Thank you for sharing this.
John Pavelich CD, MEng Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT=
be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attr=
active and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate i=
n one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out=
and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:21:00 -0400
To: TSCM-..._at_googlegroups.com
F=
rom: jm..._at_tscm.com
Subject: [TSCM-L] {4008} TSCM Stratification Rant (w=
as: Re: [TSCM-L] {3999} Re: {3948} Re: TSCM-L list spamming)
It =
has been a long day, I am tired, and hopefully this does not ramble on for =
too long, but this may answer some of your questions.
Everybody ente=
rs the TSCM business from a little bit different point, and each person fin=
ds a comfort level into which the make a living (or become destitute). Some=
develop a passion early in their careers, other find this as a passion lat=
er, and some never become passionate at all. A person may lean towards crim=
inal conduct, or may be as honest as anybody can be. Some people choose it =
as a career path, and other develop it merely as an additional skill but do=
not become particularly good at it. Some government people perform extraor=
dinarily well while in government employment, but fall flat on their face a=
s soon as they start working in the private sector. Some people do really g=
ood work while working for a large company, but can not survive on their ow=
n without living in their mothers basement and running their TSCM empire fr=
om a folding card table with purloined equipment. Some people are great wit=
h developing equipment, and doing the sweeps, but do not make much at doing=
either so they leave the business.
Pretty much anybody who is succe=
ssful in this business is more then willing to help out someone with advice=
who genuinely wants to get into the business, and will be more then happy =
to guide them into the right direction because quite frankly there is way m=
ore demand for sweep business out there then there are TSCM firm who can pe=
rform legitimate sweeps. By "legitimate sweep" I means that the consumer of=
the sweep or "customer" actually gets more then they are paying for, major=
problems are discovered and leaks are prevented well before the customer i=
s" waist deep in water and alligators"
The key to success in this bu=
siness is to first develop a strong non-TSCM background, build up your equi=
pment for that non-TSCM background, pack several hundred college credits un=
der your belt, then work a few years in that either government or private s=
ector, and only after that start to study TSCM and S-L-O-W-L-Y start acquir=
ing TSCM gear. Do not get into the business thinking that you are going to =
make a fast buck, and always, always, always have an exit strategy worked o=
ut well in advance so that you can leave the business at anytime should eit=
her your business skills not equal your technical skills, or you find that =
TSCM has lost the challenge that it once held.
Every year a scores o=
f people lay out tens of thousand or even hundreds of thousands of dollars =
each to purchase TSCM equipment thinking that they have found a cash cow th=
at they can milk for the rest of their lives. Then 2-3 years later, many of=
them have a fire-sale at a significant loss, or in some cases they be able=
to squeak out enough of a living to survive 5 or even 10 years (but usuall=
y not under the same business name).
---
The TSCM is stratifi=
ed into several distinct groups,
1) New Person, Some interest in TSC=
M from an academic or personal level. Wants to learn or read about TSCM bec=
ause they may have considered having a sweep performed in the past, or that=
they are considering one in the future. Also included technical or technic=
al security people who have a professional interest in TSCM as it may plug =
into their job somehow at some point, but who are not actually interested i=
n performing sweeps. Desperately need guidance on what may be a very =
lucrative career (someday), but for now they are keeping their nose in the =
textbooks, attending every technical class they can handle, and may even be=
attending multiple college at the same time just because they can soak up =
the teaching faster then they can get it at any one single collge.
2=
) Someone with a professional interest in sweep, and who may need sweeps on=
a regular basis and who studies sweep so as to be a well educated consumer=
or facilitator of a sweep, but not somebody who either owns sweep gear, no=
r someone whom does sweeps for pay.
3) A student who has started to =
study TSCM, and who may or may not have equipment, but if they do have equi=
pment it is most likely that dollar-for-dollar they have more general purpo=
se test equipment is relationship to their TSCM equipment. May not own a sp=
ectrum analyzer, but does own a DVM, Scope, and several suitcases or briefc=
ases of general purpose test equipment and tools. This would most commonly =
be a typical college engineering student, or college graduate who has a sma=
ll workshop, but is not providing sweep services, or building their own gea=
r. While they may be able to build their own gear from scratch, and may exp=
lore the methods and procedures they are not interested in TSCM as anything=
more then an academic or personal exercise.
