From: Michael Wilson <0005514706@mcimail.com>
To: cypherpunks <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Message Hash: d5647c295a458f4d81ebca3e758c434512e23a4773a9d3216fdd66f639096ff7
Message ID: <83940618074238/0005514706NA1EM@mcimail.com>
Reply To: N/A
UTC Datetime: 1994-06-18 07:44:54 UTC
Raw Date: Sat, 18 Jun 94 00:44:54 PDT
From: Michael Wilson <0005514706@mcimail.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Jun 94 00:44:54 PDT
To: cypherpunks <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: Tracking cellular phones (OJ reference)
Message-ID: <83940618074238/0005514706NA1EM@mcimail.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
About the earlier note on tracking cell phones. It isn't hard. In fact, the
network HAS TO do it, essentially. A cell phone has a pager in it that signals
when it is getting a call, what cell to go for, and frequencies (check out the
old Bell System Technical Journals from when cell technology was a research
project at what is now Ameritech). Cell receiver stations are arranged in a hex
about 8 miles on a face. When a signal gets weak (it can tell signal
strengths), the phone is handed off to a better cell; it can go a good round of
local cells until it actually hits a stronger receiver site. Using this, you
can bounce the phone around to different cell receivers, test signal strength
(none of this actually activates the phone, it is part of the standard polling),
and get a fairly good fix on location. After that it is simply a matter of
flooding the area with enough black and whites to find the phone (in this case,
the car that OJ was driving around in, which they did pick up from a helo). No
real need for special gear, other than what it might take to track a signal
through triangulation on a local basis; standard FCC gear for hunting pirate
radio and video bands, and easily available for law enforcement. So think of
your cell phone as a leash, 'cause that's what it is.
Anyone else notice a serious *lack* of usage of cyberpunk style journalism in
this one? Scanners to track police, listening in on 911 reports, hunting down
the local cell phones to listen to them, a directional mic to hear negotiations.
The local LAPD didn't even know how to pull the number of their own cell phone.
Back to lurking... ;)
[A special note to our friends in the intelligence community out there...
Tag, you're it!
With love, The Nemesis Group]
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1994-06-18 (Sat, 18 Jun 94 00:44:54 PDT) - Tracking cellular phones (OJ reference) - Michael Wilson <0005514706@mcimail.com>