The Captain's Radio FAQ Section

This FAQ page has been written in very generalized terms for people who may be new to the hobby. If you have questions of a more specific nature, please feel free to email me at

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

RADIO MONITORING, IN GENERAL

    • What is it?
    • What do I need?
    • Is it expensive?
    • Do I have to get a license?
    • Is there any special training?
    • What can I listen to?
    • What's a boat anchor?

RADIO TRANSMITTING & BROADCASTING

  • Low Power (QRP) Broadcast Stations
    • What do you mean by 'low power' radios?
    • So by operating at low power outputs, I don't have to be licensed?
    • So what's the point of using low power?

  • General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)/ Family Radio Service (FRS)
    • What kind of VHF/UHF radio services can a private citizen operate on?
    • Which bands are a good idea to stay away from?
    • So which service is best to use?

  • CB/11 meter band
    • Does CB radio still exist?
    • Why bother with CB radio instead of the more modern options?
    • Do I need a license?
    • What is REACT?
    • Do I need to memorize the whole 10-code and get a book on "CB-slang"?

  • Amateur (HAM) radio
    • What do I need to become a Radio "Ham"?
    • What frequencies do Ham Operators broadcast on?

  • Pirate Radio
    • What the heck is Pirate Radio, and why would anyone do it?
    • When and where can I hear Pirate Radio stations?

  • Surveillance Transmitters
    • Can you tell me how to "bug" someone?
    • So what is the safest way to be nosey?
    • What survelliance equipment is needed to monitor someone?
    • How do I stop people from monitoring me?

 

Radio Monitoring, In General

Q: What is "Radio Monitoring" and what do I need to do it?

  • A: This is not exactly defined the same as listening to the radio on your stereo at home or in the car. In general, it means to monitor communications not originally meant for or directed at you, using specialized equipment. Which basically boils down to snooping on others or being more curious about the world around you than most people are - all depending on your viewpoint. If you could care less what your local police or the terrorists across the ocean are up to, this hobby is not for you. Likewise, if the idea of people viewing your hobby as being 'nosey' bothers you, maybe you should take up knitting. BUT.... if you like getting your news before most people realized anything happened, if you don't care for the "official" version of a story that leaves out lots of important facts, if you'd like to sit comfortably in your armchair and explore the Congo, the Australian Outback, and a science outpost in Antarctica - all in one evening - then this is the place you want to be! What do you need to enjoy this hobby? The list is simple:
    • A radio and antenna capable of tuning the frequencies you wish to hear
    • Reference material covering radio stations you wish to monitor (like this website)
    • Curiosity
    • And some free time

    Q: So I need a roomful of expensive equipment and a rooftop covered with masts and antennas?

  • A: No! Sure, all that money and equipment and a massive antenna farm will drag in a gazillion signals from all over Earth and Space, if you have the time and knowledge (and $$$) to enjoy them. But you can also do quite a bit with very simple equipment that in some cases costs next to nothing. Depending on your level of electronics know-how, you can even build or modify your own gear. However, a knowledge of electronics beyond turning on a switch isn't needed to operate most of the equipment you can get. So your equipment can be as simple and cheap, or complex and expensive as you like, with your level of interest determining how involved your "radio shack" equipment is. Some good online places to see and buy a wide variety of radio recievers, transcievers, antennas, and accessories are:

  • Grove Enterprises
  • Universal Radio
  • Copper Electronics

    Q: Okay, so I picked up some used equipment at a garage sale to use - don't I have to have a license of some kind to use it, and take all kinds of technical tests to get the license?

  • A: In most cases, the answer again is, no. In the United States, owning and operating any radio receiver is LICENSE FREE, so long as you are not monitoring prohibited communications, such as cellular telephones. This is opposed to many overseas countries that tax, license or otherwise regulate radio receivers. And many types of transmitters, such as low power, surveillance, CB, and FRS require NO LICENSE to operate. Others transmitters, such as itinerant, business band and GMRS require a license that is fee-based but requires no technical testing. Finally, there is Amateur (Ham) Radio which has a testing sytem for the various licenses that is stepped in difficulty levels according to the privileges each level accords you, from fairly simple tests involving rules and basic electronics, to advanced electronics and rapid Morse Code testing. And of course, there is also the Jolly Roger crowd to consider (You know - "License?? We don't need no steenking license!!!")

    Q: Don't I need to take a class on all the special code signals and other lingo? I hear terms like DX, HF, and so on - do I have to know what those mean before I can do anything?

  • A: Again, emphatically, NO. Of course knowing Morse Code, "Q-Signals", the '10'-code, and a gaggle of abbreviations and acronyms will help make various aspects of the radio hobby easier, but you don't have to know them to get started. For instance, "DX" is the radio abbreviation for long distance, and is used as the hobbyist term for monitoring or talking to stations a long distance away. If you turn on your radio and tune into a far away station, you'll still hear it - whether you know what "DX" means or not! And listening to that station makes you a "DX'er", regardless of whether you realized it or not. As you get into the hobby, you'll pick up various codes and acronyms that will help you in your specific interest areas - don't sweat it at first. However, if you'd like some information about these codes and abbreviations, here are a few helpful links:

  • Glossary of Radio Abbreviations/Acronyms
  • Ham radio "Q-signals"
  • Morse Code Charts and Tips
  • CB Radio "10-code"
  • Some Common Police Radio Codes (NOTE: exact codes vary in many localities)

    Q: So I have low budget equipment, no license, and some free time. What is there to listen to besides my local commercial radio stations?

  • A: LOTS! But don't count out those commercial stations - they can show you another aspect of the hobby many radio hobbyists often overlook - more on that in a moment. As for what you can hear with even a meager radio setup:
    • Shortwave Radio stations from all over the globe, carrying news, music, and cultural programming local to that area.
    • Personal radio communications such as CB, Ham, businesses, radio-telephone calls, etc.
    • So called "utility" communications: ships at sea, aircraft, railroads, and others.
    • Keep tabs on the forces that protect - or threaten us: police and rescue agencies, the military, and the bad guys they deal with.
    • Or be really nosey and eavesdrop on the private eye staking out a cheating spouse, or a sting operation in the local warehouse...
    • And then there's those "local" commercial stations again. While listening to your local AM station may be a bit boring to you, what about listening to a station hundreds or thousands of miles away? There are ways to do this, and a group of hobbyists called BCB Monitors do this, regularly, because under favorable conditions, those "local" signals can travel hundreds or thousands of miles!

    All you need to do is pick a facet of the hobby - say, listening to overseas news programs, for instance - and then set up a radio and antenna system tuned for those type of stations. Or you can get interested in several or all the different forms of radio monitoring, and set up systems to catch all the signals in your area. It's just a matter of what you are interested in.

