4 ms·

OMG. I am Tunisian and was planing to buy an sdr dongle next month for research purposes. I guess if I had done it I would be in big trouble by now. It is well

OMG. I am Tunisian and was planing to buy an sdr dongle next month for research purposes. I guess if I had done it I would be in big trouble by now. It is well known here that customs are very suspicious about any device they do not recognize. Back in the early 2000s they were questioning people about their USB sticks!

sytelus 7y ago
It’s not about just carrying device. they explain that he was using the RTL-SDR as part of his investigation for monitoring air traffic to Libya in an attempt to link flights against violations of the arms embargo. So the person in question supposedly wanted to prove that Tunisia is potentially violating UN embargo by possibly monitoring air traffic communications without permission.
- Bombthecat 7y ago
  That would explain the arrest and silence from all parties. They don't want to wake up the hornet nest.
- dingaling 7y ago
  Tunisia and Algeria are well-known in enthusiast circles as countries where you do not try to monitor ATC or Mode-S transmissions. He had a noble cause but what he was doing would have to be done in a hands-off, anonymous way with relay to an outside recipient. Perhaps remote solar-charged SoC units with satellite uplink, but that's getting into serious money.
- ambicapter 7y ago
  What embargoes related to flight is Tunisia under?
etrautmann 7y ago
It seems like this was politically motivated and if one were off the radar it may not be an issue. If you're concerned about someone looking for an excuse to arrest you, that might be an unfortunate cause for concern.
- maouida 7y ago
  Having a beard is very enough to raise their suspicion as they will link you to terrorism without thinking twice. In 2015 I bought a metal detector online and they thought I will use it to search for monuments. They returned it and I was lucky it ended there.
  - etrautmann 7y ago
    That makes me appreciate what I currently take for granted here in the US
    - necovek 7y ago
      Like having your phones and laptops searched (with you unlocking them) on entry? Or do you mean "here in the US if I am a citizen"? :)
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - sjfnsdug 7y ago
    >I bought a metal detector online A fellow Tunisian here, I tried several times to buy stuff online (listed with foreign currencies) using a regular credit card. But the transaction always fails. Since we don't have paypal either, I'm interested, how do you purchase stuff online using a foreign currency?
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
steve19 7y ago
Buy yourself a USB TV tuner ... then use it as a RTL-SDR.
- maouida 7y ago
  Thanks. I'll do some research on that.
  - TeMPOraL 7y ago
    RTL-SDR from rtl-sdr.com is essentially a particular USB TV tuner, just repackaged into a form that makes it more suitable for SDR use (higher-quality soldering, metal cover, etc.). You can look for that TV tuner sold as a TV tuner, and get roughly the same capabilities.
Cyph0n 7y ago
Another Tunisian here. Our country is backwards when it comes to tech. Heck, you can get arrested for bringing a drone into the country without proper security authorization...
- tozeur 7y ago
  I was gonna bring one in to take some super cool Roman ruin aerial shots but was thankfully dissuaded by a friend.
  - themodelplumber 7y ago
    Damn. That would have been awesome. :-/ But it's not worth your safety.
- ryadivv 7y ago
  Putting aside the arrest which is legal, I wouldn't say Tunisia is backwards when it comes to technology and innovation but I guess with security reasons Tunisia find it self impellent to make such decisions, I mean the last years haven't been easy when it comes to terrorism and now you're between the civil war in Libya and maybe a revolution in Algeria.
pier25 7y ago
Oh wow. I spent my teenage years in La Marsa. I would have never expected to find Tunisians on HN!
- necovek 7y ago
  Why is that? (I seriously wonder) From a purely statistical viewpoint, there are 11M Tunisians out of 7.5 billion people, which would put them at 1.5 out of any 1000 people are Tunisian :) Even if we take technological and language exposure (which is what I am guessing you are hinting at), I'd say at least 1 person in 5000 on here is Tunisian :) And I suspect there are more than 5000 people on HN. If this was more of a small-talk "hey I've lived there and so nice to be reminded of it", pardon my intrusion with data :)
  - pier25 7y ago
    Hey no worries. :) Yeah statistically speaking you are probably right. It's probably because the vast majority of people around here are from the US. I'm from Spain and I rarely find Spaniards either.

sytelus 7y ago

It’s not about just carrying device. they explain that he was using the RTL-SDR as part of his investigation for monitoring air traffic to Libya in an attempt to link flights against violations of the arms embargo. So the person in question supposedly wanted to prove that Tunisia is potentially violating UN embargo by possibly monitoring air traffic communications without permission.

