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62-450: Advanced Mobile Phone System ( AMPS ) was an analog mobile phone system standard originally developed by Bell Labs and later modified in a cooperative effort between Bell Labs and Motorola. It was officially introduced in the Americas on October 13, 1983, and was deployed in many other countries too, including Israel in 1986, Australia in 1987, Singapore in 1988, and Pakistan in 1990. It was

124-441: A 12-digit number sent by the handset to the cellular system for billing purposes, uniquely identified that phone on the network. The system then allowed or disallowed calls and/or features based on its customer file. A person intercepting an ESN/MDN pair could clone the combination onto a different phone and use it in other areas for making calls without paying. Cellular phone cloning became possible with off-the-shelf technology in

186-449: A CDMA network, which did not suffer this limitation, and while the AMPS network was closed down at the end of 1999 in the major cities, the closure deadline was extended until the end of 2000 in rural areas to ease the transition to CDMA. The CDMA network has since been replaced by an 850 MHz UMTS network, Next G . Analog mobile phone Too Many Requests If you report this error to

248-533: A condition of use of covered receive-only apparatuses. No further information regarding the scope of this prohibition is provided. The Airport Bye-Laws for the Cork Airport and the Dublin Airport specifically ban monitoring air traffic control or airport or airline operational frequencies with radio receiving or recording equipment. Owning a scanner that is able to intercept the frequencies of law enforcement

310-468: A large number of users. In general terms, AMPS was very similar to the older "0G" Improved Mobile Telephone Service it replaced, but used considerably more computing power to select frequencies, hand off conversations to land lines , and handle billing and call setup. What really separated AMPS from older systems is the "back end" call setup functionality. In AMPS, the cell centers could flexibly assign channels to handsets based on signal strength, allowing

372-566: A patent for this work in 1973. The first call on the prototype connected, reportedly, to a wrong number. While Motorola was developing a cellular phone, from 1968 to 1983 Bell Labs worked out a system called Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), which became the first cellular network standard in the United States. The Bell system deployed ASTM in Chicago, Illinois, first as an equipment test serving approximately 100 units in 1978, and subsequently as

434-408: A rapid rate for activity due to modern microprocessors . Active frequencies can be found by searching the internet and frequency reference books or can be discovered through a programmable scanner's search function. Antenna modifications may be used. For example, an external antenna can be used for a desktop scanner or an extendable antenna for a hand held unit will provide greater performance than

496-690: A receiver used to monitor international shortwave transmissions, although these may be classified as scanners too. More often than not, these scanners can also tune to different types of modulation as well ( AM , FM , SSB , etc.). Early scanners were slow, bulky, and expensive. Today, modern microprocessors have enabled scanners to store thousands of channels and monitor hundreds of channels per second. Recent models can follow trunked radio systems and decode APCO-P25 digital transmissions. Both hand held and desktop models are available. Scanners are often used to monitor police, fire and emergency medical services. Radio scanning also serves an important role in

558-528: A scanner can receive, but there are some that persons should not intentionally listen to (such as telephone conversations, pager transmissions, or any scrambled or encrypted transmissions) under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act , and that modifications to do so are illegal. In some parts of the United States, there are extra penalties for the possession of a scanner during a crime, and some states, such as Michigan , also prohibit

620-468: A service test planned for 2,000 billed units. Motorola and others designed and built the cellular phones for this and other cellular systems. Louis M. Weinberg, a marketing director at AT&T, was named the first president of the AMPS corporation. He served in this position during the startup of the AMPS subsidiary of AT&T. Martin Cooper , a former general manager for the systems division at Motorola, led

682-465: A team that produced the first cellular handset in 1973 and made the first phone call from it. In 1983 Motorola introduced the DynaTAC 8000x , the first commercially available cellular phone small enough to be easily carried. He later introduced the so-called Bag Phone . In 1992, the first smartphone , called IBM Simon , used AMPS. Frank Canova led its design at IBM and it was demonstrated that year at

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744-766: A violation of United States law and possibly laws of other countries. A law passed by the Congress of the United States , under the pressure from cellular telephone interests, prohibited scanners sold after a certain date from receiving frequencies allocated to the Cellular Radio Service. The law was later amended to make it illegal to modify radios to receive those frequencies, and also to sell radios that could be easily modified to do so. This law remains in effect even though no cellular subscribers still use analog technology. There are Canadian and European unblocked versions available, but these are illegal to import into

