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Covert Listening Device Found

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grabasphalt

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About two years ago, the house I am living in was visited by police when they searched for unlawful property. During the search, officers were veiwed entering the house with a large wooden toolbox that required two of them to carry into the house. After two hours of unsuccessful searching, the officers packed up their gear and left us a destroyed house to clean. The first thing I did was to disconnect all of the power consuming items within the house and check the power lines at the fusebox for any signs of resistance. Three rooms showed resistance at the box. Then I checked the phone lines going to the house and found resistance that has capacitive properties to it even though the lines were clearly open at the jack. Additionally, when a simple frequency detector was raised to the round air vent in one of the rooms, it indicated that a signal was present. When I removed the air vent, I was unable to see anything with a mirror as far as 8 feet back, so I put a wireless camera on an r/c vehicle and ran it down the tube. What I found was a 10" brushless windmill that generated power to a lithium-ion battery supply which powered a small transmitter with dual band digital capability. (a cellular phone with a remote interface hooked to it). So while my air conditioning ran during the day, this little gem soaked up all the juice it would need to continue transmitting non stop for an unlimited amount of time. The phone lines that showed resistance were the black and yellow lines that are seldomly used in most residential households. This way the house could be monitored right from the office desk of the agency employing this capability. I still have not located the source of the drain on the power lines going to the three rooms. I've done everything but pull the wires out completely. Does any of this sound familiar, any suggestions ?
 
You say "The first thing I did was to disconnect all of the power consuming items within the house and check the power lines at the fusebox for any signs of resistance. " I guess you suspected that the house had been bugged by the police during their visit. Why would you suspect that?
 
Excellent question Gene, just what I was thinking.

I do have three serious suggestions.

1. Go to the Police and tell them what you have found. Ask them to show you the warrant that authorised placement of the device(s). If no warrant then go to your solicitor and begin legal action against the Police.

If none of the occupants has anything to hide this is the best way.

2. Move to another house.

3. Go use another forum.
 
hei, Pilot. i think that the second suggestion from you is out of the question, and the last one is not something that you wish....we all wish.

about the bugs....i dont know why the police would hide bugh in your house....maybe they thought that you were a spy.
from what i understood you unplugged ALL the devices, and then went to the fuse box and disconnected the fuses and then checked for resistance on the wire...and you found that there was some load although you didnt have anything connected ?
 
Try toying with the police first by saying odd things into the transmitter and on the telephone. But after You should definately question the police about this. However to our misfortune, their spying with or without a warrant might fall under the new Patriot Acts. Maybe i'm wrong though, since you say they were installed two years ago.
 
I still have not located the source of the drain on the power lines going to the three rooms.

Perhaps you can post the readings of resistance on these subcircuits? It may just be a wiring problem (low insulation resistance).

Can I assume that you have no hard-wired (non plugin) electrical equipment in these rooms? Probably your air-con is hard-wired, is this right?
 
This just sounds weird/cool. I feel sorry for you to have found a bug in your house after 2 years, but this sounds like some old movie you would watch. I would love to see pics.
Thanks Chris
 
Read the story!!!

Gene said:
You say "The first thing I did was to disconnect all of the power consuming items within the house and check the power lines at the fusebox for any signs of resistance. " I guess you suspected that the house had been bugged by the police during their visit. Why would you suspect that?

Did you miss the part about them bringing a large wooden utilty box into the house ?
 
Not at all. I was just thinking that after the police left you say that you started looking for bugs. So, you must have had a reason to suspect that the police planted a bug. Put your lawyer to work. There has to be a court order in-place for this to happen and court orders are public record.

On the other hand I would (1) take the cell phone and start using it - let whoever put it there keep getting the bill, (2) ask the power company why your meter runs when nothing is plugged in, (3) disconnect the extra wires in the phone junction box (outside), replace the phones, and have a professional sweep the house for transmissions.
 
Just wondering if the windmill made the power to charge the Bat. Why would the load show up at your fuse box.

Another thought way cool you jut found at least 200$s worth of electrical gizmos.

Would you consider selling me the setup LOL :lol:
 
I'd try to move all the stuff intact to another government office or anywhere it could cause a huge scandal. Just make sure your local police departments name is all over it.

If thats too far, put it in the toilet and give them some pleasant sounds to listen to.
 
To any humornazis who may be reading this: I'm joking!
Here's what to do:
Get the name and address of the judge that issued the warrant.
Gather up everything the cops left. Set the cell phone to call forwarding to "your" number. Break into the judge's bedroom and put everything in HIS air-con ductwork. Then when the crooked cops bust the crooked judge, you can laugh yourself silly.

On the serious side: If your story is a No B.S.'er, then you REALLY need to get a lawyer. Copshops don't spend that kind of money unless they are getting ready to make someone a cell-sweetie. Good luck, dude.
 
Time tells all.

Come to find out that my ex's mother was trying to get me in a mess with the police so that her daughter would move back home. So the police had all kinds of reasons to spy on me. Unfortunately, we have no rights anymore.
 
my guess is that they're monitoring your internet traffic as well, but you should have figured that out already....




did you ever think of looking in overhead lighting fixtures for cameras, mics, etc? if the bugs were planted under the Patriot Act, then the warrant may be classified, and you can't see it, and they don't have to tell you if it even exists...

a spectrum analyzer would be helpful in finding any more that might still be working after 2 years...
 
Why do it to a judge?

Politicians are more fun.

unfortunately, in the current paranoid climate of the US, even playing a practical joke on a politician is enough to get you a long vacation in the Greybar Hotel.....
 
That windmill thing sounds cool and going after it with an RC controlled camera is even cooler.

Telephone:
High resistances sometimes show up on their own. Usually it's an insect nest and when things get wet, it gets worse. Insulation deteriorates at the any demark point, a lot of times due to criiters chewing on the wires. So, that may not even be an issue.

Power line:
That may not be an issue either and it could be a leakage path from the telephone, CATV. The one thing I would ask is whether any of the circuits that had resistance had a TV in that room? If so, remove the CATV cable at the demark point and test again. An outlet could be faulty. Could a GFCI receptacle be on those circuits?
 
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