69 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
69 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
On Cordless Phone Reception
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Cordless phones all employ at LEAST two universal frequencies - one for the
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base unit to communicate to the handset with various data (46.6 - 47 MHz),
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which performs all functions. This, the 46 MHz frequency, carries incoming
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signals from the phone line (dial tone, the CALLER's voice, and the user of the
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cordless phone's voice as well since it is directed back TO the handset as a
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voice is in a standard telephone). The handset operates in conjunction with the
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base unit and uses the 49.6 - 50 MHz to transmit back to the base, and only
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transmits the user's voice and the numbers that the user dials. It is possible
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in the monitoring of these frequencies that you may be too far away to hear a
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user's base unit, yet the handset may come in clear, or vice-versa. Then again
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if you can hear the base unit fine, the user's handset frequency may be
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occupied by a nearby baby or room monitor and get clobbered altogether.
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So now you know that a cordless phone utilizes at least two frequencies.
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That is all that even the SIMPLEST phone needs to operate. But, get this: since
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there are TEN POSSIBLE CHANNELS, that is, TWENTY FREQUENCIES in all, you'd get
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lost if there weren't something halfway universal about this whole operation.
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Apparently, so would the manufacturers. There is, fortunately, a coordination
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of frequencies between base and handset, and they are categorized by channel:
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Channel Base Handset
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------- ---- -------
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1 46.610 49.670
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2 46.630 49.845
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3 46.670 49.860
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4 46.710 49.770
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5 46.730 49.875
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6 46.770 48.830
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7 46.830 49.890
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8 46.870 49.930
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9 46.930 49.990
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10 46.970 49.970
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So, some lazy phone manufacturer wasn't just standing around tossing coins
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one day deciding, "This Channel 10 phone's handset is going to be on one
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frequency, and this channel 10's handset is going to be on something ELSE". At
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first, I thought that any handset frequency could be used with any base channel
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the manufacturer wanted.
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Something else, too. Don't be surprised if you hear a cordless conversation
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on one base channel, and on the next conversation you hear the same person
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talking on ANOTHER channel. Some phones are switchable between frequency pairs.
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It did catch ME by surprise when I first heard this, not being 100% familiar
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with all types of cordless phones. My first reaction was, "that woman must be
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loaded and have a cordless in every room. That's about 5 frequencies I've heard
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her talking on..." when in reality, she may only have one or two. Radio Shack
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advertises at least one type of phone that allows a caller to push a button on
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the phone - even during a conversation - to change channel for clearest
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possible reception.
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It also boasts that it has a fully automatic 640,000-combination security
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code making it virtually impossible for another cordless phone to access the
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line. This probably has no effect on a scanner buff's ability to HEAR the
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conversation. One other cordless phone, specifically made by Radio Shack, has a
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cordless cradle where it would normally plug into the wall, then the handset is
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corded to the cradle which includes the keypad. It operates on three size "C"
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batteries and boasts that it can be used on coffee tables, or areas where wires
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would probably be in the way.
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So, it's obvious that there are now a multitude of cordless phones "out
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there" that are available to consumers, and the more different types and
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appealing styles there are, the more you'll probably be hearing. Personally I
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smile at the AT&T Cordless "talking in a tin can" TV commercial when it comes
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on, and say, "yeah, sell more of those so I can listen to you..."
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I too have a cordless phone, but I don't use it as often anymore. I wonder
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if the new instructions enclosed with cordlesses have a statement, "privacy on
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this phone is not guaranteed.."
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People are listening!
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