Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!gatech!bbn!inmet!newbie From: newbie@inmet Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: "Spybuster" AD COPY Message-ID: <17100002@inmet> Date: 18 Aug 89 02:02:00 GMT Lines: 70 Nf-ID: #N:inmet:17100002:000:3357 Nf-From: inmet!newbie Aug 17 22:02:00 1989 ** From "Herrington", the Enthusiasts Catalog ** AMBUSH DETECTOR TRACKS POLICE PLANS OVERHEAD -- WARNS YOU WHEN THERE'S A BEAR IN THE AIR! OVERHEAD SURVEILLANCE -- Your speed is being clocked from above by a growing fleet of police-owned Cessna 172's and 182's. They don't use radar (it can't be used from airplanes), just a simple stopwatch, so your radar detector won't help. And by the time you notice the tell-tale white hash marks painted every 1/4 mile along the Interstates, it's too late! Using aircraft surveillance, troopers typically quadruple their tickets-per-hour versus radar (8/hr vs 2/hr!). Ohio alone has a fleet of 10 Cessnas and 3 helicopters, with more on order. And in Florida, 1/4 mi. markers have been painted on 140 miles of continuous miles of Interstate. Clearly new technology is need to warn you of spies in the sky! A TRACKING COMPUTER -- Spybuster detects aircraft, not police radar! Highly specialized SMD circuitry operating at 1-2 gigahertz [What I think they mean is that the thingy receives signals over that frequency range. If, however, they have built a computer with a clock speed of 2 GHz, I would like to know more...] receives signals from the FAA's ground-based aircraft surveillance system. As these signals reflect off airplanes, Spybuster locates and tracks with military precision [Well, that isn't saying much is it? Does anybody recall the precision of the DIVAD?!?] any plane within a 6 mile radius of your car (scans a full 360 deg.) [Thanks. I was always confused about how many degrees were in a complete radius]. With more than one plane in the area, Spybuster locks on to the closest one (police planes operate at a low 2000-5000'). It then computes that plane's closing rate relative to your position, ignoring fast-moving 747's and jet fighters. Since surveillance Cessnas operate at only 100-140 mph [So, theoretically, I could out run one if I was going, oh, say 160...], Spybuster warns you immediately of any plane "loitering" in your area, or tracking a parallel course. Spybuster is occasionally [sic] fooled by an innocent civilian aircraft, but has proven uncannily accurate in identifying police planes before they get into position to clock your speed! TARGET RANGE READOUT -- Spybuster's power switch performs a self-test [Ok. How's it do that? Must be a damn complex switch.] and permits muting of the audio alert. The second green LED is the Tracking Indicator, and lights only when Spybuster has locked on to a suspect aircraft. [When will the surface-to-air missile option be available?] The 4-segment Range Readout then flashes in sequence as the target plane or helicopter closes in. Variable Range Control lets you set the distance at which Spybuster alerts you. So when the audio is triggered, and the Range Readout begins to sequence, there's probably a Bear in the air! ... Price: $299 --------------------------------- Well, all I can say is wow! By the way, I added the comments enclosed in brackets. How's that look for stimulating some "conversation"? - Chris Newbold