I found 2 solar powered and automated CB boxes in some woods

[443 Arizona]

i told him to watch out!
he is either dead or captured by the Amazonian WeaselSqueezers club operating in that corridor.
boobie traps are their specialty.

[DevilDog66]

Damn!!! Can anyone say Blair Witch?

[Lost Ram]

Weird!!!! HOW does this end squirrel???? Maybe the Urban Woods (I mean park) Mafia got him!!

[Squirrel 14]

Howdy y'all.
Sorry for disappearing for so long.
A lot happened since OP.
I discovered these devices are called "bombs" and they are intended to intermittently jam people on their main channel.
So I discovered that everyone in the area moved from channel 32 to 19. I stay mostly on 19 anyway, so I started hearing more chatter about group feuds, and which handles were on which sides.
Then I started hearing a "cricket" noise (as I call it) at specific times everyday, in 15 minute bursts. So I figured that it must be coming from another "bomb" out in the woods.
So I understand the basics of triangulation from books that I've read, and I gave it a shot. After triangulating on a map, I headed out to the woods and found it within 30 yards of my projected spot. This one was MUCH larger, which makes sense because I could hear the cricket noise miles away (with squelch turned way down). I admit, I stole a very nice 4 foot by 2 foot solar panel with metal conduit from it.
A few days later, after its internal batteries died, the noise ceased on 19.
A few days after that, it came back to life. I heard someone talking about the noise and how they knew there was a "bomb" in the area. So I talked to the fella and discovered that he was the intended target of the device. I told him where I had found it and he said he would go grab it.
Well, it seems the owners had moved it within the business park (lots of woods around) and replaced the solar panel.

Now for the bad news: The following week I lost my job. So this story ends here as I will not be in that area on the foreseeable future.

What do y'all think? Should I not have stolen that awesome (expensive) solar panel, or is it fair game because it was out in some woods?

[MightyMo]

Wow. This really is a cool story. Glad you're back and they didn't "get you" in a dark alley or something.

What do y'all think? Should I not have stolen that awesome (expensive) solar panel, or is it fair game because it was out in some woods?

Technically, if the solar panel owner put it up on property that wasn't his without permission, I don't think they have any "just cause" against you. But if they had permission, then that's theft. But if you are putting up a solar panel in the woods, malicious intent or not, there are pretty good odds it won't be there when you get back.

I will say, you're braver than I am. I would have grabbed the first couple bombs like you did. But I'm one to stay out of other people's fights because I don't want their fight directed at me. Maybe I'm just too cautious. But also, because that noise was a public nuisance, you kind of have a right to stop the annoyance, feud aside.

Props to you for using your triangulation skills.

-- Sat Mar 04, 2017 9:22 pm --

Oh and sorry about the job loss. Do you have another job lined up yet?

[Squirrel 14]

Wow. This really is a cool story. Glad you're back and they didn't "get you" in a dark alley or something.

What do y'all think? Should I not have stolen that awesome (expensive) solar panel, or is it fair game because it was out in some woods?

Technically, if the solar panel owner put it up on property that wasn't his without permission, I don't think they have any "just cause" against you. But if they had permission, then that's theft. But if you are putting up a solar panel in the woods, malicious intent or not, there are pretty good odds it won't be there when you get back.

I will say, you're braver than I am. I would have grabbed the first couple bombs like you did. But I'm one to stay out of other people's fights because I don't want their fight directed at me. Maybe I'm just too cautious. But also, because that noise was a public nuisance, you kind of have a right to stop the annoyance, feud aside.

Props to you for using your triangulation skills.

-- Sat Mar 04, 2017 9:22 pm --

Oh and sorry about the job loss. Do you have another job lined up yet?

Getting in the mix of their fight was a big risk, but I just went for it. I'm not usually so bold.

I was with that company for 10 years and lost my job as a consequence of my actions (long story). I start with a new company on Monday, totally different industry, different area.

[MightyMo]

You said you figured out who the target was of the most recent bomb. Was he the intended target the entire time? Did you ever hear any chatter from the people that owned the bombs? Do you know why they were set up? Was the target running lots of power and running over the top of everybody?

Good luck with the job and industry change. Hopefully, it'll be good for you.

[Squirrel 14]

You said you figured out who the target was of the most recent bomb. Was he the intended target the entire time? Did you ever hear any chatter from the people that owned the bombs? Do you know why they were set up? Was the target running lots of power and running over the top of everybody?

