Re: Strange RF detector signal

["Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

Dot net work wrote:
> Hi. I just rented out a new place to live, and used an RF detector to
> scan the whole place. No signals were detected except one very
> specific area in the utility room.
>
> Strange thing is, the detector lights up in one small area, about 2
> feet away from a wall. When I move the detector closer to the wall,
> the signal weakens, then disappears.
>
> In other words, the signal that is being picked up seems to be in
> "thin air" and not from any physical object.
>
> Any ideas very welcome.
>
> Thanks a lot, regards from dnw.

Many years ago, I was a private investigator. Rather than doing divorce
tailings I got into doing detection and/or debugging radio and
telephone surveillance devices for municipalities, unions and
busineses. One of the methods (back then) for finding RF room
transmitters was to clear the room of people ..... play some easily
identified music loudly, (like marching band or music in a foreign
language) on a tape recorder. Then, with a broad band receiver with an
antenna and a pair of heavily sealed headphones, you'd walk around the
room waving the antenna. When the antenna got near a transmitter, you
would begin to hear the music from the tape recorder play in the
headphones and thus pinpoint the location of the transmitter. Since
these transmitters are very low power, the volumn had to be turned up
quite a bit, in order to hear it. One of the greatest problems with
this method is ...... the average person has no idea of how many radio
waves are surrounding us. Since I had a broad band receiver, I could
pick up stations from literally all over the world while walking around
the room. There were "hot spots" in every location where certain
stations, say from 1000 or more miles away, that would just blast my
ears out. One I remember,that used to come through all the time, was
WWVA Wheeling West Virginia, country music station, all the way up to
New York.

So, I'd guess that this is what you're experiencing. If you were to put
a multi channel radio receiver or a scanner at that "spot" I'm guessing
that you'd find that it was some local radio station wave length that
just happens to land at that spot. I'd also guess that if you watched
your indicator, you'd find that there are other spots in the room that
will cause it to fluctuate, just perhaps not as much. Or, if not, it's
likely your meter isn't that sensitive.

Just out of curiosity, what were you looking for ........ to begin with?