4) Amateur radio junkie=
s, who get to play with radios and electronics at the hobbyist level, but w=
ho do have enough of a technical background to get a full-time job working =
with, building, or designing electronics. Primary interest tends to be to e=
nhance their ham radio skills, seriously polish up their fox hunt skills, a=
nd often have an interest in TSCM from an academic perspective in that want=
to learn TSCM as it involves a lot of radio stuff, but they really are not=
trying to be involved in the TSCM business at the professional level. Mind=
you that if somebody is a really, really good "Fox" hunter that they (with=
primitive and often self built equipment) are often light years ahea=
d of a private investigators and consultants (with a couple of fancy lookin=
g blinkie-boxes)
5) Next are amateur radio folks who can "Fake Good"=
during a bug sweep, and can do what they think is effective, and who may, =
or may not be honest (most are honest by the way). Their interest in TSCM i=
s to convert their hobby which involved a lot of toys, radios, and test equ=
ipment into some kind of commercial enterprise. Very often the majority of =
their equipment is surplus gear they bought used via a variety of channels,=
but a few of them to make their own gear from scratch in order to save mon=
ey.Usually if they have a spectrum analyzer or Oscilloscope it is one they =
bought used (often via E-Bay), and which is at least ten years beyond the d=
ate of the time the instrument was built. Sadly, most of these folks are do=
omed to failure if they try to get into the TSCM business.
6) A more=
advanced version of the typical ham radio person, but usually someone who =
does work in technology in some fashion, and while it may not be a hardware=
based job, they do have a professional four+ year degree in electronics, c=
omputer science, or some sort of engineering or area of scientific knowledg=
e. May not have attended specifically TSCM focused training, but they can r=
un an oscilloscope or spectrum analyzer in their sleep, can run up a radio =
from memory, and while they may not be able to design a circuit board they =
can solder components does cleanly and follow instructions. This used to be=
called the "Heathkit Sweepers", and they often have a little ham shack or =
workshop where they can build circuits, but the majority of their money is =
spent in pursuing their "hobby" and not developing a professional skill. Th=
is is sometimes described as a "Hobby with Benefits", and quite frequently =
they are a pretty good success in TSCM and can have a good "run", and can e=
ven use TSCM as a fall-back skill-set should they need an alternate job ski=
ll.
7) Then there are what are called "Amateur Hybrids", who usually=
lack a strong technical education, but have learned quite a bit though the=
ir involvement with the amateur radio community, or their contact with priv=
ate investigators, or other technical groups and who are able to talk about=
sweeps but who do not actually know how to do them, They sort of float aro=
und the middle of the food chain and try to impress other ham radio guys ab=
out their elite skills, and try to convince private investigators to let th=
em do sweeps by virtue of having a ham radio licenses. Sometimes that can "=
fake good", but more often then not they "fake bad". It is rare for them to=
have any sweep gear, but if they do it is usually a very old model but whi=
ch they lack formal training on. They often are referred to an "Urinators",=
and they can talk a mean streak about things they have heard about (but no=
t actually done themselves), but don't really have the slightest idea what =
they are doing. The "Urinators" moniker comes from the fact that at first g=
lance appear to know what they are doing, and look all honest and stuff on =
the surface, but they prey on everybody around them, and are not what they =
appear to be, the moniker is further derived from the small cake that is in=
the bottom of the urinal in the men's room that covers up a bad odor, and =
which you do not want to touch (no, despite what some fools think... the ur=
inal cake is not a breath mint)
8) Ah, there is yet another more int=
eresting variant to be observed and it is someone who lacks a technical bac=
k, lacks a technical background, and who is frequently involved in some kin=
d of illicit activity and for whom paranoia is part of their daily life. Th=
ey will often go out and purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars on sweep=
gear and other technical items in an attempt to protect their grow houses,=
meth labs, brothels, or loan sharking operations, or to protect their illi=
cit activities from either other people in their same line of work or from =
government agencies (black helicopters, SWAT teams, etc). They tend not to =
be law abiding citizens, and tend no to be contributing to the well being o=
f anybody but themselves.
