Havana Syndrome: Mysterious neurological symptoms are appearing in US diplomats and spies around the world

Here is a portable, Lithium-ion powered transmitter.
Spektrum - NX8 8-Channel DSMX Transmitter Only, Radi… $350 U.S. at Horizon Hobby. __https://ww__w.spektrumrc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=SPMR8200

From the last page in the manual (uploaded as SPMR8200):
Frequency Range and Wireless Output Power:
Control and Trainer: 2402-2478 MHz / WiFi: 2412-2462 MHz
Control: 18.7 dBm / Trainer: 1.43 dBm / WiFi: 18.5dBm

So, 18.7 dBm(decibel-milliwatts) from the transmitter is 74.13mW(milliwatt) power output. . Frequency in the range of 2402-2478 MHz.
"...average incident power density level of about 0.1 mW/cm2 and a peak intensity near 300 mW/cm2. [...] frequency range of 200-3000 MIHz and for pulse widths from 1-100 (micro)s”47.
[...] RF/MW in the 2.4-10,000MHz range45
.
To calculate that power output density (with dimension unit) we'd have to know the "gain" of the antenna (which I think depends on beam steering), and the distance to (and size of?) what the telemetry is zeroed in to transmit toward, the receiver.

On the DSMX technology:
The NX8 transmitter is built around proven Spektrum™ DSMX® 2.4GHz frequency-agile technology — the most advanced spread spectrum RC technology to date. By adding the agility of unique frequency shifts to the superior interference resistance of a wideband signal, and by limiting those shifts to a smaller portion of the 2.4GHz band, DSMX® transmitters provide on-channel interference protection that’s second to none.

From Wikipedia on spread spectrum, and the first section, "telecommunications":

Spread spectrum:
In telecommunication and radio communication, spread-spectrum techniques are methods by which a signal (e.g., an electrical, electromagnetic, or acoustic signal) generated with a particular bandwidth is deliberately spread in the frequency domain, resulting in a signal with a wider bandwidth. These techniques are used for a variety of reasons, including the establishment of secure communications, increasing resistance to natural interference, noise, and jamming, to prevent detection, to limit power flux density (e.g., in satellite down links), and to enable multiple-access communications.
Telecommunications:
Spread spectrum generally makes use of a sequential noise-like signal structure to spread the normally narrowband information signal over a relatively wideband (radio) band of frequencies. The receiver correlates the received signals to retrieve the original information signal. Originally there were two motivations: either to resist enemy efforts to jam the communications (anti-jam, or AJ), or to hide the fact that communication was even taking place, sometimes called low probability of intercept (LPI).[1]
So, DMSX transmitters provide on-channel interference protection (to resist communications jamming), or, could transmit information with pulse modulation, since there's a low probability of intercept unless the receiver is actually linked up to what the transmitter is doing, or you have a very nice field spectrum analyzer.
Just more documentation that this could be done remotely. Will try out some math for the power density level if I can define the variables. Although it could only work if it's hooked up to an airplane...
 

Attachments

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Uploading here a second draft (with some edits and improved formatting) of an amicus curiae brief to try to address this topic. 19pgs.
The conclusion:
"From the Havana paper (B.A. Golomb, “Diplomats’ Mystery(...)”.pdf) it is rather well established that RF/MW/EM technology is capable of creating "hearing" phenomena, and that ongoing exposure to radiation is broadly injurious, as mediated by oxidative stress. This is complicated by the possible interaction of “regular” sound phenomena also contributing, confounding observation and analysis. However, it can be said that there seems to be a gap in understanding between the public sphere (including the author) and the military’s knowledge with regards to the nuts and bolts operative technologies available to SIGINT and EW personnel.