806-1095: Is a generic term that applies to many 2G cellular systems). D-AMPS, commercially deployed since 1993, was a digital , 2G standard used mainly by AT&T Mobility and U.S. Cellular in the United States, Rogers Wireless in Canada, Telcel in Mexico, Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) in Brazil, VimpelCom in Russia, Movilnet in Venezuela, and Cellcom in Israel. In most areas, D-AMPS is no longer offered and has been replaced by more advanced digital wireless networks. AMPS and D-AMPS have now been phased out in favor of either CDMA2000 or GSM , which allow for higher capacity data transfers for services such as WAP , Multimedia Messaging System (MMS), and wireless Internet access. There are some phones capable of supporting AMPS, D-AMPS and GSM all in one phone (using

868-532: Is either illegal or dangerous. Their reasoning is that in 2017 a very large siren system in Dallas, Texas had been hacked and all of the sirens in Dallas County went off in the middle of the night. According to some siren enthusiasts the hack was done by using a two-way radio and using a video online using activation tones from Dallas County's dispatch center. The hacker then transmitted the video with tones in it over

930-556: Is illegal and carries a jail sentence from eighteen months to five years, as per Article 617 of the Civil Penal Code. It is legal to possess, install and operate a scanner in Japan. The radio law prohibits from disclosing or passing on information received to other persons and using the information to gain personal profit. It is illegal to listen to telephone communication and those transmitted using tapping devices. An amateur radio license

992-526: Is legal to possess a scanner in Australia and to listen to any transmission that is not classified as telecommunication (i.e. anything not connected to the telephone network). Phone app police scanners are also legal. Possession of a radio scanner is legal. However, article 93 of the Telekommunikationsgesetz prohibits the intentional reception of signals by third parties without authorization from

1054-540: Is more difficult for the general public to listen to them. The legality of radio scanners in the United States varies considerably between jurisdictions, although it is a federal crime to monitor encrypted cellular phone calls. Five U.S. states restrict the use of a scanner in an automobile. Although scanners capable of following trunked radio systems and demodulating some digital radio systems such as APCO Project 25 are available, decryption -capable scanners would be

1116-549: Is required when amateur radio apparatus is used to listen to radio. In Mexico, it is legal to have an unblocked scanner and listen to any radio spectrum frequencies, including encrypted and cellular band. According to the Federal Law of General Ways of Communication, individuals are prohibited from spreading any information obtained via a scanner. In the Netherlands, it is legal to listen to any radio spectrum frequency because of

1178-586: Is “willful" and for purposes of direct or indirect commercial advantage or private financial gain,” a fine of up to $ 50,000 and imprisonment of not more than two years for the first such conviction and up to $ 100,000 and five years for subsequent convictions. In addition, the statute provides for a private civil remedy to any person aggrieved by a violation of this section. The FCC regulations implementing this section more specifically provide those messages originated by “privately-owned non-broadcast stations . . . may be broadcast only upon receipt of prior permission from

1240-519: The COMDEX computer-industry trade-show. A refined version of the product was marketed to consumers in 1994 by BellSouth under the name Simon Personal Communicator . The Simon was the first device that can be properly referred to as a "smartphone", even though that term was not yet coined. AMPS is a first-generation cellular technology that uses separate frequencies , or "channels", for each conversation. It therefore required considerable bandwidth for

1302-478: The Communications Act States that: No person not being authorized by the sender shall intercept any radio communication and divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such intercepted communication to any person. 47 U.S.C. § 605(a). The penalties for violating this section are severe: a fine of not more than $ 2000, imprisonment, or both or, where such violation

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1364-492: The GAIT standard). In 2002, the FCC decided to no longer require A and B carriers to support AMPS service as of February 18, 2008. All AMPS carriers have converted to a digital standard such as CDMA2000 or GSM. Digital technologies such as GSM and CDMA2000 support multiple voice calls on the same channel and offer enhanced features such as two-way text messaging and data services. Unlike in

1426-548: The Radiocommunication Act , it is completely legal to install, operate or possess a radio apparatus that is capable only of the reception of broadcasting (digital and analogue, but not encrypted data) provided that private information is not passed on or disclosed to any other person(s) or party(s). A situation that occurred in the Toronto area on 28 June 2011 involving York Regional Police officer Constable Garrett Styles

1488-482: The Telekommunikationsgesetz only prohibited the act of listening to other classes of transmissions. This was broadened as a response to a decision of the Cologne Administrative Court, which in 2008 questioned whether the mere reception and decoding of aircraft transponder signals to display aircraft movements on a screen could be considered listening, as it lacks an acoustic element. This updated wording

1550-551: The "freedom of information"-doctrine. However, if a "special" (i.e., unusual) effort is needed to intercept the information on a frequency (such as decrypting encrypted traffic or using an unauthorized or bootleg radio), then it is considered illegal. In 2008, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that receivers that can solely be used to detect certain frequencies (such as radar detectors) are illegal because they cannot be used to "convey knowledge or thoughts" and thus are not covered by

