Have You Heard this Strange Sound?

It is a function of the nature of the modulation technique of TDMA, the method of which all GSM phones use. Phones that use CDMA do not produce this interference. This is why all cell phone users do not experience it equally.

If you have T-Mobile or AT&T (formerly Cingular) you are likely to experience this obnoxious digital buzz signal, either from the phone doing it's periodic connection to the local cell site, or when a call is initiated, either received or sent.

In addition to getting it in some computer speakers, I do video work and cell can cause disruptions in the image as well as audio. It is nearly impossible, even with the appropriate connectors, to record audio from some cell phones due to this overpowering interference. In my opinion, it is a major design flaw and it's quite surprising to me that it was not adequately tested before getting to market. It is mostly caused by proximity of a cell phone to a device with a speaker, especially cheaper self powered computer speakers that have insufficient shielding. That said, it 's near impossible to shield effectively from this. It permeates wiring and like I said, in a case where you need to run wires for video production and have open mics and sometimes wireless mics, the only solution is to turn off the phones. Many times this interference will occur when someone is speaking at a podium at a mic and has a phone, or there is someone with such a phone near equipment.

I think it's probably a relatively small problem compared to what the microwave radiation - even at the .3W level - over time is doing to everyone's heads and brains. In particular the kids that use cell phones constantly. There will be a price to pay for this nonsense.

Are you joking because i don't think that aliens would share recipes for there favorite food. Maybe there trying to tell us something that they want us to know. Or there planing to take over earth.

Can you say cell phone??? Why are we posting this exctally?

reply to post by paisley101


This sound is coming from a TDMA (Time division, multiple access. 850 MHZ) or GSM (Global system for mobile communications. 1800MHZ) cell phone. (Analog phones usually will not do this). It will occur when these type of phones are receiving an incoming signal ( it is at this time the signal is strongest in order to initiate the contact between the device and the tower), ie, incoming call, text, etc. This spike in signal strength interferes with electronic devices operating on a frequency level between 850 and 1800 MHZ. searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com... I worked for a few years with the largest cell phone network in North America, and I had to answer this question hundreds of times to customers (this is not information I was given in my training for the company). A colleague and I have tested this, and been able to cause the sound to occur. It happens to my television, speakers and radio once in a while. I am positive my neighbors are cell phone users. And thus I am aware they are receiving a call before their phone rings. As to the physical effect this may have on the human body/mind. I am unsure, but I personally choose to stay away from cell phones as much as possible. The FCC may have suppressed information on cancer associated with cell phone use, and there have been urban legends/truths about individuals suing their cell provider for cancerous tumors, growths behind the ear. and have had the cases thrown out due to FCC interference in the legal proceedings. Text

Originally posted by CaptGizmo
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]

Those Aliens and their recipies...grrrr

Why don't they just go out and buy a cook book.

A good one that comes to mind is 1001 ways to melt down a human for absorbsion...

Text Blue

This sound is H.A.A.R.P. as explained many times over many years by Alan Watt

There are to date 56 H.A.A.R.P istallations including Alaska , Antarctica (South African ) , Sweden , Iceland , Greenland etc . The radio frequencies are also audible on shortwave. By the way the Chinese eathquake sorry 6 earthquakes were enginered by Electromagnectic electrostatic Scala / H.A.A.R.P. Weather Warfare facilities .More importantly the only known Chinese Nuclear Weapons Manufacturing facility and a Dam are in the Earthquake zone what a coincidence !!!! The recent Earth quakes , Tornados and floods are amplified or even created by these H.A.A.R.P. facilities . The direction of storms can and are altered (Katrina) & electromagnetic pulse detonation devices are used to cause Tsunami floods & Earthquakes. The Noise is H.A.A.R.P.

I have been hearing this sound for years coming through my bedside clock radio. It seemed to happen if my husband's mobile phone (cell as some of you call it) was on the bedside table next to the clock radio. When I read this thread today, I asked him and he said he has heard this even when the mobile phone was not in the same room. There are 4 mobiles in our house.


Anyways, we have been hearing this for several years but ONLY through the clock radio, nothing else emits this sound. I do think it is a signal that is part of using mobiles/cells use. I live in Australia so the sound is not unique to any specific region.

take care all
res

[edit on 8-6-2008 by resistancia]

I hear this sound as well. Noticed it a couple years ago... really only happened when I had my cell next to my computers, xbox, speakers, or sometype of electrical device. Since I moved it happenes less, but it still happens around my computer. The phone won't ring or anything... I just hear that noise.

I use a tracfone v170. Its just a disposable prepaid cellphone.. I hear that sound out of all nearby speakers when I'm about to receive a phone call, or if im calling someone. I ignore it for the most part.. iv noticed it for years and have always assumed it was just some kind of random interference...

reply to post by paisley101

That's the sound of a blackberry receiving and sending e-mail.

reply to post by paisley101


I have heard this sound MANY, MANY TIMES as a video professional doing
over 1500 hours of audio & video recording of seminars, tradeshows, video
depositions, interviews, sales meetings, etc. and especially on audio & video
setups in rooms full of hundreds of lawyers, doctors or other professionals
gathered within small rooms, big rooms or anywhere groups of people gather
who have access to certain communications devices which I will outline
further on.

Our company has done extensive tracking on the source of this clicking
sound and we do have NUMEROUS digital recordings of that same sound
and of other similar types of pulsed audio on DVD. They ALL have ONE thing
in common....!!!!!!

