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