1612-506: The 1990s. Would-be cloners required three key items : The radio, when tuned to the proper frequency, would receive the signal transmitted by the cell phone to be cloned, containing the phone's ESN/MDN pair. This signal would feed into the sound-card audio-input of the PC, and Banpaia would decode the ESN/MDN pair from this signal and display it on the screen. The hacker could then copy that data into

1674-514: The 850 MHz Cellular band. For each market area, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allowed two licensees (networks) known as "A" and "B" carriers. Each carrier within a market used a specified "block" of frequencies consisting of 21 control channels and 395 voice channels. Originally, the B (wireline) side license was usually owned by the local phone company, and the A (non-wireline) license

1736-594: The Internet by private individuals who possess the appropriate scanner and computer equipment. German law does not prohibit possession of a scanner. However, the Abhörverbot laid down in article 5 of the Telekommunikation-Medien-Datenschutz-Gesetz (TTDSG ) stipulates that it is only legal to listen to or otherwise take knowledge of the contents of four classes of transmissions: those intended for

1798-454: The Oki 900 phone and reboot it, after which the phone network could not distinguish the Oki from the original phone whose signal had been received. This gave the cloner, through the Oki phone, the ability to use the mobile-phone service of the legitimate subscriber whose phone was cloned – just as if that phone had been physically stolen, except that the subscriber retained his or her phone, unaware that

1860-403: The U.S. Frequencies used by early cordless phones at 43.720–44.480 MHz, 46.610–46.930 MHz, and 902.000–906.000 MHz can still be picked up by many commercially available scanners, however. The proliferation of scanners led most cordless phone manufacturers to produce cordless handsets operating on a more secure 2.4 GHz system using spread-spectrum technology. Certain states in

1922-512: The US which prohibited the FCC type acceptance and sale of any receiver which could tune the frequency ranges occupied by analog AMPS cellular services. Though the service is no longer offered, these laws remain in force (although they may no longer be enforced). In 1991, Motorola proposed an AMPS enhancement known as narrowband AMPS (NAMPS or N-AMPS). Later, many AMPS networks were partially converted to D-AMPS , often referred to as TDMA (though TDMA

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1984-594: The United Kingdom, it is not illegal to own or use a scanner except in particular circumstances. For example, particular transmissions or frequencies should only be listened to with authorization an example of this being UK aviation frequencies and police radio , which in many other countries may be publicly listened to (and are even available to be streamed online) but in the UK are restricted. Many emergency services have now switched to digital encrypted radio systems, so that it

2046-505: The United States such as New York and Florida , prohibit the use of scanners in a vehicle unless the operator has a radio license issued from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ( Amateur Radio , etc.) or the operator's job requires the use of a scanner in a vehicle (e.g., police, fire, utilities). Many scanner user manuals include a warning saying that, while it is legal to listen to almost every transmission

2108-476: The United States, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and Industry Canada have not set any requirement for maintaining AMPS service in Canada. Rogers Wireless has dismantled their AMPS (along with IS-136 ) network; the networks were shut down May 31, 2007. Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility , who operated AMPS networks in Canada, announced that they would observe

2170-518: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.132 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 393000233 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:47:25 GMT Scanner (radio) The term scanner generally refers to a communications receiver that is primarily intended for monitoring VHF and UHF landmobile radio systems, as opposed to, for instance,

2232-648: The aforementioned doctrine. In New Zealand, according to section 133A of the Radiocommunications Act of 1989, it is legal to possess and use a scanner at any time to tune to any private voice radio (but not encrypted data), provided that private information is not passed on or disclosed to any other person(s) or party(s). Possession of a radio scanner is legal in Switzerland. However, it may only be used to listen to public radio traffic such as CB radio and amateur radio , as well as airband frequencies. In

2294-464: The base stations, paired with 416 frequencies in the 869–894 MHz range for transmissions from base stations to the mobile stations. Each cell site used a different subset of these channels than its neighbors to avoid interference. This significantly reduced the number of channels available at each site in real-world systems. Each AMPS channel had a one way bandwidth of 30 kHz, for a total of 60 kHz for each duplex channel. Laws were passed in

2356-458: The battery and/or antenna. The Oki 900 could listen in to AMPS phone-calls right out-of-the-box with no hardware modifications. AMPS was originally standardized by American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as EIA/TIA/IS-3. EIA/TIA/IS-3 was superseded by EIA/TIA-553 and TIA interim standard with digital technologies, the cost of wireless service is so low that the problem of cloning has virtually disappeared. AMPS cellular service operated in

