Someone with a Rtg. 6 directional antenna (Avail 4, 150nY, Signal Rating and an electronic warfare skill using "jamming on the fly" (UW, p. 105) can effectively block the communications of everyone that lacks an electronic warfare test (because it cannot be defaulted). Is this really working as intended?

This makes jammers really obsolete, because you can ignore them by simply buying ECCM. Also, a jammer costst Rtg * 500 and is forbidden, a directional antenna costs nothing (Rtg*25), is completely legal and readily available.

I'd like to draw your attention back to the adjective.

Directional.

That means you point it at a direction, and stuff in that direction dies.

It's is not omnidirectional.

Very well. I'd like to buy 8 directional attenae and attach them to each other via my Hardware skill, with each one pointing toward one of the cardinal directions and their vectors.

~Umi

Yeah, this is intended, because your teammates communication also does not die (see the directional Jammer in SR4A). If i am funny, i can buy 20 directional antennas with the same rating as a directional jammer for the same cost, and mount them on a sphere.

Edit: Ninja'd

Let's play jammer ball!

Well, the traditional, omnidirectional jammer allows you to jam anything but your team communication, as detailed under "Jam Signals", SR4A, p. 231. Of course, if you have a connection to your teammates' commlinks, you could probably defend them against your own jamming

I'm not entirely 100% on this... jamming on the fly is area jamming per the description. But I still think devices get a check against it. Otherwise you end up with the nonsensical outcome of jamming everything in the area with a very small dinky transmitter. The rules also don't give it any ability to discriminate between friendly and unfriendly signals... it blatantly jams everything and anything including allies.

Normal jammers get everything EXCEPT the devices you specify. So you can protect your own signals and equipment but the ECCM automagic renders them kinda bleah. So unless you're able to catalog everything and anything signal wise going into and out of the area (a rather hefty extended test)... you're going to be stepping on a lot of peoples toes.

Smart jammers target only those items you tell it to target and ignore everything else. So while you can tell them to do everything except your stuff... they can be much more selective.



Also I don't think it's automatic failure... the roll is signal + eccm (if available) + EWar skill (if available). Though it is a solid line of argument to state that it is required per strict RAW... I'm not certain that this is the RAI.

Otherwise you end up with a nonsensical outcome of a rating 12 radio station broadcast tower pumping out 100's of kilowatts being jammed by a rating 6 fairlight caliban with upgraded signal and a good operator...


Though the rules are also silent on the matter of the much longer range degradation of a directional jammers as opposed to a weakass omni jammer... -1 signal per 5m for omni's is pathetic.


The rules themselves make no provision for directional antennas... and I agree it makes sense to treat them as directional instead of omni. (that was one of my ideas at one point in time... an underbarrel commlink drone with a directional antenna and a rating 4 pilot and EWar program). It's only purpose in life to screw with everything wireless downrange of the gun when activated. (you didn't get skinlink on your smartgun... bad move... oh your AR glasses aren't skinlinked either...). Look a drone is the rigger in it... opposed rolls (even if unlikely at 1 in 4 chance... great it worked this IP... suffer your dumpshock!).


Another item is the directional antenna gives +2 signal for purposes of the device range table. But not +2 signal... which is a shame becuse that's actually how the physics of directional antennas work... instead of putting a quarter of my power into this quadrant along with the other 3 it focuses it all in one direction depending on the gain factor of the antenna (the higher the gain the more tight beam it is).


But yeah... another use for these is for 150 you get a cheap rating 6 signal source you can plug into anything... even your cheapass commlink or drone.