Because so much of Brazil's geography is remote with no cellphone coverage the American satellites are a tempting, albeit illegal, communications option. This issue dates back more than a decade, to the mid-1990s, when Brazilian radio technicians discovered they could jump on the UHF frequencies dedicated to satellites in the Navy's Fleet Satellite Communication system, or FLTSATCOM. While you might expect drug dealers to help themselves to these services, others guilty of the crime include truck drivers and soccer fans. They desire to increase the range of their communications or coordinate operations. With so many offenders, prosecution to eradicate it on the ground probably won't have a major impact.
Satnews Daily
April 21st, 2009
National Phenomenon — Brazilian Hijacking of U.S. Military Satellites
Reports are in from the Brazilian Federal Police who are attempting to halt the hijacking of U.S. military satellites — an illegal act that has become a "national phenomenon."
The FLTSATCOM system provides worldwide, high-priority UHF communications between naval aircraft, ships, submarines, and ground stations and between the Strategic Air Command and the national command authority network. Fully operational in January 1981, the FLTSATCOM constellation is being replaced by the UFO (UHF Follow-on) spacecraft.
Because so much of Brazil's geography is remote with no cellphone coverage the American satellites are a tempting, albeit illegal, communications option. This issue dates back more than a decade, to the mid-1990s, when Brazilian radio technicians discovered they could jump on the UHF frequencies dedicated to satellites in the Navy's Fleet Satellite Communication system, or FLTSATCOM. While you might expect drug dealers to help themselves to these services, others guilty of the crime include truck drivers and soccer fans. They desire to increase the range of their communications or coordinate operations. With so many offenders, prosecution to eradicate it on the ground probably won't have a major impact.
Because so much of Brazil's geography is remote with no cellphone coverage the American satellites are a tempting, albeit illegal, communications option. This issue dates back more than a decade, to the mid-1990s, when Brazilian radio technicians discovered they could jump on the UHF frequencies dedicated to satellites in the Navy's Fleet Satellite Communication system, or FLTSATCOM. While you might expect drug dealers to help themselves to these services, others guilty of the crime include truck drivers and soccer fans. They desire to increase the range of their communications or coordinate operations. With so many offenders, prosecution to eradicate it on the ground probably won't have a major impact.