The belabored exposition of the services offered at https://__cri.com is to illustrate how a "back-end" service, with modern computing and mathematical systems, Software as a Service (SaaS), et. al., could serve to broadcast unique signal content that has a low probability of intercept to unwitting parties. There are some obvious "front-end" effectuators of such distribution, such as downstream broadcast nodes (e.g. radio/cell towers, 5G installations). As an addendum, I will also include a manual for a portable remote control system designed for flying model airplanes (SPMR8200). Although this is for a "hobby", the array of functions alongside broadcasting capabilities bespeak greater potential functionality. There seems to be nothing stopping an end-user from reconfiguring the power supply (save for limitations in the circuitry: but the only mention in the manual is to provide at least 3.7V; higher voltage could seemingly be provided for higher power output), and there are serial ports that can accommodate digital data uplinks, or RF re-broadcast, and/or ported external antennae.

This serves to illustrate that a front-end effectuator of electronic warfare which can "...operate fully in the 21st century" may appear benign, or to have a different dedicated function, but could potentially be turned toward other purposes. This includes any hardware/software platform with EM wave transmittance capability (e.g. smart meters, cellular phones, wi-fi routers). On the other hand, devices specifically geared toward effectuating the type of “advertising” or “distribution” of digital signal content (or, a psychological operation a la electronic attack, “psychic driving”) described herein would have "bespoked form factors" pointing towards such capability {e.g. higher power (as decibel-milliwatts, dBm, or milliwatts per cm2, mW/cm2)output, larger/more advanced emitter, conspicuous power/data transmittance; and/or capability geared toward piggybacking on other EM signals or actual ambient sound waves}. An important consideration would be directionality of the antenna (beam-steering) and its contribution to power density level as antenna gain (see: “Power Density” https://w__ww.phys.hawaii.edu/~anita/new/papers/militaryHandbook/pwr-dens.pdf).

It is my contention that a system operation utilizing negative suggestion (“psychic driving”) and/or radiation degradation may have played a part in disturbing or destabilizing many persons or groups, some of whom have gone on rampages, in recent history. Also that there are unacknowledged tools in this domain which are being brought to bear in the Havana syndrome issue, exposure to which is demonstrably injurious. Lastly, that the public being ignorant of these issues, namely of the potential for psychological operations to be effectuated by electronic warfare tools, leaves us vulnerable, subject to manipulation, and has likely been and is being leveraged against the citizenry."
 

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New cases of the Havana syndrome in Austria.


Vienna has joined forces with Washington in a probe into the mysterious outbreak of the so-called ‘Havana syndrome’ among American diplomats in the Austrian capital.
“We take these reports very seriously and in line with our role as host state we are working with the US authorities on jointly getting to the bottom of this,” the Austrian Foreign Ministry told various media in a short statement.
The mysterious illness first came to light back in 2016 at the American embassy in Cuba and has since been known as ‘Havana syndrome’. It includes headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, hearing and vision impairment, vertigo and memory loss that apparently come as a result of some brain injuries of unknown origin.
ALSO ON RT.COMEx-ambassador appointed to lead ‘Havana syndrome’ task force, as CIA expands inquiry into mysterious brain injuries
The US authorities have since recorded more than 130 instances of the mysterious disease among officials stationed overseas and stateside. Some cases were reported among the US officials in China and even in Washington, DC, not far from the White House.
The cause of the illness remains unknown. Various unproven theories about its origin include possibilities of directed microwave radiation attacks by US adversaries, infectious diseases, exposure to fumigation pesticides and even noises made by a species of cricket.
In December 2020, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) concluded that “directed, pulsed radio frequency energy” was the “most plausible” explanation behind the onset of illness. The report commissioned by the State Department did not rule out other possibilities, though.
US diplomats in Vienna have been reporting the mysterious symptoms since almost as far back as President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Washington opted to keep the matter secret, supposedly to not impede an ongoing investigation. The Vienna cases were first reported by the New Yorker magazine on Friday.
According to the New Yorker, CIA director William Burns is “highly committed to their care and to determining the cause of these incidents.”
ALSO ON RT.COMWho caused ‘Havana syndrome’? With latest research naming no culprit, MSM rushes to declare Russia ‘microwave’ exposure mastermind
The US State Department then confirmed that a probe has been launched into the matter and that American and Austrian officials are working together to clear things up.
“In coordination with our partners across the US government, we are vigorously investigating reports of possible unexplained health incidents among the US Embassy Vienna community,” the State Department said, adding that all those affected have received “immediate and appropriate attention and care.”
The US embassy in the Austrian capital did not provide any comment on the issue.
The New Yorker, meanwhile, could not help but entertain the idea that the traditional boogeyman – Russia – might very well be behind the series of unexplained incidents affecting the US diplomats. The magazine said that both administrations of Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, believed that it was Russian military intelligence operatives “aiming microwave-radiation devices at US officials” who are to blame for all of this.
The New Yorker then admitted, however, that US intelligence has found no evidence to support such a hypothesis.
ALSO ON RT.COMUS Senate votes to give financial aid to ‘Havana Syndrome’ victims & resurrects spectre of mystery weapon behind ‘attacks’
Austrian media like Der Standard pointed to the fact that Vienna was seen as a sort of “global espionage capital” ever since the Cold War. Austrian authorities have a reputation for noninterference as long as foreign spy games do not affect the Alpine nation.
Unlike the New Yorker, the Austrian newspaper did not point a finger at any particular US adversary but mentioned instead that America has one of its largest CIA offices in Vienna.
 

