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What happens when you touch a pickle to an AM radio tower

jeffgeerling.com

41–50 of 137 posts

Re: What happens when you touch a pickle to an AM radio tower

#41

I always wonder if there would be any pain in the death that results from touching one of these. I’d assume it’d be instant from the electricity traveling through your heart - or would you just burn up more slowly?

Might end up in hospital for three days, and then die.

Re: What happens when you touch a pickle to an AM radio tower

#42

A soapbox of mine here in the UK is that since BBC and commercial AM radio is more or less dead with the remaining stations set to close over the next few years, Ofcom should open up the band to low-power broadcasting hobbyists. These already exist illegitimately and have done for decades, you can pick up plenty from the Netherlands and a few domestic ones as well on a sporadic schedule. It would be a nice thing to d…

I think you are looking for a Restricted Service License : https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/restricted-r...

Re: What happens when you touch a pickle to an AM radio tower

#44

A grounded pickle. The word grounded is very important here, and missing from the question in the title.

We also tested a floating hot dog (we detached the leads from the ground wire, so it was basically the hot dog and about 3' of unattached copper wire), and it still made little sounds as it was touched to the tower. We didn't have a way to safely touch the hot dog with no extra wire attached, unfortunately.

Re: What happens when you touch a pickle to an AM radio tower

#45
post #36

A soapbox of mine here in the UK is that since BBC and commercial AM radio is more or less dead with the remaining stations set to close over the next few years, Ofcom should open up the band to low-power broadcasting hobbyists. These already exist illegitimately and have done for decades, you can pick up plenty from the Netherlands and a few domestic ones as well on a sporadic schedule. It would be a nice thing to d…

I think lots of communities running localised AM stations could be super cool. > There could be a minimal licencing regime to demonstrate the individual is not a complete numpty [..] I wouldn't bother and it just adds more resistance. > [..] and a fee to PRS for music rights along the lines of how streaming works. I think the quality is so low and the audience so few that it wouldn't matter. > Maximum power could be…

The reason for licensing is similar to the reason for licensing ham radio: you get a slightly higher level of clue about not creating huge amounts of accidental interference, and a point of contact to yell at if they do. and a little safety education....

The ham radio licensing process is not onerous.

Re: What happens when you touch a pickle to an AM radio tower

#46
post #16
post #5

How is it possible that these towers have not been made more difficult to access? Is it usual for them to be secured only by a low fence?!

There's a broader area protected by a high fence with barbed wire. They had access there, cause the father is a radio engineer and have friends on various sites.

It's also in bordered by two farms, with a flood plain across the street, in a rural part of St. Charles County, in MO. Granted, home builders keep building subdivisions closer and closer, but just 10-15 years ago the closest residence was a mile or so away (outside the couple farm houses).

There's also danger/warning signage around the entire property, on all fences (including those around the towers).

Re: What happens when you touch a pickle to an AM radio tower

#48
post #21
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"WRL Technical Note TN-13 Characterization of Organic Illumination Systems" https://simh.trailing-edge.com/semi/docs/WRL-TN-13.pdf

Further testing indicated that the taste was neither enhanced nor diminished, but remained ‘‘very much like a pickle.’’ Our conclusion is that the culinary potential of electrical stimulation is limited.

I think bigclive would disagree about that, he is known for electrocuting his sausage and sometimes enjoying the taste after

Re: What happens when you touch a pickle to an AM radio tower

#50

What I didn't see explained in these videos, and which I'm now curious about, is the mechanism by which the hot dogs convert the radio signal into sound? I understand how a loudspeaker works, but since food products typically don't contain coils and magnets, how was the AM signal being demodulated and converted into sound waves?

Putting an AM signal through any non linear process will give you (shitty) demodulation.
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