Have You Heard this Strange Sound?

Have You Heard this Strange Sound?

www.unknowncountry.com

Recently, Unknowncountry.com received a letter from a listener and Unknowncountry reader who attached an audio file of a strange sound that had been coming out of his television.

To Whitley Strieber's surprise, he has been hearing the precise sound coming out of his bedside clock radio. Of course, Whitley had assumed that the sound was a defect. But now it's apparent that it is some sort of a transmission that affects the entire FM band, from the lower frequencies used by TV ....

(visit the link for the full news article)

I've just listened to the sound and it is odd that it is coming through the FM radion band and television. Has anyone heard this sound? If so, send an email to Whitley Streiber's site at:
www.unknowncountry.com

www.unknowncountry.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Yes, my computer speakers do it every time I am about to get a cell call.

I know for a fact verizon phones do not cause this but nextel/sprint phones do.

Either when you are about to recieve a call, or when your phone is contacting the towers for whatever reason, you will hear this from a multitude of items....ie Computer speakers, clock radios, tv's and sometimes i have picked it up on the cb in my truck when i have buddies with nextel/sprint phones on, but not always.

My $.02

Silver

Yes I have heard that sound before coming out of my TV and I finally traced it's cause.I turned out to be the wireless access point for my home.Plus as already said a cell phone if nearby will do something similar.On the other hand it could be aliens sending each other recipes for their favorite food!



[edit on 05/16/2008 by CaptGizmo]

I have some experience with applied radio propagation theory. This sounds like an airborne beacon. I too have heard it, but not recently. I suspect it's a harmonic or phasing phenomenon, perhaps a height finding radar, or a navigational beacon. Just a guess.

Yes, I've heard this quite frequently when listening to Coast to Coast on my bedside radio. In fact I've pretty much stopped listening at all because it is so annoying. I was under the impression that my radio was junk, but apparently it's not the radio. Never heard it on the TV though (cable).

I'm not ready to go all out CT over this, but I do find it interesting...

LOL, I heard a strange sound in my bedroom for about three weeks straight, thought about posting it hear but decided not to. So when I saw this thread I was excited, thinking maybe it might be what I was hearing. Nope. That being said, yes I hear this sound, everytime someone texts me or calls my cell phone. It comes out through the speakers on my computer at work. Not my tv or clock radio, just my computer speakers. It's funny the sound happens about a half a second before my phone rings, so I always pick up my phone before it actually rings. Freaked out a coworker one time when I picked up my phone and got ready to answer before it rang. She said, HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS GOING TO RING. I said, didn't you hear the computer speakers making that odd sound.

Anyhow, that's it, nothing more to it than that.

I have emailed Whitley with the same information. Whether tmobile or att cause it, i have no clue. I dont know anyone with those providers.

Thats interesting Gizmo, i have wireless access points all over the place both here and at work and have never heard any type of interference like that. Both commercial and high end.

Hmm, learn something new everyday. Im gonna have to do some wardriving to see if i can determine if a certain type of AP or frequency causes it.

Silver

reply to post by S1LV3R4D0


I'm a t-mobile person.

Ahh very kewl Cowgirl, thanx for that. Since i seen your post, i did some digging and apparently Tmobile uses sprint/nextel towers. So it makes sense that they would cause the sound also.



Silver

Yes this is the classic mobile phone sound !
When someone in the house hears this we know a phone is about ring.
There are ringtones with this sound too.

You can even hear this effect in the recently released videogame GTA IV
When you are in a car listening to your radio and you are about to get
an in-game call the same noise is played over the car stereo.

Here is another tie in to the cellphone...

I was just watching this video from the cellphone/popcorn thread and at the same time the calls are made you will hear the sound over the video. You will hear it between 23 and 28 seconds into the clip.

polycom.com

The most common (and abrasive) form of interference is the buzzing sound that seems to come without warning when a mobile phone is sitting near a susceptible speakerphone or stereo system. Curiously, once the phone is picked up and a conversation is in process, the interference generally disappears. The reason for this is that mobile phones adjust their transmit power once a call is established; if there’s a station nearby, a mobile phone will usually operate at fairly low levels while the call is going on. However, when exchanging data such as ringing and messaging, they operate at full strength for a short time, which can be enough to be picked up in a susceptible device, and be sent to either the near or far end (or both). Another good example of this is when you’re driving your car listening to the radio with your mobile device nearby, when the buzzing begins. Nine times out of ten, you can expect a call, email or voicemail to arrive right along with the buzz

In my experience the phone doesn't even have to ring to get this sound through an amplifier. It only has to check in with the local base station.

[edit on 5/6/08 by Asnivor] Formatting

[edit on 5/6/08 by Asnivor]

This is simply RF interference coming from cell phones or 2 way radios and like devices. I have heard this sound thousands of times, we joke at work sometimes when we are sitting at our computers and that sound comes up and we say hey buddy your phone is about to ring! and sure enough it rings, just more noise interference pollution.

I hear this sound almost everytime the television goes blank for a bit!

I believe a lil static comes up on the screen when it is present!

Some people have actually tried making experimental music out of it...

here.

Oh, I hear the sound coming out from our televisions. We have cable.

Thats so funny cause I have heard it coming through my computer speakers three times today and expected an incoming cell call every time - but nothing all day (I'm with ATT).

reply to post by Asnivor


Wow. I would not have thought that sound could have been made even MORE annoying but I stand corrected....