######Digital Misfit Syndicate######
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                     ##http://www.javanet.com/~mechanic##                                
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                              complete guide  to

                            'intelligent scanning'

                            part one;  basic stuff
                           scribed by vector of dms
                              vector413@juno.com


(table o' contents)

one...  intro
two...  toneloc
three.  why scan?
four..  order
five..  bfour the scan; random
six...  bfour the scan/during the scan; configuration, parameters, commands
seven.  bfour the scan; blacklist


(intro)

i was prompted to write this article after seeing so many people just un-
archive their favorite wardialer and immediately start to scan through
their area code..

..which is dumb, since a little bit of homework and use of intelligence can
save you _a lot_ of scanning time/problems. and it'll do more than save you
time, you'll prolly end up finding a ton of cool shit you didn't even know
existed.

uhm, also; this was supposed to be on text file, but it got really long, and
i started rambling on about fairly interesting things, so i'm going to make it
into a series.. maybe two or three parts.


(toneloc)

interested? read on, buddy. i'll be using toneloc version one point one for
all my examples. it's more than two years old, but it's still a common fav
among most, since it has a bunch of snazzy features. if you don't have a copy,
grab one on the www at http://www.paranoia.com/~mthreat/ or on your local h/p
board.. just a little note: if the only time you've heard the name 'toneloc'
is in reference to a hip-hop/rap artist, then, well.. (shrug), god bless you,
and go read something else, dude. 


(why scan?)

why? because whether you hack or phreak, or do both, you need fone numbers to
even get started, and scanning is the best way to find numbers fairly easily.
it's hard to comb thru an entire ac all on your own, that's why you need to
get a bunch of people together (unless you own like eight fone lines) in your
area, assign prefixes to scan, and then share results. 


(order)

first, _read the fuckin' docs_ that come with toneloc (or whatever other
scanner you're using). i hate docs, and never really read um, but in this case
they'll save you a ton of grief later on. go do that now, if you haven't
already, then come back to this article (trust me, it's worth it).

when you're done, i'm gonna expand upon what minor threat and mucho maas told
you (for toneloc), and show you how to really make your scanning effective.
even if you're some kinda elite-ass h/p freak, this text should help you out
or shed light on some things you hadn't thought about..


(bfour the scan; random)

i'll only say it once; if you scan sequentially, you're just plain fuckin'
dumb, so get over your anal retentive nature, and make sure you have it set
to scan randomly. scanning sequentially will definately call attention to what
you're doing.


(bfour the scan/during the scan; configuration, parameters, commands)

use all your options wisely. name your dat file something generic, so people
you share it with can cope.. scanning from a business or in your folks home?
set the speaker off (/Q) and use the command ('a') to blank the screen, or
draw some lame picture to make your 'alternate screen' ('b') pretty. better
yet, just make it look like a dos prompt or basic directory. best of all,
unplug your fucking monitor (and keyboard) completely from the back of your
'puter if you don't want someone dumb snooping around or interrupting it.
remember, that puppy'll be scanning for hours and hours at a time.

uhm, if you really don't have a life, i suppose you can hang around and watch
it scan. in that case, flare that modem speaker to the highest volume and pay
close attention to tones or sounds that your modem may not detect. use the
'n' key to note that number in your log file. some things you may hear, but
may not be detected, include: fax machines (to use the words of minor threat,
it sounds like 'a 300 baud modem underwater'), pbx dialtones (if you're
scanning for carriers), carriers (if you're scanning for tones), vmb systems,
or some other tone that your modem may not pick up (regardless if you set it
to scan for carriers or tones).

note: if you hear a chic on the other end, hit 'g', and it will note it as a
'girl' in your log. also note that if your scanning to pick up chicks, you're
one pathetic loser. :) leave your lousy sex life out of scanning, will ya?

toneloc will run under desqview and windows_ninetyfive (and prolly three.x,
too), so if you're running any of these, take advantage of multi-tasking, and
use your os at the same time..


(bfour the scan; blacklist)

you want to enter in as many numbers as you can think of in the blacklist
file.. toneloc won't dial these numbers. remember to put a comment near the
number so u know why you're not calling it. obviously, you don't want it to
dial any emergency/nine-one-one type nubmers, that'll get you fucked over
seriously. if you 'prank' a number like that you can get heavily fined, and
for good reason, imho..  most towns and cities give little brochures or cards
out that have a list of 'helpful' or 'useful' numbers; ya know, something you
can keep by the fone or put on your desk. _get one of these_ and enter in all
the voice numbers listed on that sheet. also, grab your whitepages and flip
through to the 'town of' or 'city of' section. you'll find a bunch of numbers
there you should _not_ call, like the police and fire stations.. don't worry,
these numbers will virtually _never_ have anything neat on them, but take
heed of the pattern of the numbers (like same prefix or same first two
numbers after the prefix). that'll tell you where your local gov't gets all
its lines. you definately don't want to blacklist this entire block, just the
ones you're sure of, because the unpublished ones are the ones that are
freegin' neato and worth searching for. see more on all of this in the
'tonemap' and 'criss cross' sections later on.. as w/ logs, make sure to share
your blacklist file with other local, friendly scanners.

(eof)