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Message no. 1
From: Charles E Thul <cthul@****.COM>
Subject: Electronic Warefare
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 19:59:46 -0600
Joe Samuari sets up a Rating 10 Jammer in a meet with a Johnson (flux =
15 <SR3 p. 291>). In the room is an arachnid drone. Does the jammer
affect the drone? If so, at the jammer's full rating? It doesn't make
sense that a rating 10 jammer which weighs 5 kg and costs 15000Y is as
effective as a military 3 ECM set up wieghing 250kg and costing 30
million Y. Why would anyone buy ECM from the R2, if they can just plug in
their trusty jammer into an electronics port and save themselves 245kg
load, and 29.985 MILLION Y? How effective are character portable devices
against devices mounted in vehicles?

Something which should have been mentioned in R2 but wasn't.
Thanks,
Charlie

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Message no. 2
From: Michael R Papas <michaelp@****.COM>
Subject: Re: Electronic Warefare
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 18:16:28 -0800
>Joe Samuari sets up a Rating 10 Jammer in a meet with a Johnson (flux =
>15 <SR3 p. 291>). In the room is an arachnid drone. Does the jammer
>affect the drone? If so, at the jammer's full rating? It doesn't make
>sense that a rating 10 jammer which weighs 5 kg and costs 15000Y is as
>effective as a military 3 ECM set up wieghing 250kg and costing 30
>million Y. Why would anyone buy ECM from the R2, if they can just plug in
>their trusty jammer into an electronics port and save themselves 245kg
>load, and 29.985 MILLION Y? How effective are character portable devices
>against devices mounted in vehicles?
>
>Something which should have been mentioned in R2 but wasn't.
>Thanks,
>Charlie


I would think that the character-portable device would be either a
1/10th or 1/2 of its rating when used in a vehicular scale?
Hesitating,
Medaron
--
"Arctic Storm of Blizzards Night, "
"Twilight's Flame of Darkling Light . . "
Message no. 3
From: Paul Meyer <pmeyer@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: Electronic Warefare
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 18:47:23 -0800
The SR2/R2 rules for EW are rather messed up. Similarly to the encryption
stuff, you can choose to use real-world physics or the game mechanics, but
if you try to mix and match you may have problems.

For what it's worth, there are two very big downsides to using a
wide-spectrum jammer instead of a specific ECM array. First, ALL signals in
the area and in the wavelengths covered by the jammer, no matter how
encrypted or otherwise secure, will be hashed. You can't, for example,
control your own drones by radio or use your headset radios. Second, a
wide-spectrum jammer is like lighting a huge bonfire and calling Lone Star
on yourself, only worse. You will instantly gain the attention of ALL
security forces in the area. A well-designed jammer includes random
variations in signal strength and spatial distribution to make it hard to
locate the exact source from a distance, but ANY and EVERY interested party
will know to within a block or two where your jammer is.

We've used jammers on a couple of runs, but the trick is to allow for the
attention they get. Use them for very brief but critical times (like at the
moment of a kid...err...an extraction to stop panicbutton and screamer
signals) and then get the hell out of there via a method that won't be
obvious to the recon drones the security folks will be putting up over the
area to spot your getaway. Arrange for $everal jammers to go off at once, in
various locations, so the Star/government, at least, will not be able to
concentrate on the one you actually are under. Etc.

(Shameless plug) We have a discussion of vehicle sensors, signal warfare,
and general rigger stuff, on <href
a="http://www.amurgsval.org/shadowrun/rigging.html">The Twilight Brigade's
site</a>.
Message no. 4
From: Paul Chamberlain <junior@*****.NET.AU>
Subject: Re: Electronic Warefare
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 11:20:04 +0800
>The SR2/R2 rules for EW are rather messed up. Similarly to the encryption
>stuff, you can choose to use real-world physics or the game mechanics, but
>if you try to mix and match you may have problems.
>
>For what it's worth, there are two very big downsides to using a
>wide-spectrum jammer instead of a specific ECM array. First, ALL signals in
>the area and in the wavelengths covered by the jammer, no matter how
>encrypted or otherwise secure, will be hashed. You can't, for example,
>control your own drones by radio or use your headset radios. Second, a
>wide-spectrum jammer is like lighting a huge bonfire and calling Lone Star
>on yourself, only worse. You will instantly gain the attention of ALL
>security forces in the area. A well-designed jammer includes random
>variations in signal strength and spatial distribution to make it hard to
>locate the exact source from a distance, but ANY and EVERY interested party
>will know to within a block or two where your jammer is.
>
>We've used jammers on a couple of runs, but the trick is to allow for the
>attention they get. Use them for very brief but critical times (like at the
>moment of a kid...err...an extraction to stop panicbutton and screamer
>signals) and then get the hell out of there via a method that won't be
>obvious to the recon drones the security folks will be putting up over the
>area to spot your getaway. Arrange for $everal jammers to go off at once,
in
>various locations, so the Star/government, at least, will not be able to
>concentrate on the one you actually are under. Etc.
>


Yes well, you can easily pick up jammers from wideband interference.
But thats not to say there isn't natural interference of interference
induced by something like a power generator or something. And why would they
be scanning for interference until it affects you. And if actually effects a
Corp or some security your probably on their property anyway.

Paul Chamberlain
junior@*****.net.au
Occasional Human and Part time Evil Gm's Slave
Message no. 5
From: Mongoose <m0ng005e@*********.COM>
Subject: Re: Electronic Warefare
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 21:56:05 -0600
:Joe Samuari sets up a Rating 10 Jammer in a meet with a Johnson (flux =
:15 <SR3 p. 291>). In the room is an arachnid drone. Does the jammer
:affect the drone? If so, at the jammer's full rating? It doesn't make
:sense that a rating 10 jammer which weighs 5 kg and costs 15000Y is as
:effective as a military 3 ECM set up wieghing 250kg and costing 30
:million Y. Why would anyone buy ECM from the R2, if they can just plug in
:their trusty jammer into an electronics port and save themselves 245kg
:load, and 29.985 MILLION Y? How effective are character portable devices
:against devices mounted in vehicles?


I think they operate at 1/2 effect, or some such. R2 does mention this,
iirc- maybe in reference to jamming decks, not as eccm. AFAIK, Portable
Jammers only jam transmissions, not sensors (which are visual, sonic, etc-
not just radar), so ECCM is much more useful in combat situations.

Mongoose

Further Reading

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