The detection and tracking of portable GSM handset using a 5-element circular array

Abstract

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-131)Direction Finding (OF) is a process that involves estimating the directions of the arrival for propagating wavefronts impinging on an antenna array from arbitrary directions relative to that antenna array. By understanding how the signals captured relate to the geometry of the OF antenna, one can separate out these signals spatially, and provide their directions of arrival with some degree of certainty. GSM, the Global System for Mobile Communications is a mobile digital communications system which has rapidly gained acceptance on a global scale since the early 1990s. Because the communications standard is made use of throughout the world today, it would be desirable to investigate the feasibility of the detection and tracking of such signals as an extension for OF platforms that are used by monitoring authorities such as the police or service providers. This thesis presents and discusses the implications of detecting and tracking GSM mobile handsets. Because the thesis was commissioned by a company that already manufactures broadband surveillance equipment with a particular OF implementation, the thesis approaches the problem with their specific implementation in mind assessing its competency in detecting and tracking GSM mobile phones. To understand the nature of GSM, a simulator was developed to convey information about the structure of the datasets that would be recorded in the field, and is compared to datasets captured with the OF equipment. Conclusions are drawn from the recordings, and recommendations for future work in this field are discussed