this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
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Stopped by a radio transmission...?
It's a safety measure in polish trains that automatically engages the brakes when they recieve a special signal called "Radio-Stop"
Okay, so that means every annoying kid with a $50 SDR kit in the country now gets to play Fat Conductor?
Not now. Probably always could. The amount of stuff run by radio waves and hope is incredible. This isn't just a Poland issue.
That's correct. The signal is designed to be audible to humans over radio so there's no real encoding - either the train is able to automatically trigger the brakes upon receiving the signal or the operator has to do it manually after hearing the signal.
You don't even need an SDR, just a 20€ portable shortwave radio and a phone that plays the sounds of the signal over the mic.
Or even simpler - just shout the word "alarm" 5 times into your radio and that will also cause all trains within range to stop (article in polish)
This is a very old system designed to be compatible with the simplest analog radio equipment. There's no way around it, and there are multiple prank Radio-Stop transmissions in poland every year (article in polish).
Wow, that's a pretty big flaw in the system.
The polish train system is mostly made of flaws 😆