# can we triangulate terrorist video messages?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-triangulate-terrorist-video-messages/340675>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 19, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-triangulate-terrorist-video-messages/340675 "2006-01-19T16:58:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-triangulate-terrorist-video-messages/340675/21 "2006-01-21T02:01:21Z")

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> [@drhess](#):
>
> I guess you could flood the local markets with cheap video tapes hoping that some would make their way to A-Q, or such. But I guess copies of copies would be another problem; as with just getting to view the cassette but not have it phsyically.

Maybe you could flood the markets with cheap video tapes rigged with transponders, and see if you could track ones being hauled to a cave in the middle of a mountain range?

That’d only take a few _million_ tapes. And assuming they didn’t just stock up on tape in bulk at Al-Costco last summer.

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**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-triangulate-terrorist-video-messages/340675/22 "2006-01-23T13:51:08Z")

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> [@Ranchoth](#):
>
> Maybe you could flood the markets with cheap video tapes rigged with transponders, and see if you could track ones being hauled to a cave in the middle of a mountain range?
> 
> That’d only take a few _million_ tapes. And assuming they didn’t just stock up on tape in bulk at Al-Costco last summer.

Leave large bulky camera equipment laying around in the mountains. Better yet, train little monkeys to explore the caves with a photo of Bin Ladin.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-triangulate-terrorist-video-messages/340675/23 "2006-01-24T07:06:45Z")

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> [@drhess](#):
>
> Better yet, train little monkeys to explore the caves with a photo of Bin Ladin.

Hey…remember the [“Bat Bomb”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb)? That might work…

Except that incendiaries wouldn’t be that effective against, y’know, rock. Maybe Anthrax or VX bomblets, instead?

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