While serving time in Lompoc minimum security prison, it reminded me of the military. In fact, Lompoc prison was very close to Vandenburg AFB where they launch the rockets, so I had a chance to witness some pretty awesome rocket launches.

First thing I did was to purchase a radio. Then, I modified it to pick up the guards walkie talkie frequencies so I can monitor their transmissions. To make phone calls collect only, I called a loop number, knowing that a friend was there on the other end before placing the call. Naturally, the loop would get the bill, but it provided me a way to call other numbers not allowed from jails. Loop numbers are two consecutive numbers, where if you called one number, and a 2nd person called the other number, they would be connected and they can talk. Sometimes these are known as "Cheese boxes" and are easily built. Because there is no way to tell the difference between a regular persons phone number and a cheese box phone number, there was no way to block it.

While in jail, I held Phone hacker classes, and taught everyone who was interested how to do anything they wanted with a phone. Among these were how to build Cheese boxes. Cheese box technology is a very desired knowledge to have for obvious reasons.

It was made clear to me what would happen if I refused to provide this tutoring service. Another thing that was made especially clear to me was to avoid being a "Snitch". People who are "Snitches" get killed or wish they WERE killed. So, to survive the system, I was forced to offer classes on certain technology.

There was so much to talk about, for 3 nights a week, Mon, Wed, and Friday, I had groups of people out on the lawns in the sports period where I sat down with paper and pen to diagram things, use examples and then showed everyone anything they wanted to know, including how NOT to get traced, tapped, and how to use codes when speaking on the phone. Included in my classes was how to build bug detectors, and how to detect the new Laser bugs using simple photo detectors from Radio Shack.

Naturally, the prisoners appreciated all my knowledge, as I was very patient in explaining to them anything that might confuse them. When the guards would come by, I would switch the subject to one that would be appropriate to the scene, then switch back. Interpreters volunteered to translate into Spanish.

It was quite a challenge, teaching SOME people who couldn't hardly read or write to go out and build some of this stuff. After a while, the other prisoners reported their success and several Cheese boxes were set up, ready to take collect calls. Once people had success building these things, I was never hassled, and got the easiest jobs.

When I first arrived, I got a job in the "Piggery", as Lompoc had some pig stables. I actually volunteered, because I like being near animals and when I was small, had worked on a farm and know a little about raising pigs. The other prisoners thought I was crazy, but I enjoyed the work, and it was the least liked job by all the others. Soon, I got bold enough to mark the biggest bore with the name of the meanest guard, and the judge that put me in jail just before a big Bureau of Prisons visitor. Its a time when everything must be Spic and Span and shining. So, when they noticed one of the bores having their name.....well, you can guess the rest.

Naturally, the guards didn't take to kindly of this action, but It being an inspection by the chief of the Bureau of Prisons who had the honor of seeing a pig with his name on it. The next day, I was taken off the Piggery and was put into Landscaping (The most coveted job at Lompoc) because I was outside every day, was allowed to go into restricted "off limits" zones to "trim the trees and bushes", "Mow the lawns" etc.

I noticed that guards do things in a very predictable way. You do ONE thing and he will do ANOTHER think. If YOU walk out of bounds, he will SEARCH you, and probably hundreds of other things would stimulate then into doing these things.

After working outside everyday, late afternoon we went to our rooms for the "Count" then for dinner. After dinner was Recreation time, and if it was raining, I would hold the classes in the basketball gym, otherwise I would hold the classes at the volleyball courts, because that way, large groups of people wouldn't tip off the guards. My FM radio came in real handy to keep track of the guards. One time, I saw a guard sucking on the little "rubber ducky" antenna, wiggling his ears in pure bliss. I resisted the temptation to turn a radio into a transmitter, because those would be detected, yet again, a predicted response. If you are DETECTED doing something wrong with some device, it will be TAKEN AWAY from you. None of these modifications changed how the radio worked, it was still a radio.

I had from about 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM to hold the classes, and started them about 3 weeks after I got there. Some people found the information too technical, but I estimate about 30 - 50 people were certainly very knowledgeable about ALL aspects of blue boxing, loop creation, and building Cheese boxes, and making mods to simple FM radios to pick up their communications.

Another very desirable piece of information was how to receive pages from simple modifications to FM radios and we were able to find a paging service that would be received on VHF. The tone detection came out of old radios that were discarded. There was plenty of tools around, as Lompoc had a wood shop they called the "Factory" and a very well equipped tool shed, providing me with soldiering irons, pliers, and other electronic tools.

My ham radio experience told me how many turns of wire were needed to receive on a desired frequency. I made charts and handed them out to everyone who wanted them. I drew each one up by hand and "Personalized" them to each person that wanted one. The unit just had to be next to the FM antenna to work, and it had to be clipped to the radio's battery. The parts were connected to each other, and all one had to do, was to tune in a certain FM frequency to pick them up. ALL the parts came from the shed. Wires, boxes of old discarded radios, old non-working cassette tape recorders.

The guards appeared to take no interest in my activities, other then where I was at certain prescribed times, and I "Appeared" to be doing my assigned chore. They might have been watching me, but whenever I had my classes, we would talk about things when they weren't around listening, and outside so close to Vandenburg AFB which is very noisy anyway, we felt that it would be hard for them to hear us.

By providing the classes, I was able to do my time, keep occupied, and not be hated by other inmates or guards. I asked what the shittiest job was and asked to be assigned to that job. That's the main reason why I did it. Now you know what I know.