University of Ghana student builds wireless FM surveillance device
A University of Ghana student of Computer Engineering, Joshua Anquandah has built what he calls ‘Wireless FM Bug’ which is a surveillance device as part of his final year project.
Anquandah told ghanabusinessnews.com that the wireless FM bug is a sensitive miniature very high FM wireless microphone transmitter of the type ‘Wide Band Frequency Modulation Wireless Microphone (WBFMWM)’.
He said, basically, it serves as a detective device to secretly monitor conversation and can be used to detect lies. “We can call it a surveillance device”, he said.
“This is a hardware device which involves RF (radio frequency) circuit design. What makes the FM bug different from other devices is its sensitive nature and wireless property. In telecommunication, a bug is a hidden listening device,” he explained.
According to Anquandah, the FM bug receives sound waves preferably human voice with a range of 300-3000Hz through the microphone. The sound wave is converted into electrical energy and then back to audio signal at the output end. In view of that, there are three (3) stages (modules) involved in the implementation of the bug. They are the audio amplifier, FM oscillator and the RF buffer/ power amplifier stages. The sound wave received through the microphone is amplified to a level that can be modulated over RF or electromagnetic wave. The electromagnetic wave that is constantly generated at the FM oscillator stage is buffered with adequate power being supplied to be transmitted strongly through the antenna. Finally, the audio signal is output and retrieved from a broadcast radio FM set to a calculated FM band (88MHz-108MHz).
He indicated that the wireless FM bug is made to be hidden and to camouflage at the location of instalment. When it is installed at any premise assuming conditions are favourable, one can tune in to a set frequency channel e.g. 101.7 deduced from calculations. Listening to the audio within the range of 50-500meters is phenomenal, he added.
Favourable conditions, he said will involve wireless communication where there are little or no obstacles such as bad weather, trees and metallic structures to hinder electromagnetic wave flow. Such a miniature FM transmitter being deployed is of a simplex form of communication. The security service, police department and military service should add the wireless FM bug to their shopping cart, he suggested.
Anquandah who is waiting to do his National Service is optimistic that the device could revolutionise security operations in the country if it is adapted in surveillance and crime detection.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
Excellent work and keep some of this technology coming to further other research for both medical and Telecommunication as well as a nich in Security agency environment.
Ghanaian students should continue to persue R & D (Research and Development) to bring the nation to the for front of world technological development.
This is a very determined and promising young man i am sure that with as much determination and devotion He put into creating this device that he has great potential to do even greater things then this.We all need to take cues fom Him and dauntlessly try to invest in our countries technological development
kudos to the young chap and may he live to develope this idea. Africans need doers and not talkers. great effort there!
good work…….congrates……the Security Svc shld buy de stuff
congratulations joshua—looks like your persistance & hard work
may lead to something important for your country.—freedom to use
one’s ingenuity & talents hopefully is the wave of the future–do keep
up the good work–don m. calif. u.s.a.
Congratulations my precious Joshusa. You’ve brought back postive memery into our system. Yes! For over 950 Billion ago; active souls of your type have worked wonders among us all with glorification of The Most High Almight
We will be talking to you soon. We are proud of you. Continue to shine…
Hey Josh,congrats.Goodwork u bn doing al thru 2the end.What uve now accomplished is fantastic,mightybold of u.I find it fascinating that it took such a short available tym2finish ev thin up.Well done,bros!Im workin on some n-protocol override hacks in advanced netwkn,n aime na need u on board,Chek una mailbox!
Oh Ekow,that’s an excellent performance.i urge the government to help this young man to excel.he is a he is a star of ur nation.A.C.E
great work. How can one get in touch with you. Call on radio univers studio on campus ok?
come on people. this is a wireless microphone. this is not an invention of any kind. a microphone attached to an fm transmitter that anyone can make with a diy guide from the internet. there is absolutely no innovation here.
Ghanabuyo, the story did not say it is an invention, hope you got that. Secondly, you claim any one can make one, but you did not say you or any has made one yet. Typical Ghanaian attitude, never learning to appreciate other people’s achievements, but doing everything to belittle them. At least, you could have also told us how you have made something that any one could make anyway, instead of just saying there is no innovation here.
Mind you, though that, most inventions are what others could have done, but never did, until one person takes the initiative to do.
Let us read about what you have done one of these days.
Kofi Tia,
i am not in any way doing “everything” to belittle anyone. i’m simply suggesting that it does not merit the sort of noise it’s making. and by saying that it’s something one can learn to do from the internet, i don’t see the need to point at other people who do it, because the fact that the DIY instructions are available online in itself implies that many people are doing it. and by the way, i built an fm transmitter for my high school project, just like thousands of teenage kids around the world. this is by no way belittling the young man, and perhaps i should say that by yours and his standards, as well as the many others raving on this forum, this is an achievement, but by mine, it isn’t. and as you can agree, instead of telling me that my assessment was not grounded in fact (because that was something you could not challenge), you only made an attack on my character, and just by the mere fact that i’m ghanaian i’m programmed to hate on anyone who does something good.
@ ghanabuyo,if you dont have anything positive to say you should just encourage ,there is no need for envy,…at most you should provide contructive criticism in which this young man can use to improve on,why the negativity!!!?? Life is to short to covet and fancy unmerited attention,next time when you accomplish somthing i am sure you will receive ample comending,but Let others also be extolled!GOOD JOB JOSHUA!
i’m really starting to enjoy this…except for the part where i repeatedly explain to people that there is no ill will here. simply put, i’m a scientist, and i’d expect far better from a university project than a wireless fm transmitter attached to a microphone. and people are making comments like “security services should use this product”. the truth is, he has a very long way to go. but hey, whenever criticism is offered, people choose to perceive it as an attack. i’m not interested in commendation; i get paid for what i do.
I side with ghanabuyo. Nothing inventive nor innovative here. ghanabuyo, the response you are getting from everyone is not surprising. this is Ghana, and unfortunately, we’re not such an educated people, so something like this gets to be seen as it is. this will no doubt procure me my share of the assault, but truth is truth.
congratulations!you have made Africa proud.Keep up with innovations.
Joshua, this is so impressive! I am very proud of you. Keep up the good work.
Steve.
Dallas, TX.
That’s my bro. Am so proud of him…. go Josh more grease to ur elbow.