Sniper antenna

[Treylis]

Go ahead, any of you want to point this out of a window to get a signal? Maybe you'll even get lucky and nobody will try and shoot back.



"A friend of mine from the Shmoo hacker group told me about this amazing DefCon stunt back in June and swore me to secrecy, and it's been one of the hardest secrets I've ever kept, because this is so goddamned cool.

The Sniper Yagi is an M16 with the firing apparatus removed and replaced with a directional high-powered antenna. Use the sniper stand and sight to line up your WiFi shot, plug in, and let the packets begin!"

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/03/sniper_rifle_modded_.html

 

[techmike]

uh...if you say so....

because this is so goddamned cool.

Seems like an exceptionally bad idea to me. I'll stick with my pringles can antenna, less likely to get me shot/arrested.

 

[Kharn]

That doesnt look one bit like an M16.
What moron thought that would be a good idea?

Kharn

 

[Fly320s]

Looks more like a shotgun receiver than an M16.

 

[junyo]

I've seen camera's mounted to a rifle stock, to stabilize long lenses when you're shooting action. And it probably would make aiming a really narrowly focused antenna a bit easier. But yeah, this sems like a flagrantly bad idea.

 

[4v50 Gary]

About half a year ago the CHP received reports of a sniper on a hilltop. Turns out it was a harmless fellow with a very long telephoto lens. Still, do you want the hassle?

 

[Treylis]

uh...if you say so....

Haha, I didn't say so, hence the quotes. My actual comment up on top was: " Go ahead, any of you want to point this out of a window to get a signal? Maybe you'll even get lucky and nobody will try and shoot back."

 

[bogie]

When I was in Panama prior to the "action," playing media person, we had to be VERY careful with our video stuff.

Why?

Ever notice that a person with a large-size commercial quality video camera pointed at you over the top of a vehicle looks, from a distance, like a person who is pointing a rocket launcher at you?

 

[synoptic]

It is an interesting concept. You have to understand that this is really just a concept design. Something to show off and such. I doubt he pulls it out of his closet except when it is time to show it off again.

 

[RevDisk]

I was at Defcon and looked over the design. From the design standpoint, it has a lot wrong with it. A power amp is build into the stock, and the antenna funnels amp'd RF straight into your skull at the distance of less than a foot. Not exactly healthy.

I've worked on WiFi rigs before, and am actually working on something similiar but obviously a lot safer.


Any other geeks here go to Defcon?

 

[Treylis]

Looks more like a shotgun receiver than an M16.

A lot of people will say M16/AK/Glock etc. when they mean ANY gun whatsoever. I found it particularly hilarious when somebody called a single-action Ruger wheelgun a Glock a while back on a different forum I frequent.

 

[Snowdog]

Um... I guess I'm a Neanderthal of sorts, but I'm still trying to figure out what the hell this is all about.

Does anyone care to explain what this is and what it does?

Thanks in advance.

 

[thumbtack]

Now that is a shame to go and ruin a perfectly good gun.

 

[Treylis]

Does anyone care to explain what this is and what it does?

It's a tacticaled-out antenna for accessing wireless networks. That's it, heh.

 

[BryanP]

This article over at Toms Hardware has a much larger picture, and more details.

 

[RevDisk]

The meantioned rifle is actually a Bluetooth model. This is a wireless protocol for cell phones, PDA's and such. What can this be used for? Hijacking your PDA, taking over cell phones is one is foolish enough to use unrestricted bluetooth, etc.


The design is basically a highly directional long range beam of RF energy. The manufacturer claims Bluetooth only has a range of 10m or so. The rifle has a range of half a mile.


A Canadian and I intend to work on a WiFi version with a range of a couple miles. RF has a much longer range than the human eye. It's also silent and invisible. Highly directional antenna means low probability of interception. Really, we just want a portable WiFi sniffer with a good range that is rather rugged.