
49.83 and 49.89 MHz.  These crystals can be obtained from electronic supply
houses (like the ones that sell chips for computer companies) for about $2 or
less each.
    There are one other shortcut method that can be used to bypass this mess and get you listenin right away.  Get a general coverage reciever.  They cover
all frequenies from 100 kHz to 30 MHz, and will provide you with armchair
reception because you can hook up a monster antenna.  This method only works
with the old phones because of the frequency limitations of the reciever.


How to make a Radiophone Tap
----------------------------
    This simple device will allow you to listen in on your neighbors phone
calls, and is somewhat undectectable.  All the parts that you will need can be
purchased for under $15.00 at any local Radio Shack.  What you will need is a
FM Microphone (mini).  Thats it.  Now, to install the microphone go over to the
victim's phone box (located on the side of the house underneath a little rubber
boot in most cases) and take the microphone unit out of the radio mike.  You
should now have two wires extending from the unit.  All you need to do is hook
these two wires to the green and red wires on the block respectivley.  Now just
tuck the unit in underneath the rubber boot, go home, and tune your radio to FM
89, sit back and listen.  Recording is very easy if you have almost any type of
poratable radio (ghetto blaster).

Electronic Bug Detection
------------------------
    Electronic bug detection will probably be the most difficult aspect of its
field, as you will be working on your own, without the aid of much useful
information that can be gathered from the telephone company or other agencies.
(Most telephone bugs, except the most sophisticated ones, can be detected by an
overload on the phone line itself.)  A good tool for bugging detection is a
normal AM/FM radio, portable, with a telescopic antenna.  For application,
extend the antenna in the room suspected of being bugged, and tune the reciever
carefully from bottom to top, covering all the FM frequencies, at the same time
talking to yourself continually.  At one point, if the bug is present, you will
be able to hear yorself through the reciever, although the voice may be
indistinguishable, because of top-volume feedback.  This feedback will always
be a deafening continous howl, scream, or high pitched whistle.  To learn the
exact location of the bug, cut the volume of the reciever, and slowly move
around the room.  The feedback will increase in volume as you get closer to the
bug.  When a bug is discovered, there is a moment of confusion and fear in
reguard to its elimination.  In one sense, destroying a bug is an admission of
guilt, and can do nothing more than provoke the enemy to rebug in a more
sophisticated manner.  For that reason, I would hesitate to remove a bug.
Instead attempt to use it against the bugger himself, by feeding false
information.
    In some cases, the bugger may have taken precautions against this type of
detection and, by readjustment of his oscillating capacitor, he may be
transmitting on a range below the sensitivity of your radio.  In this case,
employ your television set in the same manner as you did with the radio, using
the ultrahigh frequency knob.  As you move across the range of frequencies,
keep your eyes on the picture, until you have found a pattern of dark wavy
lines that move in relation to your own voice, coupled with top-volume
feedback.  The actual location of the bug is a little more difficult, unless
your TV set is battery operated (watchman), but by use of extension cords and
slow movement this can be accomplished.
    This feedback technique can also be used when the bugging involves CB
(citizen band) walkie talkie.  One of the simplest methods of bugging is to
tape down the transmitter button on a cheap walkie talkie, and plant it where
the conversation is to be held.  The process of detection is exactly the same
as above, except that, instead of using a radio or TV set, one uses a tunable
CB reciever to check for feedback.
    Although the previous "feedback technique" can be affective, it is tie
consuming and not 100% efficient.  For these reasons, electronic experts have
invented and marketed a small meter, which detects transmitters.  The
interestig problem that these experts have overcome was, with all high poweres
radio and TV stations transmitting, how would it be possible for an individual
to detect a low-powered transmitter, such as a microphone?  This was done by
simply reversing the gauge.  In other words, when the meter was "wide open," no
signal was present.  However, the closer the meter is taken to the transmitting
device, the less of a reading the meter registers.  These field-strength meters
are available from most large electronic companies and range in price from
about $10 to $200, depending on quality and strength.
    A device similar to the "strength meter," which a Texas company has
marketed, utilizes a small bulb, which blinks only when a bug is present.  The
true value of this device is that it is capable of seperating normal radio
waves (which don't affect it) from dangerous radio signals emitted from a bug.
It is available from Dee Company, Houston, Texas, for about $200.
    If you're not electronically minded, or just not equipped to find the tap
on your phone, Continental Telephone has a device that allows you through the
use of its meter, to determine if the wire is tapped, and, if so, where it is
located.  Unfortunatley this device (called "The Private Sentry") costs $250.

