--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: DCK00018 Date: 08/14/96 From: MATTHEW SADLER Time: 09:04am \/To: TROY H. CHEEK (Read 14 times) Subj: Re: Olympic stuff THC> Concerning _Olympic stuff_, Matthew Sadler said to THC> Blake Bowers in SCANRADIO: MS> Another one that was heavily used was 158.745 MHz, repeater out. MS> Not used by DOT, THP, Forestry, TWRA, or anyone else. What is this MS> one normally used for? It's used a lot even without the Olympics! THC> Since reading this message back in early August, I THC> added that frequency to my usual scan routine. I THC> could be as wrong about this as I have been about THC> other things here lately... :-) THC> Based on some of the names and locations I recognized THC> being used today, I'm pretty sure it's used by those THC> grey community service vans that shuttle elderly THC> people around Cleveland to doctor's appointments and THC> whatnot. SETHRA or something like that. That's what I was thinking, but I wasn't positive. I wanted to see what some other people thought... Matthew KF4LHP --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: DCK00019 Date: 08/14/96 From: TROY H. CHEEK Time: 08:47am \/To: ALL (Read 14 times) Subj: PRO-46 Mod (1 of 2) PLEASE do not distribute this file yet. It is a work in progress. I'm asking for your feedback and help finding any obvious mistakes. /It is not legal to listen to other people's telephone conversations/ /with radio and/or scanner equipment. This modification is provided/ /for information purposes only, not as an attempt to encourage people/ /to commit illegal acts. No warranty is offered or implied./ Troy H. Cheek's PRO-46 Mod for 'unmodifiable' models, v0.1 08-14-96 This mod will allow certain PRO-46 variants to access the 66-88 and 869-896 MHz ranges in 5 and 30 kHz steps, respectively. While reading this mod you will get the impression that I think you're an idiot. Quite the contrary. I think that *I'm* an idiot, and decided to write a mod based on what I screwed up when I performed this procedure myself. The oldest PRO-46's could apparently be modified for direct entry of any 800 megahertz frequency by removing one surface mount diode and moving another. As luck would have it, I didn't buy one of those. The PRO-46's microprocessor was later modified so that the diode change didn't work, but you could still use the scanner's test modes to access one of the lost frequency ranges (869-896 MHz), and one which I'm not sure the scanner ever received normally (66-88 MHz). I didn't buy one of those, either. The PRO-46 was *later* modified so that even the scanner's test modes wouldn't work. Guess which one I bought... Model No.: 20-305 Scanning Receiver PRO-46 FCC Id: AAO20-305AI Date label: 10A3 This mod covers *this* particular variant, and re-enables the factory test so that the 66-88 MHz and 869-896 MHz ranges are accessable (after a fashion). _Modifying the scanner_ 0. Before doing any work of any type on your scanner, make sure you have all your frequencies recorded somewhere. With any work on the internals you risk losing your stored channels, and this mod actually requires it! 1. Remove the battery pack, battery door, and antenna. Unplug the AC adapter. Place the monitor face down on a soft surface to avoid scratching the display. 2. Remove the four black screws from the back of the radio (two are inside the battery compartment). At the bottom of the battery compartment is a catch. *Carefully* push and tug at the bottom of the two halves until you figure out how to work that catch without breaking it. At the top the halves sort of hook together. 3. Now we're going to separate the two large boards that are set one on top of the other. Carefully insert a small screwdriver between the two boards next to the interconnect plug in the lower right corner. Gently pry the top board up to separate it and set it aside. If it doesn't come right up, check to make sure you're prying on the correct connector between the correct boards! 4. Carefully unsolder the copper-coated plastic shield from the microprocessor and set it aside. *CAUTION!!! Too much heat will damage the shield.* 5. In the area you uncovered, there's a small board just up from centter. It's about an inch side-to-side and a quarter-inch top-to-bottom and may be covered in some way. The small board has five wires coming from it, four of them coming from the bottom. 6. Of the four bottom wires, find the second wire from the right, (reportedly, this is usually a brown wire) and clip it close enough to the circuit board that you can resolder it if necessary. Wrap or secure this wire in some way so that it doesn't short something important later. 7. Reassemble in reverse order. You may choose not to replace the copper-coated plastic shield at this time. Be sure to replace it once you're satisfied your scanner is still working properly. 