LSX Occupation: What is this Machine?
twinkle little * | 27.10.2011 16:09 | Occupy Everywhere | Policing | Repression
This is a little late considering the London Occupation of Paternoster Square happened about 2 weeks ago; however the image of the machine in the picture, wheeled in by the Met during the demo, keeps nagging me. What the hell is it?
The Machine: What the hell is this?
We all know the London Met has a soft spot for harder, dirtier machinery for dealing with Public Order situations, and this may just be their latest. During the peaceful Climate Camp on Blackheath, the Met used military strength sonar on the camp (evidenced by the death of 2 rare fruit bats on the Heath) to listen in, while the nasty little plods were held back from hurting people. Helicopters aplenty (at £1,500 per hour) are used on all demos; which actually help protesters find the demonstration. For the last year the Met (with the Daily Hate readers) have been asking for water cannons and rubber bullets to add to their arsenal for keeping people quiet. However, the machine above was wheeled out at the LSX Occupation demo two weeks ago, which saw the 99% establish their Camp. It was late in the afternoon, and the murderous TSG started pushing and shoving on-lookers back, as they established a sterile zone and police van cordon around the Occupation. In the confusion, this machine was wheeled in and plonked within the cordon, facing the Occupation demonstrators. At first we hoped in might be a sound-system that might pipe out some phat dubstep for the crowd (the police having finally got a sense of fun); we were sorely disappointed when it just stood there and did nothing interesting.
So what is it? Have the Met been on a shopping spree at DSEi, with that bottomless pit of taxpayer funding, and bought this? How does it work and what does it do? Any tech-intelligence out there?
So what is it? Have the Met been on a shopping spree at DSEi, with that bottomless pit of taxpayer funding, and bought this? How does it work and what does it do? Any tech-intelligence out there?
twinkle little *
Comments
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Tricky little piggies
27.10.2011 16:17
If the UK was to become the target of a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) terrorist attack, the organisation that would help support the national multi-agency response is the UK Police National CBRN Centre.
The UK Police National CBRN Centre is a unique organisation. While having the name Police prominently in its name, it is in fact an organisation that has an ethos of multi-agency working at its core. The Centre has been providing CBRN training for a number of years that is thoroughly multi-agency in both content and reach, being provided to emergency response organisations throughout the UK.
This is what I found when I googled CBRN, as written on machine in question?
David Norton
Looks like a MICROWAVE HORN
27.10.2011 16:37
Microwave Horns
Engineer
Looks like a MICROWAVE HORN
27.10.2011 16:37
Engineer
well i never
27.10.2011 16:37
I think its a mobile detection unit, perhaps they thin someone has a weapon of mass destruction in their tent, an idea yes a weapon no.
David Norton
an idea
27.10.2011 16:44
David Norton
Microwave weapons?
27.10.2011 16:45
IF the Met are doing this, then it's criminal assault on a grand scale. Let's not jump to conclusions but this COULD be big
Iron Man
could it be?
27.10.2011 16:47
Al Norton
Microwave guns
27.10.2011 17:09
Contact the newspapers about this NOW please
Saint Paul
Weapon schematic
27.10.2011 17:10
St Paul
Serial Number
27.10.2011 17:19
A couple of minutes googling turned up the Police National CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) Center:
Unfortunately that's the limits of my google-fu so can not confirm, find pictures or a manufacturer of this exact device.
Blob
Nailed it?
27.10.2011 17:32
Enge
"if you don't believe the State uses these weapons, use Google"
27.10.2011 18:22
bsb2.0
@bsb2.0
27.10.2011 22:20
Giles Fraser
Simply a scrolling LED sign
27.10.2011 22:22
An R Chist
Just ask
28.10.2011 08:46
A
Loudhailers
28.10.2011 09:00
Engineer
Sorry to disappoint
28.10.2011 09:56
The front section is an LED bank message display showing which told protesters that vulnerable people should report to the police and that the police presence was to maintain public order (or something like that).....i would guess that the bit that looks like loudhailers are just that...speaker for the police to bark orders through.
Nice theories though.
mr boring
Exclusive vids of London occupation
28.10.2011 10:39
Reverend Nicolson supports Occupy London, slams lending deregulation -
Sick freestyle - Occupy London -
St. Paul's Cathedral Wandsman - War, debt and Jesus Christ - Occupy the London Stock Exchange -
Sceptic grills protester - Occupy the London Stock Exchange -
Occupy London on LBC Radio - Asked to leave St. Paul's? -
Robin Hood Tax Debate - Occupy London - Finsbury Square -
No One's Slave, No One's Master - Occupy London - Theo Simon (Seize the Day) -
www.youtube.com/justiciayauk
Peace, love and unity…
@JY_UK
JY_UK
Homepage:
www.youtube.com/justiciayauk
Some analysis from a professional
28.10.2011 23:57
The things in question are simply PA speakers on an information rig. CBRN dump these around the country in strategic locations to tell people to stay away if there are any chem/nuclear attacks etc. They are much like the big LED road signs that say "lane closed" except for public assembly areas.
Evidence:
1. Not enough space in the horn assembly for a magnetron. Magnetrons are quite big, quite heavy and consume crap loads of power.
2. There's no tech which can hurt people that you can cram in that space without meters of waveguides and larger microwave generation equipment on the base of the unit (much more than is there).
3. There's not enough power generation or storage capacity to get more than a few inches from the end of the horns which would be silly as it's on the end of an extendable rig. You have to knock out SERIOUS amounts of watts as the effective power decreases very quickly the further you go out of the emitter. I know people post microwave weapons on youtube but they are pointlessly underpowered and would do sod all at even 2m range (despite what they'd have you think).
4. They use XLR connectors (if you look closely) which are balanced audio. Military stuff tends to use massive multipole cables and flat PDU cables which are obviously not there.
5. I've seen the cones before in the Farnell electronics catalogue a few years ago (before they became element 14) and they are audio!
6. Weapons like that are damn expensive (£100k+). They would be mounted on a military platform rather than a cheap trailer and not have any exposed cabling.
Chill out everyone - you're not going to get microwaved. They just borrowed some signs and a PA system to patronise you with.
ktf
If they're audio & once appeared in a catologue, can someone give details?
02.11.2011 00:42
It makes me wonder whether non-lethal EM has ever been used in conjunction with kettling. One of the main ideas of kettling is of course to make people feel pissed off, but not violently angry, and for a considerable period of time that goes into their memory and makes them less likely to go on any more demonstrations. A little bit of EM could go a long way, if used against a kettled crowd.
Mary