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.
