Comments on: Spooks on the Airways http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/ Yesterday's tomorrow, today. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:00:37 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Adrian Gregg http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/comment-page-1/#comment-1060953 Adrian Gregg Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:27:06 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/#comment-1060953 Yep heard it in australia where i lived close to a AM Transmitter the whole town could sometimes hear the radio out of everything,. gutters, drains, heaters, lights, and of course anything with an amp in it.. all Tv's Anyk kind of tape record cd player had to be "shilded" etc etc Yep heard it in australia where i lived close to a AM Transmitter the whole town could sometimes hear the radio out of everything,. gutters, drains, heaters, lights, and of course anything with an amp in it.. all Tv’s Anyk kind of tape record cd player had to be “shilded” etc etc

]]> By: Dan http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/comment-page-1/#comment-1060356 Dan Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:18:12 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/#comment-1060356 I've had this happen to me. My apartment in MN had baseboard heating ( The long skinny heaters near the floor, usually oil filled copper tubes with copper sheet heat vanes ). One morning, I awoke to the faint sound of a radio station announcing the weather, but my clock radio was off, and the sound didn't appear to be coming from it. I searched all around the room, and as far as I could too, it was the heater that was creating the sound. Having heard of this phenomena, I was elated that I experienced it. I’ve had this happen to me. My apartment in MN had baseboard heating ( The long skinny heaters near the floor, usually oil filled copper tubes with copper sheet heat vanes ).

One morning, I awoke to the faint sound of a radio station announcing the weather, but my clock radio was off, and the sound didn’t appear to be coming from it. I searched all around the room, and as far as I could too, it was the heater that was creating the sound. Having heard of this phenomena, I was elated that I experienced it.

]]> By: JMyint http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/comment-page-1/#comment-1054678 JMyint Sun, 11 May 2008 13:40:46 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/#comment-1054678 I have done the thing the Czechs have done. Picking up a radio station by just holding the leads to a speaker. I have done the thing the Czechs have done. Picking up a radio station by just holding the leads to a speaker.

]]> By: jayessell http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/comment-page-1/#comment-1054659 jayessell Sun, 11 May 2008 01:20:44 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/#comment-1054659 Nice first illustration! Did he work later for MAD or Cracked? I call Shenanigans on the speaker powering Checks. Nice first illustration!
Did he work later for MAD or Cracked?

I call Shenanigans on the speaker powering Checks.

]]> By: G.Marconi http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/comment-page-1/#comment-1054655 G.Marconi Sat, 10 May 2008 23:58:47 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/#comment-1054655 I used to live in the vicinity of a 100kW AM transmitter. Radio came out of gutters, hotplate covers, metal junk stored in sheds or electric shavers there, not to speak of phono amplifiers, TV sets or tape recorders which demodulated the station perfectly in their power amplifier stages. As the previous commenter explained, all you need is some metal surfaces losely laid onto each other sometimes. Still happens all over the world. I used to live in the vicinity of a 100kW AM transmitter. Radio came out of gutters, hotplate covers, metal junk stored in sheds or electric shavers there, not to speak of phono amplifiers, TV sets or tape recorders which demodulated the station perfectly in their power amplifier stages. As the previous commenter explained, all you need is some metal surfaces losely laid onto each other sometimes. Still happens all over the world.

]]> By: Sadgeek http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/comment-page-1/#comment-5779 Sadgeek Sun, 06 Aug 2006 13:03:29 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/#comment-5779 Yup; comment 1 is exactly right. virtually anything that can act as a diode would rectify the signal - two dissimilar metals (Copper, zinc, steel, iron in the components of a bath)with some corrosion betwen them make a perfect 'Point Conact' diode. Then all you need is enough power in the recified signal to cause a small amount of mechanical movement in a flexible surface to act as speaker. There are stories of old metal-spring beds, spectacle frames, and minute fragments of carberundum dentist drills left in dental fillings forming impromptu AM receivers. Yup; comment 1 is exactly right. virtually anything that can act as a diode would rectify the signal – two dissimilar metals (Copper, zinc, steel, iron in the components of a bath)with some corrosion betwen them make a perfect ‘Point Conact’ diode. Then all you need is enough power in the recified signal to cause a small amount of mechanical movement in a flexible surface to act as speaker. There are stories of old metal-spring beds, spectacle frames, and minute fragments of carberundum dentist drills left in dental fillings forming impromptu AM receivers.

]]> By: Retroactive http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/comment-page-1/#comment-2809 Retroactive Tue, 11 Jul 2006 06:34:49 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/#comment-2809 As a teenager in the 1960s, my parents gave me an old metal beehive style hair dryer on a stand that had belonged to my great aunt. I remember hearing radio through it on the few times I used it. It freaked me out so much I didn't tell anyone and I never used the thing again. As a teenager in the 1960s, my parents gave me an old metal beehive style hair dryer on a stand that had belonged to my great aunt. I remember hearing radio through it on the few times I used it. It freaked me out so much I didn’t tell anyone and I never used the thing again.

]]> By: Casandro http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/comment-page-1/#comment-2778 Casandro Mon, 10 Jul 2006 17:55:10 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/07/10/spooks-on-the-airways/#comment-2778 Oh yes such things still happen, thought a lot less than they used to. That was back in the age of really strong longwave transmitters. They were modulated AM so the transmission power varried in sync with the music. At those incredible large powers, nearly everything can pick up those signals. An extreme example were flourescent lamp. When brought near one of those stations, they started lighting up because of the high field-strengths. Oh yes such things still happen, thought a lot less than they used to.
That was back in the age of really strong longwave transmitters. They were modulated AM so the transmission power varried in sync with the music.
At those incredible large powers, nearly everything can pick up those signals. An extreme example were flourescent lamp. When brought near one of those stations, they started lighting up because of the high field-strengths.

]]>