Yes, after 6 months in the pits we're back! Our unannounced vacation took
place for several reasons the main one being a shortage of help and a surplus
of work. By now we have sold alot of back issues & the income has helped to put
to put us solidly in the black.
We will try to come out fairly regularly from now on, but this depends also
on reader contributions & printing costs. We are also planning a Convention and
need ideas for the convention from everyone. Possibly contests and exhibits and
such. Please write to us if you've got suggestions.
In addition, we will be having technical seminars as always. If you are
well-versed in any phase of phreaking covered in TAP or otherwise, please get
in touch with us to teach at the convention.
Dear TAP,
Checking the guide to Subversive Organizations and Publications (House document
398) I noticed the absence of TAP or TIPL-Then I noticed the date was 1961. Did
you make the new list?
Anyway, tell your readers that it's illegal to remove the dialing instruction plate on payphones (below dial) if they were planning on using a high carbon
bit on a hand drill to drill a hole exactly 2 3/4" to the right and 5/8" down.
Not only is it illegal, but if the end of a paperclip through a hold it would
to alsorts of terible things like releasing all the money they just put in to
make a long distance call, preventing them from supporting the wonderfUl phone
company. (Note- drill will cut through iron case, through not steel lock or
coin box.)
-New York-
-Add the dialing instruction plate could be put back in, obscuring the hole and allowong nefarious indviduals to continue their plindering-TAP
Dear TAP,
On a recent trip to Paris I was able to make free calls to any point in the US
(exept Hawaii) and Europe from a special yellow public telephone booth situated all over Paris caled "Interurbain". The only catch was that the called party had to be muted otherwise a loud tone makes conversation impossible. As you know,
the mute prevents supervision, on overseas trunks this is accomplished by
sending 2400Hz to the calling party C.O., indication that the called party has
answered. It is the lack of the 2400 Hz tone which prevents the loud blocking
tone from coming on the paris phone.
Wait for dial tone, dial 19, wait for a second dial tone, then dial 1 +
area code + number. I tried to off a 800 or 555 number, but you can't dial them for that matter with an SF. I'm not sure, but you might be able to do this from
other European cities. I believe that the black box is international, since
most European telephone systems are still step or crossbar.
-New York-
N E W B L U E B O X I N F O
----- ------- ----- -------
We've gotten feedback on the New Blue Box Circuit (Issue 26). One problem of the circuit is that all the diodes for one frequency must be matched. The
motorola Silicon dual diode MSD 6150 (common anode) saves PC board space and is a matched pair. $.25 each in 100 quantity. If regular diodes are to be used,
use only silicon. Though we said germanium diodes are ok, they usually have too much leakage current and the pots will cross-affect each other.
In fact, you can eliminate the hassle and matching of diodes altogether by
using double-pole push-buttons. Polypaks sells a $6.88 General Telephone Data
entry keyboard with 10 buttons. You'll need 2 more DPST and a SPST for 2600,
but you'll save money on diodes. The same 10 tripots are used. And keep the
wiring to the pots and switches good and secure electrically. A loose
connection is a changing frequency. We also have an unchecked report that
elimination diodes with double pole switches makes the regulator unnecessary.
Dear TAP,
As for picking Medeco and Keso locks you can forget it. Medeco is a sidebar
type of lock like the Griggs and Stratton locks G.M. uses in their cars.
Locksmiths usually use codes for auto locks as they can't pick them. A more
efficient method for vending machines would be to use an awl & 5 lb. hammer to
make a hole in the sheet metal of the cabnet and then a nibbling tool (for
electronic construction) to enlarge the hole enough to reach in and disengage
the lock cylinder from the locking bolts. The nibbles can be bought at
Lafayette or Radio Shack but may not cut through all thickness of machine
doors.