8) Next, we get into an interesting group =
where people are just starting into the study of TSCM at the professional b=
asis, and who are laying out a long term plan to study the basics, gain an =
understanding of electronics, to gain technical skills related to TSCM in a=
technical field where they work with a range of test equipment and tools, =
and who is slowly building up a new (or gently used) inventory of test equi=
pment they they plan of still being able to use when that start doing sweep=
s at some future day, way, way down the road. They may of may not have a TS=
CM mentor who is guiding them down the path, and they may or may not be inv=
olved in amateur radio activities. Does not plan to provide sweep services =
to customers until such time as they: a) complete their basic technical tra=
ining and get job experience in a technical field, b) Then acquire enough t=
est equipment to set up their own shop or lab, c) Gain actual TSCM experien=
ce through a combination of attending formal TSCM training and working as a=
TSCM apprentice with other team, and then d) to slowly purchase a basic lo=
w level set of TSCM equipment on which which they already have been trained=
. The key is that that "know that which they do not know" and have a plan i=
n place to gain the knowledge, equipment, and practice to start their own s=
weep operation. This is actually where most TSCM folks who survive the busi=
ness long term begin.
9) OK, not to pick on PI's or anything, but...=
Private Investigators have no business performing sweeps... Yeah, I know t=
hat I sound like a broken record, but you would be amazed at how many PI's =
find bugs on every sweep they do (throw-downs), but can not tell you the fr=
equency the bug is operating on, and who will point to a dimmer switch and =
claim that it is bugged because their diode detector system says that their=
is something in their that is making their $800 bug detector "chirp" and m=
ake the other machine go "ping". While some of these folks may be honest, a=
nd their efforts may be good intentioned, but there are many more who are j=
ust performing a dog-and-pony show for the customers and are charlatans (an=
d they know they are charlatans). Private investigators are good at general=
investigative methods, and they can be invaluable in coordinating a sweep,=
providing security during a sweep, compiling site documents for a sweep, a=
nd even in providing distractions to the eavesdropper so that the sweep fol=
ks can slip in undetected, and at no time should they ever attempt to perfo=
rm the sweep itself. Note, that if you are a PI you can make a huge amount =
on money in regards to providing sweeps or sweep related services, and you =
will not have to spend even a single penny on equipment or TSCM training (s=
ee some of my prior rants).
10) This next type of person is someone =
"who is on the path" to becoming a professional TSCM person. They usually h=
ave a horde of test equipment that is not related to performing sweeps, and=
a modest pile of equipment for actually performing sweeps, but not quite e=
nough equipment to do a sweep by themselves. For example, they may ha=
ve all kinds of TDR's, scopes, meters, tone generators, and maybe a single =
older model of spectrum analyzer, but they know enough about sweep to know =
not to try to perform sweeps by themselves. They recognize that they are st=
ill learning, and very often they are still working as an apprentice sweepe=
r, or still working with a mentor how is helping to shepherd them on the pa=
th of becoming a "self sufficient" sweeper, but they are not quite there ye=
t.
11) Government sweepers fit into a level of the profession in tha=
t they may or may not have the skills (most can turn knobs, but not do much=
else), and only get to play with the equipment which their employer (the G=
overnment) provides for them. They are a little bit further "down the=
path" in TSCM as their newly started brethren once in the private practice=
world, but since the usually lack equipment which they (legally) possess o=
n their own it is unlikely that they will be able to provide TSCM services =
once they leave government service. Occasionally, a couple of them will pop=
up in the private sector but they usually end up working for a large gover=
nment contract after they find it impossible to perform private sector swee=
ps with uncle sugars equipment. Sometime a .gov sweeper will show up on the=
horizon loaded up with equipment, but can not explain how he came to acqui=
re the gear, and after a few awkward question he decided to make a quite ex=
it (ie. it is amazing how much equipment government employee can steal and =
still get away with it). Mind you there are quite a few ex-government sweep=
ers out there who are quite honest, but most of them can not function out o=
n their own as they do not have a quarter million dollars to spend on sweep=
gear when they retire from active government service, thus you have to ask=
question about WHERE they got all of their fancy boxes that are curiously =
missing serial numbers. As most of these folks tend to wander into the priv=
ate sector, fall flat on their face, and then to work for a government cont=
ractor 3 to 5 years after their crashing and burning they can usually be fo=
und about 2 years out from their retirement dusting off their resume and be=
gging recruiters to help them find a job.
