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From: jtb@kitc.UUCP (J. Burgess)
Newsgroups: net.dcom,net.video
Subject: Eavesdropping from TV "dish" ???
Message-ID: <171@kitc.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 12:57:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: kitc.171
Posted: Thu Aug 22 12:57:31 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 17:25:59 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: my terminal @ So. Plainfield @ ATT-IS @ USA @ ...
Lines: 38
Keywords: TV satellite receivers, satellite security
Xref: watmath net.dcom:1193 net.video:1412

The following is excerpted from <29425@lanl.ARPA>, in net.kids.
   (the discussion was about TVs.  He began by saying he has a
    satellite receiver as his TV feed.)

> ... Any of the 30,000 people with
>satellite receivers can listen to either side of almost every long distance
>phone call ( *NOW* ).  With a scanner they could get both sides.

> Dave Wade

Is this true?  I thought that
a) TV and phone signals would be transmitted over different bands,
b) phone signals were time-division and frequency-division multiplexed,
and/or
c) digitized.

Are all 3 of my assumptions wrong; i.e., phone conversations
are transmitted "clear channel" so that you don't need
any special hardware?
Or does your basic satellite down-converter (I think that's what
they're called) do that sort of stuff?

What is the "scanner" he's talking about?
Is it some sort of computerized demux?

Now, I realize it is probably possible to buy the equipment to really
do what he's talking about.  How much would it cost?
Or how much to build?

Is anybody doing anything about it?
(like encryption or what?)

PS don't post any proprietary info in responses!
-- 
John Burgess
ATT-IS Labs, So. Plainfield NJ  (HP 1C-221)
{most Action Central sites}!kitc!jtb
(201) 561-7100 x2481  (8-259-2481)