Methodologies To Detect and Counter Technical Surveillance Activities.
This is a Constant Carrier Transmitter operating in the UHF range. This means that when switched on, room conversations are constantly transmitted on average 150 feet away. Note: Range depends on power, antenna design and the quality of the surveillance receiver. ( $125.)
Transmitters can be hidden inside of devices that you would not normally suspect. Calculators, pens, staplers etc. The operating time is usually limited by the battery. ($65.)
To overcome this limitation some devices are concealed in a lamp or outlet strip which provides a constant power source. The unit pictured above is called a Carrier Current Transmitter. This device is attached to the building electrical wiring and not only draws power from this source, but also transmits the radio signal across the electrical wiring. ($500.)
Telephone taps can be concealed in the telephone itself or anywhere along the telephone line. The device pictured above is a "cube tap" adapter allowing more than one phone to be plugged into a telephone jack. Unfortunately it also conceals a wireless telephone tap. ($125.)
The video camera pictured above is slightly larger than a sugar cube and is capable of transmitting pictures over 100 hundred feet away. ($75.)
Detecting the Threat A number of surveillance providers will tell you that you do not need any special equipment to find surveillance devices. The problem with this philosophy is that if you limit your search technique to a ladder and flashlight, you may find a large percentage of amateur devices. However many devices will never be discovered during a physical inspection.
As they become smaller, they are easily concealable in objects you would never suspect.
The device pictured above is advertised on eBay. ($50). The device detects radio signals and provides an indication of the RF signal strength. If you live in Timbuktu, where the only radio signals you might encounter, would be the surveillance transmitter, this would be great. The problem is most of us live and work in areas that are flooded with hundreds of radio signals.
This "bug detector" kit is popular with hundreds of private detectives who offer bug sweeps. The kit includes a RF frequency counter and broad band RF detector. These devices receives "ALL" radio signals at the same time and display the strongest signal. The theory is that as you approach a "bug" the signal will become the strongest radio signal. Unfortunately covert transmitters usually operate at lower power levels to reduce battery drain and defeat this type of detection equipment. In an urban environment commercial RF signals can easily conceal low power devices. ($500.)
There are a number of devices available which claim the ability to detect wiretaps. The vast majority simply detect a change in voltage, such as an extension phone being taken off hook or the presence of a very crude telephone tap. From this perspective they offer a level of protection. It should be noted that a number of telephone "attacks" will not be detected by voltage sensing devices.
This device uses an optical principle to identify covert cameras. A laser diode projects coherent light on a suspect surface. The refraction reveals a covert lens. One caveat, may manufacturers of "nanny cams" are aware of this technique and now place a plexi-glass plane over the lens, which defeats this detection technique.
BAM ! Kicking it up a notch.Professional surveillance gear was manufactured in the 70s & 80s by companies such as Dektor, Mason, ISA & Microlabs, to counter the threats of that era. We used many of these devices back then, to perform surveillance sweeps. Some are on display in the museum at Langley.
The Broad Band Receiver pictured above is an example of surveillance gear built for the professional. It offered both a visual indication of signal strength and the ability to listen to the rf signal. However these detectors are impacted by strong radio signals in the area. It should be noted that many surveillance devices used today are digital. This means that instead of plain analog audio, signals are converted to zeroes and ones. The signal sounds similar to static and is easily overlooked. ( $3,500.)
This telephone analyzer is typical of several built in the 70's. They were very effective in detecting a number of threats against analog telephone systems. Unfortunately a number of modern attacks will not be detected by analyzers from this era. Digital telephone systems, such as those used by most businesses today can not be demodulated with these older telephone analyzers. ( $4,000.)
This is the Super Scout, a non-linear junction detector that revolutionized surveillance sweeps back in the 70's. Although the manufacturer discontinued the product years ago, this was state of the art, in its day. The device radiates a radio signal into objects, then measured the reflected signal to identify electronic semiconductors. Over the years a number of surveillance manufacturers have improved upon this classic technique. ($25,000.)
