Tape recorders

Tape recorders

Tape recorders are always attached to the telephone line. The telephone line could be within the home or building. The line could be heading away from the home or building toward a telephone pole. The important part of the line is anywhere it can be connected. The advantage of tape recorders is that surveillance is conducted without wasting hours and hours of sitting in an area listening to endless conversations.

With a good tape recorder, conversations on a telephone line are recorded on a tape recorder only when a conversation takes place. With a voice activated tape recorder the recorder records only conversations and not wasted time when the conversation is on hold.

It is recommended that when conducting surveillance with a telephone tape recorder be sure that the recorder has a VOX (voice operated) or voice activation. Remember tape recorders are available with or without voice activation.

Voice activated tape recorders usually operate by switching to the recording mode of operation. When a sufficiently loud noise is picked up by the recorders in-built microphone, the recording mechanism begins to work. The recorder cuts off after half a second if no further sounds are picked up, this conserves the tape and battery life.

For those conducting surveillance these units are the perfect stand-alone surveillance device.

When a voice operated automatic telephone recorder is connected to the telephone system. A Vox recorder will begin to record whenever it picks up conversations on the line. But will stop recording if the line is either not in use or if there is a silence of more than a second. There are recorders that will also record a telephone number being dailled out. By playing back the recording to a dailled pulse reader or number decoder, the number dailled is identified.