Picking up mobile phone conversations

[platypus]

Hi there. I've never owned a scanner but in the mid 90s, when I used to manually tune my old TV, I used to sometimes pick up random mobile phone calls that would just drop in and out. Are there any scanners/devices of today that pick these kinds of things up?

[RubberDucky]

That would be cordless not mobile phones.

[ConstableCare]

That would be cordless not mobile phones.

Not necessarily! The original Analogue Network were just above 500MHz - quite within reach of a TV's Tuner...

Cheers, CC

[ConstableCare]

Hi there. I've never owned a scanner but in the mid 90s, when I used to manually tune my old TV, I used to sometimes pick up random mobile phone calls that would just drop in and out. Are there any scanners/devices of today that pick these kinds of things up?

It's illegal, so NO....

[WPXZBP]

Yes, it's illegal to intercept telecommunications signals. It's also really really hard to crack the encryption on it now.

[Infernal]

Back in New Zealand i used to be able to pick up the fire service on my clock radio, around the 87 frequency mark

[Bonez]

To answer the OP's question, yes it was quite possible that you used to be able to pick them up in the mid 90's.

The AMPS network was around 800mhz, and while there were not that many TV's around at the time that were able to reach the UHF band, there were some that could.

The reason that the AMPS network was turned off is for that reason, so that people could not listen in. I think it was turned off on the 1st of January 2000, but I may be wrong.

Yes - you used to be able to listen, but now you can't. I never did have a scanner that could receive these frequencies but I know that others did, and could. Yes it's illegal, but it *could* be done.

Bonez

[celestial_insight]

You can of course still pick up analogue cordless phones. Interesting what your neighbours are on about sometimes. If your scanner can go low enough, search from {REMOVED}. I wonder how long before someone complains about this post...



{ADMIN: Not long obviously. Confirming that it's possible is one thing, telling people how to do it is another, especially when it's illegal!}

[platypus]

Well I live in Sydney and would love to be able to pick up some of the frequencies here as a hobby in my spare time. But from what I've been reading, the police can no longer be picked up after going digital...and judging from above, mobile phones (and newer cordless phones) are IMPOSSIBLE to be picked up. So am just wondering if it's worth investing in a scanner at all? I've also been searching for online feeds but the only working ones I've found are out in the country areas (where they're still using analogue of course). Some Sydney ones would be good if anyone knows of any?

[ConstableCare]

Well I live in Sydney and would love to be able to pick up some of the frequencies here as a hobby in my spare time. But from what I've been reading, the police can no longer be picked up after going digital...and judging from above, mobile phones (and newer cordless phones) are IMPOSSIBLE to be picked up. So am just wondering if it's worth investing in a scanner at all? I've also been searching for online feeds but the only working ones I've found are out in the country areas (where they're still using analogue of course). Some Sydney ones would be good if anyone knows of any?

You could always buy a Digital Scanner that is capable of receiving APCO25 transmissions. It is my undertsanding that the NSWPOL aren't encrypted like they are here in Perth...

Cheers, CC