PC based rf scanner

OK, here is what i want to do. I want to use my communications port (com1) to communicate with a demodulator to receive signals such as cordless phone, cell phone, police, cb, and weather channels. I have never attempted anything like it before, but i think it would be sweet to chill on my computer and listen to the police in the ghetto where i live. does anyone have any suggestions on what i would need to do this.


Thanks

 

A police scanner. But you won't be able to listen to cellular or cordless phone frequencies, the FCC blocks them.

 

yeah, thats what they say. my modded weather scanner picks up cordless phone and someone I met at a 2600 conference had a cellular scanner, ran from her laptop. unfortunately, i couldn't find the time to ask her how she did it.

 

It was probably an Analog cell phone which uses lower frequencies. Today, they dont' even use the same system. Most cell phones today are digitized signals and there aren't any scanners out there yet that can read these. Uniden is going to have one soon i read somwhere, but its giong to cost a hell of a lot of money.

Plus, most cordless phones these days are 2.4 ghz or higher, which means you would need a really heavy duty scanner to pick them up. Most cheap scanners don't go past 800mhz which means you'll have to hope your neighbors have the old analog phones. Like i said, the FCC blocks out these frequencies no matter what from inside the chip's software itself. So theres no modifications you can do to change this, once its done inside, its done. But i mean, if u were desperate u could buy an old scanner. It would have to be at least 1994 or older. Or, you could go on ebay and hunt for one overseas.

 

A frequency doubler (I think that's the name) can modulate phone calls down to ranges that can be picked up by the scanner, but digital signals require a decoder before you can hear the conversation.