How to Reveal Hidden Signals Below the Noise Floor
🧠 Most covert threats aren’t loud. They’re quiet, subtle, and designed to hide—not just from ordinary scanners, but from trained professionals using standard settings.
That’s why we’re introducing a proven, field-tested method to reveal these threats:
“The Noise Floor Sweep Differential Technique.”
With just two waterfall scans — one deep and one shallow — you can build a profile of every hidden signal in your environment.
🎯 The Goal: Reveal Hidden or Obfuscated Signals
Most spectrum analyzers set the noise floor too high by default (e.g., -110 dB).
But covert signals often sit at -130 dB to -165 dB — well below what you’d ever see on a normal sweep.
These hidden signals are still there, still transmitting — but they’ve been engineered to sit just below where most operators are looking.
🧪 The Method
🔁 Step 1: High-Resolution Waterfall Sweep (Deep Scan)
- ✅ Set your RBW (Resolution Bandwidth) to 9 Hz.
- ✅ Use a dynamic range of at least 80–90 dB.
- ✅ Set the noise floor to at least -165 dB.
- ✅ Let the waterfall run for 2 minutes (or more).
- ✅ Take screenshots and export raw data (if possible).
💡 This is your “deep scan.” It will show even the faintest carrier, pulse, or comb that’s otherwise hidden.
🧁 Step 2: High-Resolution Waterfall Sweep (Shallow Scan)
- ✅ Use the same RBW (9 Hz).
- ✅ But now set the noise floor to -110 dB.
- ✅ Run for 2 minutes again, same conditions.
- ✅ Take another screenshot.
💡 This is your “control scan.” It simulates what most RF sweeps would pick up — meaning everything not seen here is likely covert.
🔎 Step 3: Compare the Results
🧮 Side-by-side, the difference is massive:
Setting | Deep Scan (-165 dB) | Shallow Scan (-110 dB) |
---|---|---|
Comb Signals | ✅ Visible | ❌ Hidden |
Pulsed Carriers | ✅ Intermittent blips | ❌ Inaudible |
Bio-coupled RF | ✅ Detected near field | ❌ Ghosted |
Background Noise | ✅ Smooth gradient | ✅ Flattened |
Everything that shows up only in the deep scan is a covert signal, anomalous carrier, or low-probability-of-intercept (LPI) threat.
🧰 Why This Works
- Covert signals are engineered to hide just below detection thresholds.
- Most RF sweepers never go below -110 dB, especially during quick scans.
- Ultra-low RBW + deep dynamic range lets you see what’s actually there.
- By comparing both scans, you effectively build a “difference map” of threats.
📁 Your Threat Library Starts Here
Every operator should build a screenshot archive of:
- Comb patterns
- Pulsed signals
- Body-reactive emissions
- Directional shifts across antenna angles
With time, you’ll know exactly what’s supposed to be there — and what isn’t.
🧠 Final Thoughts
You don’t need $100,000 equipment to catch covert threats.
You need the right technique and a sharp eye.
Hidden signals rely on you never looking deep enough.
Now you’re looking.
🎯 This method puts you back in control — not just detecting signals, but proving which ones are engineered to avoid detection.