    Here is a very basic breakdown of the radio frequency spectrum and the radio equipment used for it:

    FREQUENCY RANGERECEIVER TYPEPREDOMINANT STATIONS
    0-150 khz Shortwave Radio with Longwave Band capability, usually Wideband 'professional' grade models. Specialized antennas and filters a must. These are longwave frequencies primarily used by the military and scientific research.
    150 - 300 khz Shortwave Radio with Longwave Band capability. Some import car stereos such as Blaupunkt will tune in this band. Specialized antennas and filters a plus. This is Europe's "AM Radio" band, similar to the US AM radio on 540-1710khz band. BCB monitors listen in here to log AM stations overseas.
    300 - 540 khz Shortwave Radio with Longwave Band capability. Specialized antennas and filters a plus. This is a pot-luck band with everything from ships at sea to experimental stations to airport beacons.
    540 - 1710 khz Any US made AM Radio (older models will only tune to 1610Khz) external antenna and accessories a plus This is the US "AM Radio" band.
    1710 - 5000 khz
    (or 1.7 to 5.0 Mhz)    		 Shortwave Radio and longwire or active antenna - SSB capability a plus This is the lower portion of the International Shortwave Bands, also known as the High Frequency (HF) bands. These frequencies do not usually travel far in the daytime, but will go great distances at night. It is used by everything from the military to Foreign Broadcasters to Ham Radio Operators, and many others. Commercial Broadcasters prefer these International Frequency Bands:

    • 120 meters 2300-2498 kHz broadcasting
    • 90 meters 3200 to 3400 kHz broadcasting
    • 60 meters 4750 to 4995 kHz broadcasting
    5000 - 30,000 khz
    (or 5.0 - 30.0 Mhz)    		 Shortwave Radio and longwire or active antenna - SSB capability a plus Upper portion of the International Shortwave Bands, also known as the High Frequency (HF) bands. These frequencies travel best during the daytime but can be erratic, and occasionally go great distances at night. It is also used by everything from the military to Foreign Broadcasters to Ham Radio Operators, and many others. The Shortwave bands from 1.7 - 30Mhz probably contain the widest, most interesting variety of radio signals to monitor, and the reception range is worldwide. Commercial Broadcasters prefer these International Frequency Bands:

    • 49 meters 5950 to 6250 kHz broadcasting
    • 41 meters 7100 to 7300 kHz broadcasting
    • 31 meters 9500 to 9900 kHz broadcasting
    • 25 meters 11650 to 11975 kHz broadcasting
    • 22 meters 13600 to 13800 kHz broadcasting
    • 19 meters 15100 to 15600 kHz broadcasting
    • 16 meters 17550 to 17900 kHz broadcasting
    • 13 meters 21450 to 21850 kHz broadcasting
    • 11 meters 25670 to 27990 kHz broadcasting
    30 - 55 Mhz Standard Scanner Radio and whip antenna Known among scanner enthusiasts as the VHF-Low radio band. Used by some state and municipal government and miltary agencies, older cordless phones and baby monitors, and a Ham radio band.
    55 - 108 Mhz FM Stereo or Television set with rooftop antenna Primarily VHF-lo TV station and FM-Radio broadcasts here, with a few oddball special industrial channels here and there. Under certain atmospheric conditions, these stations can be "ducted" or "skipped" unusually log distances, to the delight of BCB monitors.
    108 - 136 Mhz Scanner Radio with Aircraft band and AM-Mode reception and whip antenna VHF Aircraft radio band. Used by commercial airliners, control towers, helicopters, etc.
    136 - 174 Mhz Standard Scanner Radio and whip antenna Known among scanner enthusiasts as the VHF-HI radio band. Used by most state and municipal government agencies, railroads, federal and military agencies, and a Ham radio band.
    174 - 220 Mhz Television Set and rooftop antenna VHF-hi TV Band. Because of the peculiar conditions needed to allow signals to duct or skip long distances, signals in this band are rarely detected outside the normal range.
    220 - 450 Mhz Scanner Radio (AM Mode and UHF-Air tuning capability needed for 225-380Mhz)and whip antenna The lower end of this range is used by a Ham band and some commercial users, but the largest chunk of frequencies is for the UHF Aircraft band. This is the band favored by most military aircraft, as well as containing many MILSAT satellite channels (milsat reception requires specialized antennas and other equipment, but it can be very interesting!) The upper end of the range (above 406Mhz) is used by military & federal agencies, and again, a Ham radio band.
    450 - 512 Mhz Standard Scanner Radio and whip antenna Known among scanner enthusiasts as the UHF radio band. Used by business band radios, state and municipal government agencies, and there are 2 blocks of frequncies reserved for those reporters you see on the 9 O'clock news making the on-the-scene report!
    512 - 800 Mhz Television Set and rooftop antenna UHF TV band. Signal in this band can be strangely "ducted" by inversion layers in the atmosphere over long distances, though this is more rare than VHF-lo TV stations getting a similar boost.
    800 - 902 Mhz Scanner Radio with 800Mhz band tuning capability and whip antenna Called the 800Mhz radio band, oddly enough. Used by municipal government agencies and businesses, often with 'trunked' radio systems that skip transmissions around to various channels, which can be difficult to follow if your scanner does not support trunking. Some agencies on this band have been switching to new "digital" radios, which convert voice into a digital stream that sounds like static to anyone monitoring without the correct equipment and decoding algorithms - making many scanners useless.
    902 - 2400 Mhz
    (or 900Mhz to 2.4Ghz)     		Extended Range Scanner Radio and whip antenna, preamplifiers and special antennas a plus. All sorts of oddball stuff here: newer cordless phones, pagers, experimental ham radio bands, scientific devices, satellities, etc.
    2.4 Ghz - Up Special equipment required, not usually commercially available This is the SciFi band, everything from Radar to UFO hunters here.

     
    Q: I've seen pictures of these Ham Operators huddled up to a huge 'boat-anchor' radio, huge microphone in front of him. My wife won't let me put a monstrosity like that in the den - what do I do?

  • A: the cool thing about radio, and the electronics that make it work, is that all the hi-tech miniaturization you see going on around you has been fostered by those Ham's and other circuit designers. There are still some old, used "boat-anchors" radios around (which make great, inexpensive, "beginner" radios), but most of today's equipment is pretty small, in attractive cases - many types will fit in a shirt pocket!! The same is true of the antenna systems for the radios. While you can get huge antenna arrays to rake every stray signal from the sky, there are now many brands of smaller "active" antennas which are often nearly invisible on a rooftop or used indoors. A "shack" that looks like a CIA Listening Post may make for an impressive photo, but has almost become a thing of the past, since you can do as much today with a couple of small broadband radios and a few antenna amplifiers.

    BACK TO FAQ

     

    Broadcast Band (BCB) Monitoring

    Q: What is "BCB Monitoring" ?

  • A: "BCB" stands for BroadCast Band, and hobbyists who do this type of monitoring listen for commercial broadcast stations - like your local AM, FM, TV stations. The difference - and the challenge - is that these stations are often hundreds or thousands of miles away, and normally could not be heard by the BCB hobbyist. But by using good quality equipment, and keeping tabs on unusual atmospheric conditions that can cause radio signals to "skip" far beyond thier normal range, the BCB hobbyists have competitions involving logging radio stations in all 50 states, other countries, etc. Others capture TV signals from other states or countries.