CIA taps Bin Laden hunter to probe mystery ‘Havana syndrome’ plaguing spies & diplomats, as US says cases hit 200 – reports​



The CIA has tasked a veteran officer involved in the decade-long hunt for Osama Bin Laden to investigate the so-called “Havana syndrome” afflicting US spies and diplomats overseas, the Wall Street Journal reported.
CIA Director William Burns recently selected the intelligence officer, who has not been identified, to lead a task force to investigate the unexplained symptoms, the Journal reported on Wednesday, citing “current and former officials familiar with the matter.”
The agency reportedly launched the task force in February, while a separate State Department initiative also got underway in March, led by Pamela Spratlen, a former ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan between 2011 and 2018.

A number of observers online found irony in the new appointment, recalling that the search for the Al-Qaeda figurehead took over a decade, following Washington’s invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.


Bin Laden was ultimately located in 2011 in a village just north of the Pakistani capital, having slipped out of Afghanistan in the early days of the US war, which continued for another 20 years regardless. According to journalist Seymour Hersh, his whereabouts had long been known by Pakistani intelligence, which works closely with the American intel community.


While its cause remains unknown, the “Havana syndrome” has affected up to 200 Americans since it was first detected at the US Embassy in Cuba in 2016, US officials claimed on Tuesday. They said nearly half of the reported cases had involved CIA officers or their relatives, while the others were divided between Pentagon and State Department personnel. A range of symptoms have been linked with the ailment, including dizziness, cognitive problems, nausea, fatigue, and severe headaches.

Last December, a panel at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded that a “directed, pulsed radio frequency (RF) energy” device was the likely culprit behind the mysterious illness. However, other experts have voiced doubt about the ‘directed energy’ hypothesis, including Cheryl Rofer, who worked as a chemist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for nearly four decades.

“The evidence for microwave effects of the type categorized as Havana syndrome is exceedingly weak,” she wrote in a May op-ed for the magazine Foreign Policy. “No proponent of the idea has outlined how the weapon would actually work. No evidence has been offered that such a weapon has been developed by any nation.”


Other theories have also been floated. While the Associated Press released audio in 2017 of a cricket-like sound purported to be a “sonic attack” on US diplomats in Cuba, a pair of experts reviewed the recording and determined it didn’t merely sound like insects, but literally was the mating call of the male Indies short-tailed cricket. Neurologists that spoke with The Guardian suggested mass hysteria could explain the Havana syndrome, saying the symptoms could be psychosomatic rather than the result of an advanced weapon.

Washington has nonetheless sought to subtly cast blame on Moscow for the strange symptoms, with numerous media reports citing unnamed “top officials” who “privately suspect that Russia is responsible for the Havana syndrome.” Little to no evidence has been provided to support the claim, however.
 
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