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TV-B-Gone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v17o2itd-lU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v17o2itd-lU)

Ohhhhhh,  :31- My soldering skills suck, but I have got to get me one of these :96-
It would be nice to go into a restaurant for a quiet meal and not have to watch ESPN garbage or CNN while
I enjoy my meal :79-

The restaurant personnel would probably turn them all on again, and you would then repeat the process. You would have to become more and more covert as their tempers flared and they looked for the cause.

I'd like to know more about this gadget. There must be several dozen or even hundred different codes that product manufacturers use to differentiate their TVs, and it dosen't look like he has any memory that would store all of the codes. It's just a guess, but the circuit might just run sequentially through a range of flash code values. If that's so, then I wonder what effect it has on VCRs, DVD players, and other IR controlled devices? He also didn't say whether it would turn the TVs back on again.  :103- :79-

A buddy of mine has a remote control built into his digital watch. Its also a full scientific calculator etc.... I think he paid $17 for it.
It has a remote control search mode which cycles through 100's of tv brands. It puts out a "power" pulse which turns on or off tvs.
He has used it with some success. It takes about 4 - 5 min to go through the cycle so it certainly is not nearly as covert nor as spread spectrum as this gadget.
Still very funny. Once he has the tv code he then flips through the channels.

 

There used to be another kit, at least years ago that would emit a signal in the VHF & UHF range that would put nothing but static on the TV. Make the kit and throw it up on the roof of someone you wanted to annoy and they would not get receptiion until the 9 volt ran out of juice. Of course cable ruined this trick.

 Dan (tacman)

I bought a gadget like that before.
It's small enough to be a keychain. I used it in a sports bar once and drove a lady crazy.
Not only could you turn TVs off but you could change the Chanel and raise or lower the volume.
Everyone behind the bar knew I was doing it and we all had a good laugh. :72- :72- :72-
This one you can program for any TV. Just hold one button and it scrolls through the possible codes.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2724 (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2724)

I'd like a cell phone blocker instead!

Cell phone blockers actually do exist..  :81- They use them in a lot of Japanese restrants to provide a relaxing meal  :89- ..no choice..  :60- I wonder why no American restrants ever tried the technology to see how it would take  :30-

   If anything why not make cars so cell signals cant get through  :103-  Oh Yea, some slot tech would come along and mount a external antenna!  :25-  :97-

I think the FCC would come with large sticks and beat you silly if you had a cell jamming device :30- 

I would think in schools, churches and other places they would be very useful.

Actually I have heard that several of the large movie theater chains use the jammers, but have never tried it out while I'm there.

 Dan (tacman)

   Well "Harkins" movie theaters are not on that list as I got a call right in the middle of Terminator salvation last Saturday  :72-  :30-

From what I understand most of the really effective cell jammers actually are nothing more than a screen "grid" through out the walls similar to chicken wire that has a small RF charge applied..don't know how true this is but it seems to me any building with thick enough mesh screening through the walls and properly grounded would absorbe any signals but then again cells are using Higher frequencies that might get through..?  :103-

You must have been REALLY appreciated by the rest of the crowd there, especially after the 2 minute "Please turn your phone down or off" mesage before the movie.  :97-

 Dan (tacman)

Opening weekend for that film too, right?

YES, I seen Star Trek, Wolfiverine and Terminator (no I don't have a life) and yes I could feel people staring at me right through the dark (cell must haven given off a locator light)  :30-

Analog cell phones and towers generally operate on two bands, the first between 824MHz and 894MHz, and the second, between 1950MHz and 1990MHz. The lower band has a median wavelength of roughly 35cm (or just under 14 inches), and the higher band, 15cm (just under 6 inches). Newer cell technologies will operate on higher frequencies, but I believe that 2100MHz is as high as they go (I might be mistaken). It would not be too difficult to build a Faraday cage in the walls and roof of a theater or other structure to block these signals, although cost could be an issue.

And then you could bring all your electronics to the theater to be safe from EMP during an upper atmosphere nuclear blast!  :89-

 Dan (tacman)

I remember some kid made a device that fooled police Doppler radar guns into
displaying speeds 20 MPH less than what he was actually doing....  :131-
He'd go right past radar traps at 75 MPH while the patrolman is scratching his head and getting a reading of 55 MPH... :72-

actually this was debunked in Popular Science.....

To fool doppler radar you need to be emitting a signficant amount of radar reflection that would not only mask your entire car but also absorb the "tuned" radar signals being emitted by the police radar. Much like myth busters they set off to do just this......

The ended up using 2, 9 foot tall masts that were 3ft in diameter mounted on the bumper of a Mac Truck... and concluded that smaller vehicles would not be able to support the hardware necessary to do this.

Nifty device there.  :89- I think it would be better though if you were able to
do more than turn off. Can't count the number of times I've been somewhere
where they had TVs on display but were playing Lifetime or some crappy show.
Would rather just change channel and/or have volume control  :79-