atmospheric static is a everyday annoyance for those of us who still listen to terrestrial radio . You get up to adjust the dial and , just as you put your hand on the knob or release , the reception clear up . You sit back down and , a few seconds subsequently , the sound crepitation again . If you have my fortune with radio response , the signal probably break up again right as Neil Young tears into the solo on “ Like a Hurricane ” or Ira Glass gets to the point .
Why is it that human inter-group communication seems to fix radio set signals for an annoyingly brief instance ?
To understand the actual cause , it is important to first understand what causes static in the first place , sound out Davin Huston , a clinical assistant professor at Purdue Polytechnic Institute ’s School of Engineering Technology . “ Your radio is a dimwit . It does n’t understand the difference between music or lecture and screen background [ electronic ] randomness in the area . ”
tuner recipient constantly cull up on electronic activity in the vicinity , from things such as microwaves and lightbulbs , and render it as a signal , make interference . A human body can draw a blank contend electronic action and allow the receiver to " boil down ” on the radio signal it is “ supposed ” to be picking up , says Huston . Of course , when a soul walks away , all those background signal distractions riposte and the sound cracks up again .
In parliamentary procedure to close up distracting electrics and improve your reception , Huston endorsesthis sweetly old - timey list of tipsfrom WERU , a noncommercial , community radio station struggling to reach as many hearer around Hancock County , Maine , as it can . They admit : keeping your radio in a high location , like a bookcase ; using a rotorized ( pointable ) antenna instead of a stationary one to channelise at the origin of the signal ; or even connect your radio set to a Seth of goggle box bunny ears ( provide you may receive a set in a Goodwill or grandparent ’s attic or somewhere ) and put them in a tree or Ionic .
If those go hard , they ’re still sure enough easier than listening all night with your hand on the dial .
