Barnhart & Associates offer TSCM Services up to and including: LEVEL 6
Level 1 - Common Consumer Products and Toys
This level of threat includes only generally available consumer devices sold at major department stores (Walmart), home improvement stores (Home Depot), national electronics chains (Best Buy), Radio Shack and similar stores. The products are NOT primarily designed for eavesdropping, and operate on a fairly narrow band of RF frequencies.
This includes low power devices:.
Level 2 - Amateur and Consumer Communications Products
Products only qualify for a level two threat level if it is a quasi-consumer product such as a ham radio, aeronautic, or maritime type of product. These products are available to consumers, but they really have to "hunt around" to buy them. At this point the products typically are involved in some type of hobby or recreational activity.
The most popular products are UHF and VHF wireless microphones used (or misused) by the broadcast industry. Also popular are industrial wireless video systems, and spread spectrum products clustered around the 2.4 GHz ISM band.
These products include those used by Private Investigators, security people, and related professional with heavy concentration on video based products (operating on consumer frequencies).
Level 3 - Amateur Eavesdropping Products
At this level of threat some of the products become borderline illegal. This includes many of the transmitter kits, telephone bug kits, and similar devices sold out of the back of electronics magazines and at a few electronics stores. Commonly used by spouses spying on each other
Level 4 - Restricted Professional Products
Products with a threat level of 4 include products not normally available to the public, and may or may not include FCC approved devices. The products are typically not sold retail, but are offered into very specialized vertical markets (such as the broadcast or recording industry.
The most popular products are UHF and VHF wireless microphones used (or misused) by the broadcast industry. Also popular are industrial wireless video systems, and spread spectrum products clustered around the 2.4 GHz ISM band.
These products include those used by Private Investigators, Security People, and related professional with heavy concentration on video based products.
This level of threat is typically equipment and devices used by the industrial, scientific, broadcast, and the law enforcement community. The equipment is generally not available to the public and is often too expensive for "spy shops", PI's, and amateur spies.
Level 5 - Professional Spy Shop Products
Level five threats are mostly the products sold by spy shops and involve mostly simple audio transmitters, and low quality video transmitters. These products are fairly low quality, but incredibly expensive. The products are quasi-legal in some countries (German, Japan, England, Canada, etc.) but quite illegal in the United States.
This level of threat is usually equipment and devices specifically modified for use in covert surveillance.
Level 6 - Professional "Title 3" Products
These products are strictly taboo for the public to buy, sell, possess, or attempt to possess. This level of threat involves eavesdropping products strictly available only to law enforcement agencies, and then only when acting under an ACTIVE court order.
Most of the products operate on bands allocated for law enforcement activities, or bands specifically allocated for surveillance (and are fairly easy for the TSCM professional to detect). This type of product (within the United States) is referred to a "T3" or "Tile III" device, and has a very narrow, and specific purpose for which they are used. Most beeper and cellular intercept or eavesdropping systems fall into this level of threat due to the highly restricted nature of such products.
Threats above this level are strictly those which involve national defense or intelligence interests. In other words, members of law enforcement are not allowed to "play with toys" above this threat level (in almost any country).
The primary indicator of a level 6 device is that it is designed, marketed, and sold as a covert eavesdropping product.
Level 7 - Signals Intelligence Products
Level 7 threats include those products used by the Signals Intelligence community, and may include radar analysis systems and communications intercept systems. This equipment is typically used only by major defense or intelligence agencies and generally is not available to law enforcement.
Level 8 - Intelligence Agency Eavesdropping Threats
An example of this level of threat is the eavesdropping devices and methods actively being used by an intelligence agency, State Department, and so on.
This includes both radiated, and conducted signals threats along with various types of intercept systems, alarm bypass systems, covert entry devices, and so on.
Level 9 - National Security Eavesdropping Threats
This is the highest level of threat which is available to government agencies, and includes emerging technologies, and equipment or devices on the cutting edge of science.
Access to even the slightest piece of information regarding this type of system is highly restricted and requires a high level security clearance