On Cellular Phone Privacy

I’ve been asked by several readers for their advice on cellular phones. First, I should mention that the cellular revolution still hasn’t made its way to the Rawles Ranch. Perhaps it never will. I’d appreciate your e-mails with comments on this topic. (As a non-cellular kinda guy, I will surely leave out some important points.)

The general rules of thumb on cellular phones are as follows:

All cellular phones are vulnerable to interception–some are just a bit more secure than others. There is no privacy with a cell phone–or in essence with any other radio transmitter. None. Don’t kid yourself. Take my word on it–back when I was an intelligence officer, what I did for a living was supervise troops that did primarily did voice intercept and direction finding. Please don’t write to tell me that you saw on television that characters from The Sopranos use encrypted cell phones to talk with their mob buddies. Yes, it is possible, but there are three big problems with this: 1.) It is illegal for private Citizens to do so. 2.)  Doing so will instantly raise your profile in the eyes of authorities. Instead of being just one nondescript cell phone emitter in an ocean of emitters, your cell phone will suddenly become an “signal of interest.” (SOI)   3.) Even an encrypted signal can still be DFed.

Regardless of the type of cell phone that you use, if you remove its battery pack then it cannot be tracked. It ceases to be an emitter. (Without a battery it will not even produce local oscillator noise.)

Privacy and anonymity are worthy goals, but consider that their may be situations where you will want to have your location known–such as when you are calling 911 in the event of a car accident, or in a wilderness rescue/medevac situation. IMHO, to the ideal solution would be a cell phone on which you can selectively disable the GPS circuitry.

When the U.S. FCC mandated “Enhanced 911”  (“E911”– a.k.a. cell phone tracking), they set a standard for direction finding (DF) accuracy, but they left the method implementation up to the major cellular service providers. Some providers chose location schemes that depend on GPS chips. Others use time-of arrival radio direction finding. (The latter approach uses cell phone towers as the DF sites–creating a DF network with a very long baseline.) For details, see: http://www.edn.com/contents/images/198901.pdf  Because of this diversity of approaches, there are still many “loophole” cell phones that cannot be tracked or triangulated.  These include pre-GPS phones or phones with their GPS receiver disabled, subscribed in Sprint, Verizon, or Nextel service plan. But be advised that there is essentially no way to avoid tracking if your cellular provider employs time-of arrival radio direction finding. Do some research the next time that you change cellular providers.

The other important  aspect of cellular phone privacy is protecting your identity. Most cellular phone service plans require that you provide detailed billing information, a physical street address, and a credit card number. But what about those nifty “pre-paid” cell phones that you can buy at you local drug store?  For now at least, most pre-paid cell phones can be purchased anonymously.  They only lose their anonymity if and when you “recharge” their minutes with a credit card. (OBTW, I’ll discuss anonymous credit cards in a future SurvivalBlog post. But here is a hint to get you started: the Simon’s Mall chain sells anonymous pre-paid VISA debit cards.)

For more information, see: http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,114721,00.asp  and http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/47369 

Letter Re: Disabling OnStar Vehicular Tracking/Communication Systems, Cell Phone Tracking, and Stocking Up on Prescription Medications

Jim:
A few items that are of concern/interest to me as of late are topics that others have brought up. Don’t forget that disabling OnStar may be obtainable, but I surmise that disabling your cell phone would be patently dangerous in a slow slide or SHTF scenario. Learn [the details about] your cell phone, and VOTE WITH YOUR EAR! (Had to get that in there Jim!) I presume that handheld or vehicular mounted GPS  systems would also create some sort of signature or locale while in operation. Is this of noteworthiness? The last unit I bought, I purchased without any registration or anything. I assume if you subscribe to a service then by definition it has its “eyes upon you.”

Another item that I seek your expertise on is how to obtain an “annual stockpile” of necessary prescriptions. How do you recommend that your like minded blog readers go about this process? My last purchase of cold medication resulted in the showing of my I.D. before I could obtain it. I hesitate to think this is an easily remedied issue. Take Care, – The Wanderer

JWR Replies:

On cellular phones:   Coincidentally, I addressed these issues in another blog post that is also running today. (Wednesday, November 23, 2005.)