12) A really, really shre=
wd government employee will slowly build of their equipment (out of their o=
wn pocket) over the decades they serve the government, and slowly build up =
their savings account, and towards the last fourth of their government care=
er they will put a lot of energy into networking (hint: court the executive=
recruiters five years away from retirement) so that they/you have a custom=
er base lined up well in advance of entering the private circles, and with =
equipment that actually belongs to the person doing the sweep and not the p=
revious employer. When possible they will go from government service (of sa=
y 15-20-25+) years, and then go to work for a large government contractor, =
all the while investing in their own hardware, and building up their networ=
k of contacts. Then after settling into a contractors position they are in =
a much better situation to fully go out on their own and perform sweeps all=
by themselves.
13) Owning your own business is like doing trapeze =
work without using a net. It is one thing to be working for someone else, u=
sing their equipment, cashing their payroll check, letting them pay for all=
the equipment, and letting them take all the risk. With this in considerat=
ion, you are going to have to have way more then a stack of certificates, a=
nd a bunch of shiny new equipment to function in the TSCM business. M=
any people are really good sweepers, but not very smart business operators,=
and some of the really astute business people can not perform a legitimate=
sweep to save their own lives. Thus the vast majority of people who perfor=
m sweeps actually work for somebody else, and that somebody else takes all =
the risk out of their lives. Early in their career a TSCM person will decid=
e what part of the equation they intend to work towards as their ultimate g=
oal, and they will have a plan that they stick to and which they improve up=
on each year.
14) One type of employee does nothing but sweeps and s=
weep related work and spend their hours loading and unloading equipment, sc=
ampering up ladders, twirling knobs, tracing wires, and trying to ferret ou=
t tiny fluctuations in the noise floor. They tend to not interface with the=
client very much, but rather lets their employer handle setting up the swe=
eps, for which they provide the technical talent, and very often bring thei=
r own equipment to the sweep (which they personally own), and which may not=
belong to the person who employs them. This is actually a pretty sweet pos=
ition to be in as the risk is absolutely minimal for the person doing the s=
weep but the person for whom they are working has to absorb all of the expe=
nses (including paying the wages when work gets slow).
15) Another t=
ype of situation is for the entrepreneur who finds one or two technical peo=
ple, or maybe even actual TSCM people who have both a technical background =
and equipment, but who lack the Rolodex full of local attorneys, millionair=
es, and affluent customers willing to pay for a proper sweep. The down side=
is that the sweep business is fickle and requires a full time attention to=
detail, and a full time, long term presence to survive... and quite frankl=
y most people are not cut out for it. Sadly, most sweep businesses last no =
more then 3 years, and many are luck to make it past the first 24 months. A=
rare few actually make it to the 60th month in business, and once they rea=
ch that point they can usually sustain their business so long as they have =
a strong technical background, decent test equipment (separate from sweep g=
ear), good sweep gear (separate from general purpose test equipment), enoug=
h money in the bank to float the company through the dry seasons that occur=
each year, and enough intestinal fortitude to survive what can be an inter=
esting voyage.
16) Some TSCM operations survive by doing something i=
n addition to TSCM to smooth out the slow period in their sweep business, a=
nd yet other are skilled in lining up a series of sweeps with clients who a=
re being pro-active instead of reactive. What throws a lot of people into a=
tail-spin is when they lack the flexibility to perform both a pro-active (=
high wire act) and a reactive sweep (trapeze act). Basically, the healthies=
t of to have an even mix of both types of sweeps, and to be flexible enough=
, and have the resources to handle both.