2418-637: The control centers. Cellular companies who own an A or B license (such as Verizon and Alltel) were required to provide analog service until February 18, 2008. After that point, however, most cellular companies were eager to shut down AMPS and use the remaining channels for digital services. OnStar transitioned to digital service with the help of data transport technology developed by Airbiquity, but warned customers who could not be upgraded to digital service that their service would permanently expire on January 1, 2008. Telstra (formerly Telecom Australia) – operated an AMPS network in Australia from February 1987 until

2480-458: The development and marketing of the first pager to use transistors. Motorola had long produced mobile telephones for automobiles, but these large and heavy models consumed too much power to allow their use without the automobile's engine running. Mitchell's team, which included Dr. Martin Cooper , developed portable cellular telephony. Cooper and Mitchell were among the Motorola employees granted

2542-513: The dispatch frequency which led to all of the sirens going off in Dallas. More of these hacks happened in places such as Cincinnati, Ohio , Milwaukee, Wisconsin and other cities. After this many siren enthusiasts stopped putting activation tones in videos so that they would not be used maliciously. A lot of arguments in the siren community have spun up after these hacks. Some enthusiasts began altering or pitch shifting tones so that they do not sound like

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2604-487: The end of 2000. As part of the introduction of mobile phone competition in Australia, the Australian government mandated GSM as the new standard for mobile networks, and required that Telstra close the AMPS network by 2000. However, GSM base stations could only serve a limited area. While this was OK for Europe, it meant that GSM could not cover large, sparsely populated rural areas of Australia cost effectively. Telstra deployed

2666-667: The fields of journalism and crime investigation , as well as a hobby for many people around the world. Scanners developed from earlier tunable and fixed-frequency radios that received one frequency at a time. Non-broadcast radio systems, such as those used by public safety agencies, do not transmit continuously. With a radio fixed on a single frequency, much time could pass between transmissions, while other frequencies might be active. A scanning radio will sequentially monitor multiple programmed channels, or scan between user defined frequency limits and user defined frequency steps. The scanner will stop on an active frequency strong enough to break

2728-423: The final 832 (416 pairs per carrier). The additional frequencies were from the band held in reserve for future (inevitable) expansion. These frequencies were immediately adjacent to the existing cellular band. These bands had previously been allocated to UHF TV channels 70–83. Each duplex channel was composed of 2 frequencies . 416 of these were in the 824–849 MHz range for transmissions from mobile stations to

2790-401: The non-broadcast licensee.” When people read this, they took it as putting scanner broadcasts online is illegal. This is not true because it only refers to the interception of broadcasts. This means it is still legal to put scanner audio in videos, but you cannot re-broadcast them over said frequency. Since most police, fire, EMS, and public safety frequencies are public and publicly available in

2852-419: The original equipment "stock" antennas provided by manufacturers. Scanners are often used by hobbyists , railfans , aviation enthusiasts, auto race fans, siren enthusiasts, off-duty emergency services personnel, and reporters . Many scanner clubs exist to allow members to share information about frequencies, codes, and operations. Many have internet presence, such as websites, email lists or web forums. It

2914-508: The phone had been cloned—at least until that subscriber received his or her next bill. The problem became so large that some carriers required the use of a PIN before making calls. Eventually, the cellular companies initiated a system called RF Fingerprinting, whereby it could determine subtle differences in the signal of one phone from another and shut down some cloned phones. Some legitimate customers had problems with this though if they made certain changes to their own phone, such as replacing

2976-778: The possession of a scanner by a person who has been convicted of a felony in the last five years. It is illegal to use police scanners while driving in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, and Minnesota. It is also illegal to use police scanners in furtherance of a crime in California, New Jersey, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Nebraska and West Virginia. Many people including siren enthusiasts, aviation enthusiasts, and more use scanner audio or footage and post them online or live-stream them. Older people who are involved in these group (mainly siren enthusiasts) have said that putting siren activation tones in videos

3038-811: The primary analog mobile phone system in North America (and other locales) through the 1980s and into the 2000s. As of February 18, 2008, carriers in the United States were no longer required to support AMPS and companies such as AT&T and Verizon Communications have discontinued this service permanently. AMPS was discontinued in Australia in September 2000, in India by October 2004, in Israel by January 2010, and Brazil by 2010. The first cellular network efforts began at Bell Labs and with research conducted at Motorola . In 1960, John F. Mitchell became Motorola's chief engineer for its mobile-communication products, and oversaw

