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Professional TSCM Services
See how the terminology translates into a real professional surveillance investigation.
A plain-English reference for the technical terms used in professional bug sweeping, surveillance detection, vehicle tracker investigations and meeting-room privacy assessments.
TSCM can quickly become technical. This glossary explains common terms without assuming an electronics background. It is intended to help clients understand what a provider means when discussing methods, findings and limitations.
Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures. A structured process for identifying and evaluating technical surveillance risks using appropriate electronic and physical inspection methods.
Radio frequency. Electromagnetic energy used by radio, mobile, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and many other wireless systems.
An instrument that displays signal amplitude or power against frequency, allowing an engineer to examine carriers, bandwidth, bursts and other RF activity.
A simple instrument that responds to RF energy over a broad frequency range. Useful as an indicator, but often unable to identify the source.
Non-linear junction detector. A specialist instrument used to locate semiconductor electronics by observing harmonic responses, including electronics that may be switched off.
A radio technique that changes carrier frequency according to a sequence. Brief hops can make simplistic detection and interpretation more difficult.
A transmitter that sends information in short periods rather than continuously, reducing the time during which it is visible on air.
A device records information locally and transmits it later. It can therefore be radio-silent while recording.
A legitimate signal, object or material produces an indication that is incorrectly interpreted as a surveillance threat.
A threat is present but the chosen method produces no useful indication, potentially creating false reassurance.
The process of narrowing down the physical source of a signal or anomaly rather than merely observing that it exists.
A tracking device may use satellite navigation to determine position and cellular, radio or other communications to report it. Not every tracker is continuously transmitting or magnetically mounted.
Legitimate built-in vehicle systems that may contain GNSS, cellular and other radios. These can complicate tracker investigations because normal vehicle electronics must be separated from unexplained additions.
How effectively a room prevents speech from being understood outside the intended private area. It is separate from whether a hidden bug is present.
The reduction in RF signal level between one location and another, for example from inside a meeting room to outside its boundary.
A reasoned evaluation of what forms of surveillance are plausible given the environment, access, information at risk and circumstances.
Use the glossary for definitions, then continue to the professional service, equipment or assessment relevant to your concern.
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