...and, to contradict what I just posted, just saw this and it may be pertinent to our discussion:

GÇ£Spec Ops units perform clandestine work. Trained to move through the battlefield undetected, they utilize suits designed to minimize acoustic and electronic signatures making the wearer virtually invisible. Spec Ops-class suits are ideal for bypassing point defenses or infiltrating key battlefield locations.GÇ¥

...from https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=540018#post540018

So if we can take this statement as accurate the suit sensors are using two input channels, acoustic and electronic, besides straight-out optical detection.

My question then is what does the quoted db scan sensitivity refer to, acoustic signals, electronic signals, or both?

My hypothesis for testing is that each player has a scan precision (P) and targets have a profile (p). You then get a scan modifier based on (p)/(P) that enhances or reduces your effective detection range.

So if your base scan precision is 45 + a 25% precision, then your suit's precision is 33.75
Your suits scan radius is 15m + a 20% bonus from skills= 18m
Your target is a heavy with a base profile of 50, but he has his dropsuit at level 2 reduciding his profile by 10%= 45.

Your scanning modifier is then 1.333. I.e. you will pick up this loud target at an increased detection range of +33% or 24 m.

In reality they may have actually made the system even closer to the real effect of sound waves over distance, in which case there is a little more mathematically complicated relationship between relative dB level over distances. I don't quite understand it at the moment though.

I wouldn't be suprised then if the increase in signature from shields is proportional to the speed reduction from armor modules, so a +10% per shield extender module.

Is there a relationship between signature radius and sensor strength in eve though? It sounds like, if we are talking about shield increasing scan profile, that it would be uniting signature radius and sensor strength...

Your system may be better than mine, but I'm wondering what anomalies have you noticed that seem to suggest that the tacnet is misbehaving. One reason I think you may be right, is that if the calculation is based of a % of a max distance (it seems that the tacnet only sees 100m out currently...) then the active scanners pulsing out to 100m could be that limit.

IOW, with your formula, the active scanners wont see outside of their range no matter how sensitive they are or how loud other targets are. With mine they would see heavies and vehicles across the map.