If you broadcast a signal in an open form (AM, FM, Side Band, a few "open" digital modes [Apco 25, AX.25, etc], and other picky ones) then you have no right to privacy of your signal. The only "open" form that the government has outlawed listening to is FM portable (including cellular) phones. These are broadcast in FCC amateur bands, and they are low power un-licensed bands secondly.
It is completely legal to listen to your police, military, tow truck companies, and pleanty of other things. They have no reasonable expectation of privacy on their wireless systems. The only people that do have the expectation are the stupid americans that think their portable & cell phones are secure. Not that I have ever listened to one, but people can.
You cannot legally modify any wireless gear that has been listed by the FCC as a Part 15 device. If a company wants to change a sticker on the outside of a device it has to be relisted. This is where being a licensed amateur (ham) operator gets so cool... they can legally modify any wireless device in the amateur (Part 97) range. I can make a radio out of thumbtacks and toothpaste that makes your TV go sideways with fuzz and you have to deal with it because its your TV's fault for not being shielded enough.
Everyone needs to ditch being scared of listening to signals... Big Brother doesn't own you, and you can legally watch unencrypted signals of any type, and there is a lot of cool stuff out there, especially in the military's Global HF System.
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If you broadcast a signal in an open form (AM, FM, Side Band, a few "open" digital modes [Apco 25, AX.25, etc], and other picky ones) then you have no right to privacy of your signal. The only "open" form that the government has outlawed listening to is FM portable (including cellular) phones. These are broadcast in FCC amateur bands, and they are low power un-licensed bands secondly.
It is completely legal to listen to your police, military, tow truck companies, and pleanty of other things. They have no reasonable expectation of privacy on their wireless systems. The only people that do have the expectation are the stupid americans that think their portable & cell phones are secure. Not that I have ever listened to one, but people can.
You cannot legally modify any wireless gear that has been listed by the FCC as a Part 15 device. If a company wants to change a sticker on the outside of a device it has to be relisted. This is where being a licensed amateur (ham) operator gets so cool... they can legally modify any wireless device in the amateur (Part 97) range. I can make a radio out of thumbtacks and toothpaste that makes your TV go sideways with fuzz and you have to deal with it because its your TV's fault for not being shielded enough.
Everyone needs to ditch being scared of listening to signals... Big Brother doesn't own you, and you can legally watch unencrypted signals of any type, and there is a lot of cool stuff out there, especially in the military's Global HF System.