****************TIPS FROM THE TOWER***************** Brought to you by: R.P. Meggs President Intercept Inc. 6014 Oak Hill Drive Flowery Branch, GA 30542 (404) 967-9757 ________________________________________________________________________ No. 3, vol. 1.00 "TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO SCANNER HAS BEEN, LATELY." This month, we're going to take a quick trip down the frequency list and review some of the favorites for monitoring. It's getting to be the sea- son to be jolly, and also prime time for monitoring enthusiasts. If you have a scanner or communications receiver, and you haven't been do- ing any searching, you are doing a disservice to yourself and the hobby. There are new frontiers to explore, and you don't need a fancy rig to get in on the action. So let's get down to business......................... CORDLESS PHONES are a real blast if you've gotten tired of the soaps and commercials polluting the airwaves. Even though they are listed on the box as having a range of 1000 feet or so, maximum, please remember that is the HANDSET range and not the BASE. When conditions are right, these signals can go for MILES. You will need a good low-band antenna, Grove Scanner Beam, the Channel Master 5094A, or the new 46 MHz antenna from Cellular Security Group are all prime examples. If you're restricted to indoor antennas, get the long- est whip you can muster, and you're ready to go. CORDLESS PHONE BASE FREQUENCY LIST....................... CHANNEL FREQUENCY 01 46.610 02 46.630 03 46.670 04 46.710 05 46.730 06 46.770 07 46.830 08 46.870 09 46.930 10 46.970 ........................................................... AND ON TO THE FORBIDDEN WORLD OF **CELLULAR** Okay, so man cannot live by cordless phone monitoring alone, and wants to go for the action on cellular. We neither endorse nor discourage the moni- toring of these frequencies, you must make up your own mind whether or not you want to get into "cellular snooping", just remember that monitoring the cellular bands violates the ECPA of 1986. EQUIPMENT you'll need will include an 800 MHz capable scanner, a good antenna, and just a little bit of information on where to look. If your scanner will not receive 800 MHz, you can add an easily obtainable converter to lower the frequencies into a range your rig can receive. If your unit is 800 MHz capable, but the access to the bands is blocked, you can get your unit modified to do so at low cost (about $20). Radios that need modification include the Realistic PRO 34, 2004, 2005, 2006, Bearcat 200, 205, 760 and 950 XLT, ICOM and AOR radios, as well as the Bearcat 800 XLT will do it right out of the box, no mods needed. ONE LAST WORD about radio requirements, if you're planning on using a convert- er, make sure your radio has a search function. There are hundreds of cellular channels, and to program in the discrete frequencies is frustrating and just not necessary. If your radio does not search, sell it and get one that does! CELLULAR FREQUENCY SEARCH RANGES---------------------------------------------- BASE TRANSMISSIONS ON CELLULAR (MHz) 870.030-879.360 Voice Channels {Non-Wireline Systems} 880.650-889.980 Voice Channels {Wireline Systems} ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ RONALD McDONALD, WHERE ARE YOU? Fast food fanatics, take heart, there are frequencies out there just for you and the friendly folks at your local burger joint. Pop these frequencies into your handheld or mobile next time you make the trip, you may be surprised just what you'll hear! FAST FOOD FREQUENCIES--------------------------------------------------------- BURGER KING MACDONALD'S HARDEE'S TACO BELL 457.600 35.02 & 154.600 30.84 & 154.570 460.8875 467.825 30.84 & 154.570 33.14 & 151.895 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OOOHH, BABY BABY Let's not forget those wonderful baby room monitors, it seems folks just can't seem to remember to turn the things off, and like the cordless phones, they can carry quite a ways, transmitting a lot more than just the kid! BABY ROOM MONITOR FREQUENCIES------------------------------------------------- CHANNEL FREQUENCY 01 49.830 02 49.845 03 49.860 04 49.875 05 49.890 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNDERCOVER, OVER THE SCANNER If you're tired of mundane police and fire calls, federal agencies can be a great respite from the same 'ol thang. So without further adieu, here is: THE FEDERAL FREQUENCY SAMPLER----------------------------------------------- DEA ATF FBI U.S. MARSHAL 418.625 165.2875 167.5625 163.200 418.900 166.5375 163.8625 164.600 418.750 165.9125 162.7875 418.675 166.4625 170.875 418.825 165.9125 170.925 418.950 173.8875 163.200 418.975 168.0000 170.750 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BREAKER, BREAKER, HOWBOUTCHA', KICK IT ON BACK Due to popular demand, CB frequencies can be received on some of the better scanning and communications receivers. Shortwave rigs will do the job as well if you make sure you're in the AM mode ....... CHANNEL FREQ. CHANNEL FREQ. CHANNEL FREQ 01 26.695 15 27.135 29 27.295 02 26.975 16 27.155 30 27.305 03 26.985 17 27.165 31 27.315 04 27.005 18 27.175 32 27.325 05 27.015 19 27.185 33 27.335 06 27.025 20 27.205 34 27.345 07 27.035 21 27.215 35 27.355 08 27.055 22 27.225 36 27.365 09 27.065 23 27.225 37 27.375 10 27.075 24 27.235 38 27.385 11 27.085 25 27.245 39 27.395 12 27.105 26 27.265 40 27.405 13 27.115 27 27.275 14 27.125 28 27.285 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- And that's it for this month, see you next time, same channel...............