Mounties could use wood to combat G8 cyber-terror

The Inquirer ^ | 27/06/2002 | Tony Dennis

[JameRetief]

Mounties could use wood to combat G8 cyber-terror

Japanese magnetic wood blocks radio signals

By Tony Dennis, 27/06/2002 12:24:52 BST

AS THE INQ recently reported, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police monitoring the G8 summit had to be granted special permission to jam the airwaves thereby preventing terrorists from using radio signals to remotely explode devices.

That's because radio jammers are illegal in certain countries including North America, Britain and Australia.

However, a Japanese scientist, Hideo Oka and his team from Iwate University in Morioka, Japan, has developed a special magnetic wood that can effectively block common radio signals.

According to a report in The New Scientist, Oka tested his wooden panels against GSM frequencies - 900MHz and 1800MHz as well as against 2.4GHz. This means the panels will block signals used for both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11). Hence Mr Oka envisages this latest invention as proving useful for keeping wireless Internet signals inside a building so that competitors can't hack into a corporate LAN.

The panels contain magnetic ferrite sandwiched between layers of wood and the Iwate team believe such panels can readily be manufactured commercially. It could also solve the problem of mobile phones accidentally going off mid-act in the theatre. µ

www.iwate-u.ac.jp

[DainBramage]

has developed a special magnetic wood

Is that better than the pump up?

[mil-vet]

Sounds like what we in the EM business call a "screen room" - interesting that new material technology might be applied, and I hope this will enhance screen room isolation performance! After all is said and done, however, a gaussian sphere is a gaussian sphere is a gaussian sphere.

Nevertheless, thanks for the post - probably would not have seen this material mentioned in the standard literature for quite some time - definitely worth investigating if it will make screen room construction any easier - !!!!

[SpaceBar]

Since when is "North America" a country?

[APBaer]

has developed a special magnetic wood

Is that better than the pump up?

These can't be "Mountees", they must be "Mounters" with the special wood?

[JackOfVA]

It's slightly different than a conventional screen room. The ferrite attenuates the signal, so it's a radio wave absorber, rather than a reflector as in a traditional screen room. If you're testing an antenna, for example, you can't use a screen room, because the signal reflects from the walls. If you have a test chamber lined with ferrite absorbers, on the other hand, the signal that hits the wall is absorbed and not reflected. Of course, you have to apply the ferrite absorbers to the inside of a screened room.

Regardless, I don't see that it is practical to turn a room into an RF tight chamber by slapping some attenuating ferrite blocks on the wall. Too much opportunity for leakage from doors, windows, etc.

This technology isn't new; ferrite tiles are available from many suppliers, such as Fair-Rite. See pages 183-185 of its catalog. http://www.fair-rite.com/fr_catalog-14thed_rev3.pdf This stuff isn't cheap though.

Sorry if this is more than anyone wanted to know about the subject.

Jack

[meenie]

It should also work with TV frequencies. Oh happy days.

[timestax]

wooohooo!

[NorseWood]

Wow! Does this mean that I can replace my tin foil had with a wood one?

[NorseWood]

Opps. . . that is a tin foil HAT!

[Drew68]

These can't be "Mountees", they must be "Mounters" with the special wood?

heh, heh, heh, you said "wood" heh, heh...

[DainBramage]

It doesn't work. I just desroyed an old bass speaker for the magnet.

After exhausting every way imaginable to magnetize some wood.....

I gave up and took a cold shower.

I guess I should aske someone from California how to do it.

[mil-vet]

Regardless, I don't see that it is practical to turn a room into an RF tight chamber by slapping some attenuating ferrite blocks on the wall. Too much opportunity for leakage from doors, windows, etc.

This was my real point, stated by you better than I!! - the whole thing, to me, looked too much like slapping a bandaid on a slashed artery - ineffective, at best, unless you enclose the entire structure, including screening windows, doors, door jams, etc., etc., ad nauseum!

BTW, roger "anechoic" chambers for testing antennas, with all those shaped absorbers plastered all over the inside; been there, done that in the "TEMPEST" program. Loved the work! - wasn't thinking in those terms, though, because the goal was to keep externally generated RF out of an area to prevent triggering bombs, right? This is what the screen room does so one can test "black boxes" without having to worry about the test equipment responding to spurious RF originating outside the system under test, right? - SMILE. Anyway, that was the analogy I was TRYING to create - SIGH! I used to be able to write cogently and concisely - I quess I've found something ELSE that goes with age (like hearing!) - LOL!!

[JackOfVA]

TEMPEST is interesting stuff. There has apparently been a long history of intercepting sigs that leak out. Peter Wright discusses an interesting case or two from the 1950's in Spycatcher. On a related note, I read a paper on the internet a few weeks ago about reconstructing what is on a computer screen by using a telescope to look at light from the screen reflected off a wall. Amazingly, they were able to reconstruct the screen almost without error. So, not only do you need TEMPEST equipment, keep the shades down!

Anyway, what keeps RF out also keeps RF in! Light up a high power transmitter with an antenna in a screen room and you've turned it into a gigantic microwave oven with you as the main course!

Jack

[RightOnline]

"However, a Japanese scientist, Hideo Oka and his team from Iwate University in Morioka, Japan, has developed a special magnetic wood..."

Sheesh. Big deal. I've had very direct connection to "magnetic wood" for decades. Just don't ask what attracts it.

[timestax]

bttt

[timestax]

bttt

[timestax]

bump