Strange new sound.

[Kneale Brownson]

I have a good "sound" story too, Mike:

I used to have a motel.

One day a young couple checks into one of our fancier in-room spa 
accommodations and calls down to the front desk to report a strange sound 
emanating from the floor.

Clerk runs up to the room to check it out and determines it can't be the 
spa motor because that goes on and off with the switch as it should.  Next 
option?  Call me 'cause I fix everything.

I go to the room, definitely feel and hear the buzzing and determine that 
it's not something from adjacent rooms, so I return to the subject room to 
try to "think" this through.  It could be something like a 
thermostatically-operated shut-off for the continuous supply of hot water 
past each room, but I don't know specifically that such a thing would be 
located under this second-floor room.

Anyway, I pick up one of their suitcases to move it aside so I can pull out 
a chair to sit and contemplate, and the noise goes away.  I set the 
suitcase back onto the floor and the noise returns.

The noise is from the suitcase.

Turns out that while transporting their luggage to the room something in 
the suitcase came into contact with--and activated--the battery-operated 
vibrator.


At 11:11 AM 10/06/2000 +0000, Mike Arman wrote:


>Here's one for the books . . .
>
>86 5KS, 5 speed.
>
>After visiting my friend in the nursing home, I got back into my car and
>noticed a high pitched whistling sound. Very faint, but definitely there.
>Not a scraping noise or hissing coolant leak, but more like a signal
>generator sine wave. Engine not running (in fact, the key wasn't even in
>yet), what could THIS be? Not door chime or key buzzer, maybe the autocheck
>(Hal) has gone nuts (again)? Can't be rear engine seal because this car
>isn't a turbo, and isn't even running!
>
>Started engine, sound went away, then came back. Seemed to come and go with
>application of clutch or brake (????) but at random. Cannot start or stop
>sound with any manipulation of any controls except clutch or brake, and
>then not reliably repeatable.
>
>Got to next stop, sound was gone. Unsolved mystery department.
>
>Left from next stop to go home, sound is back. Same symptoms - comes and
>goes at random, clutch or brake application sometimes changes it, but it is
>definitely NOT dependent on engine revs - the note doesn't change with any
>engine revs or in any gear.
>
>Get home, park car, it is still there.
>
>Shut off radio, remove faceplate, remove key, it's still there. Start
>bending down to get a better idea of where it is coming from, sounds like
>the left-most dash air outlet. Step out of car, it has moved again, now it
>almost sounds like it is coming from under the hood. WTF??? Open hood and
>look, of course the sound is gone.
>
>Fine, it is dark, I'm hungry, I'll deal with this tomorrow. Walk away from
>car, sound comes back!!!
>
>You'll NEVER guess . . . . . and I mean NEVER!
>
>
>Never.
>
>                 Ever.
>
>                                 Period.
>
>
>
>
>(wait for it!)
>
>
>
>
>
>When I went to the nursing home, I picked up a hearing aid that didn't fit
>my friend, and put it in my fanny pack - which I was wearing because my
>next stop was aerobics class. Turned out the hearing aid was turned all the
>way up, and was oscillating (feedback) depending on how *I* moved! When I
>pressed the clutch or brake, I moved just enough to shift the hearing aid
>in the fanny pack to stop the whistling. When I released the clutch or
>brake, it moved back - sometimes! I didn't hear the whistling during
>excercise class because the instructor plays the music quite loudly. Once
>out and on the way back home, I could *sometimes* hear it over the Vivaldi
>CD, and sometimes not. As I wiggled around trying to find the noise, it
>shifted again. Finally, I realized the noise went with ME, and was coming
>from the fanny pack!!! SOB! Bingo! Removed battery (no on-off switch),
>problem solved.
>
>Does this get the award for Most Obscure Non-Serious Problem this week?
>
>Best Regards,
>
>Mike Arman
>
>
>
>
>