Good luck with the job and industry change. Hopefully, it'll be good for you.

Thanks Mo, I'm ready for a change and will succeed no matter where I am.

He was the intended target all along, it started on his channel, 32. Then he switched to 19, and they followed him, along with the harassment.

I heard alot of people trash talking his name, but only talking about the device once, vaguely.

The target said he is running 1400 watts and used to have a drinking problem, lol. I think he annoyed the whole Tampa area for awhile and made some enemies. I never heard it though.

[MightyMo]

Wellp, thanks for posting the story. It was genuinely interesting to me. Keep us updated if anything else happens.

Got to say, I'm kind of jealous. I'm up here in Utah where the is not much traffic on the band let alone a mystery and a plot like what you came across. Unless skip is in, all the channels are quiet except for truckers swearing at each other or talking about how "ol Joe is gunna retire soon." I really enjoy CB when I can use it, but my opportunities are limited.

[Scipio Kid]

Hey Mo,
I'll give you a mystery. My boy got a big promotion that came with a new Chevy 3/4 ton truck. He and I both work in the field all over Utah so I gave him a nice cobra 29 so I could catch him at lunch or on the way home and shoot the bull (we hang out on 22). His company landed a big contract at the NSA Data Center at Camp Williams and when he went through security, they confiscated his laptop, his cell phone and the CB! (He got them back but was told to leave them home.)

But that's not the mystery, that's your tax dollar (billions of them) at work!

The mystery is this; A while back I was driving through Ogden on I-15 and gave a shout for MightyMo. Suddenly, there was a mysterious, far off voice, claiming to be you. We talked and I drove, expecting the signal to fade or grow stronger. It did both, and by the time I got into Ogden Canyon, the mysterious voice was just a faint figment of the past. Never since, has such an ignominious event occurred! Now, that, my friend, is a mystery.

Also, what a bunch of idiots (in Florida). If the guy was blowing everyone away with his illegal wattage, a simple call to the cops could easily have gotten him stopped. Why go to all that trouble and expense? Sheeesh, just sneak into his yard & put a few nails through his coax. That'd fix his 1400 watts real fast.

[MightyMo]

Scipio Kid: Wow. Confiscated the CB. That's intense. Good thing he got them back. A while back, I was headed down to Vegas and drove right past Scipio. I thought about you but I didn't have a CB. (I was driving my mom's 2012 Mustang. She'd outright kill me if I put a CB on it). I'm on the CB almost daily, but rarely during rush hour. It's been a while since I've been on here. Hopefully, we can make contact again soon. Skip came in a couple days ago. I could hear and talk northward. (Bosie, Oregon, Washington State, and Northern California). Didn't hear anything south.

[Scipio Kid]

Hey MO,
When the skip is good I can hear all over, almost. I emphasize "hear" because I really don't get out to most of those who tend to get in to my radio. Like you, I can hear a lot to the north but also a lot to the south and east, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio and Florida all come in real nice here when the skip is strong, and I even got a real good signal from Hawaii for about an hour last week. I monitor AM and SSB and just listen in and try to talk back to the stronger signals, but, like I said, I seldom get any response. (So yeah, I need a better antenna setup, still working on it.) I pick up a couple guys in Utah, one in Salt Lake and one in Tooele on skip. Site to site I do pretty good locally too.

Also, if you're on the road in your Mom's Mustang or any car for that matter, you can do a quick set up to a lighter and a mag mount antenna and get out just fine for road travel. Whenever I drive more than a few miles I take one of my extra radios, and test it while I drive to make sure it's working good. I had to run to Ogden about a month ago (called for you a lot but didn't find you) and took my daughter's car (42 MPG) instead of my truck. I had a real nice Galaxy set up on the mag mount and it worked great. Just had to keep the power down some. It only takes 3-4 minutes to install and remove. I was talking to drivers all the way up and back. One fellow commented on how strong a signal I had and how clear the modulation was and then said "you must be drivin' that black Freightliner up there". I responded, "no, I'm drivin' a little, green, Honda Civic about a half mile behind you". The only problem I have with the temporary mount setup is I put it upside down on the passenger seat to hear it so, no passengers and I found out the hard way it's very important to wipe clean the roof of the car and the bottom of the mag mount every time you use it and you never want to drag or push the mag mount to center it. Otherwise you scratch up the paint on the car.

