What the...

I just came upon a computer here at work that was turned off, yet the speakers were playing a local radio station along with an electrical buzz. This has happened twice in this building and once we even picked up truckers goin by on the highway. Anyone else ever have this happen to them? It's freaky

If the speakers have built in amplifiers (like most PC speakers do) then the wires connecting them to the computer can end up acting like antennas. Basically what you are experiencing is badly shielded wiring. Anytime an EMF pass through a wire whose length is on the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the radiation, some of the energy is absorbed and a current is produced in the wire. In this case that current gets amplified and output to the speakers.

TB... you're scaring me... although our teacher told us the principle on a physics class... well... that's freaky...

Didn't you ever hear stories about people who constantly picked up radio on their metallic teeth braces?

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Tracer Bullet</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>If the speakers have built in amplifiers (like most PC speakers do) then the wires connecting them to the computer can end up acting like antennas. Basically what you are experiencing is badly shielded wiring. Anytime an EMF pass through a wire whose length is on the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the radiation, some of the energy is absorbed and a current is produced in the wire. In this case that current gets amplified and output to the speakers.

</DIV></DIV>
I figured as much. I thought that the transformers in the amplification unit had just enough windings in them to act on the same principle as a transistor radio. The radio signal was then passed on to the speaker cone.

Didn't you ever hear stories about people who constantly picked up radio on their metallic teeth braces?

or see the humorously executed episode of Clone High with the retainer receiver?

My headphones get this a lot since I moved to Madison. I'm on the fourth floor instead of garden/ground level like back in NE (and shielded by some terrain, to boot), so I'm guessing there's just more signals to intercept. It's not a huge problem, though, and only noticeable if there's nothing playing through the speakers. :smile:

The speakers supplied with my first PC picked up police radio if they were parked within like 20 yards of the house.

That makes me cool and somewhat rebellious.

sometimes in the night when i have a headphone on then i can hear voices coming from my headphones, scary!!

I've had truckers come through while I was watching TV, 'twas rather annoying.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting pepper</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>sometimes in the night when i have a headphone on then i can hear voices coming from my headphones, scary!!
</DIV></DIV>
It's called "listening to the radio" :razz: And before you mock, why would you be wearing headphones at night without listening to anything?

The speakers supplied with my first PC picked up police radio if they were parked within like 20 yards of the house.

I bet you got to hear them quite a bit. :wink:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Hugh</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>I've had truckers come through while I was watching TV, 'twas rather annoying. </DIV></DIV>
Hugh i love your avatar. I made one a lot like it http://www.crapbucket.brad.com/bradscared.jpg You'll prolly have to copy-and-paste the link since my host is GAyz0r.

If it bothers you that much, wrap the entire amplifier in tinfoil. People will think you're crazy, but it really does work as EMag shielding.

And if the aliens are controlling our minds with radio waves, it will put a stop to that... Maybe crazy people aren't so crazy after all...

Just ignore that last paragraph, there aren't really aliens controlling our minds. As far as we know...

sometimes in the night when i have a headphone on then i can hear voices coming from my headphones, scary!!

Sometimes in the night when i don't have a headphone on then i can hear voices coming from my head.

That makes me freaky and deranged.

Yep, that's the aliens controlling your mind. :smile:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Leperous</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Didn't you ever hear stories about people who constantly picked up radio on their metallic teeth braces?</DIV></DIV>
I meant he's scaring me by remembering all that stuff...

pepper said:
sometimes in the night when i have a headphone on then i can hear voices coming from my headphones, scary!!

It's called "listening to the radio" :razz: And before you mock, why would you be wearing headphones at night without listening to anything?

i just finished a game and i was looking at my mail.