1. Definitions

The generic term "interceptor" usually refers to a system comprising one or more antennas connected to a receiver, which filters and transposes signals onto the carriers present in the frequency band under scrutiny, and to a computer, which performs various analyses on the channels resulting from this filtering, in particular to search for carrier-modulated signals.

• In practice, an interceptor combines many functions. Indeed, the ultimate goal of an interception system is :

  • detection of the presence of signals on the various filtered channels;

  • measuring the characteristics of signals present in filtered channels (spectral templates, carrier frequencies, bandwidth, etc.), for example, to check that these signals comply with regulations (in a civil spectrum control...