The Time Domain Reflectometer was an essential piece of sweep gear. The 1503 can best be described as cable radar. It sent a RF pulse down a pair of metallic conductors (wire) then provided a visual display of the reflection. As a result, splits and taps were visible. As signal analysis was a bit complicated, many sweep techs did not utilize this valuable tool. Depending on the length of cable being examined, inherent "dead spots" and resolution issues resulted in the switch to more sophisticated Frequency Domain Reflectometers. ($7.000.)
link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1640898527001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAF20n9s~,XTIb6gh_Je8XiDWfcwpf6C4Rkhur0jXe&bctid=3867695137001The Spectrum Analyzer is an essential piece of surveillance gear. Unlike the broad band receivers previously pictured, the spectrum analyzer allows the technician to isolate individual RF signals for close examination. This unit was a great piece of equipment for finding older style bugs. As radio transmitter frequencies rose above 1 Giga Hertz , the analyzer became obsolete. ( $10,000.)
Today's New ThreatsAs the technology for covert surveillance evolves, so does the means for detection. Not unlike a chess game, there are moves and counter-moves. In an effort to avoid detection by the surveillance gear pictured above, new surveillance devices emerged.
This is a cellular bug, which can be easily concealed in a room or automobile. The device can lay dormant for weeks, until being remotely activated. Room audio is then transmitted over the cellular network to any telephone, anywhere in the world. This attack offers two challenges. First, unlike previous bugs, the device is not always transmitting. Sweeping an office with a RF signal detector may not reveal this device. In addition, as the RF signal is part of the cellular network, it can be easily overlooked, even with a spectrum analyzer. ( $200.)
This digital recorder is not much larger than a quarter, yet it can record hours of conversations in the home, office or automobile. ( $200.)
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Tracking devices use surveillance technology. Many units, smaller than a pack of cigarettes, can be contacted via the cellular network and display "real time" locations. Some units contain microphones which allow the user to listen to conversations within the car. As the device does not transmit constantly, detection requires a unique approach.
Today's Surveillance Gear
The RF Hawk is a computerized spectrum analyzer that captures, analyzes and locates RF sources. A revolutionary signal processing feature allows the surveillance tech to look behind a strong rf signal to identify signals hidden within another signal.
Threats such as burst transmitters, spread spectrum and frequency hopping devices are easily identified. In addition this analyzer, and a proprietary "add on", provides detection capability of GPS Tracking Devices and Cellular Bugs. ($40.000)
The OSCOR was originally designed to automatically seek analog devices. As higher operating frequencies and digital devices became a threat the manufacturer upgraded and enhanced the OSCOR, to keep up with the threat. Most recently they added a rf mapping feature which revolutionized the sweep process. ($30,000.)
The original Scanlock has been around for years. The manufacturer expanded and improved the capabilities with the M-2. It combines the advantages of a Harmonic Receiver with the laptop, for a powerful surveillance tool. It quickly sweeps a large portion of the spectrum to identify unique transmitters, which operate on short rf burst. ($20,000.)
The ORION is one of the most popular Non- Linear Junction Detectors is use today. Although the principal is based upon the Super Scout, a number of extraordinary improvements have occurred over the years. The NLJD is a staple in the surveillance arsenal. ($18,000)
One of the most recent and frankly revolutionary advances in the surveillance field is the TALAN. This telephone and line analyzer uses a onboard computer to automatically scan line pairs for audio paths, electrical and rf anomalies. Features include a broad band rf receiver, line tracer, audio amplifier and audio/rf scope. The unit also incorporates a Frequency Domain Reflectometer. Arguably its most impressive features is the ability to use NLJD over wire pairs. Simply, it injects NLJD frequencies on a line to detect electronic devices. In addition it converts digital telephone system signals to analog audio for analysis. ($20.000)
The use of infrared imaging is used to identify heat signatures from covert surveillance devices. Even devices hidden with objects are revealed by the minute energy given off, in the form of IR energy. Even remote control transmitters are "on" awaiting the signal to turn on the
transmitter. ($20,000)
DISCLAIMER: This is offered to present a broad overview of electronic surveillance threats and countermeasures equipment, and is the authors opinion. It is not intended to be all inclusive. In fact some surveillance devices, such as those used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, were deliberately omitted, since the criminal element also has an interest in thwarting surveillance activity. We have also omitted some of the surveillance equipment we utilize today, because advertising your full capabilities could be exploited by those wishing to avoid detection.
The plastic tube with crumbs of styrofoam didn't work too well either to detect harmful radiation. It was too inconclusive. Novel concepts but more fine measuring equipment is needed. 
