What the Hell is this thing

Kinja'd!!! "JohnnyWasASchoolBoy" (JohnnyWasASchoolBoy)
09/11/2013 at 19:01 • Filed to: None

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Hi Jalops. We have been finding a few of these devices in the forest and on the structures in the wildlife sanctuary where I work. We didn't put them there, the City didn't install them. We're wondering if they are some sort of a device associated with an Augmented Reality game.

We've image searched them, looked on a couple of boards but we can't find a record of them anywhere.

If anybody here recognizes them, please let me know what they are & what they do. They're robust and secure enough that we're wondering if they house some sort of RFID or similar. They're about the size of a small padlock.


DISCUSSION (15)


Kinja'd!!! scoob > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:03

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Maybe... hopefully , some sort of data collecting device?


Kinja'd!!! GhostZ > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:05

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Crack one open, see what it is. I wonder if they're old markers for something, like to designate the boundaries of an area way back in the day. How old do they appear to be? What metal are they made out of? Is it a non-rusting metal? How did they get those scratches?


Kinja'd!!! ttyymmnn > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:07

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Google thinks it's a panda.

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Kinja'd!!! McMike > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:11

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I think it's a seal for something. I've seen them on utility boxes. Think of it as a one-time use padlock.


Kinja'd!!! HammerheadFistpunch > McMike
09/11/2013 at 19:15

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yup. High strength binder.


Kinja'd!!! Frank Grimes > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:17

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Mental Hospital nearby?


Kinja'd!!! bob262 > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:17

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Need details! Approximate size, construction material, alien authenticators, x-ray view, radiation count, fingerprints (or prints of another nature), connection points, were they found like shown OR connected to (cut) cabling, use a light source to visualize that hole or depression on the end view and return specifics, are those buttons on the end piece (if yes DO NOT press them), and how many similar items have you located?


Kinja'd!!! McMike > HammerheadFistpunch
09/11/2013 at 19:22

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Hooray! Cable Security Seals!

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Kinja'd!!! Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > McMike
09/11/2013 at 19:22

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This is pretty much correct, as far as I'm aware. The important part of it is the serial: I think the body of it is just extruded aluminum block, with likely no cavity or anything.

The tag/seal is permanently affixed to the cable on the right, and after looping through, a tool tamps the wedge holding the cable on the left.

What it's doing there, who knows.


Kinja'd!!! Telumektar > McMike
09/11/2013 at 19:23

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Looks like a steel-wire clamp, it may serve as an anchorage point for a lighting pole or something. It doesn't look big though.


Kinja'd!!! NaturallyAspirated > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:25

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The first thing that comes to mind is that the aluminum box is probably nothing more than a way to secure the loop (around the tree/whatever) in the steel cable. We used a much smaller version of those on aircraft control cables.

I would guess that the cable was originally used as a guy wire, but was hacked off at some point.


Kinja'd!!! beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > McMike
09/11/2013 at 19:26

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yeah it's a cable seal.

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Probably Acme

Acme Cable Seals

The next question is finding out why someone is cable sealing structures in the wild life sanctuary.

edit: oh, beaten to the punch


Kinja'd!!! Buick Mackane > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:32

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It looks like a container door seal, you will see them on the back of truck trailers to seal the cargo until it arrives at the warehouse.


Kinja'd!!! 6cyl > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
09/11/2013 at 19:39

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Perhaps they are related to some sort of Geocaching ? I know that it is fairly popular these days and every now and then you stumble along their caches and stuff in the woods. Maybe being a GPS out there and compare the locations of the devices to locations on this site .


Kinja'd!!! JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > ttyymmnn
09/12/2013 at 11:24

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I know. It also thinks it's black Nokia phone. In the version that's less cropped, google thought it was a Nigerian refugee.