Bombthecat 7y ago
That would explain the arrest and silence from all parties. They don't want to wake up the hornet nest.
dingaling 7y ago
Tunisia and Algeria are well-known in enthusiast circles as countries where you do not try to monitor ATC or Mode-S transmissions. He had a noble cause but what he was doing would have to be done in a hands-off, anonymous way with relay to an outside recipient. Perhaps remote solar-charged SoC units with satellite uplink, but that's getting into serious money.
ambicapter 7y ago
What embargoes related to flight is Tunisia under?

etrautmann 7y ago

It seems like this was politically motivated and if one were off the radar it may not be an issue. If you're concerned about someone looking for an excuse to arrest you, that might be an unfortunate cause for concern.

maouida 7y ago
Having a beard is very enough to raise their suspicion as they will link you to terrorism without thinking twice. In 2015 I bought a metal detector online and they thought I will use it to search for monuments. They returned it and I was lucky it ended there.
- etrautmann 7y ago
  That makes me appreciate what I currently take for granted here in the US
  - necovek 7y ago
    Like having your phones and laptops searched (with you unlocking them) on entry? Or do you mean "here in the US if I am a citizen"? :)
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- sjfnsdug 7y ago
  >I bought a metal detector online A fellow Tunisian here, I tried several times to buy stuff online (listed with foreign currencies) using a regular credit card. But the transaction always fails. Since we don't have paypal either, I'm interested, how do you purchase stuff online using a foreign currency?
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

steve19 7y ago

Buy yourself a USB TV tuner ... then use it as a RTL-SDR.

maouida 7y ago
Thanks. I'll do some research on that.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  RTL-SDR from rtl-sdr.com is essentially a particular USB TV tuner, just repackaged into a form that makes it more suitable for SDR use (higher-quality soldering, metal cover, etc.). You can look for that TV tuner sold as a TV tuner, and get roughly the same capabilities.

Cyph0n 7y ago

Another Tunisian here. Our country is backwards when it comes to tech. Heck, you can get arrested for bringing a drone into the country without proper security authorization...

tozeur 7y ago
I was gonna bring one in to take some super cool Roman ruin aerial shots but was thankfully dissuaded by a friend.
- themodelplumber 7y ago
  Damn. That would have been awesome. :-/ But it's not worth your safety.
ryadivv 7y ago
Putting aside the arrest which is legal, I wouldn't say Tunisia is backwards when it comes to technology and innovation but I guess with security reasons Tunisia find it self impellent to make such decisions, I mean the last years haven't been easy when it comes to terrorism and now you're between the civil war in Libya and maybe a revolution in Algeria.

pier25 7y ago

Oh wow. I spent my teenage years in La Marsa. I would have never expected to find Tunisians on HN!

necovek 7y ago
Why is that? (I seriously wonder) From a purely statistical viewpoint, there are 11M Tunisians out of 7.5 billion people, which would put them at 1.5 out of any 1000 people are Tunisian :) Even if we take technological and language exposure (which is what I am guessing you are hinting at), I'd say at least 1 person in 5000 on here is Tunisian :) And I suspect there are more than 5000 people on HN. If this was more of a small-talk "hey I've lived there and so nice to be reminded of it", pardon my intrusion with data :)
- pier25 7y ago
  Hey no worries. :) Yeah statistically speaking you are probably right. It's probably because the vast majority of people around here are from the US. I'm from Spain and I rarely find Spaniards either.