# The Mojave Megaphone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 4, 2019, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930 "2019-02-04T04:42:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/1 "2019-02-04T04:42:13Z")
Has this ever been featured here? Pretty curious object with an unknown purpose. My own take on it is that while it is well laid out and assembled it was not welded by a real professional welder. Welds are wobbly with no full penetration and a bit cold. So not intended for any pressure vessel. Lots of photos: > **[The Mysterious Mojave Megaphone](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mojave-megaphone)** > > No one's quite sure why there's a metal megaphone bolted on two rocks in the middle of the Mojave Desert. > **[The Mojave Megaphone is another Argosy mystery in the desert southwest](http://www.in-the-desert.com/Mojave_Megaphone.html)** > > Mysteries in the desert may never be solved, here we try to solve this old and mysterious artifact in the Mojave Desert. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/2 "2019-02-04T21:12:05Z")
It’s an interesting little mystery, and I’d love to hear an answer someday. My current assumption is that it’s just an art piece, possibly made originally for Burning Man or similar, that the makers decided to sneak into the desert instead of disassembling. Certainly looks more like “art welding” than any sort of functional object. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/3 "2019-02-04T22:03:07Z")
It is pretty puzzling. The thing weighs over 500 pounds. It’s on top of a 100 foot high hill, over 700 feet from the nearest road, which is a dirt road. It’s a 14 mile drive over dirt roads to that spot from the nearest paved road. So someone was really determined to put it at that spot. If it was carried up the hill by hand, it must have required a large group of people. And then it’s bolted there, on some weird looking mountings. I could believe those disks could be part of an art piece. They look like heat sinks, but that makes no sense, when it’s sitting on a rock. They might have some practical purpose I’m not thinking of. The construction does look pretty crude. If the guy’s theory in the second link is true (it’s a siren amplifier used by the Army in chemical weapon testing), it wouldn’t have needed to be very accurately made. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/4 "2019-02-04T22:05:59Z")
Looks like a prop from a low-budget sci-fi movie, or some sort of Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic dystopia. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/5 "2019-02-04T22:09:12Z")
its Mojave… high desert residents be weird (as being one myself I speak with authority ) …… so the answer might be “because” they could" ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/6 "2019-02-04T22:30:27Z")
I can’t believe no one knows what it is. How long has it been there? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/7 "2019-02-04T23:05:01Z")
This is actually quite offensive to people familiar with The Mojave Megaphone as a sexual position. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/8 "2019-02-04T23:23:46Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > This is actually quite offensive to people familiar with The Mojave Megaphone as a sexual position. Well, I’m offended that there is a sexual position that is such that “Mojave Megaphone” would be considered an apt description. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/9 "2019-02-04T23:38:05Z")
I think the “warning siren” theory in the second link is plausible, but who knows. [Here’s a blog post](http://michael1111.blogspot.com/2007/11/mojave-desert-megaphone.html) that describes a day trip to the site. That area has all kinds of weird stuff to check out if you have the right kind of vehicle and a little determination. If I wasn’t such a 4WD wimp I’d love to go visit it some day. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/10 "2019-02-06T02:01:28Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I can’t believe no one knows what it is. How long has it been there? it looks like a [venturi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect#/media/File:Aircraft_venturi_1.JPG)to me. why it’s there is a mystery. Someone wanted to test something or measure pressure in the mountains. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/11 "2019-02-06T02:15:32Z")
My very first thought was that it’s probably something that was used in some sort of military testing, probably during WWII or the cold war. The siren explanation in the second link fits that theory. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/12 "2019-02-06T02:35:03Z")
Here’s a video that shows just how difficult it must have been to place the thing. It has some nice closeups. It also shows a few other odd artifacts apparently in the same area. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/--Wi26QLxd4/maxresdefault.jpg "Mojave Desert Megaphone Details") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--Wi26QLxd4) ---
**Author:** ![Littleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@Littleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Littleman)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/13 "2019-02-06T02:50:03Z")
It’s junk, the siren theory makes no sense because it has extra bs like fins with no purpose. Somebody’s art piece that’s performing the exact function it was designed for ,right now. Make people wonder about it. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/14 "2019-02-06T04:51:55Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > This is actually quite offensive to people familiar with The Mojave Megaphone as a sexual position. Skeptical but I’m looking to Troy for confirmation. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/15 "2019-02-06T14:00:49Z")
Has there been any film making out there? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/16 "2019-02-06T15:15:49Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Has there been any film making out there? If it’s part of a film set, why anchor it so securely to the rocks? Why put it in a high up and difficult to reach location? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/17 "2019-02-06T15:34:43Z")
> [@Littleman](#): > > it has extra bs like fins with no purpose. Anchor points for lifting? ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/18 "2019-02-06T15:57:53Z")
> [@Littleman](#): > > It’s junk, the siren theory makes no sense because it has extra bs like fins with no purpose. > > Somebody’s art piece that’s performing the exact function it was designed for ,right now. > > Make people wonder about it. It’s definitely an art piece. My only question is whether it’s JUST decorative or if the drum theory is correct. Those useless fins do have holes in them, which does make it look like you could use them to stretch a drum head. I’m sticking with my theory that it was made by Burners who decided to give it a permanent home instead of having to store it. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/19 "2019-02-06T16:06:15Z")
Well, whatever it is, at least it’s still out there for people to check out. Sadly that’s not the case for the [Mojave Phone Booth](https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/mojave-phone-booth/). ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930/20 "2019-02-06T16:13:30Z")
The Simon/Garfunkel theory - To see if amplifying the sounds of silence makes the lyrics easier to understand The redneck theory - Yeah, Billy Bob, that thang shore is purty - but where you gonna put it? The Sci-Fi theory - It is a portal to another dimension, as anyone brave enough to attempt to crawl through would quickly find out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mojave-megaphone/828930.md?page=2)