    Q: What kind of equipment do I need for this?

  • A: The beauty of this side of the hobby is that you probably own everything you need except for making some minor improvements. A good quality AM/FM radio with digital readout, and/or a Television set with a good rooftop antenna will take you pretty far. For listening to Longwave AM stations in Europe you will need some specialized equipment, however.

    Q: What are some of these "minor improvements"?

  • A: They are pretty much the same devices whether you are trying to improve your AM, FM or TV reception. Usually the biggest improvement for the smallest investment is a better antenna. For FM or TV, this means a high-gain, directional beam antenna, with a rotator. For AM radio, this is usually an external loop antenna, which is a different size and quality than the internal bar antenna or external wire loop that normally comes with most AM radios. Other items that can boost your reception performance are an antenna preamplifier which boosts the incoming signal strength, and a preselector, which acts as both a signal booster and an interference filter. Generally, preamps are used for FM and TV applications, and preselectors are used for the crowded AM radio bands.

    Q: OK, so I have a good AM radio, with an external loop that has a built in preselector. I tuned in at lunch and still couldn't hear anything but local stations. Did I waste my money?

  • A: While FM and TV signals can be 'skipped' at just about any time of day or night (although it is much more rare than AM radio skip), AM radio frequencies require the sun to be down so that ionized layers in the air don't absorb the long-distance signal. To listen to faraway AM radio stations, you must listen from just before sundown until just after sunrise - so this is a night-owl's hobby.

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    Shortwave Broadcast Listening

    Q: What is "Shortwave Listening" all about?

  • A: While the US and other developed countries have widespread, intricate networks of broadcast communication using AM/FM radio, Television, cable and even satellite TV to give news and entertainment to their citizens, there are dozens of countries that rely on commercial Shortwave Radio stations to supply information to the masses. There are also numerous countries that heavily use Shortwave Radio to broadcast propaganda to other countries, and some that have well known news services, such as Voice Of America and the BBC to supply news to citizens in foriegn lands. All these stations mean there is a long list of commercial broadcasts around the clock, and around the globe, that you can tune into with a shortwave radio - even a very basic model.

    Q: Why bother listening to broadcasters in other countries, when I can hear about world news on CNN and other services?

  • A: It's entertaining. Aside from the challenge and fun of tracking down and monitoring broadcasts from around the world, it can be very amusing - or eye opening - to hear news and other programming from a non-American perspective. Even broadcasts from countries you assume to be friendly can give you a suprise to find that they may present a news-worthy incident in a completely opposite light from the American press. And extremist countries, such as North Korea, often color their broadcasts with speeches that are comical with out-of-date cliches, awful grammatical translations, and paraphrased insults that wouldn't stir the emotions of a child (ever been seething mad over being called an imperialist capitalist infidel??!!!)

    Q: So is there anything else fun besides hearing the news?

  • A: Shortwave Listening is an 'interactive' hobby! A lot of Shortwave Listeners (SWL's as the call themselves) also add another facet to the hobby by collecting QSL cards. These are usually a postcard from the station that they send to you in return for a reception report that you have mailed to them which correctly details the time, date, frequency, signal quality, and programming information. this data helps the station engineer to determine how well the equipment is functioning, so they send you a nice thank-you card in return -and often other goodies such as station penants, photos, even T-shirts and other gifts.
    There is also a huge variety of unusual programming to listen to -ethnic music, comedy, how-to shows, political discussions: all designed for the local populace in that country, but available to hear in your living room, if you know how and where to listen.

    Q: What do I need to hear these broadcasts?

  • A: The really lovely thing about SWLing (as the hobby is called) is that these broadcasters have set things up for people in undeveloped areas, often poor and ill-equipped, to pick up these broadcasts. Often, the only source of news in some remote village is a single, low-end quality shortwave radio, that belongs to the whole village. So the broadcasters use high-power stations, publish and announce on-air their frequencies, program schedules, etc. While you can spend a lot of money on a good quality reciever and antenna that gives superior quality when you listen, a basic radio, simple wire antenna, and a schedule from various sources will let you listen to and endless supply of stations. Unless you want the station to sound like it's broadcasting in CD quality it isn't necessary to use an expensive reciever for SWL'ing; and spending a lot of money still doesn't guarantee that, anyway.

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    Longwave/Shortwave Utility Monitoring

    Q: What is "Utility Monitoring" all about?

  • A: Generally used to refer to the Longwave and Shortwave bands, it specifically means the monitoring of non-commercial broadcast type stations or personal communications such as Ham and CB radio. Utility monitors listen to the people that use radio to make the world function: airliners, oil tankers, military units, ocean liners, weather stations, scientific expeditions, and more.

    Q: Do I need anything special for this type of monitoring?

  • A: Like any aspect of the radio hobby, it is all a matter of how deep your interest level goes. A lot can be heard with just a simple shortwave radio capable of receiving Single Side Band (SSB) transmissions and a decent antenna. For picking up more involved transmissions like Radio Teletype (RTTY) or related modes, specialized decoders or computer controlled recievers may be necessary. Start out with the basics (as little as $100 for a brand new SSB capable reciever) to see what level of interest you have, and work your way up to a multimode CPU controlled station, if that's what you have the interest and money to invest in.

    Q: I was tuning around my radio and came across a station with a woman who only repeated random numbers for several minutes. What's up?

  • A: Stations like these are active all the time - they are known as "Numbers Stations", strangely enough :-). It is generally accepted that they are radio instructions to spies in various countries, and are usually broadcast in a foriegn language. There is a group of hobbyists that are devoted to just monitoring these stations, and trying to find the location they broadcast from. While many are overseas, a few have been tracked to government installations in this country! So the woman you heard may be sending instructions to a North Korean agent in your hometown - or similar instructions to an American agent in North Korea. A good website for more in-depth information on numbers stations can be found by clicking here.

    Q: I also heard lots of buzzing, clicking, and beeping signals at various frequencies - what are they?

  • A: These could be anything from Radio Teletype (RTTY) modes to FAX transmissions carrying weather maps. There are dozens of different type modes: FSK, SITOR, AMTOR, WEFAX, to name a few. They all require special decoding equipment to recieve the message in an understandable form, but can be very interesting to decode if you have the equipment.

    Q: Why do I hear people talking, but the voices are distorted so that you can't understand them? Why would anyone use this type of communication?

  • A: They are probably communicating in Single Sideband (SSB) mode. This consists of two modes, Upper Sideband (USB) or Lower Sideband (LSB), and requires a SSB-capable reciever to tune in. Better quality radios can select USB or LSB and have a fine-tune or Beat Frequency Occillator (BFO) control to tune in the comms. Lower grade SSB radios will just have a SSB selector switch which will pick up either mode indiscriminantly using the fine-tune control. Radios that transmit using the SSB modes have a much longer range than a standard AM mode radio with the same power output, so these are the preferred voice-mode radios on the bands below 30 Mhz for utility stations.

