Cellular Blocked Scanners

[terabyte2007]

Just browsing some new radio's I noticed that MFG are still going to the trouble to block analog cellular bands. To, this just seems silly. I don't think there is a cell phone in existence anymore that uses the old 800MHz analog bands. I understand that laws are laws and the MFG's are just complying with these laws but don't you think it's a waste of time anymore?

What's your thoughts on this?

Eric

 

[SCPD]

Reminds me of when I got my drivers license back in 1956 and on the license office wall was a sign:
"Reason? There's no reason, it's the law."

 

[mikepdx]

Yes, the law is obsolete.

The law didn't come about because our politicians cared about our privacy.

The law came about from aggressive lobbying by the cell phone industry back when.
After all, who wanted to buy cell service that can easily be monitored
with a cheap scanner from any nationwide Radio Shack store.

Wow - what I used to hear when cell phones were analog!
Divorce lawyers and clients were my favorite. I lived in
a large metro city center back then. No lack of entertainment.
Immoral. Pre-cell scanner law...of course.

 

[AZScanner]

I agree with the OP, but before you get out your favorite pen and write a well meaning letter to your elected representatives, remember that most solutions the Government comes up with are worse than the problem they are trying to fix. I could see a bill intended to remove this absurd frequency restriction morphing into a expanded ban to cover all sorts of things the government probably doesn't like people listening in on, such as police and fire communications, etc. They've tried to take scanning away before - google "Billy Tauzin radio scanner" sometime and read up - and they will try again one day.

-AZ

 

[terabyte2007]

Yes, the law is obsolete.

The law didn't come about because our politicians cared about our privacy.

The law came about from aggressive lobbying by the cell phone industry back when.
After all, who wanted to buy cell service that can easily be monitored
with a cheap scanner from any nationwide Radio Shack store.

I agree with that!

Wow - what I used to hear when cell phones were analog!
Divorce lawyers and clients were my favorite. I lived in
a large metro city center back then. No lack of entertainment.
Pre-cell scanner law...of course.

No doubt, the entertainment was great! Couple fighting, divorce situations and on and on... The best one I ever heard was phone sex! It was hilarious!

 

[terabyte2007]

I agree with the OP, but before you get out your favorite pen and write a well meaning letter to your elected representatives, remember that most solutions the Government comes up with are worse than the problem they are trying to fix. I could see a bill intended to remove this absurd frequency restriction morphing into a expanded ban to cover all sorts of things the government probably doesn't like people listening in on, such as police and fire communications, etc. They've tried to take scanning away before - google "Billy Tauzin radio scanner" sometime and read up - and they will try again one day.

-AZ

I can see your point, but laws are written only for law abiding citizens and corporations. With enough time and money, any conversation can be eavesdropped by the average radio hacker. It's really not that difficult!

 

[mikepdx]

I could see a bill intended to remove this absurd frequency restriction morphing into a expanded ban to cover all sorts of things the government probably doesn't like people listening in on, such as police and fire communications, etc.

-AZ

Amen to that.
As they say: Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.

 

[bpckty1]

Didn't ECPA really come about because someone bought a scanner and just "happened" to be following a congressman, and just "happened" to record his conversation with another congressman and releasing the recording to a sympathetic reporter? Just because recording the conversation and publicly releasing it was already illegal and people had been convicted under the 1934 law was not reason enough to prevent the passage of a new law that somehow came into effect shortly before the cell phone companies went digital and analog was phased out.

 

[nd5y]

I don't think there is a cell phone in existence anymore that uses the old 800MHz analog bands.

Think again. The 869-894 / 824-849 MHz band is still heavily used, it just isn't analog any more.

 

[prcguy]

Many mfrs blocked way more than the cell phone bands due to wrong information or fear, preventing legal reception of some frequencies. I have one radio that is cell blocked through about 915Mhz, which covers half the 900MHz amateur band.
prcguy

Think again. The 869-894 / 824-849 MHz band is still heavily used, it just isn't analog any more.

 

[SCPD]

Then all the mods came out for the various scanners to enable that block of frequencies. Some of them were very easy, PRO-2006 just cut one leg of a diode and the PRO-43 was a little tougher but it could be done.

 

[rbm]

It's even easier now.

Just get an SDR. $8 or so.
But, there's still nothing there.

Rich

 

[kayn1n32008]

It's even easier now.

Just get an SDR. $8 or so.
But, there's still nothing there.

Rich

There is lots there, just not able to be decoded


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[zz0468]

I'm not sure I understand why this would even be an issue. There's nothing listenable there, and hasn't been for years.

 

[terabyte2007]

Many mfrs blocked way more than the cell phone bands due to wrong information or fear, preventing legal reception of some frequencies. I have one radio that is cell blocked through about 915Mhz, which covers half the 900MHz amateur band.
prcguy

Yes you are right, I have seen this before. It's really dumb.

 

[gmclam]

Listening in

Wow - what I used to hear when cell phones were analog!
Divorce lawyers and clients were my favorite. I lived in
a large metro city center back then. No lack of entertainment.
Immoral. Pre-cell scanner law...of course.

What is interesting is that cordless phones are not typically in a blocked frequency range, analog, and have all the same juicy conversations on them. Baby monitors are another topic. It really depends on where you are, what you want to hear and how hard you try.

 

[terabyte2007]

Yeah, back in the day when analog 46/49MHz cordless phones existed. You would be hard pressed to find one in operation today! Although, believe it or not there are still 2 49MHz baby monitors in operation near me still. Go figure!

 

[gmclam]

Yeah, back in the day when analog 46/49MHz cordless phones existed. You would be hard pressed to find one in operation today! Although, believe it or not there are still 2 49MHz baby monitors in operation near me still. Go figure!

There are plenty of phones out there that still use 49MHz for one of their two frequencies.

 

[Essexscan]

My ICOM -R7100 had a nickname the Wolfs ear 7100. man that radio could lock on to anything. It was a helluva receiver. analog cellular never had a chance with a 7100 nearby

 

[pinballwiz86]

Wow - what I used to hear when cell phones were analog!
Divorce lawyers and clients were my favorite. I lived in
a large metro city center back then. No lack of entertainment.
Immoral. Pre-cell scanner law...of course.

No doubt, the entertainment was great! Couple fighting, divorce situations and on and on... The best one I ever heard was phone sex! It was hilarious!

"Boy the way Glen Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.

And you knew who you were then,
Girls were girls and men were men,
Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again.

Didn't need no welfare state,
Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee our old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days."