On Sunday May 26, 2002 at 7pm, the interference began. What sounded like an autopatch with dial tone and dialing was heard clearly. As the club has no active autopatch any longer, it was clear this was not ours and not authorized by the club.
The phone conversations continued all week sporaticly, with no call signs and no reference to any radio hobby activities. It seemed that the caller thought it was a closed system, with many personal calls.
On June 8, from about 8pm to 10pm and later, rap music, cussing, and other stupid calls were made on this system and were trasnmitted on 146.205, the input to the RCRA repeater.
Considerable research was being done by club officers and members in trying to locate these signals. Beam headings seem to show it east. Only two stations were able to copy it on the input.
In July, an RCRA member reported full scale copy at I75 and Cross County Highway in Cincinnati. Due to the travel of over an hour one way, little footwork had been done to locate the source. Two trips to Cincinnati were fruitless as nothing was heard and nothing accomplished.
In early August the user of the path commented on hearing people talking on the phone he was using and refered to comments about the illegal operations. He also stated he may trade it off ot let someone else use it.
In mid August, the calls from Cincinnati ceased and none have been detected from there since.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the same time, a different male was heard on the phone patch system. Much heavier usage was noted. Also girls, possibly daughters or friends were using it. In late August, many discussions involving motorcycle racing were overheard. Directions for the beam antennas were opposite now, wth signals coming from the southwest of Ripley County instead of east for the Cincinnati, Ohio interference.
By now almost a dozen amateur operators in SE Indiana were assisting on this problem. One such operator in Hanover was reporting solid copy on the input and numerous motorcycle discussions and reference to a racetrack. An amateur in Osgood also heard race track comments and suggested the race track near Vernon, In.
In late August, amateur working with recorded digital files of the ongoing interference identified the touch tones used to dial numerous numbers on this illegal phone system. All numbers were found to be in the Scottsburg area.
On Saturday Aug 31, KM9X traveled to Scottsburg and spent the day monitoring with these results:
2:45pm arrived at a parking lot on a ridge just west of Scottsburg, near Walmart on IND 56.
3:27pm incoming call to the system was heard transmitted on 146.205. Noisy on a scanner with outside antenna, no copy on HT with rubber duck inside vehile; some copy on HT in parking lot . The HT was connected to a home brew 3 element DF beam and rotated during the call, the best signal was coming from the northeast, and was full quieting and about 5-7 S units. No signal that good was seen on any receiver. The phone call ended just after the NE direction and signal was detected.
4:00pm moved to Austin, Indiana for better fix.
6:45pm nothing heard, started home
7:09pm incoming call heard on the 805 repeater, nothing heard on 205 while mobile on US 50 in Jennings County west of N. Vernon
Multiple calls heard later, from 9pm to 3am. Male was drunk. Lot of cussing, references to camp in back of his property and about 2:30am was talking to someone on a cell phone at the camp behind his house.
Sunday Sept 1, Cora, Louis and Randy obtained enough information to gather that the camp location was on a "Sunnyside Drive" outside of Scottsburg. Although that street didn't appear on mapping programs it did show up on YAHOO maps, as a dead end county road , going north from IND highway 256 towards Hardy Lake.
Sept 1 KM9X AND KB9MGI returned to the Austin area:
2:40 pm In area, southern Jennings County, headed towards Sunnyside Drive
2:49 pm Incoming call, not answered, no signal, 2 miles south of Vernon on St Rd 3.
2:53 Incoming call, not answered, S1-3 mobile flutter, almost 100 percent copy , at 500S and St Rd 3.
3:07pm Incoming call, not answered, full quieting and 7-9 S units at co rd 1525 and IND 256
3:25pm Incoming call not answered, 5-7 S units 3 miles east of Austin
3:30 pm Incoming call not answered, downtown Austin, 3-5 S units and noisy copy
3:47pm on Sunnyside Dr, in front of the house, full scale signals on both the mobile and HT and full quieting on scanner, in front of 3541 N Sunnyside Dr.
Sign at that location "MOTO X" with an arrow to their driveway. Large area of motorcycle motocross racing behind the house and barns.
A new looking pole, about 25', with a multi-element discone type antenna was seen above the roof of the small white house.
Several quadrunners and motocross bike were seen on the property and on the roads running at low and high speeds.
Unable to hit the 805 repeater with 55 watts and a quarter wave from in front of the house, but via cell phone, local amateurs reported none of these transmissions recieved in the Austin area were heard on the repeater, as the band was in a depressed state. Very hot and dry air.
Photos were taken and appear below. The next step has not been decided.
Thanks to all who assisted on this project:
Dave,Randy,Cora,Louis,Andy,Bob,Judy,Dan,Garry
Here is the link to the motocross track in question. Ut has maps to thier location too!
This link is to the aerial view, just south of the highlines(seen on thier website photo of the cycle in air) is the barns and house, all before they put in the motocross track.
It is still not determined who the illegal phone system belongs to.
Attempts are being made now to get these people to cease transmissions on the amatuer bands.
Research has found there are several of these long range "cordless phones" available on the internet, but are supposed to be illegal in the US. Some use VHF and as in this case on the amateur bands. Some are on 220 as well.
Please do not transmit when the interferring phone system is heard as they are all still being recorded.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9-3-02 THE RCRA MEMBERS INVESTIGATING THIS COMPLAINT MET TO DECIDE HOW TO HANDLE IT.
THE OWNER OF THE OFFENDING WIDE COVERAGE CORDLESS TELEPHONE WAS CONTACTED DIRECTLY BY TELEPHONE ON MONDAY 9-2-02 AND ADVISED OF THE SITUATION. HE WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HIS PHONE CONVERSATIONS BEING HEARD IN THREE STATES AND PROMISED TO DISCONTINUE USING THE PHONE.
AS OF 9-4-02 NOTHING MORE HAS BEEN HEARD.
THE OWNER ADMITTED IT WAS HIS, AND HE ADVISED THAT HE BOUGHT IT ON EBAY FOR $200 AND HAD NO IDEA IT WAS TRANSMITTING ON AMATEUR RADIO FREQUENCIES.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9-5-02 Riley Hollingsworth was advised of the situation, in early August prior to the final investigation results. He made contact today and is now clear on the latest results. The RCRA appreciates the concern and response by Mr Hollingsworth!
In the early morning hours of Sept 7, tones and an autopatch were heard by several club members. No one believed this to be the same one from Scott county. No idea where this one is, and the band was open.
If this keeps up with more of these EBAY cordless phones, we may have to PL the input, even though no one wants to!
This webpage will be updated with info as it comes in.
Dan