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    Police Scanner Monitoring

    Q: How can I listen in on local Police and Rescue agencies?

  • A: There are tunable radios, usually 'multiband' portables, that will pick up these stations, but the best, and most versatile radio for the job is a "scanner" that scans over specfic plugged in frequencies until someone talks, then pauses on that channel so you can listen in. This allows you to automatically listen to several stations continuously, instead of one at a time with manual tuning in between.

    Q: I've seen lots of different models of scanner, what's the difference?

  • A: Older model scanners used to use plug-in "crystals" (they look like small, flat metal cans) to program each channel you wished to hear, and were usually limited in the number of channels you could monitor, and the bands they would pick up. Today, there is a much wider variety of scanner radio available, and all are keypad programmable - no more crystals to buy and install! However, they may vary in the bands they will recieve, reception modes they are capable of, number of memory channels they contain to scan, and special features they have. Ideally, you should select a scanner based on what you want to listen to - and in fact, manufacturers now make several models aimed at specific interest groups: scanners for auto racing enthusiasts, aircraft monitoring, or interstate drivers that wish to keep tabs on the Highway Patrol. On the other end of the stick, there are scanners for the radio hobbyist who wants to hear it all: full spectrum recievers that will recieve virtually any frequency used by any commercially made radio, from longwave bands to microwave. Also, ther are new types of radio systems emerging, and these often require new types of scanners to monitor them. A couple of examples are "Trunking" systems that allow several stations to use the same set of channels without interference by jumping converastions around to different channels automatically, and digital radio, which provides cyrstal clear communications and computer control. Both require special scanners to get the most out of monitoring. Know what you are after, listening-wise, and then make your choices of features and capabilities from there.

    Q: What else can I listen to besides police and fire calls?

  • A: That depends on the scanner you have and the bands and reception modes it can recieve. Just about any type of communication you can think of goes on in the scanner bands: private detectives, telephone calls, warehouse workers, powerline repairs, the FBI, airports, truckers... this list goes on forever. Here is a basic breakdown of the major user groups and what capabilities you need to hear them:

    USER TYPE RADIO MODE FREQUENCY BAND(S)
    Aircraft, Civilian AM VHF-Air (108-136Mhz)
    Aircraft, Military AM Some on VHF-Lo (30-50Mhz)
    primarily UHF-Air (225-380Mhz)
    Broadcasters (FM/TV Stations) WFM Wideband Scanning Receiver
    (54-108Mhz, 225-420Mhz, and 470-800Mhz)
    Business Communications
    (Fast Food, Trucking, Roadside Assistance, Plumbers, etc)    		 FM VHF-Lo (30-50Mhz)
    VHF-Hi (148-174Mhz)
    UHF (406-470Mhz)
    800Mhz band (800-920Mhz)
    Government Agencies
    FBI, Border Patrol, USDA, Forset Service, etc    		 FM VHF-Lo (30-50Mhz)
    VHF-Hi (148-174Mhz)
    UHF (406-470Mhz)
    800Mhz band (800-920Mhz)
    Ham Radio Operators FM (Primarily)
    But other
    modes used    		 HAM 50-54Mhz, 144-148Mhz,
    220-225Mhz, and 440-450Mhz,
    also 1.2Ghz Band in some areas.
    Military Bases FM VHF-Lo (30-50Mhz)
    VHF-Hi (148-174 Mhz)
    UHF (406-420Mhz)
    Public Service Agencies
    Police, Fire, EMS, etc    		 FM VHF-Lo (30-50Mhz)
    VHF-Hi (148-174Mhz)
    UHF (406-470Mhz)
    800Mhz band (800-920Mhz)
    Public Utilities
    Power, Gas, Telephone    		 FM VHF-Lo (30-50Mhz)
    VHF-Hi (148-174Mhz)
    UHF (406-470Mhz)
    800Mhz band (800-920Mhz)
    Telephone Calls FM Older Cordless - VHF-Lo (30-50Mhz)
    Airphone - UHF (450-470 Mhz)
    Cellphones and Newer Cordless - 800Mhz Band (800 - 920Mhz)

    There are lots of other users as well - survelliance transmitters, medical devices, paging systems - just find out the frequency and mode they operate on, and get a scanner to match.

    Q: I notice from the list that several types of agencies seem to use the same bands. Why? Don't they interfere with each other?

  • A: In most cases, the bands are split up with different parts of the band being reserved for particular users. Take the VHF-Hi band (148Mhz - 174Mhz) for instance. The military uses 148-150 and 163-174Mhz segments of the band. Public service agencies (fire, police, local governments) tend to gravitate to the 154-160Mhz part of the band. Business and Utility companies can be found from 150-154 Mhz, and Railroad comms are in the 160-162Mhz segment. NOAA Weather broadcasts are in the 162Mhz band. There are exceptions granted that place stations at oddball places in the bands, but usually the reserved areas for each type of station are where you'll find them.

    Q: How do I tell what 'modes' my scanner will pick up, and what are they?

  • A: The vast majority of common scanners are FM mode only. This mode is sometimes also called NBFM (the NB stands for Narrow Band). Except in the case of foreign-make scanners, if your radio can pick up a 'specialty' band (aircraft, for instance), it has been designed to have the correct mode capability, also. So if you buy a scanner advertised as capable of listening to aircraft, it should have AM mode built in as well as the standard FM capability, since all aircraft radio comms are in AM mode. Wideband Scanning radios can usually tune into frequencies that have several different modes being used on them, so they have a wider range of mode options - AM, (NB)FM, Wideband FM (WFM or WBFM), and sometimes Single Sideband. Some of the more exotic models will also receive television signals and data signals like FAX.

    Q: I have been comparing scanners and some have only 4 bands, some 10, some as much as 30 - how do I tell what I'm getting?

  • A: This is a marketing ploy by many manufacturers to make a scanner appear to have more features to an ignorant consumer. They will often split up a standard frequency block the scanner is capable of recieving - VHF-Lo band from 30-50 Mhz for instance - into multiple "bands" or add a slight additional coverage at the edges and call it a "band" such as adding the 50-54Mhz range or 28-30 Mhz range for the ham bands in those areas. Instead of comparing "bands" you should be comparing what frequencies are covered. A "10 band" scanner that only picks up VHF Lo, Hi, and UHF bands cannot compare, for instance, to an Icom R2 that picks up LW, AM broadcast, shortwave, FM radio, TV, VHF, UHF, and up to 1.2Ghz in one "band" that is continuous.

    BACK TO FAQ

     

    About Radio Transmitting/Broadcasting

    Q: You mean I can talk on a radio, instead of just listening?

  • A: Yes! You can talk to your neighbor across the street, your wife across town, or a fellow radio fan across the country - all a matter of what you want to do. You can get as involved as to take the Ham Radio license tests, or buy a license for some bands - or do things license-free. The ham ticket probably offers the most versatility - but may be more technically involved than most want to get. The key thing is to remember there are lots of options, and you need to weigh your wants and needs against the benefits those options offer you.

