As I was reading Bass_20Seeking_20Missile

It reminded me of an idea I had for talking to other drivers on the road from inside their car radios...

FM transmitter with a VCO in the RF section and a steady audio tone for a signal source (this exists) then you have a laser light reflectance snooper scope (this exists as well, really... trust me) feeding back to a PLL to detect the audio frequency and a small microcontroller to coordinate the thing.

Aim the snooper scope at the offending cars windows... pull the trigger and the microcontroller sweeps the FM transmitter over the broadcast spectrum until the poor guys car radio picks up the tone which is then heard by the snooper scope and causes the rf sweep to stop and your mic to be switched in place of the audio generator.

Now you can talk and your voice comes out the guys dashboard. Or for those lovely people with REALLY good bass speakers, it comes out of his entire car for all to hear. So there should be an option for a loop of the Barney song in place of the mic. This is, of course, better if they are listening to the radio at full volumn.

Doen't work for CD's or MP3 players. EMP is the only hope for that.
-- James Newton, Aug 02 2002

The "Warn-Tone" http://www.newscien...s.jsp?id=ns99992621
Did an Australian politician sell UnaBubba's million-dollar idea to the British? [Monkfish, Aug 04 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

What is RDS? http://searchnetwor...7_gci843844,00.html
Hack this, and you could solve the CD/MP3 problem [krelnik, Oct 19 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Pirate Broadcasting http://news.bbc.co....sci/tech/592972.stm
Pirate broadcasters using RDS to get on people's car radios [krelnik, Oct 19 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

(?) The Big Dig's Big Brain http://asia.reuters...ews&storyID=2473516
31 Mar 03 | The Big Dig project in Boston will have a big electronic nerve center that includes the ability to alert motorists to hazards by breaking into their radio broadcasts. [bristolz, Oct 04 2004]

Car Whisperer http://trifinite.or...f_carwhisperer.html
Baked! Takes advantage of poor Bluetooth security to allow you to speak to someone using the "hands free" feature of their car. [krelnik, Aug 01 2005]

Bass Seeking Missile Bass_20Seeking_20Missile
The inspiration for this idea [James Newton, Feb 17 2007]

YOU'RE MAD!
It might work.
-- reensure, Aug 03 2002


Man, if this does get "baked" i hope it is kept on a down low. It would be really nice to be the only person with this device. But think of the repercussions. Everyone having the devices, the devices being built into cars, people having shouting matches and then maybe getting out of their cars to beat eachother senseless and/or getting into wrecks. oh my.
-- kittybot, Aug 03 2002


Hopefully it could be used for positive intentions too though!! Like you could buzz someone and say: "nice turn there buddy" or "ta for letting me change lanes!"
-- Eronel, Aug 03 2002


<wonders>if the call came via radio</wonders>
-- thumbwax, Aug 04 2002


I already have the voice of god in my car. She sits next to me and tirelessly points out any deficiencies in my driving
-- dare99, Aug 04 2002


I just read that they want to do something like this in the UK for fire engines. Then want the fire engine to have a short range (like 100milliwatts) transmitter with a very narrow transmittion cone (so it only hits the cars in front) to tell the cars in its path that there is a fire engine behind it. It will also transmit a signal that radios use to get traffic information (you're listening to a CD but it switches to radio to get traffic reports) to deal with people listening to CDs or tapes. Unsuprisingly the Broadcasting Authorities don't like the idea much.
-- elemental, Aug 04 2002


Newton: If you're not looking for stealth, it can be accomplished with hardware that was available 20+ years ago. Any CB radio with about a 500 watt linear amplifier pretty much blows out car stereos within 25 - 30 feet in every direction, regardless of what station they are listening to, or even if they're listening to CD's/MP3's/8 track, whatever.

Most car stereos have little shielding against front end RF overload, not necessarily over the radio frequency they're listening to, but into the amplifier circuit itself. Aftermarket car stereo amplifiers are also sensitive, but usually moreso due to poor grounding or long power leads that act as antennas. Regardless of what they happen to be listening to in their vehicle, when you key that rig up, they hear you LOUD AND CLEAR!

Add a cheap overmodulated power echo microphone, and you can even cause feedback between their radio and your mic. With the echo, the GOD like gag is even better.. (this is GOD speaking..ing...ing...)

This setup is also highly effective in one way communication in a GOD-like manner over: TV's, landline telephones, baby monitors, clock radios, computer speakers, and just about anything else with a speaker and poorly shielded amplifier.

As an added bonus, some R/C toys (both cheap and expensive) use 27MHz channels that fall between certain CB frequencies.. A 500 watt dead-key (silence) that is 10kHz off from a 100mW R/C transmitter will overpower and disable said R/C vehicles as soon as they are more than 10 feet away from the R/C transmitter.
-- Mr Burns, Aug 04 2002


I propose a commandment to address the malicious use of one's finger.
-- polartomato, Aug 05 2002


[thcgenius] Good point about the CB w/ linear amp. I was aware of its possible application to this need, but I felt that its lack of... directionality? ... was a problem. The FM radio / snooper scope allows one to pick the ONE other driver you wish to address. With the 500 watt hammer solution you end up talking to everybody and then some.

