Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Stealth Infrastructure

vvvnt.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–27 of 27 posts

Re: Stealth Infrastructure

#21

Post by bnchdrff »

jauer wrote: post #16

It is very common in the US for government entities to build towers (for water storage or to fill a gap in emergency services 2-way radio coverage) and then lease space to carriers to offset the cost and reduce the number of towers in a area. I'd assume economics before spies if I saw a cell sector on a police tower.

Local law enforcement organizations do buy cell interception technology, regularly: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/09/meet-the-machines...

Seeing as companies like Harris build equipment for both running and spying on cell networks, it may make sense for them to offer a tower-mounted system...

Re: Stealth Infrastructure

#22

Post by mnutt »

peterwwillis wrote: post #18
jessaustin wrote: post #15

Strangely enough, despite all the /stuff/ of cellular infrastructure, on roofs and poles in and around cities, the prevailing idea was that mobile phones communicated via satellite and that all these towers were something to do with TV. I was conscious back then, and I don't recall this particular misunderstanding. Soon after we wondered "what are those things that are mounted like microwave repeaters but obviously a…

Louis C.K. thinks phones communicate with satellites in space. http://gizmodo.com/5658560/louis-ck-the-shittiest-cell-phone... "Give it a second, could ya? It's going to space! Could you give it a second to get back from space?"

I assumed that was a tweak of his similar joke about in-flight wifi. And since many in-flight wifi systems use a combination of air-to-ground and satellite, it is going to space and back in a roundabout way.

Re: Stealth Infrastructure

#23

Post by wyager »

I used to work in one of the taller buildings in a city. At the top of the building, there was a bunch of cell infrastructure. We were installing some radio equipment in the radio room (the same place AT&T and the others had their stuff), and I noticed two identical locked server boxes. They were very heavy-duty compared to the server cabinets I'm used to. One was marked "FBI" and the other was marked "USMS/DEA" (or something like that).

I couldn't really tell without going through a bunch of ceiling-mounted wires, but I'm pretty sure these were connected to some of the civilian cell infrastructure. There wasn't much else to connect to up there.

Re: Stealth Infrastructure

#25

Post by dsl »

peterwwillis wrote: post #18
jessaustin wrote: post #15

Strangely enough, despite all the /stuff/ of cellular infrastructure, on roofs and poles in and around cities, the prevailing idea was that mobile phones communicated via satellite and that all these towers were something to do with TV. I was conscious back then, and I don't recall this particular misunderstanding. Soon after we wondered "what are those things that are mounted like microwave repeaters but obviously a…

Louis C.K. thinks phones communicate with satellites in space. http://gizmodo.com/5658560/louis-ck-the-shittiest-cell-phone... "Give it a second, could ya? It's going to space! Could you give it a second to get back from space?"

The joke is funnier this way. Technical accuracy be damned. That is what we pay comedians for.

Re: Stealth Infrastructure

#26

Post by knowaveragejoe »

peterwwillis wrote: post #18
jessaustin wrote: post #15

Strangely enough, despite all the /stuff/ of cellular infrastructure, on roofs and poles in and around cities, the prevailing idea was that mobile phones communicated via satellite and that all these towers were something to do with TV. I was conscious back then, and I don't recall this particular misunderstanding. Soon after we wondered "what are those things that are mounted like microwave repeaters but obviously a…

Louis C.K. thinks phones communicate with satellites in space. http://gizmodo.com/5658560/louis-ck-the-shittiest-cell-phone... "Give it a second, could ya? It's going to space! Could you give it a second to get back from space?"

Even if incorrect, his point stands.

Re: Stealth Infrastructure

#27

Post by hxrts »

knowaveragejoe wrote: post #10
aaronem wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not quite what you're looking for, but there is a "Stealth Infrastructure Catalogue" linked after the article, which might serve you as a place to start.

I took a look there(after winding my way through Bumping Borders), it appears to be a PDF containing a nicely formatted list of sightings from various countries. I was hoping for the "busy forums" mentioned in the article, but this is still very interesting. Thanks.

this was his favorite http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=5df351c0...
Post reply on HN