What are those random antennas poking from the ground around shopping centers?

[Cyberdragon]

I occasionally see 2m whip antennas sticking straight up out of the grass near the road in public plazas or large shops. There's one behind our local Walmart.

What are these for? Some sort of CB or shortwave coms? Maybe for truckers? 

[Delta]

Do they have flags on the end?

[SL4P]

Photos?

[Halcyon]

Can't say I've ever noticed any near the shopping centres I've been to in Australia?

I know some places employ a system which prevents shopping trolleys from being taken outside the boundaries of the complex, although they usually have an antenna cable embedded into the roadway around the perimeter of the car park so that if you cross the boundary, the wheels will lock. I haven't seen omni-directional antennas used in such a system.

Are you sure they are antennas at all?

[BravoV]

[Cyberdragon]

I never know when I'm going to see them and usually don't have a camera when I do because irony.

No, they are not banner holders or anything like that. They are definately radio antennas. Even if they were using it as such they would be useless as ads as they are sometimes behind the shops or on the exit road. (I've seen them at gas stations too). I can show what the antennas look like (I found pics of similar ones).

Imagine this...



sticking staight out of the ground. No visible mounting either as it's pretty flush with the ground, or at least the grass has overgrown the mount. There is usually just one per area, though large plaza might have several scattered around (I haven't noticed more than two but as I said they are sometimes hidden).

EDIT: They aren't all exactly like this, and often have plastic sleeves around at least a portion of it, which is either weather protection or more coil.

[janekm]

Could be a system to stop people running off with the trolleys: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2179891.stm

[Cyberdragon]

Could be, but if it is, these folks around here don't use it right as I've rarely seen locks on the cart wheels (at least at walmart, don't know about the other places though). That would make sense being on the back roads or exits, as that's where the carts would get nicked.

However, those systems are usually embedded in the road as someone said. I've also seen them outside gas station shops and others that I know only have hand baskets.

EDIT: The anti-theft things aren't always wheel locks apparently. They are sometimes just RFID tags, which could be easily hidden inside ad banners on the carts (or baskets). I'll have to look next time and see if I see them.

[PA0PBZ]

I don't see any valid reason why you would put a (presumably something around 27MHz) antenna on the ground. The only use (when 'properly' installed on the roof or something like that) I can think of is a pager system, but I believe they all died long ago, at least around here.

[Brumby]

To answer this, pics would be nice - but also a sketch showing locations.

Safe to say that nobody who's read this thread so far has come across this, so more information is needed.

[TerraHertz]

I never know when I'm going to see them and usually don't have a camera when I do because irony.

However, having seen one YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS. So go back with a camera and irony. Because pics or it didn't happen.

[bob225]

iirc over in the us of hay you have sprinkler systems on a lot of grass, there just sprinkler markers so the idiots don't run over them when cutting the grass ?

[Cyberdragon]

iirc over in the us of hay you have sprinkler systems on a lot of grass, there just sprinkler markers so the idiots don't run over them when cutting the grass ?

Again, they are radio antennas as above. They might be relics from a bygone era that may no longer be in service as like a pager system or something, but they remodeled the Walmart some years ago and I would think it would have gotten removed then.

Could it be a repeater for the handheld radios so they extend outside?

I'll get a pic of the one behind the Walmart when I can.

EDIT: I can do a map sketch of where it's located as well.

[Brumby]

iirc over in the us of hay you have sprinkler systems on a lot of grass, there just sprinkler markers so the idiots don't run over them when cutting the grass ?

I thought those things popped up when watering and dropped down to ground level when not ... and that you would need a turf cutter to do any damage.  Mowers just roll over them and the blades are too high to cause damage..

[Cyberdragon]

Given how big they are the antennas would be more of a danger to mowers than a marker. And yes, sprinklers also retract into the ground so they don't get hit.

[Cyberdragon]

I can find them on Google maps.

Here's the location of the Walmart one.

You can kind of see it too (although I'm blocking it a bit with the cursor).

[CopperCone]

27 MHz radiation interferes with reptilian camouflage

gina haspels new policy after the last batch of eggs was found in a footlocker.

don't tell anyone.

[Brumby]

Do you mean here....?

[Cyberdragon]

Oops, wrong turn, that was a sign I saw in the map.

It's either in the next turn into the dollar store (or the previous one for employee entrance, but somewhere back there at least) or it's been very recently installed.

EDIT: I'm also on android and the street view in the brower just goes all black.

EDIT2: The cart detector might hold creedance. I mean just look in the photo. The antenna would I guess be to detect carts on the grass (assuming the transmitters have batteries).

[IanB]

Do you mean this thing?

[bd139]

Stop the staff escaping? 

(Caution: Contains cheesy 80s exploding head)

https://youtu.be/fbvX3elSaaY

[Cyberdragon]

Do you mean this thing?

No! I showed a pic of what it looks like. It looks like a radio antenna from a truck stuck in the ground!

I guess this one was recently installed so I'll have to get a pic of another one I know of.

EDIT: The staff would love to escape that Walmart, the managers are retarded!

EDIT2: Those Google pics are 2018, so it must have been installed very recently.

[bob225]

The google images are 2015 the copyright is 2018

Its placed on a corner, it a marker so trucks don't rip up the grass while turning or stops them going into the ditch

[BravoV]

Do you have any graphic paint/sketch program there ? Or paper, pencil and camera ?

[Cyberdragon]

The rednecks around here might have used an actual truck radio antenna as a curb marker, it wouldn't surprise me.

Here's a similar thing outside the Panera Bread although this might be a banner holder.