I recently built a red box and have a problem with
it draining my batteries... When I ordered the
crystal I recieved the larger  6.5 version, could
this be the problem... it seems unlikely does 
anyone know how the batteries would drain in the off
position?

13 responses total.

(what's a red box?)

If you have a real power switch (mechanical) then you shouldn't have any
leakage.  

A red box is a device you use on a pay fone to get a free call. Red boxes
emulate a pay fone's tones that gives you credits to make calls. Before red
boxes there were blue boxes that were better but I won't get in to that
because i will cry because they don't work anymore. In short, a red box is
a phreaker's tool for free fone calls.

-Bugger

Blue boxes *do* work, despite everyone's bitching to the contrary. There are
still systems not running the new ESS in which they can be used. In places
like nevada and south dakota there are some places where the system has not
been updated yet. 
It is also getting easire for phone companies to find out if you are using
a redbox. I have had the operator come on several times telling me to put in
a "real quarter" or have had an operator call back the payphone I was on with
a redbox. For this reason, I suggest not caling anyone with a redbox that is
not "cool" about the thing.

ESS is not everywhere, but it is almost everywhere. My guess is that 
everyone posting into this conference gets phone service through a 
modern ESS.

Most likely.

ESS can still be blue boxed, but you have to modify the blue box tones. 
 I'm not sure of the new frequencies, so don' ask me

Just how many people are in southern nevada, anyways? The way I figure 
it, everyone in southern Nevada is either native american, and 
therefore running gambling oeprations, or maffia, and therefore running 
gambling operations. All in all, everone in nevada already has bigger 
forms of fraud to commit than phone fraud ;-)

The one time I tried red-boxing, I was able to make it work, but the op 
came on the line after the call was connected and told me that I should 
"use real coins next time." Red Boxing can work really well if you have 
a good recording, and low s/n ratios. On the phones where the handset 
is blocked out when the phone plays the tones, this is especially 
important, as I think (though I am not sure) that these expect clean 
signals. I think thats what wrong with my call -- part of the tones 
were shitty enough to raise a flag, but still work. Also, I have 
noticed that some phones seem to wait till all the coins are in and you 
have dialed before they send the tones. I have only tried boxing on the 
standard variety which doesn't do this, but I have a feeling that this 
oddball variety of phones might actually require different timing of 
the tones.

As to blue boxing, it is entirely possible. Get a satellite line to 
country like Greece which isn't using CCIT-5 using something like the 
AT&T country-direct lines (its an 800 number, how nifty) and sieze the 
trunk. Then you can call in to Greece, and back out to wherever you 
want. The tones it takes to sieze the country-direct lines are 
different depending on the country. Greece, for instance, takes three 
different tones, something like 2600, 2460 and 2200. I don't remember :-
P You might have to attempt to break the trunk which, if AT&T is smart, 
they will have their computers watching for (of course, the lack of 
security at their toll-switches indicates that they aren't very smart). 
I have successfully done this before, though (and recently, too), so it 
is very much possible. Good luck. I think that THC has a program out 
now which will break trunks. 

Huh. I suppose AT&T uplinks are probably digital and encrypted. That 
sorta does away with my next idea -- simply listening to the feed to 
try and hear tones :-P 

Out of curiosity, though, does anyone know how to go about locating the 
frequency of a particular satellites transponders? I would imagine that 
for a non-defense comm satellite, it has to be on record somewhere.

i didn't even think blue or red boxing still worked. I have no idea what the
new tones are for blue boxes but red boxes have always been 2200+1700 DTMF.
play 1 tone for a nickel, 2 seperated by a 60millasecond pause for a dime,
and five seperated by 30 or 33 ms pauses. if i'm right some please respond.
/s

I believe you're right about the red box stuff, but do they still work now
that they're being run off of dms? Has anybody ever made a red box from a
radioshack tone dialer? How do you set the the tones for a dime, nickel and
a quarter??.

Hey can you make a red box out of an analog recorder or dose it have to be
digital also dose anyone know how to make a red box for under ten dolloers
I'm kinda poor please E-mail me at icypyro@hotmail.com

Hi I had the same problem with my red box . When I turned it off it got hot
he batteries drained. I took it apart and found that a wire that went to the
batteries was touching the circut board.

Anyone who is interested in redboxing for under $10 should read the pla
article on redboxing. it should be at www.phonelosers.org you can get the
radio shack tone dialers for under 10 bucks now cuz they are on clearance at
radio shack and you get get the crystals for real cheap.

Hmm one thing you can do to reduce the loss of power is to unsolder the led
light that lights up when it turns on. Make sure to solder a connection where
it was at.

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