A chinger is a telephone fraud device that mimics the frequency made by a pay telephone when money was dropped into it. Putting money in the coin slot caused a DTMF or Dual Tone Multi Frequency signal to be sent out to the central switching box which registered it and when enough money had been inserted into the phone would connect the call. The chinger could mimic that sound and thus produce the equivalent effect of dropping a quarter into the pay phone.
So basically, a chinger allowed the user to make unlimited free calls from certain pay phones. They could be made using a simple pocket electronic address book sold at Radio Shack, and replacing the chip inside to alter the output sound.
They were also known as "red boxes" but the name chinger probably referred to the chiming sound it made when mimicing a quarter drop.
Most modern pay phones no longer use the DTMF tones, rendering the chinger obsolete... but it was fun while it lasted!
So basically, a chinger allowed the user to make unlimited free calls from certain pay phones. They could be made using a simple pocket electronic address book sold at Radio Shack, and replacing the chip inside to alter the output sound.
They were also known as "red boxes" but the name chinger probably referred to the chiming sound it made when mimicing a quarter drop.
Most modern pay phones no longer use the DTMF tones, rendering the chinger obsolete... but it was fun while it lasted!
by Jacaranda February 02, 2008
Hey, who chingered-up my new automatic battery powered remote controlled newspaper fetcher? I just got the dang thing for my birthday!
by Noh Whey December 24, 2004
by J.F.R July 02, 2006
by yungmaz13 March 15, 2021
go back to your country you chinger
by shemdulie January 09, 2020
by The chingerer May 20, 2017
by jaccob the ginge February 12, 2010