    Q: What is the difference between "broadcasting" and just talking?

  • A: Broadcasting refers specifically to sending out a transmitted signal with no intention of getting any received signal back, as opposed to talking in a 2-way conversation. There are various opportunties for private citizens to do legal broadcasting (either to an audience or for thier own uses) or use 2-way communications for many uses, but these each have thier own sets of rules, bands, and equipment requirements.

    Q: What kind of "broadcasting" can I do with no license?

  • A: Most no-license broadcasting is covered under Part 15 of FCC regulations, which governs low power devices. Although these allowances are designed for very short ranges, there are exceptions. You can buy equipment or kits that will allow you to transmit your own programming on the AM and FM bands, and there are experimenter bands that allow broadcasting of data, morse code, voice, and even television if you have the know-how to build or modify your own equipment. For those who want a larger audience with no licensing red tape, you'll have to go the route of Pirate Radio - and run the risks involved as well.

    Q: What kind of 2-way communications are no-license required?

  • A: There are many different ways to do this, so it is a matter of fitting your equipment to your needs. Along with several "experimenter" bands that allow 2-way comms, there are dedicated bands and retail equipment available on 27Mhz CB, 49 Mhz "part15" channels, VHF band MURS radio, and UHF FRS radio, to name the most popular options. If you want to go the licensed route, there are even more ways for radio fun available, though the licensing requirements are often expensive or time consuming.

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    Low Power (QRP) and Local Broadcast Transmitting

    Q: What do you mean by 'low power' radios?

  • A:The exact definitions of "low power" transmissions (QRP is the radio abbreviation for Communication using Reduced Power) depend largely on the type of radio service or band you are referring to. But in the general sense, the term applies to any radio operating at a power output that is substantially below the normal operating levels for that service. For instance, many Ham bands consider outputs of less than 100 watts as a QRP (low power) level, but on the CB bands where 4 watts is the standard output, less than 1 watt is considered QRP. In many cases, QRP operation allows broadcasting on frequencies without a license, such as on the AM/FM broadcast bands.

    Q: So by operating at low power outputs, I don't have to be licensed?

  • A: FCC rules are constantly changing on the subject, but most of the limitations are laid down in Part 15 of the FCC regulations. For this reason, many QRP radio systems are known as "Part 15 radios". There are an amazing amount of frequencies that QRP systems can operate on, although there are some that will probably never be "no-license" - the ham radio bands, for instance. A transmitter on ham frequencies has to be operated by a licensed ham, even at 100 milliwats output. So check FCC regulations carefully for limits regarding the frequencies and power outputs that you want to use.

    Q: So what's the point of using low power?

  • A: There are two sides to this coin: the government side, and the hobbyist side. From the government standpoint, FCC regulation Part 15 was created because it was recognized that many electronic devices cannot help but generate radio signals: your microwave, TV, home security systems, and game console are great examples of these un-intentional transmitters. You will even see a sticker on many consumer devices that states it is in compliance with FCC part 15 regulations. So the FCC set radio signal power levels that these devices can put out that do not make the devices too difficult or expensive to create (because of the extra filtering that would be needed), yet still keep those signals down to a level where they do not interfere with other services. Other transmitters that fall under these rules are intentional transmitters that relay on radio for their basic function: cordless telephones, wireless intercoms, etc. With all of them, the idea behind Part 15 was to prevent interference with licensed services, yet still allow the limited transmissions that some devices need in order to function.
    The other side of the coin is the hobbyist - who can take advantage of the low power loophole in the regulations that allows 'broadcasting' at a reduced power level that will not cause interference, and wants to do so for one of two reasons: either the challenge involved with using such low power levels, or to fill a niche that would otherwise be blocked by restrictive licensing. An example of the first reason would be a no-license station operating in the 1750 meter band (between 160 and 180 Khz) with only 1 watt of output. Technical restrictions on this band not only limit your power output but keep the antenna size at a fraction of it's efficient wavelength, so signal levels are incredibly low, and communications are sketchy at best. Yet many Ham operators who have stations capable of 2000 watts output on other bands enjoy haunting this band. Why? The fact that it IS so challenging, of course. Many times, the sucess of a ham on the air depends on who has the most money for radios and antennas; the challenge of QRP power levels base success on radio skills and always an element of luck.
    An example of filling a niche, to cite the second reason many low-power stations operate, would be someone who has set up a low-power FM radio station. Getting a full-blown commercial FM, AM, or TV license is a difficult and expensive propsition at best, and in some cases, cannot be done at all. Yet there are areas in some cities or rural areas where there is no coverage by these stations, often because the local licensed broadcasters are using antennas which focus the signal in a different direction; unfortunately, FCC coverage maps used for licensing often reflect a standard circular coverage pattern, so they will not license an overlapping station, even if there is an obvious deadspot in the pattern. So many people have turned to low-power broadcast stations that may have a range measured in blocks or even yards, instead of miles: enough to cover the neighborhood, yet still avoid the hassles of fighting for a license, and can pretty much pick what they want to broadcast, as well.

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    General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)/ Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS)/ Family Radio Service (FRS) and other VHF/UHF services

    Q: What kind of VHF/UHF radio services can a private citizen operate on?

  • A: As opposed to a commercial or government use, the 'private' radio frequencies available in these bands are somewhat limited. These bands are known as the Personal Radio Service (PRS), and are regulated by the FCC. Along with the 27Mhz CB band, the PRS also consists of:
    • 218-219 MHz Service - One or two way communications for transmission of information to subscribers within a specific service area, such as Pay Per View movie purchases, etc. Formerly known as the Interactive Data Band.
    • Family Radio Service (FRS) - 1 mile range Citizen Band service for family use in their neighborhood or during group outings
    • General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) - 5-25 mile range Citizen Band service for family use in their neighborhood or during group outings
    • Low Power Radio Service (LPRS) - private, one-way communications providing auditory assistance for persons with disability, language translation, and in educational settings, health care, law, and AMTS coast stations.
    • Medical Implant Communications Service (MICS) - for transmitting data in support of diagnostic or therapeutic functions associated with implanted medical devices.
    • Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) - private, two-way, short-distance voice or datacommunications service for personal or business activities of the general public. There are 5 no-license MURS frequencies available for use: 151.820 MHz,151.880 MHzv 151.940 MHz, 154.570 MHz, and 154.600 MHz.
    • Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) - used by hikers, and people in remote locations to alert search and rescue personnel of a distress situation.
    • Radio Control Radio Service (R/C) - one-way non-voice radio service for on/off operation of devices at places distant from the operator.
    • Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) - for remote monitoring of patients' health through radio technology and transporting the data via a radio link to a remote location, such as a nurses' station.
    There are also some specific use bands the public can use with the correct license, equipment, and location:
    • Mobile Radio-Telephone (MRT) - the forerunner of cellular telephone, this system runs on the VHF and UHF bands in some areas, but has all but been replaced by cellular. Still in use in some rural locations with poor cell system coverage.
    • VHF Marine Radio - intended for licensed public use around large bodies of water, and primarily for boating.