RIM Blackberry, Handspring TREO, and ANY OTHER type of messaging or
mobile phone system that uses packet-based MESSAGING communications
in the 800/900 MHZ or 1800/1900 MHZ spectrum or those that use DataTac
networks. Those clicks are the square wave or sharp-edged pulses
that comprise a portion of the incoming/outgoing email or SMS messages
which have been inducted into a radio antennae or electrically inducted into
the long cables of a microphone or set of headphones.

These pulses are NOT part of the voice-to-voice call portion of cell-phone
service! They ONLY occur on the EMAIL or SMS/TEXT MESSAGING portion
of the cell-phone system.

The phenomenon is highly dependent upon the location, size,
configuration and material that is located within a room that contains
persons who send or receive messages via RIM Blackberries or
Handspring TREO 600 or 650 series mobile device messages or other devices
whose output/input signal consists of a series of square waves or other
sharp-edged pulsed waves that are used as part of a text messaging-based
mobile communications system.

Since these groups of pulses tend to be of short duration between
5 to 15 seconds in length and of limited numbers, I can assume that these
are data packet identifiers used to indicate WHICH PHONE is to receive
a message or which phone is sending a message. It could also be a message
acknowledgement packet indicating that a message has been sent/received
or is awaiting user interaction.

We suggest you obtain a visual-based spectrum analyzer that works
in the 800/900 MHZ and 1800/1900 spectrum or on Datatac Networks
(i.e. RIM Blackberry) and you can visually see the pulses on an
oscilliscope when messages are outgoing and incoming.

The pulses can be attenuated or accentuated enough by a particular room
configuration that they will electrically induct themselves into antennae,
microphone cables or headphone cables or into other microphone-level
recording inputs and thus into your radio output or in our case, the audio
portion of a video recording.

This is also affected by the orientation and length of ANY antennae or cable
which can "grab" the pulses out of the air and that orientation and/or cable
length will determine the strength and clarity of the clicking you hear.

This is not a new phenomenon and unfortunately is only getting worse
as more and more people use these text messaging networks anywhere and everywhere.

I have had to ask whole audiences to PLEASE SHUT OFF THEIR
Blackberries/Treos but as usual, not everyone listens and I therefore
have to explain to an annoyed event organizer that those clicks on my
DVD recordings were caused by errant professionals who just can't keep
themselves away from the digital office for even a few hours!

I hope this explanation helps and do feel free to email me
with any other questions you may have regarding this.

Henry A. Eckstein, Dip. SAIT CTSR (1993)
Audio & Video Production Specialist
Triad Communications Ltd.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Website: www.comwave.com
Email: [email protected]

reply to post by S1LV3R4D0


It is very likely one of the quad band GSM cellphone frequencies.

900-1900 MHZ. mutliplexed, with frequency shift keying (modulation

encoding to reduce crosstalk), each channel (124) about 200khz apart.

Straight from wiki...

TV reception (UHF/VHf remember those?) goes up to 800 MHz for cable,

starts around 54 MHZ.

I get this EXACT sound when data/voice comes in/out of my

cell, emanating from my powered sound cancelling audiotechnica

headphones. The interference is bleeding into TV (UHF) and

other nearby frequencies.

Classic.

I'm glad to actually hear the sound that I have heard numerous times over my PC speakers. I don't know that I had to have a wireless router connected to hear it though.

I think it has been a while since I have heard it.

Troy

My verizon cell phone does this to the radio when a text message is incoming

The sound is simply a cell phone recieving a text message. I've heard it time and time again without knowing what the heck it was until a friend pointed out one day that a cell phone causes it. He set his phone near my television and sure enough, right before he got a text message, you would hear that sound.

This text message effect is constant and should not be considered mysterious.

another TILE of proof that the average intelligence of an ATS reader
I canot even be bothered to explain this.... It is such an old thing ..
Since the 1st days of mobile phone this is happeneing ..
Read it up kids
No aliens comming to get you

PEOPLE EDUCATE YOURSELF THIS MAKES YOU AND EVERY0ONE ON HERE ONCE AGAIN LOOK VERY VERY IGNORANT ..

iTS iNTERFERENCE NOIZE NOTHING ELSE
.i NOTICED IT 1ST A DECADE AGO WHEN I HAD MY 1ST BRICK OF A MOBILE PHONE -

Indeed, it is picking up a mobile phone. Either a call or a text message. Anything capable of receiving the signal which also has speakers (of some sort) will produce this sound. As I was writing the last sentence still with the speakers of my computer on, there it was again! Somebody here in the building is either using his mobile or receiving a call/message on his mobile.

Yeah, I have the same issues with my alarm clock and my comp. speakers. I get the noise right before an incoming call. I have even noticed when some cars go by I get the same noise. I can also walk into my bedroom while on the phone with someone and the interference is horrible to the point I can't hear and have to move to a different room.

reply to post by paisley101


Take an electric guitar, turn the volume up, and put a remote control of some sort (tv, stereo, etc) about an inch away from the pickups on the guitar. Start pushing buttons. VOILA! You've made this same sound.

That is the sound of a cell phone Ping. I hear it too before the phone rings and intermitantly through the day but if I turn the phone off...no sound. I experimented by calling my cell from the land line and every time my PC speakers would do that right before a ring. Then I turned the cell off and repeated the experiment and, you might have guessed...No noise.