Telephone tap

I want to monitor what my teen kids are saying on the telephone from time to time. I've set up an extension with an earphone to listen in, but when I turn it on there's an audible click on the other phone that my kids will hear. Eventually they will figure it out.

Are there any ways to minimize or eliminate the cues that an extension has been picked up, short of using an automatic recording device?

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine
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I'd save the money on automatic recording devices and spend it on a good parenting class at your local community college. If this is your idea of communication, your kids are in for a very rough life.

Reply to
Mike Foss

Thank you so much for the cheap shot, but your assumptions are totally innacurate.

Perhaps you don't have a clue as to how difficult it can be to monitor what a kid is actually doing, as opposed to what they say they're doing.

I do.

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine

That's exactly why I suggested a parenting class. If lines of communication were what they should be between you and your kids, there would be no need to covertly monitor them.

And put yourself in their place. Eventually they will find out what you're up to. Not trusting your own kids is about the fastest way to steer them away from what it is you're trying to steer them towards.

Reply to
Mike Foss

I have a friend which has been spied on as a kid. Total paranoia now. Be warned

Reply to
Bart Bervoets

Reply to
Mike Berger

2 early memories , as a small kid, obviously destined to go into electronics 1/ Unscrewing the cap off the drop cord light switch in my bedroom, learnt with a shock that just because a switch is off it is still live if touched in the wrong place. I vaguely remember thinking that electricity was only dangerous when it was being used and safe when it was not being used. 2/ Parental rows , could tell because of the elevated voices, but annoyingly could not make out what they were about as through closed doors. Out of a couple of long lengths of thin cotton covered wire , probably a carbon granule microphone and a Xtal earpiece or ex-military high impedance headphone made a crude bug. Unfortunately it worked but it didn't work that well.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

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Reply to
N Cook

Regardless of the ethics involved, you just need to use a higher impedance ear piece. Something like 10k won't give an audible click. Sounds like you're using a low impedance device designed for a walkman or computer, etc.

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*Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
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Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Yellow Submarine wrote: : I want to monitor what my teen kids are saying on the telephone from : time to time. I've set up an extension with an earphone to listen in, : but when I turn it on there's an audible click on the other phone that : my kids will hear. Eventually they will figure it out.

: Are there any ways to minimize or eliminate the cues that an extension : has been picked up, short of using an automatic recording device?

: -- : YS

to radio shack's website (google it) and search for the words "telephone recorder".

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b.

Reply to
<barry

Thank you very much for the advice and for not including a sermon.

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine

Gee, thanks.

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine

And that would quickly become quite tiresome. :-)

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine

So you say, and you are certainly entitled to express your opinion about my parenting skills even though you know so little about this situation. I have good quality communication with my children, but I also know that even good kids lie to their parents about some things. And kids have an annoying habit of thinking they can handle stuff or that they know better.

I consider this to be no worse than checking their computers to see what they've been up to. Maybe you wouldn't do that either, but I think it's a parent's responsibility to check periodically to see that your kids are telling you the truth, rather than just taking their word for it.

I have to check the computers because I tell my kids not to do certain things while online and of course they still do stuff that endangers them and me. I need to know what those things are so that I can deal with them.

I'm not going to go into the reasons why I want to monitor a couple of phone conversations, because it's no one's business but mine. Suffice to say that I think it's necessary for the welfare of my children. I can use any information I glean to make adjustments if necessary without revealing exactly what I know or how I know it.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. I'm trying to avoid that. Either way, I believe as a parent I have a right and an obligation to monitor their behavior, using whatever means I think are necessary. I've made it quite clear that anything they do on their computer is subject to my control and review, and if it comes up, I'm going to say the same thing about their phone. They won't be traumatized by it.

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine

Annoying habit? You're either utterly clueless about child development or a pathetic control freak. Or maybe both.

The fact remains, if you had a decent relationship with your kids they wouldn't feel it necessary to lie to you -- about anything. Learn how to be a friend instead of just a creep who secretly monitors phone conversations and internet habits, and you'll have much more influence over them.

Reply to
Mike Foss

Actually, I think what you are planning may be illegal. There are federal laws about wiretapping and eavesdropping - and I'm sure there are probly state laws about it too [depending on which state you live in].

Heh - now being advised that it may be a crime - planning to commit a crime is a FELONY - even if the crime you are planning is a misdemeanor.

Just thought I'd throw that out there...........

later.............

Reply to
The Schneids

Wrong.

LOL

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine

Typical

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine

Somebody wrote: >> Actually, I think what you are planning may be illegal.

The U.S. law that makes wiretaping a Federal crime, has a specific exclusion for "communications providers". It was intended to allow a telephone service provider to monitor calls for quality assesment without a court order or knowledege of the customer.

The courst have held a far more liberal view of the law and have extended that to anyone who provides the communications services, such as the person who pays the phone bill.

State and local laws may vary.

A long time ago, I knew someone that sold pairs of pagers that received messages from the same number, mostly to people who wanted to see who paged their spouses. This was before cell phones became popular.

Geoff.

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Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (077)-424-1667  IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838 
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Reply to
Geoffrey S. Mendelson

You need an amplifier with a high impedence input so it doesn't load down the phone line, actually just about any op-amp buffer circuit would do the trick, you can leave it connected to the line all the time.

I've also seen inexpensive devices that will automatically record all phone conversations on tape, both schematics to build yourself and commercial products.

Reply to
James Sweet

Thank you.

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YS
Reply to
Yellow Submarine

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