RoboCall buster wanted

Status
Not open for further replies.

57Bill

Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2006
Messages
170
Location
Cleveland, OH
I've had it with the worthless FTC, and want to take matters into my own hands. I want to build a device that I can activate over the telephone lines that will , at least, send a DEAFENING tone to the caller, or will, at most, destroy or cause damage to the callers telephone/computer equipment. And I couldn't care less about legality responses to this post. I'm seeking technical information only, and how I may use it is my responsibility.
 

mlmummert

Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
356
I wanted to build a base seeking cruise missile. When a boom car comes down the street vibrating every house, fire that puppy off.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

AB4BF

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
606
Location
EM93cs
I've had it with the worthless FTC, and want to take matters into my own hands. I want to build a device that I can activate over the telephone lines that will , at least, send a DEAFENING tone to the caller, or will, at most, destroy or cause damage to the callers telephone/computer equipment. And I couldn't care less about legality responses to this post. I'm seeking technical information only, and how I may use it is my responsibility.

I've heard that those ultrasonic rat repellers work. When you receive a known robo-call, just hold the business end of the rat repeller to the mouthpiece and turn it on. It supposedly does something to the processor. IDK, YMMV.
 

AB4BF

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
606
Location
EM93cs
I wanted to build a base seeking cruise missile. When a boom car comes down the street vibrating every house, fire that puppy off.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Get yourself a 2000 Watt microwave oven, form a three foot wave guide at the correct dimensions, copper works best. Open the oven's panels and connect the wave guide to the back of the oven. pointing to the rear of the oven so you can operate the controls without getting fried. When you hear the offensive vehicle coming, flip on the oven to high.

Remember to hide the oven when the driver comes to your front door wanting to call a tow truck.
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
6,382
Location
CT
Sorry, Sir. You can't do anything on your end of a phone call to destroy someone's equipment on the other end of a phone call. And, no matter how LOUD a noise is on your end of the call, the amplitude is limited by the equipment in between. Of course you can do things that will disable or destroy your own phone connection or equipment. Your best defense is caller ID or only respond to people you know who leave messages.

My defense is a phone system I have installed in the house (I'm in the business) with an automated attendant. No phones actually ring in the house UNTIL someone hears the recording and presses "1". The automated attendant simply says, "If you are not a telemarketer, please press "1". The greeting goes on for about 3 minutes, reciting the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I also have a device that answers the line with the "SIT" Tone. The tone is what you hear when you call a number that is out of service, and in some cases, a Predictive dialer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia will listen for this tone before connecting a telemarketer. It will also remove your number from a database of working numbers, if they employ this feature.

http://www.yourhomenow.com/sit.html

One more tip - Often times the automatic dialers have busy busters. In other words if the equipment reaches a busy signal, the dialer will keep trying until you hang up, knowing that you won't be far from the phone. You may notice this in cases where you hang up and the phone rings moments later.

When in doubt - just don't answer. Please don't break anything.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:

gewecke

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
Banned
Joined
Jan 29, 2006
Messages
7,452
Location
Illinois
Simply shut the ringer off, or block their number so their call can't go through. I can't remember the last time I got a robocall here. I work nights and sleep during the day so I don't allow my phones to wake me! ;)
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
6,382
Location
CT
Another approach

Simply shut the ringer off, or block their number so their call can't go through. I can't remember the last time I got a robocall here. I work nights and sleep during the day so I don't allow my phones to wake me! ;)

Yes - a simpler approach.

I am reminded of a fond memory - way before Caller ID, when we were sitting at the dinner table and a telemarketer called, my Dad would answer the phone and say, "Yeah Ummm hh hng - yeah hang on a second while I change phones", at which time he placed the receiver in the Kleenex box and walked away until after dessert... "WINNING"

You'll be less upset afterward if you just don't pick up the phone.
 

mikepdx

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
881
Location
Corbett, OR USA
I once heard of a phone where the incoming caller
had to enter a 4 digit code which would
then ring your telephone. Otherwise your phone
was silent and played a message saying that their call
could not be put thru without the code. Click!

Of course friends, relatives, and anyone else
you DO wish to hear from had to know the code.

It solves your problem,
but creates several more.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
6,382
Location
CT
I once heard of a phone where the incoming caller
had to enter a code which would
then ring your telephone. Otherwise your phone
was silent and played a message saying that their call
could not be put thru without the code. Click!

Yep - Also known as "Privacy Manager" or "Anonymous Call Rejection" (ACR)

"Dial 888-774-5212 from a phone line with Privacy Manager activated. Follow the voice prompts to set up a two to three digit PIN. Give this PIN to family and friends who you would like to be able to dial directly through to your phone line. Phone calls from callers who do not have this PIN are intercepted before your telephone rings. The unknown caller is asked to identify himself. If the caller decides not to identify himself, the call is rejected."

Requires a monthly service charge on AT&T landlines.
 

ecps92

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
15,252
Location
Taxachusetts
Thank You for violating both State and Federal Law. Altho you think your caller-id was spoofed, it wasn't. Your call is being forwarded to both the State and US Attorney, thank you for calling. PS - enjoy your handcuffs when the troopers kick in the door, they only come in one color.

