This message is really directed at Mr. Liebermann, but I'll ask it publically so anyone else can reply if they wish (and because it is bad form to email someone out of the blue using an address you obtain off a newsgroup).
I was reading thru some old posts on this newgroup, and I came across one that Jeff Liebermann posted about some tools that may be helpful in debugging wireless networks. One of them was a Microwave Leak Dectector sold by Comfort House.
He implied that he hacked one to add an antenna to it to better pick up microwave leakage. But the pics he had a link to didn't have a pic of the actual hack, nor any directions on how to do the hack.
So I went on over to the dealer linked, and took a look at the device in question. Low and behold, I already own it! A little over a month ago, I worked on a project that I was supposed to go to various people's homes and see how much of a leak the average microwave had. The client supplied me with the same model (near as I can figure from the pics on the dealers web site, I don't actually know where mine was purchased, it was just sent to me to use and the client didn't want it back when I was done).
I have no idea how well it works, it is the only one I've ever used, but in my testing, it only seemed to have a range of a few inches from the microwave. But I was also surprised to find that very few microwaves leaked (I tested about 75, and only 2 ever set off its alarm, most registered nothing, or very low values)... so it is possible this one just doesn't work correctly. It doesn't detect my WAP at all (Linksys WRT54G), and I keep forgetting to test it against my laptop (which has once again been left at work so I can't test it right now).
So I'm curious if Mr. Liebermann would be kind enough to write up a quick and dirty set of directions to hack it (you know, what kind of antenna to use, where do I solder it to the logic board, do I need to remove anything or jumper anything, or whatever... I know my way around the basic tools, although I have no experience or access to an oscilloscope, so if one is needed, I'm SOL). I was going to guess that you remove whatever is missing in the first pic, and attach the antenna there... but I opened mine to find that whatever is missing, is missing on mine. So then I wasn't sure if that first pic was supposed to show the available antenna connection points, or if it was just a close up of the board. I'd be happy to just slap an antenna on there, but I figured I'd ask first, just in case doing so really opens a portal to the 3rd plane of hell (which is fine too, but I want to know if I should be prepared to do some demon bashing)
Of course, this assumes I have the correct model unit. I think the original post was from some time in 2004, and the unit I have is stamped with Feb 15 2005, so it may be a different or revised model. The info says it an MD-2000 Digital Readout Microwave Leakage Detector. And the guts of it look the same as his 2nd pic (or at least in all the important ways, mine has a few more numbers stenciled on it, but all the parts appear to be the same).
So any directions, hints, or tips Mr. Lieberman (or anyone else) feels like tossing my way would be appreciated.
-chris
(standard spelling disclaimers apply until I can get a newsreader that offers spell check... not likely to happen any time soon)