On GPS receivers: Pardon the following side step into ASA arcana (one of my past lives): Any radio receiver creates what is called local oscillator noise–a very weak signature that can be detected by very sophisticated monitoring equipment. But from a practical standpoint, it cannot be pinpointed except if you are up against a serious DFing team with some very sophisticated equipment, and only then if you are in an electromagnetic quiet zone such as out in the middle of a National Forest. Anywhere else, the local oscillator noise will get lost in the ambient clutter. So you can safely assume that a passive GPS receiver by itself is not a threat to your privacy. But when a GPS receiver is integrated with a cellular phone (which is of course an active transmitter), you can kiss your location privacy goodbye.

On prescription meds: It is a pity that most doctors in the urban and suburban portions of  the U.S. don’t have the same mentality that is prevalent in Alaska and the more remote regions of the intermountain west.  Here in the hinterboonies, many doctors are accustomed to getting requests for full-year prescriptions from ranchers, miners, bush pilots, and others that live out far beyond the sidewalks. Unless you have a relative that is an M.D., all that I can suggest is that you hunt around for a preparedness-minded doctor. Perhaps someone at church, or in your local shooting club. OBTW, I’ve heard that most LDS (“Mormon”) doctors are sympathetic to their patients that are survival-minded.  As far as insurance company reimbursement goes: Good luck! Many insurance companies refuse pay for more than a three month supply.

News Item: 18,000 Point Blank IBA Vests Recalled

The folks over at Military.com report that the U.S. military just announced the recall of more than 18,000 Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vests because they did not meet ballistic test standards when the body armor was made. This is the second body armor recall announced this year. The recall affects only the outer tactical vest and its soft inserts, made by Point Blank Body Armor Inc. of Florida, and not the ceramic insert that also is used in the armor. Among the eight lots of body armor being recalled, more than 10,000 vests went to the Marines and more than 8,000 went to the Army. These vest procurement lots date back to up to five years ago. See: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,80768,00.html?ESRC=dod.nl

Two Letters Re: A Dedicated SurvivalBlog Amateur Radio Net?

Jim:
A good frequency for two-way radio communications is the little-used [amateur] FM radio band on 220 MHz. (See: http://wireless.fcc.gov/220MHz/)  Very few scanners cover it–only the most expensive scanners do which most people won’t buy. The reason scanners don’t cover 200 – 300 MHz is because its [mainly] used by the military. For example, the control tower at Moffett Field Naval Air Station is on 301.something MHz.
In my research, I noticed that there are only two repeaters in Idaho that are on 220 and they are both in Boise. Outside of the big cities 220 is hardly used.  One exception is the Condor Net (www.condor-connection.org), which covers Nevada, California and Arizona. It is the only repeater network of its kind in the US. And it’s only available on 220MHz. I used 223.480 MHz simplex for many years. The comment from the guys that used [this band] was that it was like their private “intercom” because it was so quiet until someone got on and started talking. The user community on 220 is so small that everyone knows everyone on a first name basis. The range is as good as 2 meters and the noise floor is very low. Sparking electrical equipment does not effect 220 like it does 2 meters. There are still plenty of good radios are around for 220. Kenwood, Icom, Alinco, ADI, Midland and even Cobra made a few.

Right now there are two Midland cyrstal-controlled 220 radios on eBay ready to go. Excellent radios and there are plenty of parts [like custom crystals] available. (Hint, hint) They last forever.

If you are looking for almost secure communications and excellent range, then 220 is the way to go. It is not uncommon to make contacts to Donner Summit [of the Sierra Nevada mountains] with only 25 watts from the [San Francisco] Bay Area. A few 220 radios were made all-mode, including single sideband (SSB) and they are still around and still used. BTW, most of the people who own this scarce variety refuse to part with them. – Fred the Valmet-meister

JWR Replies: I wonder how difficult it would be to set up a dedicated 220 MHz repeater network in the western states, preferably all with net stations that use photovoltaic power. If the infrastructure would be too expensive, perhaps it would be best to just stick to HF .

