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What was it?

From what I understand, it was SDR[0] code which would allow using the antenna (possibly reconfigurable?[1]) into a passive radar aka a radar which tracks objects through their emissions (radio, bluetooth, wifi, ...) rather than emit electromagnetic waves and track their return.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software-defined_radio

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconfigurable_antenna

In this case, it is not so much tracking things by their own transmissions, but by their reflection of ambient radio (here, broadcast TV.)

https://spectrum.ieee.org/passive-radar-with-sdr (thanks to dmw_ng and snake_doc for the link.)

Previously discussed here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33333009

17 days from the HN front page to being shut down.

It would have been the IEEE article that got the attention

Oh that's cool, so it's a radar using ambient radio as illuminator?

Indeed, it's so cool that it has military applications and gets restricted as a result.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com