Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sask.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!ihnp4!alberta!sask!hardie
From: hardie@sask.UUCP (Peter Hardie)
Newsgroups: net.followup,net.legal
Subject: Re: broadcast material
Message-ID: <20@sask.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Mar-84 11:02:27 EST
Article-I.D.: sask.20
Posted: Wed Mar 28 11:02:27 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Mar-84 00:16:30 EST
References: <278@vortex.UUCP>, <4016@lanl-a.UUCP>, <9@bambi.UUCP>
Organization: U of Saskatchewan, Canada
Lines: 17

The advertised range of a cordless phone has no bearing upon how far it
broadcasts its signal. The advertised range is limited by the ability of
the handset (which is only battery powered) to pick up the signal from,
and broadcast its signal to, the base. The base station is powered from
an AC outlet and uses the electrical wiring in your house as an antenna.
There are some cordless phones here in Saskatoon that can be clearly heard
on an shortwave radio at a distance of 3 miles and thus the real range is 
considerably greater than that.
I think states such as Kansas are right to decide that you have no
privacy under the law if you use such a phone.  The 'range' of the phone is 
irrelevant.
The state can't guarantee you privacy anyway. I have heard all kinds of
business deals being made over these phones. Some of these deals were 
obviously supposed to be of a confidential nature. There is no way
to prevent people taking advantage of information they have heard over
these phones and no way to detect that their information was obtained
this way (if they are clever about it).