3100-433: The radio's squelch setting and resume scanning other frequencies when that activity ceases. Scanners first became popular and widely available during the popularity height of CB radio in the 1970s. The first scanners often had between four and ten channels and required the purchase of a separate crystal for each frequency received. A US patent was issued to Peter W. Pflasterer on June 1, 1976. An early 1976 US entry

3162-454: The real activation tones and some still keep them in there, however they put a disclaimer in the description of the video saying they will not be held responsible for misuse of activation tones. The reason why activation tones are in videos in the first place is to alert the enthusiasts of when said siren is about to go off. With this being in mind, this is what some sources say about putting scanner audio in videos (including tones). Section 705 of

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3224-475: The same frequency to be re-used, without interference, if locations were separated enough. The channels were grouped so a specific set was different of the one used on the cell nearby. This allowed a larger number of phones to be supported over a geographical area. AMPS pioneers coined the term "cellular" because of its use of small hexagonal "cells" within a system. AMPS suffered from many weaknesses compared to today's digital technologies. As an analog standard, it

3286-479: The same timetable as outlined by the FCC in the United States, and as a result would not begin to dismantle their AMPS networks until after February 2008. OnStar relied heavily on North American AMPS service for its subscribers because, when the system was developed, AMPS offered the most comprehensive wireless coverage in the US. In 2006, ADT asked the FCC to extend the AMPS deadline due to many of their alarm systems still using analog technology to communicate with

3348-526: The user of the radio receiver, those made by licensed amateur radio operators , those intended for the general public, and those intended for an indefinite group of people. Violation of this provision is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine. This prohibition was previously included in the Telekommunikationsgesetz , but was moved to the TTSDG as a part of the German telecom law reform in 2021. Until 2016,

3410-460: The user's preference. Most scanners also have a weather radio band, allowing the listener to tune into weather radio broadcasts from a NOAA transmitter. Some scanners are equipped with Fire-Tone out. Fire tone out decodes Quick Call type tones and acts as a pager when the correct sequence of tones is detected. Modern scanners allow hundreds or thousands of frequencies to be entered via a keypad and stored in various "memory banks" and can scan at

3472-506: The user. In Brazil, it is legal to have a scanner, but the user is required to have an amateur radio license. Individuals are prohibited from spreading or recording any information obtained through scanning. In Belgium it is allowed to possess and listen to a scanner. Although it is only allowed to listen to frequencies where you have a permission to listen to. Without permission it is only allowed to listen to HAM Radio or other so called 'free to listen' channels In Canada , according to

3534-474: Was announced in April 2012. Although it is currently legal to stream information from a scanner in Canada, using the information for profit is not legal. Some Canadian police forces use encrypted communications which cannot legally be decrypted and streamed onto the Internet. Applications are available permitting anyone with an Internet-ready computer or smartphone to access scanner communications that are streamed onto

3596-703: Was carried over to the TTDSG in 2021. Unlicensed possession of a wireless telegraphy apparatus is generally prohibited under Section 3 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926 , subject to exemptions. One such exemption covers most apparatuses only capable of reception, including radio scanners. Moreover, Section 11(2) of the Act states that "no person shall improperly divulge the purport of any message, communication, or signal sent or proposed to be sent by wireless telegraphy." The aforementioned exemption echoes this wording as

3658-419: Was given to wireless telephone providers. At the inception of cellular in 1983, the FCC had granted each carrier within a market 333 channel pairs (666 channels total). By the late 1980s, the cellular industry's subscriber base had grown into the millions across America and it became necessary to add channels for additional capacity. In 1989, the FCC granted carriers an expansion from the previous 666 channels to

3720-431: Was picked up by scanners. Online streaming of communications between the fatally injured officer and police dispatch were picked up by local media. The tragedy was widely reported before the officer's family was notified and several media outlets rebroadcast the recorded emergency transmission. A police initiative pressuring the government to create legislation to stop online streaming of scanner captured police communications

3782-453: Was susceptible to static and noise, and there was no protection from 'eavesdropping' using a scanner or an older TV set that could tune into channels 70–83. In the 1990s, an epidemic of "cloning" cost the cellular carriers millions of dollars. An eavesdropper with specialized equipment could intercept a handset's ESN (Electronic Serial Number) and MDN or CTN (Mobile Directory Number or Cellular Telephone Number). The Electronic Serial Number,

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3844-579: Was the Tennelec MCP-1, sold at the January 1976 Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. Many recent models will allow scanning of the specific DCS or CTCSS code used on a specific frequency should it have multiple users. Memory banks are also common. For example, one memory bank can be assigned to air traffic control , another can be for local marine communications, and yet another for local police frequencies. These can be switched on and off depending on

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