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From: dsi@unccvax.UUCP (Dataspan Inc)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.misc
Subject: Re: Microwave and UHF sound detection
Message-ID: <207@unccvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Jun-85 09:37:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: unccvax.207
Posted: Wed Jun  5 09:37:38 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Jun-85 01:44:45 EDT
References: <339@imsvax.UUCP>
Organization: UNC-Charlotte
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Xref: watmath net.physics:2559 net.misc:8066


     Five years ago, no one would take the complaints of anyone who even
suggested that microwave radiation was the cause of their "mental illness."
Now, I suspect that 'tis possible that your friend was reading MSN, MicroWaves, 
or Broadcasting and imagined that it was those periscope antennas across the
way causing his problem, but then again...

     First things first: if it is ultrasound acoustical energy which you 
suspect, the source has gotta be pretty nearby, or he has a rich co-conspirator
at ConEd.  I'd assume that Bruel and Kjaer make acoustical transducers at the
frequencies in question, get a good wideband amplifier, and sniff around using
an oscilloscope.  You might even find something like one of those little
rodent annoyers in his/her apartment...some people can hear up to 100 kHz
if the transducer is pressed against the skull.

     The microwave energy in question can be found with an ordinary spectrum
analyzer.  Lest anyone who thinks that 0.00005 femtowatt causes biological
damage start flaming, I'd suggest that anything which shows up on a straight
piece of wire sticking out of the input connector warrants investigation.
The last thing you want to do is connect a good broadband antenna and possibly
octave LNA; I just tried this in my office this morning (the antenna part)
and the results would probably be alarming to your friend.

     Finally, does your friend just "happen" to live where there is a large
field from broadcasting stations? The newfangled, CP high gain FM and TV
transmitting antennas really push that RF out the horizontal plane, and some
experienced tower workers claim that they can feel dielectric heating from
these installations. One such notorious installation is the antenna farm at
Seattle, where KING-TV and about 10 (?) FM's share a common spot of land.
The FCC and EPA are currently investigating this and some sites in NYC,
see the last few (say, 7) issues of Broadcasting about this.  Whatever
county Seattle is in banned any further construction at this antenna farm 
because of neighbour complaints.

     It is difficult to imagine, but there might be people who are sensitive
to low incident RF fields, or your friend could have some small tumour which
secretes more (or less) of something when it is dielectrically heated. If
your friend checks out more or less psychiatrically OK, it might be neat to
get this person into a 24 hour EEG laboratory and soak them with RF while 
they sleep.

     The "neighbour" part of your description doesn't sound all that plausible,
but then again, most people don't know where RF comes from, and only have
an attenuated sense of a "problem" when they are in high RF fields. You
should be able to find some strapping young college student to make the
prerequisite measurements. Good luck, and let me know if your friend is in
the 5 V/M field of some antenna.

David Anthony
Chief Development Engineer
DataSpan, Inc.         UUCP: (akgua, philabs, decvax, duke!mcnc!unccvax!dsi)
.