[liberationtech] Exactly how are satellite transmissions tapped/intercepted, in Syria and elsewhere?

[Jacob Appelbaum]

On 11/28/2011 08:46 PM, Brian Conley wrote:
> I'm also trying to determine whether iridium phones may be any
> "better" than Inmarsat, and how much better, etc. it's clear thurayas
> are no longer an acceptable option by any regard.

I nearly forgot to mention this really great project by Harald and friends:
http://gmr.osmocom.org/trac/

To quote his page entirely:
"This is the homepage of the Osmocom sub-project GEO Mobile Radio.

It is collecting information and software related to the ETSI GEO Mobile
Radio specification and its practical implementations like the Thuraya
satellite phone network

GEO Mobile Radio is a set of specifications describing a satellite based
mobile phone network.

Radio aspects

It uses the L-band frequencies 1634 to 1656 MHz (earth to space) and
1532.5 to 1554.5 MHz (space to earth) for communication between mobile
phones and the respective satellites. The polarization is circular
(left) and the modulation is pi/4 QPSK, using a channel spacing of 31.25
kHz"

Here's a guide for doing your own Thuraya interception:
http://gmr.osmocom.org/trac/wiki/Receiver_Setup

All the best,
Jacob