Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site unccvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!unccvax!dsi From: dsi@unccvax.UUCP (Dataspan Inc) Newsgroups: net.dcom,net.video Subject: Re: Eavesdropping from TV "dish" ??? Message-ID: <275@unccvax.UUCP> Date: Sat, 24-Aug-85 11:30:07 EDT Article-I.D.: unccvax.275 Posted: Sat Aug 24 11:30:07 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 14:03:08 EDT References: <171@kitc.UUCP> Organization: UNC-Charlotte Lines: 32 Keywords: TV satellite receivers, satellite security Xref: watmath net.dcom:1199 net.video:1426 Wrongo...if your friend is hearing any conversations clearly, they are most likely subcarriers on 'backhaul' feeds used by engineers in setting up links, sending cue signals to alert on-site talent to the critical events in a broadcast (such as time to sell some Budwiser) etc. Real long distance phone calls on domestic birds are (correct me if I'm wrong) all digital, in the T1/T1C etc time domain multiplexed mode. I have once in a great while heard some garbled something that sounded like speech (on Satcom F2) and you also can sometimes hear obvious human speech being transmitted unintelligibly, i.e. a person 'whining' but the information content is much worse than even single sideband on an AM receiver. The Soviets are evidently very good at intercepting domestic T1 transmissions and decoding them. They, however, purcahse a barn or something (on the line of sight for terrestrial microwave) and install a 10 foot or more dish inside. The channel demultiplexing equipment is extremely expensive, you wouldn't just use a 'scanner.' There is a treatment of this whole issue of telephone security (both satellite, microwave, and hard wire) in one of the recent issues of IEEE Spectrum. I think it was March or April, but the issue was definitely published this year. This is grossly oversimplified, but your friend doesn't really have anything to worry about. David Anthony CDE DataSpan, Inc. .