    Q: Which bands are a good idea to stay away from?

  • A: There are some itinerant band (IB) frequencies intended for business or special industrial use that are in regular (but illegal) use by private parties, because the equipment to do so is commonly available. Your chances of getting nailed for improperly using these freqs is small (but still exists), but drops to near zero if you use them in a remote location. There are also several frequencies set aside for transmitters such as remote microphones, baby monitors, cordless phones, etc. These are all designed to be very limited in range (generally within the same building), but reception is possible over farther distances. The key thing to remember if considering these bands is interference, in two different forms. The first is interference TO YOU, because these bands are also in use by lots of other people, businesses, etc. The amount of interference will vary according to your distance from large areas of population, and could make your own use virtually impossible. The second form of interference to consider is FROM YOU. Since you may be using these frequencies in a manner not intended by the FCC, you could be open for fines and other legal consequences. All that it takes to get the ball rolling is for Henry's wife next door to send an email to the FCC complaining that she can't her her baby monitor because you are rebroadcasting 94Rock over the same channel, or the manager at Walmart sending a like email because they can hear you giving your buddy a play-by-play of the game on the same IB channel they use. If you plan to use these bands for something besides what they were intended, do your homework and find out what problems this may cause you in your area before trying it. There are some advantages occasionally. For instance, I have used a baby monitor set up in my "shack" to monitor several radio scanners and a CB set to channel 9 and rebroadcast anything it heard. This came in very handy during tornado season, when I could carry a portable monitor on my belt and hear everything being called in, but still roam the house to batten down the hatches or prep the family for a bugout to the shelter if needed, instead of being glued to the chair in my shack. This type of rebroadcast is technically illegal, but I made sure nobody else nearby used a baby monitor on that channel, and never had an issue.

    Q:So which service is best to use?

  • A: It all depends on your needs. Some services are meant for very specific uses, such as Mobile Radio Telephone or VHF Marine. The equipment sold for those bands is usually very good for the service intended, but not well suited for much else. The telephone system obviosly won't let you send a general broadcast, for instance. And while the VHF Marine radios may look reasonably priced and high powered (up to 25watts), you can have some major problems just shooting the bull on the wrong channel at the beach, since the channels all have specific uses and some are monitored by the Coast Guard. If you have the idea of using them away from the water where no one will hear them, you have another problem. While these frequencies from 156-160Mhz are set aside for this band around large bodies of water, in inland areas away from water the FCC has allocated those same frequencies to Police and other public service agencies! Hey, nothing like having the cops show up to that BBQ you and a friend discussed over the radio, huh?

    So if you have a specific need, by all means use the bands set aside for that need. Otherwise, you want a general purpose band, which narrows it down to the Family Radio Service (FRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), and Multi-use Radio Service (MURS). While the common users of this band might argue the point, the uses of these bands are all pretty much the same: Joe can talk to Bob about the weather, his stocks, or what he wants on his pizza. The main difference in the 3 is the license required (or lack of), the range, and the cost. FRS is free, but short range. MURS has no license and better range, but equipment costs more, and has only 5 channels to share with other users, so urban areas have an interference problem. GMRS is a fee-based license, equipment costs are much higher, but range is much better especially if repeater systems are used (the service is meant for ranges up to 25 miles, but some repeaters give hundreds of miles in some cases). For more information on these services, check out my UHF Radio webpage.

     

    CB Radio (11 Meters)

    Q: Does CB radio still exist? I thought that died after the 70's.

  • A: While Citizen's Band (CB) radio has come a long way from its popularity boom in the mid-70's, it is still around, and more popular than many people suspect. The advent of cellphones and FRS radio has caused the vast majority of former "CB'ers" to swap to a different form of communicating, but there are still some core groups that still get a lot of mileage out of the old band. Aside from still being used by a majority of long haul truckers, CB is still monitored by some public safety agencies around the country, 4x4 and touring clubs, farms and businesses, not to mention radio enthusiasts in general.

    Q: Why bother with CB radio instead of the more modern options?

  • A: The first advantage that comes to mind is cost - CB's are now dirt cheap and very high quality compared to the old boat anchors available back in the disco era. They also fill some niches that some of the other no-license bands can't. For instance, the most popular direct replacement to CB use at the moment is the FRS radio. Unfortunately, these radios cost about the same as a basic CB unit, but are only generally available in low power walkie-talkie form, which cuts down drastically on range, battery life, sound quality, etc. CB radios come in every shape and feature layout you can imagine, and even basic feature CB's give reliable ranges that are several miles farther than FRS radios. And this is just something to consider if you only want a radio for convenient communications. If you want to go the hobbyist route, CB has many more options that make it just plain fun, as well as useful. For more information, see my CB information page.

    Q: Do I need a license? I sometimes hear CB radio operators using license numbers or callsigns.

  • A: When CB became an "official" band back in the late 40's, the FCC issued licenses similar to Ham Radio to use the band, that required taking a knowledge test. Later, this evolved into just a fee-based license such as the one the GMRS band uses now, then shifted to a free, registration only license. Eventually, as the FCC becamed overwhelmed by the demand for MILLIONS of licenses by American CB fanatics in the mid-70's, they eliminated licensing completely because they couldn't print numbers fast enough. So CB is now a license free band. But you'll still hear people spewing numbers, letters, and other odd things occasionally:

    • Most commonly, you'll hear names, or "handles" as they are known. This is nothing more than a name the CB'er made up for themselves to "be" when they are on the air. Handles are legal to use, but the government has not part in giving them to you -they could care less. You pick it yourself.
    • FCC Callsigns are a slightly different story. Though license numbers aren't given anymore, old-timers still sometimes use them - for status. Having a number means you were a CB'er from way back. There are basically 3 types of callsigns still kicked around on the air - but its rare you will hear them, and the older the style, the rarer you'll hear it. FCC issued call signs had 4 letters and numbers just before they stopped issuing licenses, for instance KABC 0812. The next oldest group of licenses were issued for the few years prior to the "4 Letter" licenses - they had 3 letters, like KBC 0812. The most rare and oldest licenses were known as "Whiskey" licenses. You were issued a license number where the first 2 numbers were based on the state you lived in (the order it entered the union), followed by the letter "W" (which is called out phonetically as "Whiskey", hence the name) and then a series of numbers; for example, a Whiskey license issued in new Mexico (the 47th state) might read 47W1179 and be called out over the radio as "Forty-Seven Whiskey, One One Seven Niner".
    • There is another "callsign" you may hear on the radio - these are club issued numbers, and are a cross between "handles" (since they are made up) and FCC Callsigns (which are now used stricly as a status symbol). Most of the clubs still on the CB are those specializing in long distance communications, also known as "skip shooting" or DXing. Since being in these clubs requires you to excel at this against-the-regs pastime, having a club callsign identifies you as a bit of an outlaw.

    Q: What is REACT?