Phone Looping
-------------
    A loop is a wonderous device which the telephone company created as test
numbers for telephone repairmen when testing equipment.  By matching the tone
of the equipment with the tone of the loop, repairmen can adjust and test the
settings of their telephone equipment.
    A loop basically, consists of two different telephone numbers.  Lets use A
and B as an example.  Normally if you call A, you will hear a loud tone (this
is a 1004 hz tone), and if you call B, the line will connect, and will be
followed by silence.
    This is the format of a loop line.  Now, if somebody calls A and someone
else calls B, whala, A and B loop together, and one connection is made.  Ma
Bell did this so repairmen can communicate with each other without having to
call their own repair office.  They can also use them to exchange programs,
like for ANA or Ringback.  Also, many CO's have a "Loop Assignment Center."
That is how a loop is constructed.  From this information, anyone can find and
actual loop line.  Going back to the A and B example.  NOTE: The tone side and
the silent side can be either A or B.  Don't be fooled if the phone company
decides to scramble them around to be cute.  As you know loops come in pairs of
number.  Usually right after each other.  For example 817-972-1890 and
817-972-1891 which is the same as 817-972-1890/1.  This is not always true
however.  Sometimes the pattern is in the tens or hundreds and occationaly
random.  In cities, usually the phone company has set aside a phone number
suffix that loops will be used for.  Many different prefixes will correspond
with that one suffix though.  In Arlington, Texas a popular suffix for loops is
1893 and 1894, and many prefixes will match with them t make the number.
 Example:  817-460-1893/4
           817-461-1893/4
           817-465-1893/4
           817-467-1893/4
           817-469-1893/4
   these are all loops...

NOTE: You can mix and match a popular suffix with other prefixes in a city, and
almost always find other loops or test numbers.
    When there are a large number of loops with the same prefix format, chances
are that many loops will be interlocked.  Using the above example of Arlington
loops again, (I will write the prefixes to save space) 460, 461 and 469 are
interlocked loops.  This means that only one side can be used at a given time.
This is because they are all on the same circuit.  To clarify, if 817-461-1893
is called, 817-460 and 469-1893 cannot be called because that circuit is being
used.  Essentially, the interlocked loops are all the same line, but there are
a variety of telephone numbers to access the line.  Also if the operator is
asked to break in on a busy loop line he/she will say that the circuit is
overloaded, or something along those lines.  This is because Ma Bell has taken
the checking equipment off the line.  However, there are still many rarely used
loops which can be verified and can have emergency calls taken on them.
    As you have found out, loops come in many types.  Another type of loop is a
filtered loop.  These are loops lines that the Telephone Co. has put a filter
on, so that normal human voices cannot be heard on either line.  However other
frequencies may be heard.  It all depends on what the Telephone Co. wants the
loop to be used for.  If a loop has gotten to be very popular with the local
population or used frequently for conferences, etc., the Telephone Co. may
filter the loop to stop unwanted "traffic."  Usually, the filter will be
removed after a few months.
    The wise and knowlegable phreaker can use loops in many ways.  If there is
a person he/she wants to talk to, but dosen't want to give them their home
telephone number, they can meet on a loop.  Conferences can be set up on loops.
Collect calls can be accepted on loops.  If a loop is unmonitored, then it can
be called free from a pay phone.  Therefore loops can be a powerful tool if
used correctly, and not abused.

Cable TV Box Modification
-------------------------
    Many of you have those little black boxes the cable companies install in
your house when you subscribe.  What you don't know is what fun these can be.
For instance, many of the new ones have a lock for the Playboy channel, or if
you don't subscribe to it there is no channel to switch to get to it and last
but not least it might be scrambled.  In this article you will learn how to get
channels you might not subscribe to such as HBO, The Movie Channel, Cinemax,
etc.  First off you must unplug the box, then turn it over or around depending
on the box you have.  You will have to cut the stub on the back if you have
one.  If there are hexnuts or phillips screw don't try to unscrew them normally
because most likely they are reversed and you'll have to do it clockwise.  Then
remove the cover.  There may be a loose yellow or red wire.  If there is then
tape it to the terminal without a connector.  Now you will see many small knobs
or screws.  Set your box to the channel you don't want (there has to be at
least one like The Nashville Network), then carefully plug the box back in.
Turn each one of the screws slightly, until you get some interference on that
channel.  Then turn the screw or knob in either direction until you reach the
desired channel.  Then replace the cover, put the screws back in and super-glue
the stub back on.