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Distress Signal Emitted By Flat-Screen TV

Posted by timothy on from the help-these-programs-are-awful dept.

pinqkandi writes "CNN is a running a story on an Oregon college student's flat-screen Toshiba TV which was releasing the 121.5 MHz international distress signal. He was unaware of the issue until local police, search and rescue, and civil air patrol members showed up at his apartment's door. Apparently the signal was strong enough to be picked up by satellite and then routed to the Air Force Rescue Center in Virginia. Quite impressive - luckily Toshiba is offering him a free replacement."

5 of 514 comments (clear)

  1. Must have been quite powerful by metlin · · Score: 5, Insightful


    I'd originally read this on CNet a while ago.

    And the (CNet) article points out something of relevance - with so many new devices and what not, our radio spectrum is increasingly becoming very muddled and interference a lot more commonplace. I wonder if existing regulations would do, or if new ones be required.

    Something to think about.

    And I wonder how powerful that signal must have been to have caused such interference. Either that, or the receiving satellites must be having one hell of a resolution capability.

    The latter also provides some food for thought - if their satellite equipment is sensitive enough to find out interfering signals from a Television set, wonder what else they can (and do) eavesdrop :)

    What kind of Tempest attacks do take place, I wonder. Satellite Van Eck Phreaking?

    ~adjusts tinfoil hat~

    1. Re:Must have been quite powerful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Except the entire point of this particular satellite is to save peoples' lives. Good try, though.

    2. Re:Must have been quite powerful by Lord+Kano · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If the technology that they have let us know about is able to pick up a signal generated by a plasma TV, I really wonder what they're keeping under their hats.

      Most of us only half-believe the stories about echelon and massive gov't surveillance but things like this tell me that our fears may be more reasonable than we think.

      LK

      --
      "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
  2. Re:I bet he was hacking Dishnetwork... by ricochet81 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    college student (no money)??

    the dude has a flat screen TV doesnt he?!

    --
    Error: Id10t detected
  3. Re:Dodgy TV software? by FLEB · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Meanwhile... IT'S A FREAKING TELEVISION! "TV" and "crash" should not be sharing the same sentence.

    --
    Information wants to be free.
    Entertainment wants to be paid.
    You just want to be cheap.