-COLORADO-
Dear TAP,
Acording to N.E.T. news line, you people are breaking the state law of Mass.
when you published the 1975 Credit Card Code. Upon conviction you can be fined
$2000 and get a year in the slammer. When I heard this I called the head of
Security in Boston with a phoney c.c. number and told him what I was doing,
Then I asked him what he was going to do about it. Was he ever pissed off.
Yours in conspiricy
-Stainless Steel Rat
A new system from Telident Inc. connects to any telephone and displays the
incoming caller's number. Its purpose is to help catch obscene and other
objectionable phone callers. The caller's number and exchange remain visible
throughout the call:this pinpoints any pone being used for the obscene call,
whether its a private or pay phone. The maker says the system will also
discourage those making bomb threats or ransom demands, if you are bothered
with those problems
Telident, Inc. 304 S Broadway, Los Angeles
MORE FREE ELECTRICITY
---- ---- -----------
Our article on Free Electricity prompted a great reader response and we've
got more info on how to do it. Several meters were sent to us and we've learned
alot about how they work.
Several readers suggested that the speed-adjust screws do work but not
very well and are sometimes labeled backwards to confuse Robin Hoods. However,
we tested the New York standard meter which is a Westing house DSN, and found
that the front screw was labeled correctly (F for Fast is counterclockwise) and
could reduce the meter by 40% And the screw on the side can make the meter
start moving in the wrong direction if you turn it enough! These revekatuibs
are very encouraging indeed. The other meters also have adjustment screws, and
one unmarked meter with large brown coils inside had 5 speed adjustment screws!
Most home meters are of the 220 volt dual-phase (3-wire) type which
supplies 110 and 220 volts "hot" wires that are out of phase with each other,
which means ground wire. From either hot wire to ground is 110 volts. One
reader writes in that on 220 volt, GE single phase meters, about a 50%
reduction in rotor speed can be obtained by wiring the potential coil so it
receives only 110 volts, not 220. The Potential coil is the small coil wound
out of thin wire & connected in shunt across the load side of the meter.
This accomplished as follows:
1. Remove meter from socket. (issue 23)
2. Remove case from meter (usually screws)
3. Locate the 2 small wires that are connected to the two line terminal (bottom
two terminals).
4. Disconnect either of these wires (but not both), from the line terminal its
attached to.
5. Connect it to the ground terminal. This is the smallest prong on the back of the meter and usually points a different way(like horizontal). Of course, but
on the inside of the back as the ground terminal goes through the plastic back
of the meter.
6. Get electric heat. Its cheaper!
o---------/\/\/\/\/\----------o
Current |
LINE Coils ----- LOAD
[::| Voltage coil
----- o Ground
| prong
o---------/\/\/\/\/\----------o
Excuse this but this is normal GE meter
Half speed meter.
o---------/\/\/\/\/\----------o
Line current |
coils ----- LOAD
[::| o
-----------/
Ground prong
o---------/\/\/\/\/\----------o
Before doing this you should make sure taht your meter has the same hookup as the GE meter used in the above letter. Some meters have a different hookup.
For example, the Westinghouse DSN has a voltage coil across one side of the
line and ground.
o------/\/\/\/\/\/\/+----+---o LOAD
Resisters-: \
\ | / Voltage
\ | \ Coil
Neon bulb\+---------o
: Ground
| Prong
o------/\/\/\/\/\/\/+--------o
NORMALLY. So this CAN'T be "Halved". The Duncan 12S has TWO voltage coils, one
from each side of the line to ground. One controls the reading of your 110 volt
appliances, and other controls the reading of your 220 volt appliances. On this
meter, the meter will have to be tested to see which voltage is controlled by
the two screws on the back. Turn on a 220 volt appliance (with the screws
loosened and the metal piece pulled out) and see if the wheel turns faster. If
it does, the screws control your 110 volt appliances. If not, then your air conditioner and other 220 volt units will only cost half as much.
o------/\/\/\/\/\/\/+--------o
! meter dis-
!/\/\/\/\/\====- able screws
!_______________________o
voltage ! Ground prong
coils !/\/\/\/\/\_____
!
