Author Topic: UFO's  (Read 272 times)

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Offline eyeball

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Re: UFO's
« Reply #15 on: May 26, 2021, 10:02:33 am »
I'm not an engineer, but one thing I am aware of is a principle called "Shannon's Law".   It's an information theory principle based on the principle that a communications link's usable data capacity is relative to its signal-to-noise ratio.  If we are talking about 1920s-level radio technology transmitted across interstellar distances, the signal-to-noise ratio is basically dogshit and the usable data capacity is also dogshit and therefore a hypothetical alien intelligence would be unable to distinguish between our transmissions and literal dogshit.

 -k
Does the strength of a signal make a difference?  There were some pretty powerful commercial radio transmitters being employed by broadcasters in the 50's.  I remember reading that the first Howdy Doody shows were broadcast from one powerful transmitter and will likely be the first radio signals anyone might receive. They'd be out about 70 light years now.

I also wonder how the signals that must have been generated when atmospheric nuclear bomb testing was underway would be interpreted - as more random naturally generated noise or would they carry a sign that indicated their artificial origin?