If you live in one of the hundreds of areas where multicolored luminous blobs zip around
the night
skies like giant fireflies with a glandular condition, you probably don't need a magnetic
detector. But if
UFOs are a rare sight in your community, there are only three ways to tell when they are
coming.
The first method applies only to psychics. If you have some latent or active psychic
ability
you may instinctively sense when a UFO is nearby. Many people do. These mysterious
objects seem
to have a strong connection with the psychic world around us.
The second method is networking. In many places, people simply phone each other and
spread the
word that UFOs are buzzing around. When CB radios were popular, the CB bands were
cluttered
with UFO reports during UFO waves or "flaps."
If none of the above apply to you, you might try building a UFO detector. They are
simple to make
and they really do work. During the great waves of the 1960s, several companies
manufactured and
sold such detectors.
Everybody in the flap areas seemed to have one perched on their mantle or kitchen
table. When the
alarm bell sounded they all scrambled for the door, running outside so they could utter
the familiar cry:
"There goes one!"
How does a UFO detector work?
It is basically a switch that is activated by a sudden change in the magnetic
environment. We are all
wading around in invisible magnetic fields generated by the Earth, by radio and
television signals, and
by pulses from power lines and telephone lines. An outside magnetic influence suddenly
entering our
well-established magnetic environment causes a major disruption. The image on your
TV screen may
go bonkers it does occasionally when an airplane flies directly overhead.
UFO Magnetic Disruptions
In thousands of recorded UFO cases, there are incidents where major electromagnetic
disruptions
occur-red. Automobiles stalled. Electric meters ran amok. Compasses and other sensitive
instruments
reacted violently. So you need only build a gadget sensitive enough to detect a sudden
change in your
magnetic environment, and it should work on UFOs. It is really nothing more than an
enhanced
compass with a bell or buzzer attached.
You will need the following items:
1) A wire clothes hanger.
2) A pair of pliers that can cut wire.
3) A couple of feet of insulated copper wire.
4) A strong alnico magnet, like one of those circular magnets you use to
stick notes to the refrigerator door.
5) An old doorbell or door buzzer that works on a cheap nine-volt battery.
6) A battery (nine-volt batteries seem to work best) and battery holder.
7) A small board or wooden block to mount the whole thing on.
Take your pliers or snippers and cut the coat hanger so you can bend it into a C-shaped
wire about
ten inches high. Make a small hook on the upper end (see photo) and mount it on the
board with
thumb tacks or nails.
Now take a piece of insulated wire and strip an inch or so of the insulation from one end
and make a
loop. Tie the magnet to the other end. Hang the loop on the hook on the vertical wire.
Make a larger
circular loop about one inch in diameter on another piece of coat hanger.
Mount this on the board as shown. The magnet now hangs down into this second loop.
Strip the
insulated wire where it hangs in the center of the loop. Now connect the lead wires, bell,
and battery
as shown. When the magnet swings, the wire should strike the loop, complete the circuit
and cause
the bell to ring. (To save your battery, remove it when the UFO detector is not in
use.)
Now all you need is a UFO. Put your detector where it won't be disturbed by normal
vibrations,
gusts of air, etc. Some people put them under a large glass jar for protection. When a
UFO visits
your area, the powerful electromagnetic waves they usually emanate will cause the
magnet to swing
against the wire ring. This could happen at three in the morning and wake up your
whole household.
If your house is already haunted by mundane spooks, be prepared for non-UFO
alarms.
Parapsychologists have found that compasses and other electrical devices respond when
a ghost is
present. If you live in a large city, there may be so many electrical interferences in your
building that
the UFO detector will be useless. For example, the elevator could set it off.
Readers who understand electronics can build a much more sensitive magnetic field
distortion
detector with transistors, resistors, and capacitors. Several designs are available. I
recommend the
one that appears in the best-selling book Build your own Laser, Phaser, Ion Ray Gun
& Other
Working Space-Age Projects, by Robert E. Iannini, Tab Books, 1983. --------------
John Keel is a long-time student of the strange and unknown and the author of many
books and
screenplays. He writes a bi-monthly column for FATE Magazine.
