How to Hear Phone Calls
You too can be nosy and listen in to other people's telephone calls with a radio receiver. Depending on what kind of radio(s) you have, here are the things you can pull in:
Short Wave Radio: You need a general coverage receiver that is capable of receiving in Single-Sideband (SSB) mode or has a BFO mode. Your antenna can either be the whip antenna on the radio or a long piece of wire, ten to fifty feet, running around your home or better yet, outside to a tree or pole.
You will be able to tune ship to shore telephone calls within the following frequency bands (all numbers in kilohertz):
These frequencies are the shore station, which usually broadcasts both sides of the conversation. Transmissions are in upper-sideband (USB) mode. Conversations may roll in from all over the world, especially at night, and will be in many different languages.
Some shortwave receivers can tune all the way down to the AM band. If yours does, check 1690 to 1770 kilohertz, where the old cordless telephone base channels are located.
Standard UHF/VHF Scanner: You can pick up cordless phones in your immediate vicinity, IMTS (old-style car phones) in your general area, and airplane phones flying overhead. For the base stations, you'll usually hear both sides of the conversation, although sometimes the mobile caller won't be audible and you'll just have to imagine what they're saying. Use either the whip antenna on your scanner or buy an outdoor scanner antenna.
These frequencies are listed in megahertz:
Cordless Phones: 46.610 to 46.970 MHz IMTS Car Phones: 152.510 to 152.810 MHz (Base Stations) Airplane Phones: 454.025 to 455.000 MHz (Land Stations) 459.025 to 460.000 MHz (Airplanes)The ECPA bans listening to car telephones. Cordless and airplane phones are governed by Section 605 of the Communications Act of 1934, which says you can listen all you want as long as you do not divulge the information to anyone else or use it for profit.
800 MHz Scanner: Newer scanners cover all of the above mentioned scanner frequencies as well as the 800 MHz cellular telephones (provided the manufacturer hasn't locked out the capability). Note that cellular telephones are of a wider bandwidth than most other scanner signals, and the average scanner may lose the peaks of some words, especially a high pitched women's voice or a person screaming. For an antenna, start with the whip antenna on the scanner: slide it in all the way so that it is as short as possible (800 MHz is a small wavelength, so shorter antennas are called for). Experiment also with angling the whip for better reception. Or purchase an outdoor antenna that is tuned for 800 MHz. Or purchase a car cellular antenna and mount it outside your window (or on your roof).
As mentioned before, the unenforceable ECPA bans listening to cellular telephones.
Old Television Set: Some of the frequency space for cellular telephones used to be UHF TV channels 79 through 83. That's why newer TV sets have less UHF channels. If you don't have an 800 MHz scanner yet, make sure there's an antenna attached (either the UHF loop or the UHF lead-in from an outdoor antenna), and try tuning across those channels. A continuous tuning knob will work better than the click stop kind. Cellular telephone calls on your TV set could be considered unwanted interference, but the law mandates that you turn your TV set off as soon as you realize that you are receiving protected communications.
Standard AM Radio: Haven't got any fancy radio equipment and don't want to buy any? If your neighbors are using the older models of cordless phones, you might be able to pick up the base channel at the far end of the AM dial (past 1600).
What might you hear on a car phone? We're not saying that anyone actually listens to this stuff and then writes it down for magazine articles, but if they did, it might look like this:
> I think that... the part of the problem is that they got-- they got a buyer for, for Kent. We'll just make it back in the commission for Kent. Now you understand that?
< Who'll just make it back?
> Huh?
< Who?
> Jerry, Larry, and you.
> What do you do with a group like that? You know. I mean what, I mean what, what do you with somebody like the deal?
> I don't know what you do anymore. I mean, the music is changing so radically it's hard to keep up.
> Yeah.
< It's hard to find out what to do it anyway.
> Yeah.
< You know?
> Yeah. Yup. How's the kids?
< How're the kids?
> Yeah.
< Kids are great, Bill.
> You got 'em a job yet?
< What?
> You got 'em a job yet?
> I feel bad for me. I feel bad for both of us. My heart hurts too. I love you.
< Who loves you?
> (osculating noises) I would kiss it if I could kiss your heart.
< (giggle)
> It was beating like a little thumper before.
< Really?
> (more osculating noises)
< God...
> A nice little orgy.
< Umm, I know. God you feel great down there tonight.
> Yeah I had it in, I was holding it differently.
< Oh. Felt wonderful.
> Did you notice that?
< Yeah. I told you it felt great, whatever it was you were doing.
> Uh huh.
< I could tell it was different, but I don't know what it, you're doing.
> Yeah. It was definitely different... (pause) Want me to tell you what I did?
< Sure.
> I like squished it with my left hand. And I just left a space open for that leeeetle clitoris to stick out.
< You were squishing it? Cause it felt like you were pulling it apart?
> Well, at the same time I was, had the two fingers pulling it apart but the bottom of my hand, was like, squashing it in.
< Uh, well, that felt great. (pause) Oh God I was horny.
> You're horny now?
< No, I was horny.
> Oh.
< Which one..
> No, the one we run last year was our art deco.
< Yeah?
> This is totally different. We're not talking about the same one. The one -
< Totally different is the difference between an eagle and an automobile. They're totally different.
> It's not.
< Sheesh. You're talking about a yoke treatment that comes down like a V, one is art deco, one is floral...
> Okay, then you know what I'm talking about.
< Of course I know, but you know, you're looking at it like through a microscope...
> No...
< And you're going to say it's entirely different but if you stand back and say "Hey..."
> Alright, watch what happens with this one...
< Well, I think we could do well with it, but it really is basically the same concept.
> I don't think so, not at all.
< You don't think it's the same concept?
> No, nope.
< Nah, then you're losing it.
> No I think they're all -
> - and when can you give me an answer?
< Right.
> And it was very nice. But you can't, I mean she was on the phone with Brian this morning, and, and suddenly it was, it was the money thing. And I got on the -
< What's the money thing?
> You know, and I got on the phone with him and I said Brian, just, you know, come over here and look!
< But you could take almost everything.
> I know.
< You know - it's also bothering you in the background.
> No.
< Oh yeah.
> Not with Brian.
< Brian, he knows Brian all so well.
> Yeah, but Brian and he did not get along very well.
< Yeah, but Bobby seems has been to his head, you know, 'Be careful, you're gonna get screwed.'
> Yeah...
< You know, you know, uh... ya know you hear it from, you know, either I get screwed or you're gonna get -
> Oh, I know, I know, but you know on the other hand after you talk to him for a few minutes he's coming over at one o'clock to work... Howard?
< No bullshit about it.
> Yeah, but, uh, you know I mean they see, they see a lot of work going on down it's going to change people's attitudes.
< You know he - if he wants to jerk - you know, you know he could play all the routines they want, construction's slowing down right now.
> I know.
< And if they want - you know, uh... Lexington Avenue -
> I know.
< And Bergen Avenue.
> I know.
< And Old Bergen Avenue.
> I know.
< Uh, I, they just gotta understand, uh you know, I mean I gotta, what I gotta do is start going out there more to see him then.
> Uh huh.
< And, you know, doing my routine and say I know how to do very well with that.
> Right, exactly.
< They would give me a f*cking break, we have some closings, we'll pay you, you know we're right around that time, we're closing, you just gotta wait a little while.
> That's right, that's right.
This is the first in an occasional series on possible conversations that anyone could overhear. If this had been an actual conversation, looking at this article would be illegal.