This article is a response to an article on SurvivalBlog.com and other recent discussions that are beginning to examine this threat. To wit, here is the most recent:
As Ukrainian Defenses Collapse, What Can US Patriots Learn?, by Brandon Smith. Therein, Smith observes:
“The real danger is in constant air-based surveillance, 24/7, around the clock, always watching. Maneuver warfare requires the swift relocation of larger units without the enemy being aware; with cheap drones this is no longer possible. All large-scale troop movements can be predicted and countered using nothing more than a handful of $3,000 toys.”
As the discussion on the Internet in patriot circles increases, we continue to examine the threat from drones. In previous articles, I’ve offered several ways to mitigate the threat. In this article, I will review the topic in light of recent discussions such as this example, and and once again offer several of my methods of mitigation that are discussed in detail in my early articles on the topic. But it would be productive to first appreciate the threat that is more than simply a small drone that delivers a High Explosive (HE) device.
Understanding the Threat from Drones
At one time it was necessary to send in a Forward Observer and a SIGINT team to study a battlefield, but now most of that can be automated using drones. There are many kinds of drones, large and small. And these can be used in conjunction with the establishment of a modern 24/7 surveillance grid using smart devices and mostly cell phones to study our patterns of life and to locate us and predict our future movements using AI to analyze the data. Drones could eventually be as ubiquitous as cell phones and other surveillance fixtures are today.
In recent wars, drones have continued to prove their utility and there is a race to maximize their capabilities These will include thermal imaging and RDF capabilities that will make evading detection extremely difficult. As time marches on, drones and other robot technology will be improved and mass-produced, and soon become an increasingly a more significant part of a military force.
To better understand this threat see this video and other video demonstrations provided by Garand Thumb: How to Evade a First World Military Thermal Drone.
Avoiding Detection and Targeting
To save time, I dug down into my rabbit hole some two years on SuvivalBlog and found a few methods detailed in several past articles that I will employ to mitigate this threat from drones using RDF to first locate and then to continue to target using thermal ad RDF technology. This article is perhaps a worthwhile introduction that could provide 80 percent of the mitigation that is currently possible for everyday citizens without access to very expensive equipment that is generally only in the hands of national governments. Of course, I have a rabbit hole to defeat thermal detection. But I would first attempt to avoid detection in the first place to avoid becoming a target of surveillance, and thence possibly a target for a kinetic attack. I do not go by the pen name “Tunnel Rabbit” for no reason!
For further details, see: A Low Power Communications Station in a Bucket – Part 1-5, by Tunnel Rabbit
Avoiding Ground SIGINT and Drone SIGINT
Because I know how easy it is to use a USB SDR Dongle and a laptop computer (a poor man’s spectrum analyzer) to find radio transmissions, and how drones are used to DF, I’d rather use field phones whenever possible, and certainly on those occasions when, or if a drone might be in my remote area. Using low-powered transceivers and directional antennas can be effective in most situations. But in extreme situations, I would use a field phone if at all possible to conduct daily business. I would attempt to maintain complete radio silence. Not only drones could be used to listen in.
For further details, see: Advanced Field Phone Techniques by Tunnel Rabbit
Detecting Drones and Their Controllers
“Most commercial drones use the 2.4 GHz band for direction control as the downlink, and 5GHz as the uplink. It is my understanding that we should be looking for the stronger uplink sent from the controller. The signal needs to be a strong one least the drone travels out of range of the controller. The longer the range of the drone, the stronger the signal needs to be to control its movement. An omnidirectional antenna can be used for 360-degree awareness, and a directional antenna can be used to detect wi-fi and drones at much greater distances. I would point a directional antenna in a direction in the most likely avenue of approach if the location was remote. The antenna should be located above the tree tops as these extremely high frequencies are easily attenuated by foliage.”
For further details, see: Mitigating the Drone/RDF Threat, by Tunnel Rabbit
Remote Transceiver Operation Using Field Phones
We begin with the most effective method that is available, one that may work for most people without much background in the subject. Field phones, and the devices mentioned, are relatively simple devices, devices so simple, that as a child, I was ‘messing with this stuff’. If I can, then you can. I would encourage anyone with any understanding of electrical circuits to use these methods. The terms mentioned in this article might be new and strange to the reader. But do not be discouraged, since this stuff is not rocket science. Anyone who can connect two wires to a field phone could be in business. That is the beauty and strength of field phones, rugged simplicity that is sustainable low technology that can defeat the highest tech, and cutting-edge surveillance means and methods. It is a 25-cent solution to a million-dollar problem.
While drones will become an increasing threat, as a part of a tiered communications plan, we will use radio communications in addition to field phones. In a previous two-part article Advanced Field Telephone Techniques, operating transceivers remotely was discussed. We can also use commercial phones to remotely operate a transceiver with a VOX (Voice-Activated) transmission function. This could be a handheld, or a HF set. My 1980s Kenwood 830S, as old as it is, has VOX.
Establish Secure Communications Today
We already use transceivers daily to minimize the use of cell phones and so that we can seamlessly transition to transceivers once cell phones are no longer available or as they present themselves as an unacceptable threat. If cell phones go down or are being used aggressively to hunt us down with drones, then the transition will be quick and easy, and most of the training issues associated with transceivers will have been already addressed. And, if the threat conditions are such, we will use field phones to minimize radio traffic to further reduce the risk of being DF-targeted via drones.
And, if using transceivers, a remote transmitter through a directional antenna will be used for the base station and other fixed transmitter sites. This is simple and inexpensive to use, and greatly decreases the odds of a direct hit. There are other techniques that can be used in conjunction with this technique that further mitigate an RDF attempt. The least expensive WD1A wire can be found at the Army Surplus Warehouse in Idaho.
As threats from drones increase, all electronic devices might need to be shut off including photovoltaic charge controllers. The quietest charge controller in terms of RF that I am aware of and use is the Morningstar TS-45/60 that can be set to be a simple on/off charge controller that eliminates noise from PWM charging. MPPT charge controllers are the nosiest in terms of undesirable RF that can also interfere with HF transceivers. Charge controllers can be located several feet underground inside a fallout shelter and/or inside metal containers that act like a Faraday cage in reverse, and wiring to the outside can be housed in metal EMT piping to reduce RF emitted by a PV system.
Very low power, directional antennas and terrain masking, horizontally polarized antennas, brevity codes with or without FLdigi for burst transmissions and other techniques, remote transmitters operated via field phones, are all you need to avoid being DFed. By understanding what can be done using these techniques to secure our communications we can greatly mitigate the threat from a current and future army of robots in the air and on land that are controlled by human operators and by an AI computer, and a robot army that may begin to resemble the futuristic scenes depicted in the first Terminator movie. These are already being used to assist the boots on the ground.
In Closing
If you have an Amateur Radio Operator in the family, then buy them the book: The Guerilla’s Guide to the Baofeng Radio. Also, print out some of the articles found here on SurvivalBlog.com. What I’ve covered in my articles is not necessarily found in the book. All of what I developed was based on research prior to the publication of that book. There is overlap as the book draws heavily from U.S. Army and USMC manuals and couples it with modern technology, but it does not discuss techniques to mitigate a threat from drones and other RDF methods. Most radio operators typically do not know to operate using these techniques, but because of their involvement with radio communications now they have demonstrated their interest and can learn how.
This is not rocket-surgery, and it could save lives in the future. To protect our liberties we should learn how to use a rifle like the military trains its soldiers, and for the same purpose, we should also learn how to secure our communication as would a future military would train its soldiers.