Hearing your computer over the radio?

[S1500]

Anyone do this as a kid? Get an FM radio, set it to an unused station area, and listen to the bleeps & blips your computer makes via the RF interference. That was fun to listen to when I had my TI-99/4A. You can hear it to some extent already through the TV, but comes in so much clearer over radio. Try running a program, and you can hear all sorts of "thinking" sounds. Heck, I still remember to this day that high pitched almost nonexistant tone when a TI is idle. Emulators of course don't have that nice touch.

 

Do game consoles give off similar interference? Can you do junk processing to make music from said RF interference? Inquiring minds want to know.

[monzamess]

It was the only way to make "music" with the silent Timex-Sinclair 1000 (aka ZX81). I typed in a program once that was supposed to play something recognizable but it just sounded like interference noise.

[Tempest]

It was the only way to make "music" with the silent Timex-Sinclair 1000 (aka ZX81). I typed in a program once that was supposed to play something recognizable but it just sounded like interference noise.

The TRS-80 was the same way, some games actually told you to put a radio next to the computer to make 'music'.

 

Tempest

[fiddlepaddle]

The TRS-80 was the same way, some games actually told you to put a radio next to the computer to make 'music'.

I wrote a few games for the TRS-80, published by Instant Software, one of which had code inserted (by someone else) that was supposed to make it make game sounds this way. I wasn't happy with the results, though.

[Artlover]

Anyone do this as a kid? Get an FM radio, set it to an unused station area, and listen to the bleeps & blips your computer makes via the RF interference.

Yes, I used to do that all the time as a matter of fact with my C64, 800XL and PC.

 

I'd also like to mention, scanners work better then radios, what with their finer tuning and squelch features. It was a common use of my pre-ban version Bearcat 800XLT scanner when I wasn't listening to cellphones.

[Tempest]

when I wasn't listening to cellphones.

Heh I used to do that with an old TV of mine. If you put it on one of the unused channels (11 worked best) you could hear cellphone calls from a two house radius. It was great fun when I was 11.

 

Tempest

[S1500]

Ahh, snoopin' in on phone calls. I used my 20 channel scanner to listen to 49Mhz calls when I lived in an apartment. A mix of English & Russian. Heck, I even heard my neighbors order pizza. For celly? A Motorola flip phone in diagnostic mode. Good times. Sadly, my 200 channel scanner I bought a couple years ago isn't so fun to listen to. All the cops, etc have moved onto digital & so forth. I had TONS of fun with my old 20 channel scanner in the day.

[Artlover]

when I wasn't listening to cellphones.

Heh I used to do that with an old TV of mine. If you put it on one of the unused channels (11 worked best) you could hear cellphone calls from a two house radius.

I did the TV trick too, but had to use the high UHF bands, up around channel 80. UHF channels 70-83 were re-assigned to cell phones long ago (1980).

 

Channel 11, eh?.. You sure you weren't listening to cordless phones? There are no cellphone frequencies in the VHF range. But older cordless phones did operate in the TV's internal RF circuit frequency range.

[Tempest]

Channel 11, eh?.. You sure you weren't listening to cordless phones? There are no cellphone frequencies in the VHF range. But older cordless phones did operate in the TV's internal RF circuit frequency range.

Yep I was thinking of cordless phones, not cell.

 

Tempest

[shadow460]

Ahh, snoopin' in on phone calls. I used my 20 channel scanner to listen to 49Mhz calls when I lived in an apartment. A mix of English & Russian. Heck, I even heard my neighbors order pizza. For celly? A Motorola flip phone in diagnostic mode. Good times. Sadly, my 200 channel scanner I bought a couple years ago isn't so fun to listen to. All the cops, etc have moved onto digital & so forth. I had TONS of fun with my old 20 channel scanner in the day.

 

I just gotta know...did you ever hear 'em order anything nasty on the pizza... like anchovies?

[rockman_x_2002]

Is there any particular setting on a FM/AM radio or a scanner that would be optimal for getting this noise from a C64 or a CoCo3? I've never thought to check into it, but I do have an older scanner sitting around the house here. It doesn't pick up anything anymore except the local NOAA Weather Radio station. Might be interesting to check it out and have a listen to this.

[Artlover]

Is there any particular setting on a FM/AM radio or a scanner that would be optimal for getting this noise from a C64 or a CoCo3?

Interesting question. Dunno. Best thing to do is set up a scan and let it find them for you. That what I always did. Computers are so dirty RF wise you can generally pick up activity across the entire spectrum. Atleast I could. Tho if I remember, more of the activity was in the 412-512 mhz range.