o------/\/\/\/\/\/\/\+-------o
Duncan 12s
/\=Colis
= = screws
All the meters we tested have 5 prongs. Two are the input, Two are the
output and one is ground. Disconnecting the ground stops the meter but leaves
you with the lights on. Breaking off the pin and putting back the meter is good
but less suspicion will be aroused if you bend the prong (the ground prong is
the odd one out of place from the others and pointed a different way) so that
it doesn't go in it's socket. In the Westinghouse meter they havea cute circuit
to show whether this has been done. Disconnecting the ground or another wire
makes a neon light in the meter glow, alerting the meter reader. If you have
this type of meter, you can disconnect the bulb, or remove it and blow it out.
Just make sure it looks like it's working but simply not lit. To blow out the
bulb, hook it in series with a 500 ohm resister of 10 watts of more to a wall
socket and let it slowly burn itself out.
We're told that a GE type 1-60-S meter can be slowed down 4%(every little
bit helps!) with the adjustment screw, but as in all meters, GENTLY!. You dont
want to damage the meter.
It's also been suggested that to remove the seals that hold the meter
closed, just snip it as close to the plastic or lead part and bend the end over
so that it will grip the inside of the hole again when it's re-used.
Another idea is to simply turn over the meter and it will run reverse,
unfortunatly this is easy for a meterman to spot and is usually impossible with
5-prong meters which are most common.
Most electric companies estimate your bill for several months and adjust
it when the meter is actually read, which is less often then every month. It's
good to know, however, when the man actuallu comes if your setup is slightly
detectable. If he's on to you, does anyone know if it's legal to offer him a
present to keep it in the family? (Not for him, but for you). Let's hear from
the lawyers out there.
Dear TAP,
For your edification, I'm enclosing a photocopy of the current ITT Telex guide
showing coumtry codes. If you have access to a teleprinter, you can access the
ITT system quite easily by dialing 710-599-3211. Dita Beard will welcome you
Many Universities have time-sharing computer terminals that could be used. You
know, I assume, that the code for TWX operators is 954-1212. You can dial most
any big-city area code plus the code and get the operator.
More commoin than mail tampering is the MAIL WATCH. The postman delivers
your mail--but he makes a record of the return address on every piece.
Recommended: a Canadian post office box. Ever since Lee Harvey Oswald, American
Postmasters have required positive ID from prospective box renters. No so in
Canada, and the price is right-about $10/year in small towns. Good for ordering
reagents.
We understand that the British Post Office and Scotland Yard are now
battling the SILVER BOX (also know as a 'Bleep'). In as much as out-of-band
signalling is far more common than in-band class five types (cf. Japan,
Australlia, Europe) is urgent that North American phreaks inform themselves on
this subject. Other than info about prosecutions, nothing has been received so
far. We are continuing to monitor all legal developments in phreaking on a
regular basis. Ofcoarse black boxing should be easy even under an out-of-band
system, but redirecting calls? And what codes would access overseas senders
Re Con Ed: Happily I am far removed from them these days. Telling them that
you are a a new tenant often does'nt work without a lease to prove it. You
have to pretent to be the OLD tenant, and say you are moving. (Give an old
address). That gets you off the hook;they transfer your account, especially if
they already have a deposit. After the account is cleared up on the computer
(remember, they use microfilm for their records, and it's several days behind)
you can open your new account.
-CANADA-
Dear TAP,
A year ago a friend and I were into faking the money dropping in old 3 slot
payphones by using an old payphone top, containing the bell and gong for coin
sounds. Thru operator responses, visiting the switchboards, and looking at
coin collect mechanisms, I discovered that when handling a payphone call, a
read light is lit on the operator's switchboard until the 1st coin drops.
After that the light goes out and a green light goes on & stays on until money
is collected or returned, when the green goes off & the red comes on again.
