What are jammers and why do you need one?

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What are jammers and why do you need one?

Some time back a Special Forces soldier was accused of illegally killing an Afghanistan civilian. The soldier in question had seen the civilian with a cell phone and, given the circumstances and environment, along with other indicators that only experienced soldiers and cops recognize, discovered the civilian was using the cell phone to probably activate an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). This is a very common method of detonating IEDs. During the formal hearings and trials, the soldier was acquitted. However, a whole lot of time and trouble could have been averted if the unit was using a jammer.

Jammers come in a variety of styles and strengths. They all have one key feature in common. The device is designed to “jam” a radio frequency of some type or another. In other words, a quality jammer will block electronic communications from one or multiple points. This can result in denying cell phone communications, drone use and a wide variety of other radio frequency devices.

In todays tactical environment, RF jamming is a critical electronic counter measure. And it is not regulated to military use. For example, in the area of professional security, a good jammer can prevent sight exploitation. How? In many ways. Let’s start with cell phones, one of the most commonly jammed devices. First, understand that jamming public cell phone usage may be illegal for non-government entities in certain areas. So, make sure you check with your local laws. Jamming cell phone frequencies on private property may be more permissive, depending on the jurisdiction. Again, check with your local laws. On that topic, I will say that very rarely does RF jamming get detected as such, and is frequently “written off” to being in a bad spot for reception.

As for preventing sight exploitation, cell phones have become the most pervasive image recording devices in society. Everyone with a cell phone, now possesses a high-quality camera capable of recording still and moving images with ease. A good jammer will prevent the recorder from sending the cell phone images to other sources, thus denying the shared use of real time intelligence. The use of drones has also become a very popular method of intelligence gathering. I have worked locations where criminals have tried to record images of restricted sights using drones. Prior to the availability of jammers, we had little effective counter measures for such activities, short of ballistic interruption, which is neither practical or subrosa. Currently, the best anti-drone method is a quality jammer. If you operate or protect a restricted environment and want to keep people from sending images, or using a drone to record images, the jammer is your best solution.  No other mechanism or tactic can compete with a high frequency, powerful jammer. Security Pro sells jammers that will work to block signals for more than 40 kilometers and they even have vehicle mounted jammers that will block satellite communications. Thus, removing the possibility of the use of satellite communications. This has the added benefit of possibly interrupting satellite GPS use, and further frustrating enemy activity aimed at determining location via GPS. This can also be critical for executive protection where you want to prevent a single source from sharing real time movement information with other parties who might be off sight, but nearby, waiting for location information.

For Law Enforcement, the use of jammers has become the only solution to blocking RF used in counter LE operations. Criminals are now actively using drones to watch police operations including SWAT movements and raid/ warrant service activity. Criminals, using drones, can observe police moving to a location, setting up perimeters, and preparing to raid a house or building. The only way to really prevent this is with the use of a strong jamming device. Jammers are indiscriminate in that they will not just jam a criminal’s frequency, but others as well. This can lead to some civil rights questions however, courts are routinely lenient in allowing technology and actions which are short in duration, and have a strong link to officer safety. This area of jamming use is still in its infancy and will likely continue to be adjudicated. The good news is that jamming cell phone or drone frequencies for Law Enforcement can be conducted in a matter of seconds or minutes in many cases, thus having minimal impact on citizens populations while still preventing criminals from effectively using technology to foil or endanger police operations. A quality jammer can also be helpful in custodial settings where Law Enforcement has a need to block cell phone usage by detainees or with and between prisoners who may have smuggled cell phones. 

Of course, the use of jammers in overseas, military and contracting activities is much less restrictive and the single best method of preventing IED attacks that are initiated using radio frequency. A good jammer will prevent remote IED detonation and deny enemies the anonymity many rely on for protection. Additionally, jammers will be equally effective at preventing drone attacks or image and intelligence gathering. Security Pro has a wide variety of jammers from small, man portable jammers that can be sued to prevent annoying cell phone usage to large, vehicle borne devices which will block a large range of RF and satellite communications. Effective RF jamming is the only proven method of providing this critical measure of protection.  

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