Spooks Gadgets

[A Cousin]

I find the gadgets used on Spooks to be a fascinating subject so I thought a place to discuss and exchange information about the various "toys" used over the years might be an interesting idea. We can share information about existence, development, history, and applications of the gadgets we see in Spooks. Fell free to discuss technology as well.

So put on your infrared night goggles and spy fingers and lets go spying!

I am by no means an expert, but here is what I have been able to find out in an hours time. I'll start the ball rolling with the key fob micro gun Fiona requisitions in 4.7.

F: You know this could be a bit cumbersome. Do you think I could also have something more discreet?
M: Its got cupronickel hollow point bullets. For maximum effect.
F: Its not the most accurate gun on the planet, I know.
M: At least it won't trip the Embassy's metal detectors.
F: How thrilled do you think the Russian Mafia would be if they knew we were using their little invention?
M: Theirs tend to go off unintentionally.
F: But ours don't, right?
M: (shrugs) Can I interest you in anything else?

Which got me wondering:

-Is it Russian in origin? Not sure, but the instruction booklets are in Bulgarian.

-When was it originally developed? Don't know - but am guessing Cold War era. I swear to goodness that something similar is in a James Bond movie somewhere!

-Does it really fool metal detectors? It can. Esp. when you toss it in with other metal objects like keys. Seems like it fools the people monitoring the metal detectors more.

-Does it go off accidentally? Don't know.

-Is is inaccurate? Yes. Definitely a short range weapon.

-What is cupronickel? A copper alloy with nickel strengthening elements like iron and manganese.

-Why would hollow point bullets provide the maximum effect? Because they are designed to expand upon entry.

-How "spooky" is it really? Do the general public have access?? They only cost about $20USD and are legal in Bulgaria. Two were seized as far back as 1998 in Perth & Athens. A very old article: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/06/world/...ports.html

Feel free to add on or correct me.

[A Cousin]

OK, in 4.8 the faraday cage concept. I know what a faraday cage is and what it does, but:

- How is it created in a hotel room without installing copper mesh around the whole room? Are they just using the natural structure of the building?
- When Korsakov turns it on, is he just creating an electromagnetic field in order to route the EMPs of the surveillance equipment around the room?
- And does Malcolm over ride it with an EM pulse spike at just the right moment?
- Is this spike coming from the surveillance equipment or another source?
- Why was that so difficult to do? Is it because he has to gauge the spike pulse so that it doesn't take everything else along with it?

So many questions, I hope someone has answers for me!

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
~Arthur C Clarke

[Tea Lady]

I totally have no idea what you are talking about A Cousin, but I'm really enjoying reading this thread.

[JHyde]

I'm actually really enjoying this too. Believe me, could do with the help when it comes time to write new fan fic. I usually try and use stuff that the show has used just so I don't use anything too outlandish.

[A Cousin]

OK - with lunch break research, here is what I have found out. (Again - I am no expert! If I have anything wrong, please feel free to jump in.)

For anyone interested, here is an explanation of what a Faraday Cage is from wisegeek.com. I like this site because they keep it simple! And I like the Mad Scientist dude in the upper left corner. I bettcha he has a bow tie because bow ties are cool, so I hear.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-faraday-cage.htm

Your car is a Faraday Cage. An Airplane is a Faraday Cage. This is why you don't get shocked if lightening strikes you in either.

A building made of reinforced concrete could maybe act as a Faraday Cage. Apparently, this is why wireless networks sometimes don't work very well in hotels. When Korsakov pushes that little button of his, somehow, someway, and from some kind of external source, he is smacking the room he is in with an electromagnetic charge that creates a Faraday Cage, or an electromagnetic void, inside the room. The surveillance equipment, I am assuming, cannot transmit or receive in the void. Two things cannot be blocked by a Faraday Cage: a compass (the earth turns too slowly so the EM shift is too slow) and static (note what comes up on the monitors when Korsakov creates the cage.)

How Malcolm is getting around it and why it proves to be so difficult for him, I don't know. It definitely has something to do with that electromagnetic spike. Maybe that is why he gets so pissy? The discovery of the concept is an old (Ben Franklin first observed it in 1755, Faraday made his first cage in 1836.) and simple idea - put a positive charge with a negative charge and you get a void. I would imagine that Malcolm's idea of the worst day of his life would indeed include being stymied by a concept as fundamental as a Faraday Cage.

Updated:

Well, lookee here! I can EDIT to add on! Cooooool!

In conversation with the DH yesterday afternoon in the car (he's the real Boffin of the family), re-watching 4.8, as well further research, things have come to light in my quest to separate fact from (very cool) fiction.

- A building constructed with reinforced concrete can act as a Faraday cage but would not be able to block the range of frequencies that would needed to be blocked. The room would have to be "tricked out" with a very fine metal mesh - walls, windows, floor, ceiling, everything - and it would have to be very fine indeed. Malcolm does mention that Korsakov tricks out the room in some kind of an advanced Faraday cage.

- As to being able to turn it on and off at will, the Faraday principle being a basic law of physics, that would a difficult, if not impossible, thing to do. Korsakov would have to be controlling the magnetic fields around the room. How he would find the power source to do such a thing is questionable. I did read something that theorized that tapping into underground power sources might work, but its a theory. So the ability to do this is questionable in my mind. (Yeah, yeah, I know, its entertainment, not fact. )

- As for poor Malcolm and the "Faraday Spike" seen on his monitor when he finally does get through, I can only guess that this is in reference to a spike of very high frequency radiation like X-rays or Gamma (yikes!) rays. The higher the frequency the shorter the wavelength, the easier to get through very dense metal mesh. He would have to at least know the material and thickness of the structure and cage as well as the frequencies being blocked by the cage in order to choose the just the right frequency for the spike.