GSM - A5 Strength

Peter Sommer hcorn at cix.co.uk
Wed, 8 Apr 1998 19:09 +0100 (BST)


Alec Muffet wrote:
>
> In the interests of not trashing the reputation of scanner owner/users
> any further than the media has already done, just a quick note:
>
> Since most analogue cordless phone base-stations operate around
> 1600KHz FM, you wouldn't actually need a sexy VHF/UHF scanner to
> receive them.
>
> These transmissions are actually only just above the medium-wave
> frequency band, and any half-decent shortwave radio should be capable
> of receiving them, either in native FM, or in AM by tuning
> off-frequency and picking up the AM edge-effect.
>
> Spread-spectrum.  Verb. sap.
>

This particular generation of cordless phones - CT1 - operates on pairs of
frequencies - 1800 or so KHz and 47 or so MHz.   In practice you can
often hear the 1800 KHz stuff on )very_ cheap AM radios simply by winding
the tuning dial up beyond the top of the MW coverage.  You need a scanner
for the 47 MHz stuff.   The 1800 KHz end transmits mostly through the
mains;  the 47 MHz through the air.  If you are absolutely determined to
hear your neighbour's cordless phones you use a scanner like the AOR8000
with all pairs programmed in.

 


|---->   Peter Sommer   ------------------------------------------->|
|---->   hcorn@cix.co.uk   P.M.Sommer@lse.ac.uk  ------------------>|
|---->   Academic URL:  http://csrc.lse.ac.uk/csrc/pmscv.htm  ----->|
|---->   Commercial URL:  http://www.virtualcity.co.uk  ----------->|