I saw that Cobra you have for sale, I'd buy it but I already have a boatload of 29's. I may be making a run later today or tomorrow up to Roy and then North Ogden and I'll be running up to Blackfoot next week so, keep your ears up, I'll be shouting your way!

Scipio

[MightyMo]

What do you do with the coax from a mag mount for a temp setup? I've had a couple mag mounts but I'm always afraid of breaking the coax in the door jam. When I have done mag mounts they have been semi-permanent installs so I takeep time to trim or modify the door seal so it won't pinch and break the coax.

Yeah. I've got a few extra 29s so I thought I'd see if I could sell them. I've got one there and one on eBay. No takers yet.

When are you heading to Blackfoot? I'm in Idaho Falls now and will be back in Ogden on Monday. I'll be in clearfeld on Tuesday and probably heading to the truck stop on California Ave in SLC on Wensday. I'll keep my radio on and see if I can catch you.

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[Scipio Kid]

Hey Mo,
The Blackfoot trip got cancelled and the Roy trip postponed. I might be in Ogden tomorrow though and I'll be shouting for you. Are you a professional driver? I'm in drilling and my partner drives long haul for Torres in Idaho Falls so we end up along that route quite often. Well he does, I only do when I'm helping out. I don't drive long haul any more (well, not officially) but do run trucks and equipment all over from time to time. Anyway, I was surprised you mentioned Idaho Falls and Sapp Bros. Made me wonder if you're a driver. If you're taking a radio to Rob, I hear (in fact it may have been from you!) he moved over to the Flying J on 9th and 21st. I haven't contacted him for a year or so but if you need to call him, I have his number.

I have 3 or 4 mag mount antennas we use for temporary set ups, usually in one of the cars where we don't have a permanent radio, or can't. My wife would kill me if I tried to mount one in her Jag. I put a mag mount on top once just for kicks and that's what I got when she saw it ... kicked! Anyway, you're right, sometimes the tight-fitting doors can mess up your coax. I try to run it diagonally through a corner where there's a little more gap between door and frame and the rubber seal usually allows your coax in without pinching it. If it looks too tight (like on my wife's car) I run it through a rear window and roll it up to where it just touches the coax ... which is dangerous if you forget and roll the window all the way up. That wrecks your coax fast (the voice of experience here).

But I'm amazed at how well those mag mount antennas work. I thought they were a gimmick and wouldn’t get out without being physically grounded to the vehicle. But a while back, we had to run two big rigs and some other equipment out to Carlin Nevada in a convoy with 6 or 7 vehicles, and we had to have communication. One of the rigs didn't have a radio and with no time to put one in, I borrowed a mag mount from my shop foreman, just stuck it on a steel brace on the rig and ran the coax through the rear window and I was amazed at how well it worked! That little thing had a great SWR right off and worked just as well as any of the other radios. Maybe for long distance it wasn't as good, but for our needs it was perfect! Made me regret having spent hours installing permanent antennas in our other trucks and rigs.

So far as the Cobra 29’s go, I love ‘em and when you’re using different trucks and cars it’s nice to have something so common so you don’t have to hunt for the right knobs without looking. I put a Galaxy 979 in my truck and while I love it, it’s a real hassle to adjust because I’m used to 29’s. My partner bought a new Volvo Tractor for long haul and we put a nice new Cobra LX in it. About a month later, as he was leaving the yard I shouted to him from the base and got no reply. I called his phone and asked if the radio was working and he said “I can’t work the %@#%$ thing, it’s too complicated, I try to change channels and the screen changes colors and then it starts to scan all the channels and then it goes to the weather channels or the PA horn! I can’t drive and fiddle with it so I just turned it off”! So, I’m either going to have to sit down and make him learn how to use it or … I’ll just put a 29 in it. Old dog.

[Squirrel 14]

Update: I never knew much about radios or was into them before this. While investigating this incident, I learned much and got a mobile CB rig. That rig is still with me today and I still listen everyday.

I then got into Amateur (Ham) Radio and got my Technician license, then General. Thanks to these yahoos in Tampa putting radios in the woods, I have developed a passion for radio communication.

I still have these radios and have acquired a few more, but never use them. I now know that the antennas were a simple vertical dipole made with speaker wire.

Thanks for all y'all's help figuring this out back in 2016.