New handheld GPS jammer detector

A new handheld unit that can detect GPS jammers hidden in vehicles has been unveiled.

The unit can pinpoint even the weakest jammer and identify the vehicle in which the jammer is hidden, even in a busy multi-storey car park.

It can also be used to detect vehicles with jammers at ports, fleet depots, airport car parks and taxi ranks.

The CTL-3520 device from Chronos Technology was recently tested by police and security agencies in screened rooms at the MIRA test facility in Warwickshire and successfully identified hidden jammers both in vehicles and people’s pockets.

The CTL-3520 was developed from research undertaken by the University of Bath as part of the SENTINEL research project, which is part-funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

Professor Charles Curry explained: “Previous jamming detecting products have been unable to identify which vehicle is hosting the jammer. This has been a particular limitation and a major challenge for people wishing to protect critical infrastructure if faced with GPS jamming from a nearby vehicle.”

GPS jammers are widely available online and despite claiming an operating distance of just 5m, Professor Curry says controlled trials of these jammers have found their range is easily 250-300m, which makes specific vehicle identification extremely difficult.

However, he said the CTL-3520 can pick out one vehicle in a thousand which has a jammer installed.

Dr Robert Watson, from the University of Bath Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department, said the product was the culmination of more than two years of research and development, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) within the SENTINEL project.