17) A reactive sweeper trie=
s to get the sweep only when the customer has a problem. They usually work =
cheap, tend not to be trusted by the customer as much as a pro-active sweep=
er, but can be nimble, and get to the job site really quickly. Quite a few =
lone wolves can do this kind of a sweep, and can do it with minimal equipme=
nt. But if you start asking them technical questions about telephone wiring=
, the value of door closer, Watergate tape, sheet rock compound, or carpent=
ry they have no answers. They usually quote the job on square feet, a=
nd like to come in (usually sans ladders), blow though an area, collect a f=
ew hundred dollars, and blow out within an afternoon. One or two briefcases=
of equipment might get brough to the site, but it is rare for them to use =
anything of great sophistication. Very often these folks actually work for =
someone else during the daytime, and run a sweep business at night or weeke=
nds to make a little moeny.
18) The pro-active sweeper is a trusted =
advisor to their client, and is often brought in to look over blue prints, =
advise of wiring methods, talk about the value of larch guards, and helping=
the customer not develop a problem in the first place. In addition, they w=
ill come in periodically and check for bugs, but their biggest value to the=
customer is to help keep secret from leaking out in the first place, not l=
ocating the leak once everybody is waist deep in water. A pro-active sweepe=
r wants long term access to the building far in advance of the customer eve=
r needing a sweep, and will prepare a list of vulnerabilities that need to =
be corrected prior to initiating an actual sweep to render the future sweep=
more effective. When a government person is performing a sweep this is usu=
ally the posture that they assume, and their sweeps take days, for all but =
the most urgent of situations. A pro-active sweep is slow, detail oriented,=
documentation heavy, and absolutely obsessive attention to detail that can=
involve taking 2-3 days to sweep a single room. They usually quote a rate =
by the day, and not by the foot, and they tend to form sweeps or do sweep l=
ike things full time.
19) The hybrid sweeper is actually a pro-activ=
e sweeper who is capable to an extremely fast response time to the project =
site, and who may bring a huge amount of equipment to the scene, is equippe=
d to blow in, perform a really quick cursory inspection within the time the=
y are given, but who would really prefer to work at a much slower pace, and=
who will usually recommend a much slower proactive inspection in the futur=
e. These are sometimes called "tactical sweepers", and you will find that t=
hey like to "get to know the building" long before the customer ever needs =
to have a sweep performed. If a client hires one of these they had better b=
e sitting down when they read the report about how totally screwed up their=
security and privacy is, because a tactical or hybrid sweeper will let you=
know just exactly how bad it really is.
20) A strategic sweeper sim=
ilar to a hybrid or tactical sweeper, and will not only be coming in period=
ically to perform inspections, but will actually coordinate with a client t=
o build a safe-room near the area to be protected and will allow several ra=
cks of equipment to be installed into this roof in order to monitor the air=
waves in the area, to keep watch in the wires that may be on interest to th=
e eavesdropper, to monitor every milliamp that moves in the executive wirin=
g, and who has mapped every wire in every wall, and every inch of the ceili=
ng, and where nothing moves that could poise a threat to the customers priv=
acy without it getting logged somehow. This is the ultimate level of trust =
as sweeps are actually taking place on a full time 7/24 basis by concealed =
electronics, and with alarm systems, devices, and mechanisms designed not o=
nly to detect a spy operating, but to do so on a full time basis, and to do=
so covertly.
