old phone tricks

[pishta]

got an old cell phone thats not being used? I have an old MetroPCS phone I found in an alley and wiped it. Popped in a SD card and now its my garage parts camera. I just paired it via bluetooth to my laptop (primary FABO PC) and I can just shoot and share via bluetooth to my pc. I used to have to mail the pics as I didnt like to plug it in, but this is alot faster. I wonder what the range is? 10 feet? Its Blutooth 1.0 Im sure as the phone is friggin old. I also can use it as a remote wifi webcam if I want to set it up at the foot of the bed....er...under the house for Opossum patrol.

 

[JDMopar]

I just had to get a new work phone, because my iPhone 5 didn't have enough G's.....or something? Instead of turning it back in, I'm going to keep it for the camera.

 

[jos51700]

I use an older Galaxy with my thermal camera, and fiber optic camera. You can get the borescope cams pretty cheap online.

I've always wondered about using one as a cheap GPS tracking device hidden in my car, but don't know enough to pull that off.

 

[pishta]

I use an older Galaxy with my thermal camera, and fiber optic camera. You can get the borescope cams pretty cheap online.
I got a USB borescope for Christmas, I found my rat under the dishwasher!
I've always wondered about using one as a cheap GPS tracking device hidden in my car, but don't know enough to pull that off.

It must have data enabled and a constant power supply. powers easy enough and there is an app called life360
Life360 - Google Search
That my family uses to keep tabs on out locations. Great for teenagers and busy schedules. I get home and am like WTF, where is my dinner? So I pull up life360 and I see her at my kids soccer game I forgot about. Or you could get Iphone "where is my phone" app.

 

[67Dart273]

OH HELL Pishta from the title I thought you were talking about the old "black box" or "blue box" signalling tricks!!!!

Blue box - Wikipedia

 

[67Dart273]

I don't know if it's still true, but "it used to be" that an out-of-service cellphone could be used to call 911, so if you charge it, and it's electrically operable, it makes an "emergency only" phone

Appears so.......

911 Wireless Services

The FCC's basic 911 rules require wireless service providers to transmit all 911 calls to a PSAP, regardless of whether the caller subscribes to the provider's service or not.

Phase I Enhanced 911 (E911) rules require wireless service providers to provide the PSAP with the telephone number of the originator of a wireless 911 call and the location of the cell site or base station transmitting the call.

Phase II E911 rules require wireless service providers to provide more precise location information to PSAPs; specifically, the latitude and longitude of the caller. This information must be accurate to within 50 to 300 meters depending upon the type of location technology used.

The FCC recently required wireless carriers to provide more precise location information to PSAPs. As a result, wireless carriers will be required to comply with the FCC's location accuracy rules at either a county-based or PSAP-based geographic level. The new standards apply to outdoor measurements only, as indoor use poses unique obstacles.

 

[pishta]

yes, still will. I can still use this POS to make credit card calls!

The black box, that is phreaky! A guy in prison found out how to use a Captain Crunch whistle to make calls on the payphone. Hey, when you got all the time in the world, what else are you going to do?

 

[67Dart273]

yes, still will. I can still use this POS to make credit card calls!

The black box, that is phreaky! A guy in prison found out how to use a Captain Crunch whistle to make calls on the payphone. Hey, when you got all the time in the world, what else are you going to do?

In the fall of 68 I arrived at Treasure Island to attend Navy ET school, and immediately joined the Island amateur radio club, K6NCG. You could "stand duty" at the club rather than the barracks!!! Anyhow, we had a dial phone with a connector for the phone patch, and someone had been making toll calls and not loggin them or paying. So one club night I showed up and there was a "dial lock" on the phone. I told them "that won't stop anybody" and showed how to punch the hanger buttons and dial the phone!!!

This IS that very phone, can't tell if it's "locked" in this photo or not:

K6NCG - Treasure Island Radio Amateur Club 1969-1970

K6NCG - Positions

Me, myself and I about 20yrs old up the 120ft tower

 

[pishta]

I ran into a Bell Model 500 (standard rotary dial phone) a few years ago on a trouble call. Could not dial out. I called up the switch and told them to turn on pulse dial and it still worked. We turn that off by default for some reason. You could tap the hook switch and emulate the pulse dial just like you said. Sort of like dialing on a telegraph.

 

[67Dart273]

I ran into a Bell Model 500 (standard rotary dial phone) a few years ago on a trouble call. Could not dial out. I called up the switch and told them to turn on pulse dial and it still worked. We turn that off by default for some reason. You could tap the hook switch and emulate the pulse dial just like you said. Sort of like dialing on a telegraph.

In the 80's early 90's I did HVAC mostly service. No cell phones then, I had a "beeper." So sometimes I called the shop from the customer's phone. This of course was in the days after the "big bell breakup" and you could buy aftermarket phones. I used to laugh at the number of times I'd dial some dime store phone (with buttons) and then sit there and listen to the damn thing convert it to pulse dialing. So I'd flop the thing over and move the switch to "tone dialing" LOL

 

[pishta]

do you remember auto dialers? Little pocket sized calculator looking things that had telephone numbers stored in it. Pick up the phone and press this up to the mic and it would blast a fast tone dial of your stored numbers...talk about lazy!

 

[67Dart273]

do you remember auto dialers? Little pocket sized calculator looking things that had telephone numbers stored in it. Pick up the phone and press this up to the mic and it would blast a fast tone dial of your stored numbers...talk about lazy!

LOL HERE is a story!!

Before you could own your phone equipment, a friend of mine and I encountered a ham operator in San Diego who "became very annoying." He ALSO had a "card dialer," remember those?

Anyhow one day my friend had just had enough, so he called the phone co., told them "yeh my name is Brian Ca...............and I live at ...................and my CARD DIALER WON'T WORK

I guess the phone guy talked to Brian's Mom and neither she nor Brian was very happy, as in "what are you doing with a card dialer?"