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Simple FM radio bugs
In the mid 1970s large number of small FM transmitters,
operating in the FM radio broadcast band (88-108 MHz) appeared on the market.
It started with a self-build kit from the Danish manufacturer Jostykit [1]
that allowed everyone to build a small FM transmitter for a few Euros.
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Such transmitters generally consist of a single transistor oscillator
with a simple resonance circuit, sometimes with an extra transistor that
is used as audio pre-amplifier. The image on the right shows a few examples
that were available in European electronics shops in the mid 1970s.
Many people bought such an FM transmitter for use as a Baby
Monitor, but it was also used for industrial espionage and by people who
wanted to monitor their unfaithful husband or wife.
Due to a loophole in the law, these illegal FM radio transmitters
were sold freely for several years.
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Although using such transmitters had alway been illegal, in practice it was
often difficult to prove that a bug (when switched off)
had indeed been used. In the late
1970s the law was changed significantly, making the posession of any
unlicenced transmitter illegal. After this, the FM radio bugs were
confiscated on a large scale and were banned from the electronics shops.
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© Copyright 2009-2013, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Saturday, 01 February 2014 - 10:11 CET
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