Ore. Man's TV Emits Int'l Distress Signal (very strange)

[donsu]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=12&u=/ap/20041019/ap_on_re_us/distress_signal

Chris van Rossman's television came with a VCR, DVD player and CD player — plus a hidden feature that had a rescue team beating a path to his door.

On the night of Oct. 2, the TV began emitting the international distress signal — the 121.5 megahertz beep emitted by crashed airplanes and sinking boats.

The signal was picked up by a satellite, relayed to an Air Force base in Virginia, then to the Civil Air Patrol, then to officials in Oregon. Most signals are false alarms, but they're all checked out, and soon, men in Air Force uniforms, a police officer and Mike Bamberger, a Benton County Search and Rescue deputy, were at van Rossman's apartment door.

-snip-

Neither investigators nor officials at Toshiba Corp. know exactly what caused the problem, Bamberger said Tuesday. Toshiba plans to replace the television and examine the offending one.
-snip-
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if he turns the TV on again it will cost him $10,000 a day in fines.

that distress signal didn't jump into the TV all by itself.

[ladjf]

1. Thousands of emergency locater beacons are manufactured

to be used for emergencies. My guess is that the part that was placed in the man's TV had been originally intended for a regular ELB. Or, the frequency was set incorrectly at the factory. Still an interesting story.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. I heard this on the radio yesterday and thought it was odd.

The t.v. owner is upset that he can now not watch t.v. until he gets a replacement. :hi: