FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does PocketHound identify callers or their phone numbers?
No. PocketHound Cell Detector is a precision RF cellular scanning device that identies cellphone activity (both standby mode and active modes) and assists in
locating them.
How far away can I detect cell phones?
Typical range is about 75 feet but this varies depending upon the environment.
Can I detect phones in standby mode?
PocketHound can detect phones in the standby mode but keep in mind when a phone is ON in standby it is not constantly transmitting. Phones register to the
local cell tower/base station at different intervals that the tower/carrier determines (could be every so many seconds, minutes, 5 minutes, or we have seen 20
minutes). When a phone registers it is a short pulse less than 1 sec so the BLUE LED will light up quickly and vibrator will not vibrate because the pulse is so short.
Easy test is if you take your phone and put it next to PocketHound and shut off your phone completely wait a few minutes then turn the phone on your phone
should try to register to the base station and you should see a short ash on the PocketHound.
Will PocketHound work in a noisy RF environment?
PocketHound has auto threshold that scans the local RF noise oor in order to identify cell phone energy just above that level. Auto threshold may also be manu-
ally adjusted by the user.
Does PocketHound Cell Detector detect phones that are powered off?
No. A phone that is turned off cannot be detected.
Can PocketHound detect text messaging as well as voice calls?
Yes; as long as the RF transmissions are made over the prescribed frequency band(s) the PocketHound receiver will detect them. However, since text transmissions
tend to be short and intermittent (as opposed to voice or data downloads (webpages, email attachments, large pics, etc.) which are more continuous), the user
would have to pay undivided attention to the PocketHound alerts to catch text messaging activity.
Can PocketHound only detect cell phones or can it locate them as well ? If so, how?
PocketHound can both detect and help locate cell phones. The internal antenna has some directionality built-in along with a series of visible LED signal strength
indicators on top of the PocketHound. This gives the user the ability to hone in on the nearest cell phone activity without having to move closer to that cell phone.
Can PocketHound stimulate a cell phone to transmit RF signals?
No, PocketHound only detects RF signals; to stimulate a cell phone it would have to transmit RF signals, which would violate FCC regulations and guidelines.
TOLL FREE 1-888-737-4287 • (outside U.S. & Canada) +1 732-548-3737 • www.pockethound.com • support@bvsystems.com
PocketHound will vibrate and display blue LEDs when it de-
tects a cell phone. The number of blue LEDs correspond to the
signal strength detected (i.e. 3 blue LEDs indicate a stronger
(and possibly closer mobile phone activity) than 1 blue LED).
PocketHound has a semi-directional antenna under the front
label so keep the front (PocketHound glossy, domed label)
facing towards the area of interest while scanning.
MAKING MEASUREMENTS
In the Manual Mode the unit can be adjusted on the fly as you are patrolling the areas of concern. If the unit
starts detecting constantly, the threshold setting can be adjusted higher than the received signal strength
to desensitize the unit. Enter Manual Threshold mode anytime by first pushing in the toggle button to enter
SELECT mode. If the 2nd from the left LED isn’t lit, toggle DOWN once to enter MANUAL Threshold mode.
In this mode, you can raise (focus on strongest signals) and lower (focus on weakest signals) the threshold
sensitivity by toggling UP or DOWN respectively.
There are 10 Manual threshold settings. To set the Manual Threshold setting, press the toggle wheel one
time and you should see only one LED lit. First, you will need to zero the unit by toggling the wheel down
10 times. Then you can proceed to set the level from 1-10 by toggling the wheel up 1 increment at a time.
Keep in mind that the unit is detecting RF as you are setting the threshold. The ideal setting will be slightly
higher than the background RF level.
Manual Threshold mode allows users to discriminate against certain signals
SELECTING MANUAL THRESHOLD