Usually this gets some vulgar responses, especially the women :twisted:


I wanted to build a base seeking cruise missile. When a boom car comes down the street vibrating every house, fire that puppy off.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

cg

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2000
Messages
4,978
Location
Connecticut
Pretty amazing that Uncle Sam can track down and kill an individual by flying a remote drone from thousands of miles away but they can't figure out who is making hundreds of thousands of phone calls per day and where they are.

chris
 

902

Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
2,636
Location
Downsouthsomewhere
This all goes away with a White List telephone system...

You know, this whole thing could be eliminated by creating a "white list" telephone device.

I have a cable TV-based phone system with a browser accessed screen that blocks numbers. During the election, I maxed out all of the numbers (they only let me block 32 at a time!). As it turns out, the wonderful cable TV people (who told me three separate wrong phone numbers when I had this first installed) were consistent in disappointing me and assigned me a listed phone number, not the unlisted one I ordered. It's not documented anywhere on the bill, so a year-and-a-half later, who knew? But I was on the state and federal no-call lists, which were basically useless since all of the politicians exempted themselves from the laws they wrote and the other callers were either not-for-profit telephone solicitors that bordered on fraud.

I'm old enough and cranky enough (my other hobby is yelling at people to get off my lawn) to not want to talk to any new people on the telephone anymore. I could easily finish my life with programming in a couple of dozen telephone numbers that I would allow to ring through, and then just have the remainder get a "reorder" tone. This way, I am in touch with my family, whatever friends I have, and so forth, but don't get anything else. That's really the way I want it. I don't care if a long-lost relative wants to call me. I don't even return calls from anyone I don't know anymore.

So some of you guys are "telephone men" (and maybe women). Know of any product that does that? Preferably can plug into a wired LAN, have an IP address, and be edited with a browser?
 

902

Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
2,636
Location
Downsouthsomewhere
Pretty amazing that Uncle Sam can track down and kill an individual by flying a remote drone from thousands of miles away but they can't figure out who is making hundreds of thousands of phone calls per day and where they are.

chris
Oh, sure they can. It's just that their right to make money trumps your right to peace and quiet/ privacy.
 

57Bill

Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2006
Messages
170
Location
Cleveland, OH
I'm not home a lot, and I have an "answering machine" to take messages on my land line. I do not want to miss messages to that number. Thus, many messages are from "Rachel" or some other bimbo voice from "Credit Card Services". When I'm home, expecting a call, I have my privacy invaded and become annoyed by having to check my Caller ID, then allowing the recorded message from the spoofed number go to the "answering machine" while I continue to wait for my call while my line is tied up by the intruder.
I want to "fix" them, really bad.
Now what about that rat repeller? I have one that plugs into an electrical outlet, and supposedly emits a sound that humans can't hear (I sure can't hear it). What is supposed to happen at the other end of the phone line? Or were you trying to be humorous (which My humor doesn't find funny)?
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
6,382
Location
CT
Rats!

I want to "fix" them, really bad.
Now what about that rat repeller?

Sorry, Bill. No. Though that's an interesting visual.

You can test this theory with a willing friend or relative. Blow a whistle or a boat horn or blast the radio as loud as you'd like. It will only be so loud on the other end.
Also, since the bandwidth of a conversation is extremely limited, higher pitches may only be mildly irritating - only because they are so hi-pitched to the human ear. Read on:

A POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) line has a bandwidth of 3kHz. A normal POTS line can transfer the frequencies between 400 Hz and 3.4 Khz. The frequency response is limited by the telephone transmission system. (the actual wire from central office to your wall can usually do much more).

Nowadays POTS is sharply band limited due to the fact that the line almost always is digitally sampled at 8kHz at some point in the circuit. The absolute, theoretical limit (with perfect filters) is therefore 4kHz. We can hear , theoretically, up to 20khz.

Honestly, I don't think the rat devices work even on rats.
 

902

Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
2,636
Location
Downsouthsomewhere
Sorry, Bill. No. Though that's an interesting visual.

You can test this theory with a willing friend or relative. Blow a whistle or a boat horn or blast the radio as loud as you'd like. It will only be so loud on the other end.
Also, since the bandwidth of a conversation is extremely limited, higher pitches may only be mildly irritating - only because they are so hi-pitched to the human ear. Read on:

A POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) line has a bandwidth of 3kHz. A normal POTS line can transfer the frequencies between 400 Hz and 3.4 Khz. The frequency response is limited by the telephone transmission system. (the actual wire from central office to your wall can usually do much more).

Nowadays POTS is sharply band limited due to the fact that the line almost always is digitally sampled at 8kHz at some point in the circuit. The absolute, theoretical limit (with perfect filters) is therefore 4kHz. We can hear , theoretically, up to 20khz.

Honestly, I don't think the rat devices work even on rats.
Great explanation! Yeah, those things are a gimmick. They don't work on either the 2 or 4 legged rats.
 

57Bill

Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2006
Messages
170
Location
Cleveland, OH
Thanks, Doc. How about a device that automatically sends the most annoying, loudest tone that WILL work over the phone line. Think someone on 2600 might be of assistance to me?
 

brandon

Member
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
3,516
Location
SoCal
Didn't read the whole thread, but what you can do is simply setup a whitelist and have your system only allows calls from specified phone numbers. Block everything else by default.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top