However, have you ever actually wondered how it is that a cellular phone call is made, without any wires

or visible connections? They are actually pretty amazin g devices; especially considering the fact that they are essentially sophisticat ed radios. A cell phone is - put simply - a kind of two-way radio that acts in the same way as a telephone. However, naturally a cellular phone is much more complex than a simple walkie talkie, as cell phones permit two people to speak at the same tim e, making calls and receiving calls, three-way calls, call holding, voice mail, text messaging, etc. However, similar to walkie talkies, all mobile phone calls are entirely unprotec ted and can be intercepted by other devices. Cell phones aren't at all as "secur e" as wired telephones. They have the same security level as a radio - which, af ter all, they are. When you place a cellular phone call, you dial the number and press the send but ton. A number of steps then follow: &bullYour cell phone scans for the nearest base station in order to provide it w ith the strongest signal and, in turn, the best possible connection. It checks 2 1 different control channels to determine the strongest available signal. &bullYour cell phone then selects the strongest signal for its use. &bullAn origination message (a very short message of about second in length) is t hen sent by the cellular phone, which includes its MIN (Mobile Identification Nu mber, that is, your cellular phone number), as well as the ESN (Electronic Seria l Number), and the number that has been dialed. &bullOnce the cellular service provider verifies that you are among its customer s - based on the sent-out MIN and ESN - the base station sends a channel assignm ent message to the cellular phone (another of a second in length), telling the ph one where the conversation will be. The cell phone then tunes into that assigned channel and the call begins. All of this has happened by the time you hear the ringing or busy signal on the other end of the phone.

Cell Phones

radios, what s the difference?

Cell phones are actually radios. They broadcast their signals on radio frequenci es. So what s the difference? Let s compare. First, we ll look at how radios work. You r e probably familiar with CBs or walkie-talkies. And you probably know that only one person can talk at once, and the frequency is shared by just the two of you. This system of transmitting radio signals on a single frequency is known as a s implex system. Cell phones operate on a duplex system, which uses two frequencies one for talki ng or sending, and one for listening or receiving. That s the basic difference bet ween radios and cellphones. Another difference worth noting is that CB radios ha ve 40 channels. Cell phones can use up to 1,664 channels. Its obvious that cell phone technology, although basically similar to radio technology, is much more s ophisticated.