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Cell Phone Jammer

March 2, 2012 by · Comments Off on Cell Phone Jammer 

Cell Phone Jammer, A Philadelphia man was caught red handed this week for using a cell phone jammer to keep his fellow passengers on a public transit bus from using their cell phones.

“I guess I’m taking the law into my own hands,” he told a reporter from NBC10 about the illegal jammer, “and quite frankly, I’m proud of it.”

Teresa Masterson, a writer at NBC10, was tipped off to the creeper, who’s now been outed by her producers in a sting operation, first encountered him on her morning commute and promptly told the NBC Investigators. She told the blog Philebrity:

While riding the bus, my cell phone signal suddenly went out, which is not normal, and continued to search for a signal for 15 minutes. After a little while, I noticed that everyone else on the bus on his/her cell was having the same problem. Then, I see this guy.  He’s openly holding something that looks like a walkie talkie with four antennae in his hand the whole time. Anytime someone would try their cell again, this guy would subtly turn in their direction, press a button and point it at them, then continue reading his book under his creepy hood… I’m pretty sure it was one of those devices that cuts off signals; Jennifer Lopez used one in Enough, so that’s all the scientific analysis I need.

It should go without saying that such a device is illegal. A jammer, which blocks radio frequencies, isn’t just limited to blocking personal cell phone use, but all communication tools that use these frequencies. What does this mean? Essentially that the jammer that lessens the din of personal conversations on your M-14 bus also has the potential to cut off communication between the driver and dispatch centers or public agencies, which could result in a public safety snafu-or disaster. Jammers also block incoming calls, which means that if used for an extended period you prevent anyone in your vicinity from hearing pressing, even emergency, news.

But while today’s news and ensuing outrage online is all over a single man, the practice of jamming cell phones is actually much more commonplace on the rails in both New York and Washington DC. I spoke to two such “jammers” this morning on what led them to buy devices, which range from $40 to more than $10,000 on websites like Jammerall.com. Some boast radiuses of as little as 15 feet while others claim they’re used on military vehicles and for anti-t*rror*sm maneuvers.

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