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Author Topic: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please  (Read 54214 times)

WB9YCJ

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FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« on: February 15, 2010, 09:36:51 PM »

We understand FCC direction finding and enforcement vehicles have come in various shapes and sizes over the years. I googled this topic and was unable to find any pictures on the internet of these vehicles.
As taxpayers we are entitled to see what these cars look like. Any URL or website reccomendations?  Thanks.
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WB6BYU

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    • Practical Antennas
RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2010, 08:48:06 AM »

The latest ones look like a standard sedan, with no visible external antennas.
The DF antenna system uses a set of slot antennas built into the roof.  The
only distinguishing characteristic is the radio equipment and displays in front
for the driver, and even those have some sort of cover for when they are
not in use.

So knowing what they look like won't help you detect them, unless you can
memorize all the license plates.

N0FPE

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RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2010, 05:09:30 PM »

who cares? Only if you are doing something you shouldnt be would it matter. Do you also have black helicopters following you? And as a taxapyer myself I DON'T want YOU to know what they look like!
Have a good day peeking out the window for the scarey boogy man
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W4CNG

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RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2010, 09:37:06 AM »

No pictures but I can tell you what I saw up close and personal in 1994 on Sweat Mtn. in Georgia.  A 1990 Chevy Impala 4 Door sedan.  Right front passenger seat removed and replaced with a 2ft high rack.  It held a wideband receiver, Spectrum analyzer, and Compas Rose with a needle that pointed to the signal that was being listened to.  The car had a Fiberglass rooftop painted to the color of the car under which was a set of slotted antennas.  I was requested to permit this field engineer to connect their spectrum analyzer to a receive port on one of the Motorola SMR's that I maintained so he could check for an interfeering signal in the 800 band.  None was seen.  Upon going back down the mountain to the car, it would not start.  Seems the high current alternator had given out.  I did a jumpstart and charging of the twin batteries under the hood to get him on his way to a repair shop.  The tag was not a Georgia tag.
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K5CQB

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N0FPE

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RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2010, 05:11:37 PM »

Too funny!! This must be the DF car that comes to Dayton!
LOLOLOL!!!!!!!!   :)
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K5CQB

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RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2010, 06:48:34 PM »

LOL, I got a big kick out of the tri-mag mount holding the short antenna on the right side of the trunk.
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K2FOX

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RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2010, 12:11:49 PM »

"Who cares?"

I care, I'd like to know what they look like too. And I'm not doing anything illegal :)

-Jay
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AA4PB

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RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2010, 12:27:20 PM »

Obama under cover car :-)
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Bob  AA4PB
Garrisonville, VA

SSBER

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N0FPE
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2010, 12:55:01 PM »

Why do you have to make such a moronic statement?  Unbelievable.
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N0FPE

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RE: N0FPE
« Reply #10 on: March 11, 2010, 04:19:23 AM »

SSBER because I feel like it. Free country and all. Kinda like wanting to know what a FCC DF car looks like. Free country to be a silly as you want. Kinda like you!!!  LOLOLOL!!!!!
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K1DA

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RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #11 on: March 12, 2010, 01:09:30 PM »

I don't want him to know either.  The BEST security is the security you don't see.  When high ranking officials are around, the little old lady with the baby stroller may NOT be a little old lady and what is in the stroller  may have been made by H & K or Sig.
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SSBER

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N0FPE
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2010, 07:47:31 AM »

Uber Geek.  ROTHFLMFAO!   We fought the cold war against this kind of KGB communist morality and you guys embrace it now.
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KB6RUT

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RE: FCC DF vehicles - pictures please
« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2010, 11:04:03 PM »

The latest ones look like a standard sedan, with no visible external antennas.
The DF antenna system uses a set of slot antennas built into the roof.  The
only distinguishing characteristic is the radio equipment and displays in front
for the driver, and even those have some sort of cover for when they are
not in use.

So knowing what they look like won't help you detect them, unless you can
memorize all the license plates.

The sedan type was the Mobile Automatic Direction Finding (MADF) car. Those vehicles and the equipment in them are now and have been obsolete.  The vehicles were de-commissioned several years ago. 

A small number (a very small number) of the vehicles were transferred to another government law enforcement agency now under the Department of Homeland Security.  The rest of the vehicles had the electronic equipment removed and disposed of in whatever manner determined by the office in possession.  Usually the internal equipment was sold by government auction as excess property.   

Some of the vehicles had the annular slot antennas cut from the roof of the vehicles and were also transferred to another government agency for upgrades with new receivers, computer controls, and retrofit into vehicles owned by that government agency.  The upgrade and retrofit was performed by an outside business. 

The old "sedan" MADF cars were replaced by the Mobile Digital Direction Finding (MDDF) vehicles.  The DF'ing electronics are entirely computer controlled with GPS mapping.  The most current model is the MDDF 8.  I believe there are now four different antennas permanently mounted in these vehicles.   All FCC field offices will be have the MDDF 8 by next year if not already in possession of the vehicle.   
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I don't chase radios any more!

K1DA

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RE: N0FPE
« Reply #14 on: November 21, 2010, 09:10:05 AM »

Uber Geek.  ROTHFLMFAO!   We fought the cold war against this kind of KGB communist morality and you guys embrace it now.
      We fought the Cold War WITH this sort of tactic, we did NOT put everything we did up on billboards for the opposition to see and make note of.  This gear is being used in the southwest to identify some very nasty drug "importers" and the last thing we need to do is give THEM a description. 
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