The lights don't indicate if the money was collected or returned, just if a
first coin was deposited, and whether the lever has returned to normal
position after collect or return.
On some operator boards, they have a BV key. One operator told me that
she was only told it was for computer access to dial Rate & Route, such as BV
009 ST, then KP-AC-XXN-XXN-1-ST(first XXN is desired exchange, second is
calling exchange) to get the computer-generated voice. But BV can also get
local verification, which the fuckheads didn't tell our operators. Is there an
MF tone to the BV key? What is it? Does anyone know how to use the 700 + 1700
coin collect and 1100 + 1700 coin return tones?
-KANSAS-
YOU CAN HELP TAP
If you contribute any information that you thin other readers would be
interested in, please do so. TAP readers are the main source of our informa-
tion. You can help by meeting employees of phone and power companies, alarm
places, etc., and asking them about questions other people raise in the news-
letter. Be sure to get details and maintain contact in case you have addition-
al questions. Most employee's of those companies would be glad to screw their
boss and they'd probably be interested in TAP, too. We hope that alot of you
will gather information so we know what the scene is around the country and
Canada.
TAP, Room 504, 152 W 42 st. N.Y.,N.Y. 10036
Mailing address only
Dear TAP
Thought I'd write and tell the rest of phreakdom about a technique for tapping
neighbor's phone lines that I used to use, for whatever it's worth. The
problem with a direct tap is that sooner or later some phone company type is
going to come and check the line. To make it indetectable:
We are going to use the two spare wires of the 4-wire cable to your phone
(usually yellow & black). First locate your cable and the tappee's cable in
the main box for your apartment. (A phone with clip leads will help). Then
trip the length and stip the ends of the two wires. They should be just long
enough to reach the terminals of the other with NO slack. The wires should
then be attached to the terminals just loose enough so that they pull off
easily. Straighten and strip some of the other cables' yellow and black wires
too so that your's won't look different later. Then run a big wire (12 gauge
house wire is fine) under your wires. Close the box lid as tight as possible
and twist the wire ends together. Now when the box is opened the wires will be
ripped loose. The Phoneperson will not cut the outside wire before opening it
up because the whole thing might fall. With a DPDT toggle switch (and line
relays, recorders, etc.) you may now freely use the line. A BB will be safe and
cause no charge to the other party's line-Ed.
I built the Red Box from your last issue and like it. The two diodes
feeding the 500K pots for 5 cents and 10 cents aren't needed. I am also doing
research on bank machines and "money cards". If I can crack their code on the
cards and rewrite them it could be good for $1000 a day. I will appreciate any
help on this (bank employees could really help).
-Indiana-
Dear TAP,
"The best things in life are free, almost..." according to the Theta Cable TV
ads in Los Angeles. On April 26 Theta introduced the 'Z channel'. You can watch first run movies for $6.95 per month for the first TV and $1.95 for each
additional TV, right? Wrong! Because if you want to watch the Z channel all you
have to do is press '2' and the '8' buttons on the channel selector at the same
time. So don't forget, 2 + 8 = Z. And it's free!
-Theata, The goddess of TV
Dear TAP,
Alabama Power has increased my line voltage from 115 to 130 volts. They won't
lower the voltage(they claim its impossible) and I have blown the flyback
transformers on 2 TV sets. This voltage increase has also increased my electric
bill by 27% more I'd like to cheat back. Here is the formula for computing your
own power company's ripoff on you:
Power=Voltage X Current so if the voltage is upped the increase in power is:
Power increase = (New Voltage)^2 - (Old voltage)^2
---------------------------------
(Old Voltage)^2
Multiply this by 100 to get the percentage increase.
So, All an electric company has to do for an Instant rate increase is step
up the line voltage. My electric company has done this to me without regard for
my appliances or my pocketbook. Any back issues that you have to help me outfox
their meters will allow me to strike back.
-Alabama-
Published for informational purposes only by Youth Hot Line Reports, Inc.
