Did you ever get (almost) caught?...

[katertjekat]

...and if so, what story did you put up?

I must say I take an awful lot of risks getting sounds. I always keep my recording device very close to the crack between the door and the door post at the level of the lock. That's the least insulated place of the door, and you ALWAYS get perfect recordings, as you could witness from my earlier postings. NEVER record via the crack UNDER the door if there's carpet, as the carpet filters away all high frequencies. I know a lot of you are doing this, because the big crack often looks very tempting, but believe me, it's not your best location.

But it all means, of course, I'm standing in front of the lovemaking couple's door, with the constant risk of people suddenly stepping out of their room (nightmare) or out of the elevator (not so risky). It's been several times somebody suddenly pulled open his/her room door just next to the room where I'm standing at. I try to keep such a position that I immediately can start walking, as if I was 'just' passing their door.

I was wondering how you guys avoid getting caught, and what measures you are taking. Did any of you already really get caught, like red handed with the recorder in hand? I once had a couple that suddenly stopped, and I heard them say that they thought someone was standing at their room. Instead of walking away, I kept completely frozen still in order not to cause (any more) changes to the light that seeped under their door. After a while, they resumed and I succeeded in making a perfect recording. Must say I was kind of sweating my fear out for a while

[Audio]

thanks for the advice with the door

[TheAdvisor]

Yes, I did, but not with a recorder.

I was living in a house with 6 flats. 3 to the left and 3 to the right separated by the stairwell. My flat was left in the middle.
One morning, approx. 11 o'clock I heared noises coming from the upper apartment - but I wasn't very sure, so I wanted to check at their door.
Little risk as the lady on the top floor right normally was shopping.

But as the devil wanted it ... while I listened to the sex of my upstairs neighbor, the lady to the right opened her door to go for shopping.

I don't remember exactly what I told her, what I was doing on this floor (little excuse for me) ... but somehow she bought it.
Maybe she even told my neighbour I was doing something strange in front of his door, but we never talked about it.

My only time ..

Advisor

[haigha]

Caught, arrested, got in a fight, and got put in prison! That was the dumbest I EVER was, because I was so exposed when I was recording, I decided to take a chance on the door. It was unlocked and I walked in. Unfortunately, I stayed too long, and the couple saw me when they finished. I dashed, but had stashed my stuff in another part of the building. I was trying to get around to it, and ran into the guy who'd come after me. He hit me a couple times, while I told him not to. When he didn't listen, I hit back, knocking out a tooth and flooring him. I didn't get my stuff back as I wanted to get out of there, and when I tried to go back the cops were there. They found my shit, which had some ID in it, so I just went in to the station on my own. I told them (kind of) the truth, at least about why I was in their room (he thought I was a burglar, and I couldn't let him think that ). I got 2 months in jail on a criminal trespass charge. I never told them I'd been visiting that building for ages and recording other people, or that that was the only reason I was there that night, but why would I?
Another time, I lived in a house with a bunch of coeds (3 women, 1 guy aside from me). Two of the girls had pretty active sex lives, and the guy had a GF who made ALOT of noise. One night, I was outside the one girl's room recording, and the phone rang. I didn't think anyone would answer it at 3am, so let it ring and it stopped. AFTER it stopped, the sexually inactive roomie came out to get it, but I was already in my room. I suspect she saw my recorder in the dark hall, though, because the dude the girl had been fucking (NOT her BF, I should add) later confronted me about it, demanding the tape. I just bluffed and he eventually backed down. I suspect they'd been rummaging in my room (and honestly they had every right to, turnabout being fair play and all) and knew I had the stuff, but knew they couldn't prove it without getting into trouble themselves.

[sonar]

Wow!
It's hard!

[Audio]

Fortunately until now I have never been caught. Here are some precautions which I use (they concern neighbour recordings not Hotels)

- be quiet (I have no shoos on when roaming the corridor at my neighbours)
- use a small item which you put between your door when roaming the corridor, so that the door doesnt close completely. (some neighbours could hear that you are opening and re-opening your door). The item should be so tiny that when a neighbour suddenly left his Apartment and walkes by, he doesn't see at the first glance that your door is in fact open.
- put a newspaper in your postal Box downstairs. If you wandering around and you cannot get fast enough in your Apartment and can't hide somehwere, you go down to your postal box and take the newspaper out and pretend you just retrieved your newspaper.
- use dark clothes but sleepware like pjamas (in case someone encounters you, this person will immediately know that you are a resident, if you are in streetware, you could also be a burglar)
- i always stay beside my Recorder and not leave it alone. If somebody finds the Recorder they know immediately whats going on and have a piece of evidence. If I stay with my Recorder and someone gets out, I still can put the recorder in my socks or trousers and hide it. Ist true that they will know there is somebody lurking out there but they will not know I am already recording the action.