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A Practical Superheterodyne-Receiver Detector Using Stimulated Emissions | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

A Practical Superheterodyne-Receiver Detector Using Stimulated Emissions


Abstract:

The accurate and timely discovery of radio receivers can assist in the detection of radio-controlled explosives. Superheterodyne receivers emit low-power radio signals du...Show More

Abstract:

The accurate and timely discovery of radio receivers can assist in the detection of radio-controlled explosives. Superheterodyne receivers emit low-power radio signals during normal operation. These are known as unintended emissions. In this paper, the unintended emissions of superheterodyne receivers are analyzed. Such receivers are exposed to known stimulation signals, and their behavior is measured. Recorded emissions demonstrate that it is possible to inject arbitrary signals into a radio's unintended emissions using a relatively weak stimulation signal. This effect is called stimulated emissions. A novel detection system that uses these stimulated emissions is proposed. The performance of this system is compared with passive-detection techniques using artificially generated emissions signals. The proposed system offers a 5- to 10-dB sensitivity improvement over existing techniques.
Published in: IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement ( Volume: 60, Issue: 4, April 2011)
Page(s): 1461 - 1468
Date of Publication: 20 January 2011

ISSN Information:


I. Introduction

Advances in electronics and RF design have made radio receivers smaller, cheaper, and more common than ever before. These new devices enable a plethora of innovative applications, but they can also be used maliciously to initiate explosives. One way to indirectly locate potential explosive devices is to locate the radio receiver, thus mitigating this threat. Radio receivers use many different high-frequency signals that readily escape into the environment, resulting in unintended electromagnetic emissions. It is possible to detect radio receivers using these unintended electromagnetic emissions [1]–[4].

References

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