I could hear the fire brigade through my pc....how??

[zephyrcat]

Have just got bt broadband with the home hub thing. The other morning we heard a voice in the room but had no idea where it came from and it freaked us out! A bit later we heard it again and it turned out to be a fireman talking over his radio saying that there was a fire in one of the flats downstairs etc... we looked outside and sure enough there was a fire engine.

Here's the weird bit - the pc speakers are connected to the pc, not the hub thing. The home hub was switched on so I could use the hub phone, but the pc as switched off... the voice came through the pc speakers!

How the hell did that happen? (Any of it?!)

you just need a good firewall

speakers (and radiators occasionally) can pick up frequencies from radios. Can't remember exactly how it works, but they pick up the sound waves and reproduce them. I don't think it matters whether the speakers are turned on or not - the cone things that vibrate with sound still operate without electricity I think.

Hopefully someone will explain it better.

I never knew that! Does that mean it's nothing to do with the broadbang thing picking up the signal then? I was a little worried that if I could hear them, they could hear me on the phone!

It wouldn't be anythign to do with the broadband thingy just the speakers and the way they pick up sound wave vibrations and reproduce them.

When I was younger there were police over the road and my radiator picked up their radio.

Radios can do it as well, well really anything that can pick up vibrations or reproduce sound waves.

Speaking from a position of no knowledge whatsoever... I reckon your speaker cable acted as an antennae. Picked up the signal and the speaker broadcast it.

I hear the police through my radio.. very annoying when you are listening to a song you like