Now, if there was a highly directional CB antenna...
-- James Newton, Aug 05 2002


There is.. Oddly shaped and obtrusive, but they exist. (Hmm.. I wonder where it's coming from?)

I forgot to mention, also highly effective with drive-thru headsets and speaker systems...
-- Mr Burns, Aug 05 2002


Unabubba: I would think so. I caused a buddy to drop a handful of quarters from his wet hand while at the car wash by keying up while he was too close to the antenna. (AAH!! FUCK!! IT BURNS! IT BURNS!!) Boy, those were the days...
-- Mr Burns, Aug 06 2002


This topic kind of reminds me of a thing my father was involved with many years ago before I was born - in the early 1950's. Goodyear Aerospace in Arizona (a division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber) made a road (test track) that had many parallel groves cut into it like groves of a record player. After the concrete road was poured, a big machine with many little grove making wires trailing behind it would go over the wet concrete and make many little parallel cuts in the concrete effectively making a "record track" for tires that traveled over it. The reason my father was involved was that he had a very low frequency loud voice that was perfect for recording messages that were to be sent to drivers driving over this road. When someone would drive over this road, their tires would act like the needle of a record player and would vibrate in time with my father's voice that was scratched into the concrete sections of this road. There were simple test messages in the road like: "Stop ahead" and "Speed Limit 30 Miles Per Hour" and "You are driving off the road!" and "Wrong Way" that made no sense when driven over backwards. Goodyear tested it for many years and found out that: 1. It startled drivers way too much - (The GOD thing). 2. It caused tires (of the time) to have less traction in wet weather conditions causing skidding. 3. Induced vibration in cars that led to skidding. With all of these reasons, Goodyear abandoned the project in the 60's but the test track still exists somewhere near Phoenix Arizona as I vaguely remember my father driving my family around the thing when I was but a wee little kid. I remember his voice coming from the tires - very loudly and clearly I might add - with a slight echo in it because the front tire would play the track just ahead of the back tire - making it sound very GOD like and kind of spooky.
-- hosehead, Aug 08 2002


I remember I was playing with a CB radio once, (the old, higher power kind) and the transmission I made came over my stereo and my computer speakers.
-- BinaryCookies, Aug 08 2002


and...
-- po, Aug 08 2002


That's a leetle old. (Actually, there was a marked decrease in that kind of sign in NY after Giuliani became mayor.)
-- DrCurry, Aug 09 2002


One nation, under DOG, with liberty and justice for some.
-- Mr Burns, Aug 09 2002


I guess someone should say "I'm a dislexyic atheist: There is no DOG"

Actually I'm a frisbitarian: I believe that when you die, your spirit floats up onto a roof and stays there.
-- James Newton, Aug 09 2002


I can go one better. I'm an agnostic, dyslexic insomniac.

I lie awake at night wondering whether there's a dog...

(groan)
-- yamahito, Aug 09 2002


I'm diagnostic. I question the existence of two gods. [hoeshead,] do you (or your father) know of any dosumentation for the project you mentioned? Sounds fascinating. Thanks.
-- watermelancholy, Aug 11 2002


I am not sure watermelancholy, but I bet if you contacted Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Achron (SP?) Ohio about it, they might have some records on that exact experiment. Goodyear Aerospace in Litchfield Arizona was sold to Loral Aerospace in the late 70s. The test track I talk about was on their property in Goodyear Arizona - a suburb of Phoenix Arizona. I am not sure, but the track may have been removed when Goodyear was sold to Loral in the late 70s.
-- hosehead, Sep 30 2002


At least in the UK and wherever else RDS has caught on, I think you could hack the RDS signal to do this too. I know some pirate broadcasters have done this on occasion. This would solve the CD/MP3 problem you mention in the idea. See link.
-- krelnik, Oct 19 2002


You could just make it broadcast on all AM and FM radio stations simultaneously.
-- Skullhead, Oct 19 2002


An old guitar amp I had a few years ago used to pick up CB and Radio signals.
<Loud screeching woman> Tony, TONY, Can you do a pick up in Pitsmoor?.
<Tony> If you think I'm picking up in Pitsmoor you can fuck off.
<Loud screeching woman> Well fuck you, I should never have married you.

-- sufc, May 11 2003


Someone baked this, by hacking bluetooth car hands-free features, which often have weak security. See link.
-- krelnik, Aug 01 2005


MMMMMmmmmmm I love this hahaha...
-- DesertFox, Aug 01 2005


heh, actually would be funn if say, a guy uses it on those people who crank up the rap real loud, and have it play "C is for cookie" or the barnie "I love you, you love me" song

(P.S. Thanks for your feedback, your input and constructive criticism have been duely noted, and well recieved and jotted down in my notebook.)
-- jabberbox, Jun 11 2006



random, halfbakery