21) A "Yoda" sweeper is someone who is has been involv=
ed with the customer from the first day the first drop of ink was laid down=
on the first set of blueprints, and who was on hand for the duration of th=
e construction, and who very slowly, and very covertly swept every wire in =
the building from the day it was first installed, knows everything that the=
re is to know about every signal on the airwaves in the area, has spent hun=
dreds of hours performing sweeps, and quite literally has their own master =
key to the building, and pretty much come and go in the build "as the force=
moves them"... The customer knows that security is tight, and while they t=
rust their internal security people to maintain security, they depend on "Y=
oda" to identity potential problems long before they become actual problems=
. This type of sweeper does not ask for a budget to fix a problem (like the=
security department will do), but rather tells the customer how much it wi=
ll cost to not resolve the problem, and will propose what can be done to mi=
tigate the risk or minimize the damage, and even how to turn the spies eave=
sdropping against the spy. If this type of sweeper is extremely good at wha=
t they do only 2 or 3 people in the company will even have the slightest id=
ea that the company has a long term, high level relationship with them, and=
very often only 1-2 people will even know that the door in the back of the=
closet behind the unused office that gets used by the outside "accountant"=
who comes in every 90 days or so for a few days to review the books prior =
to the SEC filing actually contains a half million dollars of rack mounted =
sweep gear that runs 24 hours a day. The employees also do not realize that=
every door or any kind on the certain parts of the building have extremely=
carefully installed wires and sensors, and that if so much as a grasshoppe=
r moves in the building that it gets quietly logged, and a ghost automatica=
lly comes to area shortly afterwards. The most on the one hand be very fast=
to react when called, but must move in a carefully choreographed dance tha=
t brings about the demise of the spy.
22) Some sweepers are also ski=
lled equipment developers, engineers, and programers. This they are a scary=
prospect for the spy and such sweepers they are sometime jokingly referred=
to "Frankenstein" because they can take a perfectly good piece of equipmen=
t, drill all kind of holes in it, add all kinds of extra circuits, and make=
it do things that the original manufacture never it to be intended to used=
for. While they may use both conventional general purpose test equipment A=
ND TSCM specific test equipment, they can make both do this that the spy is=
not expecting, and can operate pretty much at will, and the spy will never=
know when or if they are around, and even when they are around the spy wil=
l have no earthy idea what the sweeper is up to because a significant amoun=
t of equipment has been so tweaked out with mods that it barely resembles w=
hat it was originally intended for. It is not uncommon for this kind of swe=
eper to have prototypes of equipment long before the models are even announ=
ced to the public, and they are on top of the newest bugs years before the =
very first surveillance device using a certain technology is ever sold. The=
y predict what is going to be coming out 5 years from now, and they get rea=
dy for it today. You will only find fully time people involved at this leve=
l, and they are very expensive to engage, but they can find more "stuff" wi=
th a ladder and flashlight then 20 lesser sweepers with millions of dollars=
of equipment.
23) "Thunder and Lightning" referees to a sweeper who=
is both a Yada kind of sweeper, who is also master at both the technical p=
art of the business, and of the espionage and counter-espionage side of thi=
ngs. Imagine for a moment that you are standing on a tall will playing golf=
with the sky above you heavy with dark cloud, in fact it is so dark that y=
ou can barely see the bal as you try tin sink the putt. Next to you stands =
your trusty caddy who holds your golf bag, provides tips of how the greens =
play, and who holds a really, really tall metal stick for you.... &nbs=
p; ZZZZZPPTTHHHH, CRACK, POW, ZZTTTT... Neither you nor your caddy even see=
the mutli-giga-joule lightning bolt that not only connects with the excell=
ent lighting rod, but also the one that make the marrow in your bones, shoe=
s, legs, arms and skull explode, vaporize a fraction of a second before you=
sink the putt right at the Pearly Gates. You didn't did not notice the cou=
ld, did not hear the thunder in the offing, did not check the weather repor=
ts, and your caddy swore that the flashlight he was using to light up the g=
reen had nothing to due with it being pitch black outside in the middle of =
the day. Thus the spy (or in this case golfer) gets struck by lightning and=
is caught completely be surprise to the point that he thinks that ST. Pete=
r is tying to play through in the middle of his putt. The only thunder he h=
ears it the sound to his entire body exploding from the inside out as a eve=
ry water molecule in his body is instantly turned to steam. The spy never s=
ees the lightning, never hears the thunder, and may never even know that he=
has been caught by the TSCM person until it it way too late. This is the u=
ltimate performance for a TSCM specialist because not only did they catch t=
he spy, but they did it without the spy ever knowing they got caught. Thus =
the person who has employed a TSCM specialist of this caliber pays a premiu=
m so that they can play the spy, feed the spy incorrect information, deceiv=
e the spy, and work the spy against their own masters as a double agent who=
does not even know that they are a double agent. Nations fall, fortunes ar=
e lost (or made), and governments are overthrown at this level. The spy fea=
r this type of TSCM person more then any other before this.
