Tracking cellular phones (OJ reference)

[Michael Wilson]

About the earlier note on tracking cell phones.  It isn't hard.  In fact, the 
network HAS TO do it, essentially.  A cell phone has a pager in it that signals 
when it is getting a call, what cell to go for, and frequencies (check out the 
old Bell System Technical Journals from when cell technology was a research 
project at what is now Ameritech).  Cell receiver stations are arranged in a hex
about 8 miles on a face.  When a signal gets weak (it can tell signal 
strengths), the phone is handed off to a better cell; it can go a good round of 
local cells until it actually hits a stronger receiver site.  Using this, you 
can bounce the phone around to different cell receivers, test signal strength 
(none of this actually activates the phone, it is part of the standard polling),
and get a fairly good fix on location.  After that it is simply a matter of 
flooding the area with enough black and whites to find the phone (in this case, 
the car that OJ was driving around in, which they did pick up from a helo).  No 
real need for special gear, other than what it might take to track a signal 
through triangulation on a local basis; standard FCC gear for hunting pirate 
radio and video bands, and easily available for law enforcement.  So think of 
your cell phone as a leash, 'cause that's what it is.

Anyone else notice a serious *lack* of usage of cyberpunk style journalism in 
this one?  Scanners to track police, listening in on 911 reports, hunting down 
the local cell phones to listen to them, a directional mic to hear negotiations.
The local LAPD didn't even know how to pull the number of their own cell phone.

Back to lurking...  ;)
[A special note to our friends in the intelligence community out there...
 Tag, you're it!
 With love, The Nemesis Group]