Makeshift 'cage' on top of homeowner's roof baffles Aussies
An old air conditioning vent 'protecting' a Starlink satellite dish was seen sitting on top of a home in the Northern Territory.
A bizarre makeshift “cage” seen perched on top of a homeowner’s roof has confused Aussies.
Numerous people couldn’t help but poke fun at what appears to be a former air conditioning vent “protecting” a Starlink satellite dish after images of it were posted online. A piece of metal mesh can be seen zip-tied to one side of the box so the reception isn’t affected.
“Yeah, I’ll take a 3.5 window rattler to protect my Starlink thanks,” a man captioned the photos on Facebook, explaining it was found on top of a home on Elcho Island, otherwise known as Galiwin'ku, which sits off the coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Starlink is an increasingly popular internet option in remote areas of Australia due to its wide coverage. Owned and operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX program, it comes with a hefty price tag. Hardware costs around $599, in addition to a $139 monthly fee.
Several social-media users theorised the box was installed “to be a theft deterrent”, to which the man agreed, but added he thought it might have more to do with people possibly throwing rocks at the satellite.
“Probably been stolen that many times,” one person said, while another jokingly asked if “there’s a black market for Starlink receivers”.
“Well that’s…different. Not sure how obstructions would go,” another confused person laughed. “There is no way this would not affect the performance — even forgetting what material is on the front,” someone else argued.
Although most believed the cage’s purpose stemmed from theft, one man claimed it was constructed to “stop cockatoos” from damaging it.
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NT Property offences double in 10 years
According to statistics from the NT Police and published by The ABC, property offences and the number of assaults have escalated in the NT after initially dropping during the state’s first Covid lockdown in 2020.
From 2013 to March 2023, the number of property offences recorded doubled.
Across Australia, an estimated 856,800 households have experienced one or more crimes in the 2022-23 financial year, including break-ins, vehicle theft and property damage, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Last week, Anthony Albanese visited organisations in Alice Springs weeks after a series of violent brawls led local authorities to impose a three-week curfew on the Red Centre. The curfew was first imposed in late March after an 18-year-old was killed in a car crash which triggered clashes between rival families and led to a surge of violence.
With AAP
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