24) Then=
there is the unknown TSCM specialist, or the specialist that plays the spy=
from the very beginning, tells no one of who their customers are, brings a=
s few as people as possible to any site, and other works alone... on a trap=
eze, with no net... and is far, far more dangerous to the spy then any othe=
rs. If they can be like "Yoda" and be underestimated by their opponent, and=
yet unleash unexpected "Thunder and Lightning" against the spy they can qu=
itely amass a small fortune providing highly specialized TSCM services to t=
he more affluent for many decades.
Please excuse me if I sound like =
I am ranting, or babbling again..
-jma
At 09:=
43 AM 7/20/2009, scorpion wrote:
2000 member list! Wow!
I re=
member when I first came to this list it was because I was
starving for =
"the how do you do it" information.
I realize that I fall under the =
amature, or "spy shop script kidde",
or however you wish to describe it,=
but I have never found any
information that takes an individual, and tr=
ains them on low level
sweep skills.
I wish I were in the same cl=
ass as a few of you who do large sweeps.
I always felt that I had to fal=
l on my past career postings as a cable
company installer, or an alarm t=
echnition, or the hometheater
installer, or the structured wire installe=
r. My skills make me
effective, but then I wonder how much am I mi=
ssing? Is there a new
product that one needs
I agree most p=
eople "off the street" cannot be a bug sweeper. I also
find it iro=
nic that there are no amatures posting here about "how do I
do..." , or =
"how do I find.." .
I realize that there are reasons why we do n=
ot use "spy shop devices",
but I have never seen any explanations on how=
the equipment is used,
and what the various buttons do, or where to fin=
d manuals to download
ect.
I hear everyone laughing at the last s=
entence, but I think about the
distraught girlfriend, wife, or business =
partner who earns an income
that would drive them to low level PIs, and =
spy shops. A spy finder
is a common spy shop device, and you can s=
ee YouTube videos from
various sources, but I believe that we are the "e=
xperts", but we do
provide the first line of education.
I always =
wondered why this list was not more forum based where one
could choose w=
hich title most suited their tastes, work conditions, or
they could foll=
ow the off topic header. I could see headers for
residential, and =
commercial sweeps. Under residential I could see
headers for cable=
, phone, alarm, network, computer software, or
devices to look for ect.<=
BR>
I would think the "laughable spy shops" would buy banner ads to
s=
upport the site.
This list is great for the true TSCM pofessional, m=
id level, and low
level professional. This is great for those who =
specialize in a
particular skill, and others can gain insight from the s=
pecialist as
special projects come up.
Just in the category of co=
vert video surveillance there is so much
information that has to be lear=
ned to truely understand it. I feel
awful that end users do not un=
derstand wide angle lenses, and the
distance distortion that comes with =
them. 90% of the covert spy gear
in spy shops do not work in low l=
evel to total black out
environments. I do not see anyone being th=
e champion of these end
users on this list.
I love it when nugget=
s of golden pieces of information gets discussed,
or is posted to the gr=
oup. Sometimes I find info, pdfs, and links are
few, and far betwe=
en, and I would like to see more.
Why do I learn more from "Googling=
" then from the most experienced
list of people who are true TSCM specia=
lists?
I think it should be the other way around! I think most=
google
searches should pull someone to this list. I see http://www.tscm.com/
is a constant link l=
isted. What about the rest of us?
Thanks!
On Ju=
l 16, 8:53 pm, "James M. Atkinson" <..._at_tscm.com> wrote:
> Ahem,=
>
> As the list owner I would like to personally ask Onion (an=
d others)
> to stay, and ask him (them) to reconsider leaving the gro=
up due to a
> couple of list acting acting like assholes to him (them=
), and being
> rude. Please excuse such a strong statement, and for p=
utting it in
> such graphic terms but I want to make sure that the me=
ssage is understood.