  • A: Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth and cellphones had not been invented man needed a way to call for help when stranded or lost during his travels. There were some options available to an elite few who held Ham radio or special purpose radio licenses, but nothing for the unwashed masses. Yet millions of people had radios in their cars: CB radios. Enter the Radio Emergency Affiliated Citizen's Teams, or REACT for short. This group of volunteers grew into a nationwide non-profit organization that monitored CB channel 9 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They gave out road directions, called tow trucks, police, fire, and ambulances to emergencies, often provided roadside repairs and even first aid to accident victims: all for FREE. They became so well known and utilized that even today virtually every model of CB radio made has a special switch position or marking to identify CB channel 9 as an emergency channel. But as noble and useful as REACT was, the fates were stacking the odds against it's lifespan: Cellphones were invented, and the sun was conspiring against it. Cell phones probably did the most damage to REACT (though that was not necessarily in a bad way). As cell phones became common and cheaper (and so more common), CB use waned. So did Channel 9 emergency calls - people just made the call themselves on thier own phone. Public Service agencies that used to coordinated with REACT chapters on a regular basis started to cut funding and programs for REACT involvement due to declining use. About the same time this gradual downslide happened, the sun decided to deliver the knockout punch. Every 11 years, the sun has a major flareup of sunspots, which in turn does some interesting things to the Earth's atmosphere - including causing CB radio signals to "skip" for very long distances - often hundreds or even thousands of miles. This was a problem because our neighbors to the south had also discovered how fun CB radio can be. Unfortunately, Mexico and other points south do not have REACT, and they had no respect for the US use of channel 9 as an emergency channel. Quite the contrary: since it was virually free of people trying to talk in the US (and so did not "skip" our conversations to them, making it a very quiet channel), our southern neighbors insisted on using Channel 9 often more than other channels. The result was some poor fool broken down 10 miles out of Hereford, Texas in 105 degree heat had no hope of raising a REACT unit or even someone down the street because all anyone could hear was Jose talking to Manuel about where to get tires for his pickup.

    REACT, amazingly, is still alive, although chapters are few and far between across the country. REACT chapters that still monitor CB channel 9 are very rare: almost all chapters have switched to using UHF band GMRS radio, which gives much more reliable communications than CB, and you don't have to try to beat out half of Brazil for use of the channel. But you DO have to buy a license, and a more expensive radio in order to use the GMRS band and services.

    Q: Do I need to memorize the whole 10-code and get a book on "CB-slang"?

  • A: Nope. Even those Die-Hards, the long haul truckers, don't use but a few of the 10 code or slang terms. If you want to see more info on the codes, check my CB information page.

     

    Amatuer (Ham) Radio

    Q: What do I need to become a Radio "Ham"?

  • A: First and foremost, a license! The license requires taking a test covering technical knowledge, amateur radio regulations, and for some grades of license, a morse code test. Once you get a license, you'll obviously need radio and antenna equipment for the band(s) you have been licensed to operate on.

    Q: What frequencies do Ham Operators broadcast on?

  • A: These Amateur Radio Stations, to use the official name, have operating bands they are permitted to use for normally communications, all over the frequency spectrum. In special operations for emergencies or for military affiliate message traffic, they have numerous 'out-of-band' frequencies in addition to these bands. However, the primary places to find Ham transmissions are:

    • 160 meters 1800-2000 kHz
    • 80 meters 3500 to 4000 kHz
    • 40 meters 7000 to 7300 kHz
    • 30 meters 10100 to 10150 kHz
    • 20 meters 14000 to 14350 kHz
    • 17 meters 18068 to 18168 kHz
    • 15 meters 21000 to 21450 kHz
    • 12 meters 24890 to 24990 Khz
    • 10 meters 28000 to 29700 kHz
    • 6 meters 50 to 54 Mhz
    • 2 meters 144 to 148 Mhz
    • 1.25 meters 220 to 225 Mhz
    • 70 centimeters 420 to 450 Mhz

    Q: So with a Ham license, I can talk around the world on any of these frequencies?

  • A: Not exactly. Aside from the technical aspects of transmitting over various frequencies, Ham licenses are limited in specific frequencies, power levels, types of transmission (voice, morse code, modulation mode, etc) and even location you can broadcast from. There are different grades of license that dictate these limitations; as a general rule the more privileges a license grants, the more difficult and involved the testing becomes. Add to that the fact that different frequency bands have natural limitations that affect them like time of day, line of sight requirements, static levels, etc., and you find that very few Hams can tune up the radio and talk to any point on the globe reliably.

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    Pirate Radio

    Q: What the heck is Pirate Radio, and why would anyone do it?

  • A: While the FCC considers unlicensed radio operation for personal communications or general broadcast to be the same thing, and often classifies it in the same criminal basket as hacking, Pirate Radio is used among radio operators to describe stations doing public broadcast for entertainment, without a licensed station. Unlike a hacker, however, Pirate Radio stations are rarely accused of causing damage - the only 'damage' they can do is interference, which defeats the purpose of them being on the air: they want to be heard, not tuned out because their signal is garbled with some other station on the same frequency. So they avoid interference when possible, the only exception maybe being political underground stations (known as clandestine stations, instead of pirates) that are deliberately jamming, which is rare in this country. The biggest gripe the FCC really has with Pirate Radio stations is that they haven't paid a fat fee for the license to operate. Owners of these non-political stations do it for the thrill: thrill of being an on-the-air DJ, thrill of drawing an audience possibly world-wide, the thrill of evading the transmitter hunting antennas of government vans.

    Q: When and where can I hear Pirate Radio stations?

  • A: If these stations had round the clock schedules and known coverage areas, they wouldn't stay on the air long, since they are illegal. Some of the more well known ones do publish schedules for listeners, but it's not unusual to have this information change constantly. Generally, the best to catch pirate stations is night time on weekends and holidays, since this is the time most people have off from work - not just listeners, but pirate broadcasters as well. The favorite nite for Pirate Radio in this country is Halloween .... big suprise.
    As for where, in the radio band sense, they can be just about any frequency in the spectrum. But of course, to attract the most listeners, they generally stay where the listeners are concentrated. Pirate radio stations are occasionally found in the AM, FM, and even TV bands, but most commonly they reside above or below the 40/41 meter International Shortwave Broadcast Band, from 7000 to 7300khz. They usually operate in Upper Sideband (USB) mode, and the most popular frequency at the moment for pirate stations is 6955khz; this has changed from the old favorite of 7415khz used a few years ago.

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    Survelliance Transmitters

    Q: Can you tell me how to "bug" my neighbors?

  • A: Well, the quickest, easiest method would be to tell them you want to poke around their private lives. If you are interested in starting survelliance on someone, the first thing you should check into are the local laws covering such activity - they vary from place to place like night and day, often because nobody has created any laws to cover what can and can't be done. Be warned, however, that just because it may not be against the law to monitor someone, it doesn't mean they have to like it, or even let you do it. Recent examples of this are a case in Washington state of a man taking "up-the-skirt" pictures in public, and a case in New Jersey of a man videotaping his neighbor thru her window from his house when she left her curtains open, where the courts ruled that they had not broken the laws as written (which have since been changed). So if your survelliance is morally wrong, even if legal, you are likely to be dragged thru court and the press over it, which can be as bad or worse as getting convicted for it.