James:
I think the proposal by David in Israel is like a dream come true for us that are new to the preparation meditation. I would love to be a part of the “frequency” network whether it be in using, or somehow helping out with the development, (albeit mostly inept experience in “radioing”) I for one would feel so much less alone if something were to happen and I knew that I could search for some sort of consortium in a TEOTWAWKI scenario.  Take Care, and a Sincere Thank You!,  – The Wanderer

Letter Re: Diatomaceous Earth for Storage Food and “Nano Masks”

Hi Jim:
Great to see young new people trying to start practical preparations. One cup of FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth per five gallon bucket will keep the bugs out. All of my stuff is already in nitro packed buckets with oxygen absorbers, but someday we might not be able to get dry ice and O2 absorbers for packing grains, so I just ordered some diatomaceous earth myself. See: http://www.internet-grocer.net/diatome.htm

[The other topic that I wanted mention is] “Nano masks.” Mine just got shipped to me via UPS. I ordered them a month ago. Far more effective than N-95 [filter]s. See: http://www.2hdistributors.com/index/mn20442/bird_flu_home\ – God bless, Lyn

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Charity never humiliated him who profited from it, nor ever bound him by the chains of gratitude, since it was not to him but to God that the gift was made." – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Note from JWR:

Today, I’m catching up on part of the backlog of e-mails from the past few weeks that I haven’t had time to post (or to answer). The flip side to the astonishing success of SurvivalBlog.com is my burgeoning list of new e-mails each morning. (BTW, I simply cannot answer them all–so please don’t feel slighted when I don’t reply.)

Letter Re: Oil and Lubricant Storage in Retreat Planning

James,
After reading your blog [post] on oil storage I heartily agree with most of your points. I stock synthetic [motor] oil for this purpose: it lasts longer! If a time comes when I can’t get oil I want what I have to be the best. I recently began using Mobil 1 Extended Performance [synthetic] and I’m not sure I can back it up, but I did notice a slight mileage increase over regular Mobil 1 in my 2000 F-150 4×4 Super Cab. Perhaps just a coincidence, but perhaps it actually lubricates a bit better than regular Mobil 1. I also like to run synthetic [oil] in mowers and such because of infrequent oil changes and no filters. I recently began the “no oil change” thing on a Toyota that uses some oil anyway, so now I only change the filter occasionally and then top off the oil every week or two.

My only disagreement with your blog post concerns the sand soaked in “used” motor oil. Used motor oil is a known carcinogen and should be recycled. Use some kind of cheap oil for that purpose, but not used motor oil, especially on hand tools that are going to be in contact with your hands.  Later, – Matt in Montana

Letter Re: Onset of “The Crunch”

This is a question that should be of general interest. In your novel Patriots, “The Crunch” was beginning at 16% inflation. With the latest inflation figures annualized at 14.4%, how do we stand on The Crunch index? Will people really believe it is possible, even after it happens? The people I know are incredibly naive and trusting in all-powerful government.- Ron Y.

JWR Replies: I think that inflation would have to jump into triple digits in order to precipitate any sort of full scale economic collapse. IMO, it is far more likely that a dollar crisis initiated by nervous foreign investors (worried about our mountain of debt) will be the proximal trigger for what you envision.

Politics, Disaster Preparedness, Terrorism, WMDs, EMP

Hi,
I found this on a e-mail that I subscribe to, from The Federalist Patriot. See:

http://federalistpatriot.us/useprpc/plan.asp
http://federalistpatriot.us/useprpc [JWR Adds: This page includes links to analyses on biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, as well as EMP secondary effects.]

It is a pretty good source of conservative thought. In any case, they have placed some articles on preparedness on their web site. I thought you might be interested. It doesn’t say to prepare for as long a period as I think will be required, but at least there is another voice in the wilderness telling people to be prepared .  – Tim P.

Letter Re: Disabling OnStar Vehicular Tracking/Communication Systems, and EMP Protection

Jim,
I have two somewhat related questions:
1.) Can the OnStar [tracking/communications] system on General Motors vehicles be TOTALLY turned off by an owner? If so, how? And if so, is a professional recommended to do the work? I envision the possibility of the Powers That Be (PTB) simultaneously turning off engines of all OnStar vehicles to create massive chaos if it supports their plan.

