[FedCom] Tracking/Surveillance Techniques Intrigue!!!

[Michael W. Scheel]

Ken wrote:
> We had some interesting public corruption cases here in the Springfield 
> MA area that involved some interesting technical surveillance aspects.
> 
> In one case, the alleged master mind (Springfield Housing Authority) 
> would have meetings in his cellar with his family members.  Apparently, 
> an RF/radio bug on a "cooperating" family member/informant wouldn't work 
> so the individual actually had to wear a recorder.   Now I would have 
> thought that in a situation like this, perhaps the mobile units couldn't 
> get close enough (without tipping someone off) to monitor the rf bug BUT 
> would an aircraft flying above (hint to Civil Air Patrol, perhaps this 
> is another mission you could perform!) have had a better chance of 
> picking up the signal?   Also I would have thought that a 
> protective/response detail would have been available and that some sort 
> of signalling device (panic/help transmitter button?) would have been 
> available IF the recorder was discovered.

During WWII a RAF bomber would fly over a spy located in Berlin. A 
control agent onboard would communicate with the spy on the ground via 
UHF using  low power transmitters and beam antennea. Gestapo supposelly 
never caught on.

> 
> Another case involved the (Chicopee MA) mayor, allegedly being video 
> taped/voice recorded at a fixed "cooperating informants" place of 
> business, as the mayor "allegedly" tries to stuff thousands of dollars 
> (in small bills) into his front pants pockets, he jokes about it not 
> being in an envelope (I would imagine that the FBI techs monitoring this 
> entire episode as it happened were probably rolling on the ground in 
> laughter, at that point).  I would assume that the
> 
> My understanding is also on fixed surveillance targets that rf/radio 
> type bugs are no longer used in most cases, but a more "advanced" 
> non-radio related technique is being employed.

2.4 or 5 ghz self contained webcams?
> 
> At one time wasn't there fixed video surveillance cameras (at various 
> places of interest to the FBI, etc.) disguised as cable TV/electric 
> boxes that actually emitted an rf signal that some hobbyists who had 
> purchased government surplus gear discovered? (don't recall where I read 
> this).

It was on a normal UHF TV Channel if I remember correctly. Seems like 
that was back in the early 80s or at least the story I remember.

> 
> I would think that the new GPS tracking devices, have pretty much 
> replaced those old bumper beepers that the surveillance crews would have 
> to follow. HOWEVER, in the rare cases where a RF bug is being used, the 
> survelliance (& protection/response) team still has to follow the 
> informant around via vehicle, on foot, etc. and if there's any 
> transmissions in the clear, that can be quite exciting to monitor.
> 
> A pretty interesting professional website on various surveillance 
> devices/techniques is:
> http://www.tscm.com/typebug.html
> 
> and I really didn't use any "advanced" internet search techniques to 
> find it!!! ;)

Actually I have found that if you go back to google a couple of days 
later and use the same search phase, your search results may triple.

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Michael W. Scheel  N0NGL  //  ARRL // DARC // MBRS // TAPR
Davenport IOWA      // RCMA IA-011 // IPMS/US #25517 QCSMS
personal website  -  http://www.n0ngl.net/
Quad-Cities (IA-IL) Scanning website - http://www.qcscan.com/
Quad-Cities Scale Modelers Society - http://www.qcsms.org/
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