# What are the technical difficulties in creating a maser capable of inducing the Havana syndrome? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561 "2021-11-18T14:28:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2021, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561/22 "2021-11-23T05:10:00Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > The reply: “Won’t make a difference.” No. Those are kill you properly dead power supplies. Serious internal tissue damage. No point trying CPR. He’s dead Jim. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561/23 "2021-11-23T14:32:59Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Broadcast tubes can also give off very dangerous amounts of ultraviolet waste light. There’s a lot of energy going through there. The dangerous ultraviolet waves – UV C at below about 280 nm – are blocked by most glass and plastic. I know – it’s part of my business to find things that will transmit those rays. Unless your tube is made of fused silica, it’s almost certainly blocking the dangerous part of the ultraviolet. (Of course, there are still effects from wavelengths longer than 290 but shorter than the visible, and many people advocate avoiding such wavelengths where possible. You can still get a suntan through window glass, after all. ) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2021, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561/24 "2021-11-23T17:16:18Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > The operating specs are hilarious. I’m a ham radio operator and some (usually older) hams refurbish and operate old tube radios and amplifiers. They have a saying you see on tshirts and stuff. “Real radios can kill you.” ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561/25 "2021-11-24T13:23:46Z")
My brother was a Radio Officer on ships back in the 70s. He has a scar on his hand from an RF spark that got him in the Radio room. He also had to regularly clear dead seagulls from the RADAR scanner mast. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561/26 "2023-03-30T21:17:06Z")
> **[Newly Declassified Government Report Suggests Havana Syndrome Might Be Caused...](https://gizmodo.com/havana-syndrome-energy-weapon-cia-intelligence-1850281273)** > > After years of debate about the cause of the strange malady, a recently declassified document points the finger (once again) at "electromagnetic energy." > **[Exclusive: Declassified report suggests "Havana syndrome" could result from...](https://www.salon.com/2023/03/29/exclusive-declassified-report-suggests-havana-syndrome-could-result-from-energy-weapon/)** > > Full intelligence report contradicts official claims that strange cluster of ailments wasn't caused by attack Full redacted report: > **[22-cv-674%20Final%20Response%20Package.pdf](https://media.salon.com/pdf/22-cv-674%20Final%20Response%20Package.pdf)** ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561/27 "2023-03-31T18:32:22Z")
Big problems with the Mysterious Sonic Weapon theory remain, apart from the lack of evidence any such device(s) exist and are capable of the claimed effects. Why target diplomats, especially when your own personnel in the U.S. would be vulnerable to retaliation? Why would the American intelligence community refute the theory? As noted in a previous post, there are better, much more believable explanations. > **[Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy...](https://www.amazon.com/Havana-Syndrome-Psychogenic-Illness-Hysteria/dp/3030407454)** > > Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria \[Baloh, Robert W., Bartholomew, Robert E.\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the... ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561/28 "2023-03-31T18:43:46Z")
More here: “The news that the Pentagon is continuing to study the issue comes after most intelligence agencies concluded in a comprehensive investigation led by the ODNI released Wednesday that it is [“very unlikely”](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/01/havana-syndrome-cia-intelligence-00085021) a foreign adversary using a weapon was responsible for the incidents.” > **[Pentagon still probing what caused ‘Havana Syndrome,’ even after spy agencies...](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/06/havana-syndrome-pentagon-research-00085686)** > > DoD researchers are testing weapons to find out what's behind the unexplained health problem. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561/29 "2023-04-01T13:26:30Z")
And the US government and its various agencies have come up with all sorts of crazy ideas, with the word “might” attached to them. “You might be able to make people untraceably sick using electromagnetism” is a lot less kooky than “you might be able to turn agents into psychics by dosing them with LSD”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-technical-difficulties-in-creating-a-maser-capable-of-inducing-the-havana-syndrome/954561.md?page=1)