8. While holding down the 2, 9, and L/OUT keys, turn the power on. The scanner should now have values entered in the first 25 channels (and scan them normally), with the remainder being clear. If it doesn't, try a few more times, then go back and double-check steps 5 and 6. If it does, and everything else appears normal, now would be a good time to go back and replace that shield! --- JetMail 0.99beta22 * Origin: When Starlings Mate - Benton, TN (1:362/708.4) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: DCK00020 Date: 08/14/96 From: TROY H. CHEEK Time: 08:48am \/To: ALL (Read 14 times) Subj: PRO-46 Mod (2 of 2) Of the 25 frequencies that are now in your scanner, some are *outside* of the normal scanning range of the unit! We're going to use these to access our "new" frequency ranges. _Using these frequencies_ 1. Turn the squelch *all* the way off, so you hear noise. Turn the volume most or all of the way down. 2. Press MANUAL, 14, MANUAL. This should show 66.45 MHz. 3. Repeatedly press the DOWN search key until you reach exactly 66.0 MHz. If you go past 66.0, you can't just search back up. You'll have to go back to step 2. 4. Press MONITOR, which puts 66.0 in one of the monitor memories. 5. Press MANUAL, 91, MANUAL, which sets the scanner to channel 91. I use bank 10 as my "hack" bank. You can use whatever you want, but the directions are written in terms of what I'm doing. 6. Press PROGRAM, MONITOR, ENTER, which puts 66.0 into channel 91. 7. Repeat steps 2-6. Start searching from 87.425 MHz in channel 16, this time going UP to 88.0 MHz. Put the results in channel 92. 8. Repeat steps 2-6. Start searching from 888.96 MHz in channel 23, going DOWN to 868.95 MHz. Put the results in Channel 93. 9. Repeat steps 2-6. Start searching from 888.96 MHz in channel 23, going UP to 896.10 MHz. Put the results in Channel 94. 10. Turn the volume and the squelch controls back to normal settings. Re-enter all your old frequencies and settings, taking care to avoid disturbing the four in channels 91-94. Now uncramp your fingers and check your work. You should find the frequencies 66, 88, 869.95 and 896.10 MHz in channels 91-94 (or wherever you wanted to put them). These four frequencies have the distinction of being the lowest and highest frequencies in our two newly available scanning ranges. All this is unfortunately necessary, as even with the hardware mod outlined above, you still can't enter frequencies in these ranges directly. Nor can you perform a limit search in them. You can, however, perform a direct search in these ranges. Simply manually select one of your four bracketting frequencies, then hit the UP or DOWN search button. If you search past the end of your range, you can't just reverse, so you'll have to go back and start again. If you find something interesting, you can put it in a monitor memory and then transfer it to whatever channel you want. Once in a regular channel, it can be scanned like any other. If you lose a channel you've stored from one of these ranges, say by power failure or accidentally programming a new frequency, you can restore it by opening up the squelch and direct searching UP or DOWN from a nearby frequency, then move it to monitor and then back to the desired channel. If you've used a scanner in the past that lacks direct entry, you're already familiar with this channel entry method. _In conclusion_ If you choose to attempt the modification outlined above, you do so at your own risk. If you're at all uncomfortable with the thought of mucking around with the internals of your scanner, DON'T DO IT! This mod would not have been possible without tons of help in the form of earlier published mods, general technical assistance, and plain old hand-holding. *Some* of the people I'd like to thank are as follows: Bill Cheek (1:202/731) John Thompson (1:369/55) dbarton@moe.cc.emory.edu K. Bryan Painter Samantha Hamby Happy Hacking! Troy +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Troy H. Cheek Internet: Defunct |||| | | Rt. #1, Box 409 Fidonet: 1:362/708.4 |||| | | Benton, TN 37307 FAX line: call voice first! //||\\ | | BRAND NEW AREA CODE!!! Voice: (423)338-2920 // || \\ | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ --- JetMail 0.99beta22 * Origin: When Starlings Mate - Benton, TN (1:362/708.4) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: DCK00021 Date: 08/14/96 From: JONATHAN GUY Time: 11:25am \/To: TROY H. CHEEK (Read 14 times) Subj: Re: scanning THC> I'm seriously considering some kind of rack or tray THC> that I can hook to my dashboard, so that the scanner THC> will sit securely just to the right of my steering THC> wheel. Sure, this will block access to the car radio, THC> but it doesn't work