>
> Like any large group of people there i=
s going to be times when
> somebody gets their feathers ruffled, and =
sometimes someone will get
> their toes stepped on or something. Most=
of the time, this is done
> completely by accident, and nobody means=
any offense by it. We have
> 2000+ people on the list so there is a =
high likelihood that something
> that somebody says is going to annoy=
at least one or two people (ie:
> it is amazing how many people get =
all huffy when I mention something
> about Merry Christmas, Happy New=
Year, Happy Thanksgiving or some
> other cordial holiday greeting).<=
BR>>
> Hey folks, look... 2000+ people, and most of them can openl=
y post
> with zero moderation, and we have been keeping it sane as a =
list now
> for well over over 19 years.
>
> All I ask is =
that list members contribute to the list posts that are
> of a TSCM r=
elated subject matter, or of an espionage related matter,
> or of a m=
atter involving technical security that is or which may be
> of inter=
est to someone in the TSCM business. An occasional post of a
> (famil=
y rated) humorous nature is appreciated, but please, please,
> please=
post more technical stuff then you post of humor or political
> natu=
re (a good rule is for every 10-12 posts you make of a technical
> or=
espionage related matter, you can post one item that is not
> techni=
cal in nature for a 10:1 ratio or better).
>
> Some list member=
s will notice that I have several topics that I post
> in regards to =
that are not of a strictly technical nature, but rather
> of a TSCM b=
usiness operations, or for that matter for small business
> operation=
s and there are aimed at the small businesses who perform
> TSCM and =
related services.
>
> I would invite other list members to post=
more, and bitch less. If
> you do not like the posts that someone ma=
ke, then go find yourself
> some articles, or type some data up that =
you think makes a better
> post or which contains more comprehensive =
information. I am not
> saying that you should try to play one-upsman=
-ship with other lists
> members and argue all the time, but please d=
o not start bitching and
> moaning about the list traffic when you re=
fuse to contribute anything
> of value yourself and all you want to d=
o is stand around sucking
> oxygen looking for something to complain =
about. Post to the list
> stuff of value, and stop whining like pansi=
es.
>
> As list moderator, I have enough work on my hands runni=
ng things both
> on the list and in the real world (in case you were =
not aware of it,
> I spend a whole lot of time each week doing sweeps=
, a lot of time in
> academic pursuits, and a lot of time setting up =
sweeps), so list
> members are invited to make more posts, do less lu=
rking, and do less
> bitching. I don't care if everybody is happy, an=
d I don't care if
> some list members (and moderator) have big egos a=
nd ramble on at
> times, hey... folks we all have our way, and some p=
eople want to lurk
> and some want to contribute, and either is fine.=
>
> The ultimate purpose of this list is to try to improve the=
TSCM
> Industry, which is a bit like trying to herd cats.
>> Always ask yourself,... "What Would Albus Dumbledore Do?" >:-}
=
>
> -jma
>
> -----------------------------------------=
-----------------------------------------------------------
>&nb=
sp; James M. Atkinson =
&nb=
sp; Phone: (978) 546-3803
>=
Granite Island Group =
&nb=
sp; Fax: (978) 546-9467
=
> 127 Eastern Avenue #291 =
; Web: http://www.tscm.com/
> Glo=
ucester, MA 01931-8008 =
; E-mail: mailto:j..._at_ts=
cm.com
> &n=
bsp; http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmatkinson
> -------=
----------------------------------------------------------------------=
-----------------------
> No enterprise is more likely to=
succeed than one concealed from the
> enemy until it is =
ripe for execution. - Machiavelli, The Prince, 1521
-----------------------------------------------------------------------=
-----------------------------
James M. Atkinson &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; =
Phone: (978) 546-3803
Granite Island Group =
&nb=
sp; Fax: =
(978) 546-9467
127 Eastern Avenue #291 &nbs=
p; Web: &n=
bsp; http://www.tscm.com/
Glo=
ucester, MA 01931-8008 =
; E-mail: mailto:jm..._at_=
tscm.com
&=
nbsp; http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmatkinson
-------------------=
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
------
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed =
from the
enemy until it is ripe for execution. - Machiavelli, The=
Prince, 1521
Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:21 CST