Cellphone/Cordless phone hack...

[steevireno]

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[br0adband]

I can't imagine such things being something anyone would give a damn about anymore. All modern cellular telephones work off digital transmissions (read: non-monitorable) and don't fall into the original analog transmissions (read: the stuff you used to be able to monitor) so what's the point.

Besides, no one would publicly come out and say "Hey, look what I created..." even if they did happen upon some magic formula or or created some tiny piece of software that could decode such transmissions.

Modifying scanners or using software to decrypt the encrypted stuff floating around nowadays - as cellular traffic typically is anyway - would be illegal also. So it's a double whammy...

 

[steevireno]

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[SCPD]

This is incorrect unless you live in Canada, even then under the CPP you sir are incorrect. It is at all times Illegal to phone tap. Besides why would you wanna listen to someone talking about what items to pick up on there way home? or a steamy phone sex call.. thats just wrong.

 

[steevireno]

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[SCPD]

Ddoes anyone know if any 3rd party enhancements are currently underway (or possibly already exist) to "unlock" the cell phone/cordless phone freqs?

1.Why do you think they are locked? Unlocking means to moddify
2.If you monitor a cordless phone 800mhz is all you will get and anyone with a phone that old (10years +) good luck in a city.
3. Cell phones operating on GSM 800mhz analog are rare, even then they are tippicaly "encrypted" thus breaking that encryption falls under modification.

If you question would have been is there any way to listen to cell calls that are not blocked out or in your terms "open air" then you would have it in your scanners already.

 

[steevireno]

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[SCPD]

Im' not bitter i'm just stating a dead age old topic! its illegal everyone knows that you should not be breaking encryption or monitoring things that are purposely blocked by the FCC - Thus not built into scanners in the USA. If you live in Canada you can get an ICOM scanner with no blocks but even then I have seen and listened to the channels which are blocked in the states and there is nothing even close to being worth interest let alone distinguishable.

The only way I could see it happening for you are

1. You are an upper level law enforcement officer with a warrant to wiretap
2. You work for an upper level government enforcement agency which likes to wiretap in your spare time.
3. You work for a cellphone company and need to run test loads and test tones. (It would still be illegal to drop into someones call without first alerting them.( IE: an emergency interruption tone or operator breaking into the conversation.)

At the end of the day, this topic has been beat to death about a 1000 times. On a PS note. I would say the cordless phone thing is easy to do with a scanner most frequency's are easy to look up on Google, the legality is still sketchy. + Like I said before who uses 800mhz cordless phones anymore, maybe a few farm houses. But anything with Spectrum 800 or 900 you can not monitor and anything over 2.4 runs on spectrum anyway.

finally I still don't understand why you would want to monitor personal conversations between non law enforcement agencies. The interest level is just not there, unless your a spy.

 

[steevireno]

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[steevireno]

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[SCPD]

Hahahaha are you Jack, who plays cloy?

I want to know more whats your company or contracting called.
Sounds cool but far fetched. You work for the government?
If so why did you not just ask one of your techs or radio command officers?

either way if what you say is true I wish I had your job.
*loads glock 21 and prepares to save the world.*

 

[steevireno]

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[Just_Me]

Even on a digital transmission you can still hear one side of the conversation. .

No you can't.

 

[zz0468]

I disagree. It is not illegal to monitor any open air frequency with an unmodified scanner.

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 says your wrong. Your story sounds wrong, too. But who cares? Carry on...

 

[Zaratsu]

You are hearing cordless house phones, not cellular.

If you want to snoop on cellular, you might as well get one of those "Bionic Ear" hearing aid's and point it at someone talking on their cell. I have an 800mhz unblocked scanner from before the ban. There isnt anything there to hear. Nextel was the last service to offer any ammount of analog cell traffic in the northeast, and it had stopped about 4-5 years ago. I'm not even certain that the analog infrastructure is still there. But, you are hearing the handset frequency for cordless homephones not cell.

Even on a digital transmission you can still hear one side of the conversation. I have an Alinco that is unblocked and I can pick up cellular calls without a problem. Incidentally, it is perfectly legal to purchase a scanner from an individual seller (not a business or store) that is unblocked. Monitoring those frequencies is also legal as long as the device is not used to commit a crime or with criminal intention.

Although, you raise an interesting question regarding the use of software to modify and listendto those frequencies. Not sure if that is considered legal.

 

[Zaratsu]

So you are a TSA baggage screener?:lol:



Seriously, why would someone who works for the DOD commit a felony and violate the FCC with a govt/work issued radio, or personal radio on work time? Thats like a cop driving his own car because its faster than the dept cruisers. If you had a job of any importance, you would not be blabbing about it or toying with vouyerism. Sounds like some wannabe fantasy where you hear some guys yammmering back and forth in arabic on a cell phone about some event that you prevent with your radio then you get the award from the president that allows you to be a "special agent at large" and you drive around monitoring and busting highschool kids for planning to go drink out by the powerlines Friday night.

LOL - No, I'm not a field agent - No, I can not tell you who I work for or what division, only that its a DOD specialized division.

As to the second part of your question, that's what I do. In addition to the plethora of other tasks bundled under my job description, I also complile the budgets, assess and procure the equipment (not just radios, but all IT related items). I am in no way an "expert" in scanning but am allowed to use my work issued radio for personal monitoring so long as I am not doing so with the intention to commit a crime ot in the act of a crime. With that said, I also have the discretion to choose my devices.

Aaaaannnnd I'll go all the way back to the beginng which is why I wanted to consolidate devices. Was just hoping to get an answer without full disclosure

 

[br0adband]

Come to think of it, I distinctly remember seeing an actual 'cutoff' date of either January or February 2008 posted here just recently for that very reason: the end of all analog cellular transmitters or cell sites, something to that effect. I can't remember the precise wording of it, but I do know that there was/is a Federally mandated point in time where all analog traffic used in cellular telephone communications was supposed to just stop cold.

I own a pre-ban Bearcat that is 800 MHz open and even when I let it scan across the entire band I get jack in the 870-894 range, absolutely nothing regardless of squelch settings. I don't even get the cellsites themselves in the 880-882 range, and I live in throwing distance of a cellsite on top of the Sprint/Embarq building right here in downtown Las Vegas as well as the AT&T building sitting right next to it with a cellsite on it too.

So, whoever is telling him that he can monitor such stuff with purely analog equipment sure has some education ahead of 'em.

 

[CharlesDom]

You need to check your facts and read the FCC rules. I'd also like to see you try to bring a case against someone in court with a recorded conversation without prior approval from a federal judge. You'll be handcuffed and locked up so fast your head will spin.

Seriously though, it is illegal to listen to telephone conversations. Not one person here agrees with you and we all point to the FCC rules. Check it out for yourself.

 

[Just_Me]

----------------- but I do know that there was/is a Federally mandated point in time where all analog traffic used in cellular telephone communications was supposed to just stop cold.

---------------------

It seems to me that you don't KNOW everything you KNOW!

The date refers to when carriers are ALLOWED to discontinue service.
It has nothing to do with Mandating a stop, and certainly will not "just stop cold".

 

[iMONITOR]

I work for a defense contractor that provides highly specialized services to specific divisions of the DOD - one of them is monitoring open-air and OTW information on client premises (think of the real-life CTU on 24, just outsourced.)

Sounds like your client needs to hire a more experienced firm.