How to Vet a Technology, Scan, or Service
🧠 How to Vet a Technology, Scan, or Service: A Critical Thinking Checklist
In the targeted individual (TI) space, where confusion and technical deception are common, it is essential to properly evaluate whether a product, scan, or service is legitimate or fraudulent. This guide includes a step-by-step checklist and AI-based prompts to help you make informed decisions using real-world technical standards.
🔧 1. Hardware Specs vs. Claimed Capabilities
Ask: Can the hardware even detect what it claims?
- Check the equipment’s frequency range, noise floor, and resolution bandwidth (RBW) from its official datasheet.
- Verify if it supports IQ data capture and whether it can visualize signals through waterfall plots or spectrograms.
- Analyze whether the signal could be masked, modulated, or intentionally hidden using low probability of intercept (LPI) techniques.
✅ Red Flag: Claims about detecting deeply masked or encrypted signals without providing IQ data or sufficient device sensitivity.
AI Prompt Example:
“Analyze this device spec sheet and determine whether it can detect a masked frequency using LPI techniques. Assess if the RBW and noise floor are sufficient to reveal low-SNR or embedded signals.”
🧪 2. Independent Verification & Reproducibility
Ask: Has this scan or product been verified independently with reproducible results?
- Look for publicly released raw IQ files, scan environment notes, and consistent results across multiple hardware configurations.
- Repetition under similar conditions is a basic standard of validity.
✅ Red Flag: If a scan is claimed to be unique, one-time, or proprietary without allowing others to repeat the process.
AI Prompt Example:
“Compare these IQ datasets and identify whether the signal of interest is consistently present across devices. Highlight any inconsistencies.”
📚 3. Scientific Foundation and Demodulation Logic
Ask: Is the scan report based on real signal intelligence methodology?
- A proper scan report should clearly show:
- Fundamental carrier frequency
- Whether it’s a modulated signal, harmonic, or sideband
- The demodulation technique used (AM, FM, PSK, etc.)
- What signal intelligence tools were used (e.g., SDRSharp, SigMF, GNU Radio, DSDPlus, Universal Radio Hacker)
- Whether the signal was decoded and what protocol (if any) was extracted
✅ Red Flag: Reports that include vague references like “signal of interest” with no classification, decoding attempt, or signal chain.
AI Prompt Example:
“Based on this IQ data and waterfall plot, classify the signal: is it a fundamental, sideband, or a masked/embedded frequency? Explain how it was demodulated and what SIGINT tools were used.”
🎞️ 4. Pictorial Signal Classification & Visual Evidence
Ask: Does the report include clear visual data that can be verified?
- A real scan should include:
- High-resolution waterfall and FFT plots
- Screenshots with time/frequency scale
- Annotations of signal location, behavior, and duration
- Specific flags or visual identifiers used to classify the intention or purpose of the signal:
- Burst timing
- Modulation drift
- Sideband symmetry
- Pulsed harmonic spacing
- Noise floor suppression artifacts
✅ Red Flag: No visuals, or images showing unscaled lines with no matching spectrum.
AI Prompt Example:
“Classify the visual signal in this waterfall image: is it frequency hopping, pulsed, or continuous wave? Identify which pictorial features (burst timing, harmonics, drift) led to your classification.”
💰 5. Conflicts of Interest & Monetization Motives
Ask: Is there a financial motive behind promoting this scan or product?
- Research whether the provider is:
- Selling the product or scan service
- Affiliated with distributors or manufacturers
- Refusing critique or failing to disclose affiliations
✅ Red Flag: Reports used to upsell protective devices or paid consultations without any independent third-party verification.
AI Prompt Example:
“Map financial relationships between this individual, their scan service, and promoted products. Highlight any monetization links.”
✅ What Should Be in Every Legitimate Scan Report:
- 📡 Equipment name, manufacturer, RBW, and noise floor
- 🧠 IQ data and exportable raw logs
- 🎞️ Waterfall plots with time/frequency detail
- 🔍 Demodulation explanation and signal classification
- 🧭 Description of signal intention using pictorial flags
- 🧪 Signal intelligence toolchain used and decoding attempt results
- 🎯 Clear labeling of whether it’s a fundamental, harmonic, or masked frequency
If it can’t be reproduced, verified, or visualized — it’s not evidence.
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