The Research Vehicle was purchased used in the fall of 2001. A local Veterinarian was using it as a Mobile Veterinarian Clinic. Work was immediately started to accommodate a wide range of video and audio surveillance equipment as well as a shower, toilet and pull out bed. Also included is a Honda 4500-watt gas powered generator and four heavy duty 12VDC Gel-Cell batteries which supply all power to the surveillance equipment. The 25 foot extendable mast was installed to give the Raytheon NightSight 200 Thermal Imaging System a birds eye view of the surrounding countryside.
Located on the roof of the research vehicle is a 360-Degree Perimeter viewing camera of my own design. The camera allows you to see a full 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding area on one video monitor.

All video and audio signals are connected to a pair of 19-inch rack control panels. From here the video is viewed and recorded. Cameras are also controlled from this location.

Other video gear includes a mobile video transmitter and receiver. This allows for remotely positioned cameras. These cameras can be placed a mile away from the research vehicle and can transmit live video images back to the vehicle. A laptop computer is used as a digital audio recorder. Hundreds of hours of audio can be recorded, even when the vehicle is not occupied.

Communications include the latest GMRS radios along with an aircraft radio. The aircraft radio is used only when we have aircraft involved in a search area. The aircraft can be fitted with the portable Thermal Camera. This gives us the ability to cover a much larger search area. The laptop offers full Internet accessibility 24 hours a day.

Thermal Infrared Cameras

The Raytheon NightSight 200 Thermal Imaging system is the real workhorse for nighttime surveillance. This camera detects only the heat given off by objects. So there is no need for any type of artificial lighting. This camera can detect a man up to 800 yards away and still see his legs and arms, day or night. A smaller, more portable Thermal Camera is used when doing deep field study. This handheld thermal camera is about the size of a large flashlight. Its battery powered and has a 2-½ inch LCD display. It also has a video out connector that can be connected to a camcorder for recording or to the video/audio transmitter so the live video can be transmitted back to the research vehicle. This unit has come in very handy in many situations.

I am currently building an inexpensive hand-held Thermal Imager that has a target price of about $6500.00. Most handheld Thermal cameras cost about $10,000.00 and up! I am convinced that Thermal Imaging, coupled with more field research holds the key to unlocking this mystery.

The Bigfoot Caller/Recorder

This is another device I designed. I used a flashlight body to hold all the electronics to listen, record and broadcast all kinds of animal calls. This really works great when you hear animal calls while in the field. Up to two minutes of calls can be recorded or broadcast from this simple device. Any calls can be downloaded from the computer, then played in the field. I utilized the parabolic reflector of the flashlight to broadcast the sound from the $2.30 computer speaker. The sound from the caller is very loud, so it can be heard from a long distance away.