Is it true that transmitters can be “fingerprinted” for positive identification without the user being aware?
Motron FingerprintA: The concept of transmitter fingerprinting was invented and patented decades ago by Phil Farrell K7PF of Seattle. He licensed his patent/technique to The Boeing Company and to Motron Electronics, which sells equipment for it. The Motron implementation (called TxID) consists of a card that plugs into the expansion slot of a PC, plus software running under DOS. The asking price is higher than most individuals are willing to pay, but it is affordable for repeater clubs. I tested and reviewed the system in Homing In for November 1994. The review explains the principles of fingerprinting and shows good and bad points, including comparison of some same-model transmitters. Since then, Motron has added features such as receiver frequency control and readout for remote operation. TxID will control a tape recorder for evidentiary purposes. A few hams have developed similar fingerprinting systems. The first was “XMIT_ID” by Richard Rager KB8RLN. It used PC software and an 8-bi
The concept of transmitter fingerprinting was invented and patented in the 1980’s by Phil Farrell K7PF of Seattle. He licensed his patent/technique to The Boeing Company and to Motron Electronics, which sells equipment for it. The Motron implementation (called TxID) consists of a card that plugs into the expansion slot of a PC, plus software running under DOS. The asking price is higher than most individuals are willing to pay, but it is affordable for repeater clubs. I tested and reviewed the system in Homing In for November 1994. The review explains the principles of fingerprinting and shows good and bad points, including comparison of some same-model transmitters. Since then, Motron has added features such as receiver frequency control and readout for remote operation. TxID will control a tape recorder for evidentiary purposes. A few hams have developed similar fingerprinting systems. The first was “XMIT_ID” by Richard Rager KB8RLN. It used PC software and an 8-bit Soundblaster card
