Prepare to be amazed!
The pilots of the USS Nimitz officially tracked the TicToc UFO (or UAP) using the state-of-the-art Spy One Aegis System. Specifically, the phased array (SPY-1(V) [AEGIS]). The radar operator Kevin Day aboard the Nimitz’s consort, USS Princeton, played a pivotal role in this encounter.
This advanced military-grade passive radar system comes at a staggering cost of approximately $20 million! (For more info, check out: SPY-1 Wikipedia.)
But what if I told you that you could build your very own passive radar system at a fraction of that price? Imagine tracking not only commercial aircraft and meteorites entering Earth’s atmosphere. You could potentially track UFOs themselves—if luck is on your side!
A bit of SETI Passive Radar history
A temporarily unverified anecdote: In 2018, Peter Davenport, the Director of the National UFO Reporting Center, revealed to a friend that he had contacted Dr. Jill Tarter on February 3, 2014, about his paper advocating the use of “passive” radar to detect UFOs near Earth.
He emphasized that his goal was to propose a collaborative effort for a thorough investigation. However, Dr. Tarter’s reply was brief and somewhat dismissive; she mentioned that she had retired from SETI and would forward his message to Gerry Harp, the new Director.
Despite Davenport’s follow-up attempts, he received no response from Harp, suggesting a reluctance within SETI to engage with UFO research initiatives. My friend described this reaction as surprising, given SETI’s public perception as pioneers in the search for extraterrestrial life.
SETI’s reaction, however (or lack thereof), is not surprising to me.
What is SDR-based Passive Radar?
Firstly, SDR stands for “Software Defined Radio.” This incredible technology emulates everything you would expect to find in a conventional radio receiver through software. This makes SDR radios much more affordable and loaded with features that traditional counterparts can only dream of!
A depiction of a passive radar experiment from 1935 with two “antennas.” The antennas consist of lengths of cable suspended above the ground. One of the antennas picked up a signal from the BBC directly. Then the second “antenna” picked up the reflection of that same signal from an aircraft, enabling the creation of a radar image. More directional antennas produce better results.
To construct this phenomenal passive radar station, all you need are two SDR radio dongles for your computer. In 2025 these are priced at $35 each (Amazon.com). Yes, you read that right! You will also need two antennas. (A link to the instructions you find at the end of this page.)
The Magic of Passive Radar
Here’s the best part: you don’t need a license to build and operate a passive radar station! As the name suggests, it operates entirely passively, meaning that your setup does not emit any radar beams.
Instead, you harness radio signals from local radio stations as your signal source. These signals naturally bounce off objects like meteorites, aircraft, or even those elusive UFOs!
Building Your Own SDR-based Passive Radar on a Budget!
Let’s kick things off with proof! Below you’ll find an animation showcasing measurements of airplanes and meteors captured by a radar system created with a few easily accessible components. Get ready to be thrilled!
What can you expect from this DIY Passive Radar? Check out this recording:
Of course, you’ll be much more likely to see plane traffic, meteorites, and low-flying objects like the International Space Station. This is more probable than any more exotic objects passing through your field of view.
The worlds first UFO case confirmed by amateur passive radar!
A round of applause to Josef Garcia and GEP for achieving the first amateur verification of a UFO via passive radar! Link (German):
Take a look at these remarkable amateur passive radar images contributed by Josef Garcia:
AI-driven filtering and detection of UFO radar tracks
Unlocking the Skies: How AI Is Revolutionizing UFO Detection
Picture this: a radar blip streaks across the screen at 74,000 km/h (46,000 mph), halts mid-air, then pivots instantly—defying gravity, physics, and every known aircraft on Earth. This isn’t science fiction. These are the jaw-dropping maneuvers that set UFOs apart from conventional planes, drones, or even meteorites. But how do we spot these anomalies in a sea of ordinary radar data? The answer lies in the flight patterns no human pilot or machine could survive—and the AI that’s learning to track them.
UFOs don’t follow the rules.
They hover silently, sometimes for hours, accelerate faster than a hypersonic missile, or execute 90-degree turns at speeds that would shred any human-made craft. While not all UFOs pull off these physics-defying stunts, those that do leave a glaring signature: a trail of radar data that screams “this isn’t from our world.”
But here’s the catch: manually scouring radar feeds for these rare, split-second events is like finding a needle in a cosmic haystack. It’s tedious, time-consuming, and prone to human error. Enter AI-powered pattern recognition—a game-changer in the hunt for the unexplained. Imagine training algorithms to flag the impossible.
Machine learning models can digest decades of radar data, learning the difference between a commercial jet, a weather balloon, and an object that stops dead in the sky before vanishing at Mach 60. These systems never sleep, never blink, and process millions of data points in real time, alerting scientists only when they detect the extraordinary: sudden accelerations, inhuman G-force maneuvers, or objects that defy aerodynamic logic.
(Image: Amateur passive radar setup)
Machine learning isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about unlocking mysteries. By automating the detection of UFO signatures, AI turns a once-impossible task into a scalable mission.
Researchers can focus on analysis instead of endless screen-watching, accelerating our understanding of these enigmatic phenomena.
The skies are stranger than we think. And with AI as our co-pilot, we’re finally building the tools to decode their secrets—one anomalous blip at a time. 🛸✨
Ready to rethink what’s possible? The truth isn’t just out there… it’s in the data.
Curious about passive radar technology? (the AI part comes later)
Click below to find out how to built your own Passive-Radar-Station.