anyway... Question for ya, is your shifter column mounted or in the floor? If I remember correctly you are in EMS? Check a Gall's catalog for a mount, floor or maybe one of those new overhead consoles would work for you... --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: DCK00022 Date: 08/14/96 From: JONATHAN GUY Time: 11:34am \/To: BILL CHEEK (Read 14 times) Subj: RULEMAKING: PGP SIGS BC> The issue hasn't been raised before. But PGP and/or BC> digital signatures are a coming standard and way of BC> life throughout networking, and so I am reluctant to Quick thought, do any of the communications programs used by the majority of FIDONet users interpret this PGP signature? I'm still using an older version of Telix, but it suits my needs for FIDO...I realize it INTERNET communitcations software recognizes it (I guess), but if doesn't work on this forum why bug the rest of us with it? :) --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: DCK00023 Date: 08/14/96 From: MATTHEW SADLER Time: 11:57am \/To: BILL CHEEK (Read 14 times) Subj: RULEMAKING: PGP SIGS BC> We do have a rule limiting signature lines and the PGP BC> thing certainly appears to violate it. Before I rule BC> in affirmation or exception, this topic is hereby BC> opened to public comment and opinion for a period of BC> ten days from today. Here's my $0.02 on this topic. I know FidoNet has a public PGP key group and one could also distribute their PGP key to others by netmail or internet email. I for one would support not allowing posting of PGP keys. If you need someone else's key, ask them to send it to you by one of the other three means I addressed above. But, you should allow people to request other's keys on messages in this echo, if other portions of the message comply with the rules, like for instance I sent Roger a message wanting some frequencies, so he replied and asked for my key... Matthew, KF4LHP --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: DCK00024 Date: 08/14/96 From: TROY H. CHEEK Time: 11:36am \/To: MATTHEW SADLER (Read 14 times) Subj: Re: Cellular Mods for ICOM radios Concerning _Cellular Mods for ICOM radios_, Matthew Sadler said to Troy H. Cheek in SCANRADIO: THC>> But now you've raised another question: What exactly is SMR? MS> MS> SMR is a trunked radio system that is operated for profit. The owner MS> rents or leases channels to a business or people and makes money off MS> of it. Thanks. Anything in our area worth listening for? BB>> The Cellular frequency band will never expand more than it has BB>> been since the late 80's. No where close for it to go! MS> THC>> And the FCC has _never_ reallocated frequency ranges before... :- THC>> ) MS> MS> Wrong. Just ask any ham about the 220-222 MHz band. I know. That's just an example of the Cheek Family Charm. I think others call it "sarcasm" or something like that... ... *BOOM!* Intel OUTSIDE! --- JetMail 0.99beta22 * Origin: When Starlings Mate - Benton, TN (1:362/708.4) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: DCK00025 Date: 08/14/96 From: TROY H. CHEEK Time: 11:40am \/To: JOE NICHOLSON (Read 14 times) Subj: Re: RULEMAKING: PGP SIGS Concerning _RULEMAKING: PGP SIGS_, Joe Nicholson said to Bill Cheek in SCANRADIO: BC>> The issue hasn't been raised before. But PGP and/or digital BC>> signatures are a coming standard and way of life throughout BC>> networking, and so I am reluctant to nix the procedures just yet. JN> JN> They should be banned as violation of POLICY4's encryption rule. _quote_ 2.1.4 Encryption and Review of Mail FidoNet is an amateur system. Our technology is such that the privacy of messages cannot be guaranteed. As a sysop, you have the right to review traffic flowing through your system, if for no other reason than to ensure that the system is not being used for illegal or commercial purposes. Encryption obviously makes this review impossible. Therefore, encrypted and/or commercial traffic that is routed without the express permission of all the links in the delivery system constitutes annoying behavior. See section 1.3.6 for a definition of commercial traffic. _endquote_ But PGP *signed* messages do not violate the encryption rule. The signature is not a secret message that sysops can't review. It's simply some checksumming information that proves that the message was sent by who it says it was and hasn't been altered since it was sent. And by downloading the proper public key, the sysop can validate this checksum just like anybody else can. However, these things do take up a lot of space. For that reason, I'd hate to see them used on a regular basis, especially if they're longer than the messages they're protecting. ... *CAUTION* Revenge is authorized for use only on ex-wives! --- JetMail 0.99beta22 * Origin: When Starlings Mate - Benton, TN (1:362/708.4)