[TechAssist] intersting off topic
- From: Thomas Woodward <thomas.woodward@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "techassist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <techassist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 14:06:04 -0400
Flat-screen TV emits international distress signal
Search and rescue operation leads to apartment
Monday, October 18, 2004 Posted: 7:15 PM EDT (2315 GMT)
An Oregon man discovered earlier this month that his year-old Toshiba
Corporation flat-screen TV was emitting an international distress signal
picked up by a satellite, leading a search and rescue operation to his
apartment in Corvallis, Oregon, 70 miles south of Portland.
The signal from Chris van Rossmann's TV was routed by satellite to the
Air Force Rescue Center at Langley Air Base in Virginia.
On October 2, the 20 year-old college student was visited at his
apartment in the small university town by a contingent of local police,
civil air patrol and search and rescue personnel.
"They'd never seen signal come that strong from a home appliance," said
van Rossmann. "They were quite surprised. I think we all were."
Authorities had expected to find a boat or small plane with a
malfunctioning transponder, the usual culprit in such incidents,
emitting the 121.5 MHz frequency of the distress signal used
internationally.
Van Rossmann said he was told to keep his TV off to avoid paying a
$10,000 fine for "willingly broadcasting a false distress signal."
Toshiba contacted Rossmann and offered to provide him with a replacement
set for free, he said.
--
Thomas S. Woodward
Multimedia Networks Manager
Master tech 09165
Simmons College
300 The Fenway
Boston Ma. 02115
617-521-2764
617-893-9226 (Cell)
mailto:woodwart@xxxxxxxxxxx
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