From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: Cable Box IF sniffing
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 06:10:51 GMT

In article <66733.29DDEF1B@psycho.fidonet.org> Jay.Ashworth@f160.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Jay Ashworth) writes:
> > It was rumored a few years back that cable operators, etc., would be able
> > to locate cable cheaters or MDS cheaters by driving through neighborhoods and
> > measuring the IF output of TV frequencies (typically 44 MHz) to "know" what
> > the people were watching.  So, they could look for "too much" IF energy that
> > was tracking the pay cable program as compared to subscriber population in
> > the area.  The point was made that they could find all the cheaters merely by
> > driving around with "sophisticated tracking equipment" in a van, and that
> > this would allow them to track down all the cheaters real easy.  One company
> > even had an "amnesty" that allowed you to turn in illicit equipment to their
> > business office to avoid prosecution, but only up to a cutoff date, etc.
> > Any of this plausible, or just scare tactics? :-)
>
>Well, it wouldn't be real useful to be looking for the frequency of the TV's IF, that will always be channel 2 (or 3, or 4).  Looking for the local oscillator of the converter, however might actually allow this sort of thing.
>
>It would, however, take _real_ good equipment, and a trained operator (think Jonesy in Red October) to get anything conclusive out of it.  Enough to make an educated guess as to who to try scaring the crap out of?  Maybe.
>
>SO, if the cable company comes to your door and says "Our little white van spotted your illegal pay reception", tell 'em to go to hell...
>
>Cheers,
>-- jra
>KA1FJX/4
>
>--  
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Several years ago, our local evening news reported the company's activities
in the area where these guys would go up to someone's home and pull an 
"FBI" type "raid" on an unsuspecting housewife.  (Presumably her husband, not
present, bought an MDS receiver from a local guy selling them off the back of
a truck, etc.  These guys can be found at any major store parking lot or
flea market, etc.)  The woman would scream and promise to do "anything" not
to goto jail, etc.  The company guy would tell her he is confiscating the
stuff, and that she should hand it over, etc., and that eventually their
legal department would be serving them {an unstated item}, etc.

The local station guys were following these guys with a minicam like it was
a drug bust!

The legal issues surrounding MDS are somewhat cloudy, since it is considered a
"private" transmission, yet it is actually broadly transmitted (though held as
not a broadcast by some legal definition).  In some situations, it can be
detected within your home without putting up an antenna above the roof level,
because the signal literally goes through your living room, etc.  Further,
most people buying the "illicit" MDS receivers aren't doing it for commercial
purposes.  (The satellite people claim that satellites are actually
broadcasting, but that the scrambling is for the "protection" of everyone,
by making those "evil" commercial operators (bars, for example, or hotels),
have to pay for it; the fact that isolated homeowners ALSO have to pay for
descrambling, and have to send the payment to a cable company they're not
hooked up to, is of course merely "coincidental" :-).  Yet, the courts are
allowing MDS to be considered private, so a homeowner is guilty of intercepting
a private transmission.  I thought there was an issue of "disclosure" here?)

In any case, I was distressed by the sensation-hungry local station who gives
you the impression that the company guys are the "good" guys and that the
housewives wear the "black hats" :-).

Any comment from net.budding.lawyers?

cjl