Portable Radio Jammer
Description:
The idea of the portable radio jammer developed in high school. I noticed that radio-controlled devices such as drones and RC cars were gaining popularity for accomplishing various tasks. These devices could easily be used for intrusive purposes with no easy way to intervene. My project idea was to build and program a portable radio jammer capable of jamming communications to the operator, rendering these devices useless.
The project was constructed using a Raspberry Pi and was powered using a 5-volt portable charger. The main program was developed using C, C++, and Python. The interface prompted the user for a radio frequency to interfere with. Once entered, the Raspberry Pi encoded music which broadcasted over the frequency and acted as noise. Music files were used as a method of validation to verify that the jammer was causing the interference. Data was collected and further validated using an RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer to visualize interference and harmonics.
This radio jammer was tested on a variety of devices. It was successfully able to interfere with RC cars, FM radio frequencies, garage door openers and other common radio remotes, car keys, and (using radio frequency harmonics) certain drones.
The project was such a success that a provisional patent was filed and approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the source code developed for this project.
Nick Tremaroli 