5 ms·
Came for this. This allows someone to build GPS-guided missiles, artillery, etc. The laws need to be changed, because consumer-programmable things like FPGAs a
by chisleu 11y ago
Came for this. This allows someone to build GPS-guided missiles, artillery, etc.
The laws need to be changed, because consumer-programmable things like FPGAs and SBCs like BBB/RPi have made weaponizing with even commercially-available, off-the-shelf products super easy.
For instance, building gps-powered drones with thermite self destruct and an explosive/incendiary payload is fairly straight forward and extremely dangerous with little ability to investigate the violator. ICBMs and fast-flying missiles are much harder.
- toomuchtodo 11y agoDon't even need FPGAs; you could do it all in software and use very light software defined radio hardware.
- chisleu 11y agoYou need to poll many frequencies at once, very quickly, in order to make a missile that can respond fast enough. Maybe it's possible with a very wide SDR, but I've not seen one where it was.
- cnvogel 11y agohttp://www.gnss-sdr.org/ http://www.gnss-sdr.org/ claims to be able to work with RTLSDR dongles (cost ~$10 and provides 3,2 MHz Bandwidth. Original article's "homemade GPS" has 2,5 MHz BW). Also: http://www.rtl-sdr.com/tag/gps/ http://www.rtl-sdr.com/tag/gps/
- chisleu 11y agoDoing it, and doing it fast enough to guide a missile at > mach 2 are different things entirely. The rate that you have to constantly be calculating the spin (if any) and the vector and speed is incredible. OTS 5-10hz refresh will not cut it. That said OTC stuff is so dangerous now that I think we should roll back the laws to allow home lab/hackerspace science to evolve. I would love to launch a rocket from weather balloons, but it would stand little chance of getting anywhere with OTS GPS gear.
- toomuchtodo 11y agoI'd agree with you. I'm probably mistaken that in-software SDR can decode GPS fast enough. I would argue though that ASIC manufacturing costs are coming down fast enough that you could ship out your hardware design for a GPS system without ITAR altitude/speed limitations and have a finished product back in your hands in 7-10 business days.
- deutronium 11y agoI'm not sure how you think changing laws would protect anyone, anymore than they currently do? Sure lots of things can be used for both good/evil. Personally I think it's a fascinating project.
- chisleu 11y agoI'm saying the laws need to be changed because it doesn't protect anyone. Better to just make it legal and work to protect us in other ways.
- deutronium 11y agoAha sorry, yes definitely. I wanted to get a thermal sensor a while ago and would have to fill-in paper work to say it wouldn't be used for malicious purposes (I didn't end up getting it because it was too expensive anyway), I'm really not sure the idea of such bureaucracy.
- chisleu 11y agoI'm convinced Vogons run the government.