Can Ordinary Fans or Air Conditioners Pick Up Radio Transmissions?

**Tycho** · 08-01-2008

The other day I started hearing voices coming from my air conditioning unit.

Ordinarily, I'd dismiss this as the usual voices I hear instructing me to sniff Star Wars action figures due to my pervasive insanity.

However, I've also heard music coming from the fan before.

I think inside basic radios, are spinning parts and "frequency" means how fast they execute complete revolutions. This must determine what sounds they pick up, as the broadcast must be made at the same occurence of revolutions, or frequency.

So therefore, in theory, the spinning parts of a fan used in air conditioning COULD actually carry radio programs on it inadvertently.

Am I right?

Or does the Mouse Droid Sniffers' Association have new anthem songs that I just am becoming aware of?

I heard the Devil made me listen to it.

**jedi master sal** · 08-01-2008

Tycho has yet again gone off the deep end....heh heh.

**TeeEye7** · 08-01-2008

Don't sniff the fans. It may be hazardous to your nose.

**Neuroleptic** · 08-01-2008

Originally Posted by Tycho

The other day I started hearing voices coming from my air conditioning unit.

Ordinarily, I'd dismiss this as the usual voices I hear instructing me to sniff Star Wars action figures due to my pervasive insanity.

However, I've also heard music coming from the fan before.

I think inside basic radios, are spinning parts and "frequency" means how fast they execute complete revolutions. This must determine what sounds they pick up, as the broadcast must be made at the same occurence of revolutions, or frequency.

So therefore, in theory, the spinning parts of a fan used in air conditioning COULD actually carry radio programs on it inadvertently.

Am I right?

Or does the Mouse Droid Sniffers' Association have new anthem songs that I just am becoming aware of?

I heard the Devil made me listen to it.

Are you sure you aren't smoking something?

I'm preaty sure that can't happen. At least the sound. You'd need a speaker of some kind to translate the electronic signals to resemble sound.

That being said, most likely they can at least interfear with radio signals. My glasses do all the time. I walk into rooms with radios at work and they start picking up static until I move to a certan place either toward or away from them.

But my glasses don't sing songs from the Arithmics or talk to me . . .

**jedi master sal** · 08-01-2008

Originally Posted by TeeEye7

Don't sniff the fans. It may be hazardous to your nose.

I've stopped a fan with my tongue...and I didn't even wash the fan first...

**Tycho** · 08-01-2008

Originally Posted by Neuroleptic

I'm preaty sure that can't happen. At least the sound. You'd need a speaker of some kind to translate the electronic signals to resemble sound.

The speaker really serves as an amplifier. Sure it vibrates to reproduce the sound, but a fan that's got a little movement to ninety degrees of its regular rotation also has a vibration motion allowed it.

But my glasses don't sing songs from the Arithmics or talk to me . .

I can't discern what the voices are saying, or which songs the music is recreating, but it is definitely there. I might just have really sharp hearing. (I wonder if at night I turn into a werewolf and stalk the stockers at Wal-Mart. That's very possible, given recent circumstances where I wake up in the morning with Star Wars toys and I can't remember where I got them.)

However, I'm try very hard to discern what the voices are telling me. Maybe my life is a dream and I'm actually somewhere else in a coma, and the voices are my friends and family trying to get me to return to my reality. I saw this happen in an episode of Star Trek once or twice before. You know how TV shows repeat doing the same idea because they can't think of anything else? Maybe it's ME who can't think of anything else (subconsciously) and because I'm imagining it all, Star Trek isn't real either! I've created it all in my mind! Do you know what that means? It means Bill Shatner isn't real either. There are many who'd agree with me then - that it was all a bad dream. If you've seen Star Trek: Voyager, you'd totally be on board with this.

**Blue2th** · 08-01-2008

Originally Posted by jedi master sal

I've stopped a fan with my tongue...and I didn't even wash the fan first...

That's hard core man!

**LusiferSam** · 08-01-2008

Originally Posted by Tycho

I think inside basic radios, are spinning parts and "frequency" means how fast they execute complete revolutions. This must determine what sounds they pick up, as the broadcast must be made at the same occurence of revolutions, or frequency.

So therefore, in theory, the spinning parts of a fan used in air conditioning COULD actually carry radio programs on it inadvertently.

Am I right?

First off unless you own a really, really old radio there are no moving parts in modern radios. It's all electronically and has been for at least the last 40 years. Besides I don't think your fan or ac unit spin that fast. The bottom of the AM band (in the US) is 520 kHz or 31,200,000 rpm. It even faster for the top of the AM band and faster yet for the FM band.

Radio transmission (which is what your describing) is totally different radio reception. I'm unaware of anything in a fan or ac unit that would act like a coherer, vacuum tube, crystal detector, or transistor. Without this component your idea is dead in the water.

On top of that you have nothing act a speaker. The amplifiers and speakers are two totally components. The speaker turners electronic signals from the receiver (which you don't have) to sound waves. Fans do make sound, but they can't sounds like a speaker doesn't. The motion is different.

Bottom line is, your nuts. I think what you have is called schizophrenia. There are people who can help you. Please, for all our sakes, go find them.

**Blue2th** · 08-01-2008

An air conditioner has openings on both sides. To let the air in and push it out into your room. You probably heard some neighbors.

There's one club in town I can't use my favorite little Fender tube amp, because in between the songs you can hear radio free europe coming through. At least that's what we call it.