# Plasma TV transmits distress signal **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plasma-tv-transmits-distress-signal/270052 "2004-10-19T16:49:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snaggletooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Snaggletooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snaggletooth)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plasma-tv-transmits-distress-signal/270052/1 "2004-10-19T16:49:07Z")
I have search for a news report from yesterday and found nothing. They were talking about a guy who bought a new Plasma TV. It ended up transmitting a distress signal that was pick up by a satellite. Then I think the police, fire rescue showed up. How can this happen? What happened? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plasma-tv-transmits-distress-signal/270052/2 "2004-10-19T16:57:22Z")
Radio recievers and other electronic devices often generate intemediate frequency signals in the process of turning an AM or FM carrier into a useful baseband signal. Even a device that is supposed to be only a reciever can inadvertantely become a transmitter. This is how radar detector detectors work. It appears that one of these frequencies from the TV or a harmonic of that frequency was close or at the VHF distress frequency of, IIRC, 121.5MHz. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plasma-tv-transmits-distress-signal/270052/3 "2004-10-19T16:57:39Z")
[Toshiba TV cries for help](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/19/toshina_distress_tv/) Amazing one-in-a-million coincidence. Any of a number of bizzarro things could have happened. A section of metal shielding could have broken loose and come into contact with source of energy causing it to resonate at the magic frequency. The local oscillator (if there is one in this type of tv) could have gone screwy and started generating the offending harmonics. Toshiba was nice enough to give the guy a new TV. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plasma-tv-transmits-distress-signal/270052/4 "2004-10-19T19:12:16Z")
> [@Snaggletooth](#): > > [The TV set] ended up transmitting a distress signal Well, if your information input consisted of 99% crap, wouldn’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plasma-tv-transmits-distress-signal/270052/5 "2004-10-19T19:18:03Z")
Jeeze I sure hope our plasma tv doesn’t end up doing that to us! Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plasma-tv-transmits-distress-signal/270052/6 "2004-10-19T21:19:44Z")
A more detailed story is available [here.](http://www.gtconnect.com/articles/2004/10/17/news/top_story/gtsun01.txt) One of the more amusing quotes from the story: > [@](#): > > Van Rossman [the TV owner] was instructed to keep his TV turned off or face fines of up to $10,000 per day for emitting a false distress signal.