2.) If we experience an EMP event, can we carry a spare computer module in protective casing and just replace module in our vehicle and we are off and running again? If so, what is the proper procedure? If question is off base or not possible… What can we do? (Affordably) – Robbie in Va.

JWR Replies: 1.) From what I’ve read in Usenet forums, the shutdown feature was considered during OnStar’s design phase but was never implemented, due to liability issues. OnStar does indeed, however, provide vehicle GPS tracking to assist police in the location of a stolen OnStar-equipped vehicle.

Conceivably, a situation might arise wherein you would want to disable OnStar. (See: http://whats.all.this.brouhaha.com/?p=132 ) The only way to be sure that you are completely disconnecting it from power is to disconnect the cables from the OnStar module itself. Any layman can do this. The hard part is finding the box. Typically, the OnStar modules are hidden are in the trunk–often next to the spare tire, such as in Cadillacs.  See: http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/onstardisable/).  The location will vary, depending on the make/model of your GM vehicle. I suspect that you cannot simply remove a fuse from your vehicle’s fuse holder array, because given the evil genius of GM’s design engineers there are probably other components–possibly essential components–that are downstream of that same fuse. (But I may be wrong. One nice thing about this blog: I’m sure that someone more knowledgeable will e-mail me within hours if I post something incorrect about anything.)

OBTW, here is an old trick that dates back to the days when car alarms were not wired into a vehicle wiring harness upstream of the fuse box: So that you can be ready to remove a fuse at a moment’s notice, one useful technique is to attach a small dimension “zip”-type plastic cable tie around the middle of a modern plastic fuse (between the fuse’s “legs”, or in the case of traditional tubular glass fuses, underneath the entire length of the fuse. That way all that you have to do is open the fuse box and jerk on the protruding cable tie–no fumbling around with a flashlight, trying to remember which is the correct fuse to pull.

On a related note, (purely for academic research, mind you) for those of you with a penchant for hacking, you can tap into your GM vehicle’s OnStar RS-232 GPS data. See: http://members.cox.net/onstar/  You can also hack into the OnStar communications module for Bluetooth. 😉 See: http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000170038047/

2.) Yes, a spare electronic ignition “computer” can be purchased and padded up thoroughly and carried in an ammo can or a biscuit tin. (Either will act as an effective Faraday cage.) But keep in mind that many vehicles made since the 1980s also have electronic fuel injection, which will have its own little microchip CPU.  Ask your local car mechanic–preferably one at a factory-associated dealership–for details about the ignition and fuel injection system of your particular make/model/year of vehicle.

Dried Pasta for Storage Food?

Mr. Rawles,
I thoroughly enjoyed “Patriots,” as it opened my eyes to the importance of Preparedness. My wife and I are educated Christians in our early twenties, and we are starting to amass supplies as money allows. Being in Law enforcement, I have a good understanding or firearms, but little experience in storing food. Is it a mistake to store large amounts of rice and pasta in food-grade buckets (or other containers)? Both are rather compact for the calories provided, and would be very simple to prepare. When packed vertically, you can feet quite a bit of spaghetti in a five gallon bucket. Any thoughts (however brief) would be appreciated. Thanks, -“Bossaboss”

JWR Replies:  Dried pasta stores fairly well, at least compared to things like wet-packed canned foods. Keep in mind however, that it is typically not made from whole grains, so it is marginally nutritious, even when bought “fresh” at your local grocery store.

Intact whole grains retain most of their nutritive value for much longer periods of time than cracked grains, flour, or flour-based food products (such as pasta). Whole hard red winter wheat, for example, stores for 20+ years with most of its nutritive value still intact.  In contrast, grain-based pasta is still palatable for many years, but it loses most of its nutritive value after just two to three years. Once processed in any way–that is, whenever the grain’s outer shell is compromised–then the storage life of grains drop considerably. For really long term nutritious storage, you need to buy wheat in food grade buckets, and a wheat grinder. (See the SurvivalBlog Archives for further details, and our Links page for trustworthy vendors.)