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Your friends and family may be upset with you if you begin to record all your calls and they find out. It's better to speak to those close to you before you start, and respect whatever boundaries they set with you. Depending on how above board your own calls are, there could be trouble if your records fall into somebody else's hands.
Be sure you're living on the straight and narrow with regards to your love life, your finances, and any illicit activities you might be tempted to discuss over the phone. Record with an induction coil microphone. These microphones are available at electronic and phone stores, and typically come mounted in suction cups to allow easy attachment to the handset. Attach a recording device. Plug the microphone's audio output jack into a computer, tape recorder, or other such device. A tape recorder or digital portable recorder has the advantage of being relatively small and portable, but a computer has advantages when it comes to cataloging and organizing your conversations.
A good basic audio editing program for your computer is Audacity.
Audacity is free, simple, and useful for things like clipping dead space off the ends of conversations. It can also export the conversation files in a variety of formats for easy storage.
Audacity can be downloaded here. Secure the microphone to the handset near the receiver the end you speak into. Test the microphone by speaking into the receiver and playing back the audio record on your input device. If you're worried the microphone's suction cup won't hold, secure the microphone with tape to ensure that your recording won't be interrupted. Turn on the induction coil microphone when you pick up the handset.
Turn it off and stop recording when you're finished. Capture your conversation with an inline recording device. Inline devices attach to your phone's cable and record your calls without requiring placement on the actual phone. Hook up the device. Plug your telephone line into the appropriate jack on your inline recorder, then plug the recorder's outgoing phone line into your wall jack as though it was a normal phone line. Find the recorder's audio output cable, and plug it into your audio recording device of choice. Some inline recorders come with a recording device integrated into the unit.
If you'd prefer to save a step, buy one of these models. More basic models let you decide what type of audio recorder to use, which may make them more useful for some people. Activate the inline device. Do it just as the conversation begins, and don't forget to start recording if using a separate audio recorder.
These devices will begin to record automatically when there's a call, saving you the trouble. Use an in-ear microphone. These microphones are available at electronic and phone stores. Their great advantage over other physical methods is their small size and low profile. Install it into your receiving ear so that it will pick up the sounds from the speaker when you answer your phone.
Plug in the microphone. Plug the audio jack of the microphone into a portable recording device. Pocket-sized digital and optical media recorders are widely available for purchase at electronics stores and online. Switch your portable device's recording on as soon as you get a call. The microphone is always on and will send the sounds it picks up to your recording device.
Use a software program to record your conversations. If you are using a smartphone, there are programs that let you record effortlessly whenever you have a phone conversation. Although not everyone with a cell phone is using a smartphone, this is by far the easiest option for those who can do it. Browse the app store for your phone's operating system.
Search for call recorders.
Most of them are free or very cheap. Double check what you're getting.
Read over the developer's description for the app to be sure it's what you want. Most call recorders only work with certain phones or brands; some only work with the speakerphone on. Find one that suits you. Make sure the app is properly working by doing a test phone-call with a friend. Follow the app's instructions to record your calls.
If the app seems to work, but your recording quality is low, snoop around on the Internet for solutions. There are often workarounds for such things. Use cloud-based web applications. Several cloud based web portals facilitate recording of phone conversations without the additional hassle of installing any software or purchasing hardware. Most of such services utilize the 'Cloud-Bridge' technology.
The service calls both the source and destination numbers, bridges them, and records the call. The service is tightly integrated into a telephony infrastructure which resides in the cloud. This allows providers to store recordings in the cloud and make them available to subscribers through personal portals. There are several providers. Some of such services are www.
They can be used with any type of phone fixed line or cellphone. All your call recordings are made available by the providers in your personal dashboard and you can download them as well. Hold the speaker to your ear, and when someone on the other end speaks, respond accordingly. Repeat this step often during the duration of the phone call. Half of holding the conversation is listening when the other person speaks. Wear sunglasses and bring an activity that seems innocent and very absorbing like a book.
Sit within 20 feet of someone having a conversation on his cell phone, open your book as though you're reading it and place it in front of your face. Listen to the live half of the conversation as you pretend to read your book. Do whatever you can to make it seem like you're really reading.
Laugh at your book occasionally or glance at the person on the phone like you want to share your experience. Follow the person discretely if she gets up to move. Hiding behind trees and bushes will keep you anonymous and happily eavesdropping. Buy a frequency counter and a radio that receives signals between and megahertz. These are also known as scanners. Hide in the bushes at the park and turn on your frequency counter and scanner.
Find an analogue signal and calculate the frequency that the tower is transmitting both sides of the conversation.