Comments
The Curator
in San Diego
Member
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 | 11:53 PM
Yeah, that sure seems odd. Why would a tv be emitting a distress signal? What in the tv could produce such a signal? Maybe it was sick and tired of the shows he was watching. |
Terry Austin
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Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 | 12:26 AM
TVs spew out a lot of radio garbage, especially from the tuner. Most are shielded well enough that it doesn't get much past the case, but some are notable for poor shielding (in an out - we had a Zenith with I was a kid that picked up the neighbor's stereo). In the early 60s, there was a model of Zenith TV that was so poorly shielded it would knock out airport radar.
It seems unlikely to get a coherent signal out of static, but it's not impossible. |
Maegan
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Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 | 12:46 PM
My grandparents computer was hooked up w/ a normal dial-up connection, but when the cord was left in the computer while they were not on the internet, the internet was dialing 911. The first time it happened the police showed up at 1am, and then an hour later, and then when the call came in a 3rd time, dipatch knew what was going on & they had someone do something so they could figure out which phone was dialing 911. After that, they just unplugged the cord after each internet session.
My best friend also experienced it, but it was the middle of the day & no one was home. It was pretty bizzare. |
Hairy Houdini
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Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 | 06:27 PM
Some free spirits have suggested over the years that a CRT (cathode ray tube, not computer relay terminal) can act as a camera just as a speaker can also function as a microphone. That would mean that we're being watched and listened to by out own tv's. The same free spirits also suggested that our old analog phones can listen in even when hung up with no dial tone. I always thought that all to be a bit on the paranoid side, but a few weeks back I read of spy programs that allow your webcam to operate secretly without your knowledge. That's an International Distress Signal, to be sure |
Maegan
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 | 01:36 PM
I always hear clicking on the phone line. It's a little disturbing when I realize my best friend and I have just been talking about how chunky we think our butts are for about a half an hour. |
The Curator
in San Diego
Member
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Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 | 12:14 AM
The NY Times had a story about this. Apparently this kind of stuff goes on far more often than people realize:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/01/technology/01signal.html?pagewanted=print&position=November
Each year, thousands of distress signals send rescuers around the globe scrambling. More often than not, the signals lead not to an emergency, but to an unintentionally activated distress beacon on a plane, aboard a ship, or in the backpack of a mountain climber.
Now and then, though, the errant signal comes from a malfunctioning appliance. Incidents like the one in Oregon, which was first reported by The Corvallis Gazette-Times, in fact, have played a part in nudging the international search-and-rescue community away from the 121.5 frequency that, among other shortcomings, is subject to interference from electronic devices gone bad. Officials say that by 2009, when search-and-rescue agencies plan to stop monitoring the old frequency, the aim is to have all emergency beacons emit a digital signal on a new frequency of 406 megahertz. While the new system will not be immune to false alarms, its signal will be distinguishable from the electromagnetic chatter of a pizza oven.
Yes, that has happened too. |
Mark-n-Jen
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 | 06:31 PM
A 20" flat-screen Toshiba T.V. w/ built in VCR, DVD, and CD player. If this story were actually true... anyone who forks out their hard earned money to pay for something the authorities later tell them NOT to use or risk such a fine would SURELY be getting their money back or a replacement. (Or making Toshiba regret it...) Not just simply unplugging it and forgetting about it. Whether you can use your computer instead, which probably isn't conveniently situated in the living room, or not you're not going to just go... "Oh well." You're going to bring it to the manufacturer's attention that their product not only cost you to purchase but will also cost you $10k a day to operate... that's news and MOST people want their 15 minutes of fame. I don't believe it... I think AP got BS'd. |
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Note: This thread is located in the Old Forum of the Museum of Hoaxes.
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