"just as long as your aim is a bit better than that guy who follows you around in life, using the urinal before you."

Man, I've never told ANYONE about that guy. The only rational conclusion I can come to is that he is YOU, Haroon!

@Stravos: Did I leave a trail last time?

I remember, back in the 70', my Grandfather repeatedly trying to throw a line over a tree branch to pull up his ham radio antenna with. Over and over and over. He could have used one of these.

@James: Not like this thing has been around since the 70s.

It's a potato gun!!

if there's something strange-in the neighborhood...who ya' gonna call?

Summary seems to be in error. I doubt that it operates by "wrapping the wire around the tennis ball." Note the fishing reel attached to the device. I'm betting the wire is on the reel with just one end attached to the ball. Things would work much better that way.

I'm a ham radio operator and this would be great for shooting up longwires on HF. I'll have to pick up one!

I could use a smaller one of these for running computer cables under raised floors without having to remove those heavy 2 x 2 ft. tiles. Remove tile at each end, connect the cable to the gun, aim and swoosh! the cable is run!

I just use a rock and wrap twine around it. Don't forget you'll need a drop line, so you can pull the antenna back down (tree branches) and it helps to aim it when it's up there.

Amateur radio operators are the ORIGINAL gadget geeks.

This is a great method, as is the wrist rocket method.

THAT MAN IS SILENT BOB!

@strider_mt2k:

are we talking dennis the menace "wishbone shaped wood" wrist rocket or fold-out reinforcement over the lower forearm? that difference is crucial

had the latter for a good 8 years until the mom literally destroyed it. For some reason a replacement didn't feel right

@discounteggroll:

The latter is a Wrist Rocket, the former is just a sling shot. You can still buy a Wrist Rocket and a bunch of other surgical tubing powered slingshots at your local sporting goods store.

This contraption reminds me of the Ronsonol fueled tennis ball cannons we used to make when I was a kid. Pitty you cant find the right size tin cans any more.

OK where else am I going to get to talk about Wrist Rockets...

When I was a young man of about 12, I accompanied my grandfather and his buddy on a pheasant hunting trip. My job was to flush the game birds out of their cover with my Wrist Rocket so Gramps could take them with his 12 gage. (this was 30 years ago, and yes, we ate the meat)

Driving home from a successful outing I was seated in the back of Gramps Blazer playing with my slingshot. I had a glass marble in the pouch (marbles were the best ammo) and was drawing back and taking imaginary aim at road signs when the pouch slipped from my grip. I blew out the windshield from the inside while going 70mph. Gramps was not pleased.

This is nothing new...My dad has been using a modified 'tater gun' (!ETHER! powered) for many eons.

The amateur radio community will absolutely love these. Prior to this we had to use potato guns.

PVC piping and a laser sight.. I love geeks. We come up with the craziest shit as an idea in theory, and usually pull it off in practice. We rock!!

Well, let's say it SHOULD have a laser sight.

@FrankReality: Yup

The scenario paintball community have been using these contraptions for years to launch small foam footballs or sabot rounds at the pseudo "bunkers" and "tanks" in an adaptation a grenade launcher or rpg. Want genuine tinkering? Find a somebody that tinkers in paintball equipment.