    Q: So what is the safest way to be nosey?

  • A: By letting people eavesdrop on themselves for you! Many consumers are very ignorant (I'm being polite) about the security of various broadcasting devices they own, assuming incorrectly that the range, frequency, equipment style, etc, will limit the broadcast for just their use. Some laws have been changed to make up for some ignorance, like making it illegal to monitor cordless telephone conversations. But there are other things, like wireless security cameras, baby monitors, and many other home use devices that broadcast very personal information you can monitor (at the moment) quite legally. Not to mention the things you can easily (but illegally) monitor because the laws against it are virtually unenforcable. For instance, the only cases of someone being prosecuted for monitoring a cordless phone occurred when the eavesdropper told someone who turned them in. The authorities have no way to tell what you are listening to if you have the brains to keep your mouth shut. Also be aware you can pick up unusual information in unexpected places; I have a personal example for you. One day while tuning across the baby monitor frequencies on my scanner I was able to clearly hear what sounded like heavy breathing on a frequency used by my neighbor 3 houses away. After a few minutes time, many more sound effects, some dirty phrases, and me wanting to give them a standing ovation, I discovered my that neighbors, who had bought a radio device sensitive enough to listen to the baby's breathing, did not have the sense to realize that it would pick up Mommy and Daddy in the room next door, trying heartily to make another baby!

    Q: What survelliance equipment can I monitor in my neighborhood, without 'bugging' someone myself?

  • A: Obviously, you have to have the correct equipment to monitor survelliance devices of various types, but if you have some basic things, you may be suprised at what you'll find:

    HOME SURVELLIANCE EQUIPMENT TYPE MONITOR EQUIPMENT NEEDED FREQUENCY BAND(S)
    Cordless Telephones Police Scanner covering proper band Newer models use 900Mhz and 2.4Ghz bands, but often without digital or spread-spectrum modes that give good security.
    Slightly older models operate in the 42, 46, and 49Mhz bands
    Much older models used frequencies just above AM broadcast band (1.6-1.7Mhz) and 49Mhz
    Cellular Telephones Ideally, a wideband coverage communications reciever, but older variable tuning UHF TV sets (the ones that tune to channel 83) will do the job The latest models of cellphones are digital mode, making them impossible to monitor without special equiment. But the are still lots of analog-mode phones and systems that are easily monitored - and since this phone band took over the old UHF TV channels from 70 to 83, an older TV can pick up the audio of the analog telephones.
    Home Security /Webcam Cameras wideband coverage communications reciever with video or reciever for any wireless camera. Miniaturized, wireless cameras such as the X10 and similar models have become cheap and very popular to use for home security, webcams, etc. What the manufacturers don't advertise is that the reciever they make for your camera works with any camera they make - yours, or someone elses! The signal is not coded or scrambled on these low-buck units, so you can take a similar make reciever (some come with multiple channels to pick from), and roam the neighborhood, picking up camera signals from any home in range! There are also some high-end scanning radios that have video capability to pick up these signals, as well, which are usually in the 2.4 Ghz band.
    Baby Monitors Ideally, a Police Scanner, but in some cases a child's walkie talkie or a baby monitor reciever works great These monitors feature a transmitter with a sensitive microphone (which often can listen in on the entire household) and a portable reciever meant to be carried by Mom or Dad. They used to be designed for the frequencies between 49.83 and 49.89. Coincidentally, these frequencies are also used by many children's low-priced walkie-talkies, and I have not only heard babies crying on the kids walkie-talkie, but also the opposite situation: kids' jabbering coming over mom's baby monitor. Newer monitors operate in the 900Mhz band, so you'll need a scanner to hear those, or a reciever for one of the same model baby monitors - check a thrift store near you!
    Wireless Microphones/Relay devices AM/FM radio, police scanner While these are used primarily for commercial applications, they do show up occasionally for unusual purposes in and around homes. Some examples are the popular units to rebroadcast cellphones and CD players to your FM radio in the car or on the patio - they often use a microphone for the audio pickup, and many people are lazy enough to leave these on transmitting, and only turn off the radio they are listening to them with - leaving you to hear just fine!
    Computers and other home electronics Specialized software and recievers Many people are unaware that most electrical devices broadcast a host of radio signals unintentionally. Using specially tuned and amplified equipment, it is not difficult to monitor what TV channel or radio station someone is enjoying in their home - many foriegn countries that license personal radios and TV's do it all the time to catch unlicensed violators. A little more difficult, but still very possible, is the monitoring of computer data. Computers send out these low level radio signals constantly all by themselves, and as the monitor screen changes, data is transferred, etc, the signal changes minutely, but in exacting patterns. Specialized software can pull these patterns out of an amplified radio signal picked up a short distance away on a specialized reciever, and interpret the patterns into data that will display an exact copy of what the computer being monitored was showing and doing. The FBI has used this process many times (no wiretap needed) to copy criminal computer records that they were afraid would be destroyed if the served a warrant first. Software and equipment to do this is not obtainable for the average person, fortunately.
    Audio Range sound Laser Modulation Recievers, parabolic Microphones If you want to be really invasive without getting your hands dirty, this is probably the easiest way. Aside from the wide variety of parabolic and/or amplified microphones (you can get them everywhere from hunting catalogs to Radio Shack to Toys-R-Us) there are also some more exotic ways to listen to the neighbors gossip: laser. The technology isn't widely available, and has some bad drawbacks, though. Primarily, it consists of a coherent transmitter that is aimed at a glass window, and a modulated reciever that picks up the laser beam, which has been modulated by the window glass vibrations caused by sounds in the house. the reciever then amplifies and deciphers the modulated beam into a reproduction of the sounds that vibrated the glass. In theory. What really happens, unless you have dead-quiet conditions or supercomputer filtering, is that EVERY sound in the area - voices in the house, cars going by, wind, birds, rumbling plumbing, etc all combine to vibrate the windows into a nice, noisy hash. Stick with a parabolic mike for more reliable results

    Q: How do I stop people from monitoring everything I do using this equipment described above?

  • A: Well, you can move to a deserted island. Maybe dig a deep hole in your backyard and crawl in. Not much else. While there are laws on the books to protect your privacy (and probably a few laws that should be there but aren't), the laws only give you a way to punish those who break them. Because they are largely and often laughably unenforcable, they won't really stop anybody from putting you under survelliance, if they really want to. And all the "bug" detectors, jammers, etc. in the world won't help if someone decides to point a parabolic microphone or long-lens camera your way, or you willfully broadcast yourself by using telephones, radio devices, or a combination thereof. The best you can do in this country is to make sure you aren't unthinkingly broadcasting thru your home electronics. It could be worse: some countries, like Britain, practically have a camera on every street corner, and audio pickups to go with them!

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