# If you took a radio back one million years, what would you hear? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237 "2006-01-16T17:05:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/1 "2006-01-16T17:05:02Z")
When you turn a radio to an unused frequency today, you hear static. As I understand it, that static comes from three places: 1. RF noise generated by the radio itself. 2. Natural sources (lightning, cosmic rays, etc.) 3. Man-made sources - noise generated by power lines, radio stations that are too far away to hear clearly, but still contribute, etc. So, my question is - how much of the static you hear on an unused frequency is due to 3), and how much is due to 2)? Assume a perfect radio that doesn’t introduce any unwanted noise: i.e. ignore 1). ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/2 "2006-01-16T18:33:23Z")
You would probably hear shssssssschchchsshshhhcchshhshshhchchshhhsssshhhhshhchshhchchsh. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/3 "2006-01-16T18:41:04Z")
And Paul Harvey. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/4 "2006-01-16T18:46:56Z")
Dick Clark’s radio broadcast of “American Bandstand.” ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/5 "2006-01-16T19:44:00Z")
How much static you hear on a radio these days depends on a lot of things, including the quality of the radio and where it is located. Someone in Manhatten is probably going to hear mostly man made noise. Someone in a cabin in Montanna is probably going to hear mostly natural noise. Translucent Daydream, joking or otherwise, was also correct. You are going to hear a shhh-ing type of sound. You’re not going to hear the bzzzzz type of sound that you often get in an urban environment. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/6 "2006-01-16T20:08:28Z")
> [@Translucent Daydream](#): > > You would probably hear shssssssschchchsshshhhcchshhshshhchchshhhsssshhhhshhchshhchchsh. Nah, probably more like _kshhhhhhh… shhshhss… shshsss… hshshss pop kssshsshsss… this looks like a good spot to land… shhhssshhh…_ ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/7 "2006-01-16T20:19:14Z")
You’ll hear “Egg Talk,” hosted by Tom and Ray Magliosaurus. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/8 "2006-01-16T20:34:36Z")
[The Radio Sun](http://www.radiosky.com/suncentral.html) [Whistlers](http://www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/space-audio/sounds/EarthWhistlers/EarthWhistlers.html) [Sample sferics, tweeks, whistlers and other VLF radio sounds](http://spaceweather.com/glossary/inspire.html) [Radiometeors](http://www.amsmeteors.org/audio/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/9 "2006-01-16T22:14:48Z")
Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!’ Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!’ Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!’ 😃😃 ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/10 "2006-01-16T22:31:18Z")
That radio station that plays “Louie Louie” over and over. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/11 "2006-01-16T23:49:00Z")
DANG this stupid (stupid!) time machine and it’s %@$\*\*&% Chronostat! First, it gets me into GQ, THEN it sets me off into IMHO, and NOW I’m back into GQ! Thank goodness I was able to delete my original reply. Anyway, to answer the original post, from this quadrant of the universe, I heard nothing but the gentle hiss of static in both the AM and FM bands. Hope this answers your question. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/12 "2006-01-17T02:00:20Z")
Marconi recieved the first wireless patent in 1897. So, go back to 1890, before he was experimenting. There. No need to go 1,000,000 years. I just saved you some gas. You can thank me by springing for the donuts. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/13 "2006-01-17T02:33:21Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Marconi recieved the first wireless patent in 1897. So, go back to 1890, before he was experimenting. > > There. No need to go 1,000,000 years. > > I just saved you some gas. You can thank me by springing for the donuts. 😃 I’d go back a little further, at least before any use of electricity. Human activities before radio was actually in use probably created static, if anybody had been listening. I’d be very surprised if the bare telegraph wires used in the mid 19th century didn’t generate static. Just a tiny bit more gas. Your AM radio receiver would make crackling sounds as it picked up lightening storms, too, and the level of natural static might be very influenced by local meteorological conditions in general. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/14 "2006-01-17T11:40:55Z")
Alley Oop. Oop. Oop. Oop Oop. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/15 "2006-01-17T12:00:35Z")
I was recently in Raratonga in the Cook Islands, a place so remote that only one or two shortwave transmissions get there. Tuning all the way through the shortwave spectrum, which took an hour or so, gave me “sshshshshshshhsshshshshsshshhhh” on every frequency. That said, they do have electricity there, so it’s not a perfect test. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/16 "2006-01-17T12:24:36Z")
_I Got You, Babe_ ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-took-a-radio-back-one-million-years-what-would-you-hear/340237/17 "2006-01-17T12:44:05Z")
“Hey, Thor, gimme a bolt. We got an eavesdropper.”