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Bullet Busters. On Wednesday, the 13th ... housekeeping" instructions. These small
traps are popularly referred to as "Bullet Busters". The third ...
Submitted by oppapers on May 29, 2002
Category: Technology
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On Wednesday, the 13th of March 1991, American Cablevision of Queens, New
York, sent the first electronic "Bullet". This so-called "Bullet" was in
fact, an electronic signal directed to unauthorized cable boxes causing
them to turn-off. Approximately 300+ unsuspecting customers then called the
cable company to complain and were subsequently taken to court for cable
theft.
The "Bullet" works by ordering the computer processor within the cable box
to lock-up if it is authorized for all channels. Since pirate chips
installed in a cable box would authorize all channels, the TV "goes black".
HOW THE CABLE COMPANIES CATCH PIRATES
There are several methods; here are some of the more popular. The first
method is somewhat costly to the cable company, and is used usually only
when they think they have a thief. A device called a Time-Domain
Reflectometer(TDR) is used to send a timed signal from the cable line
outside you home to your decoder.
The reflected energy of the signal is measured and then compared to
previous measurements to find a time difference which would indicate that
the box has been tampered with. Pirates were able to get around this by
installing an in-line amplifier which would weaken the reflected signal.
One problem with TDR is that you need previous readings, which are not
usually taken at the time of installation for a reference point.
The second way is to modulate an identification signal onto the cable line
at about 108 MHz. This signal sounds something like a "cuckoo", and "leaks"
from the converter box where it can be picked up by cable company employees
outside of suspected pirates homes using hand held receivers. Unfortunately
the signals sent by the cable companies can also cause interference with FM
reception within the...
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