Mysterious Loud Booms

Status
Not open for further replies.

Thunderbolt

Global Database Administrator
Moderator
Joined
Dec 23, 2001
Messages
7,110
Location
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Last night, just after midnight, I heard a loud explosive like sound that rattled the dishes in my house. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Dept. received several calls reporting an explosion on the east side of the county. Moreover, the same sound occurred tonight at 01:10 hours but from another direction. However, nothing was found by the police after each incident.

An unknown fire department on 154.355 MHz, at 02:10 hours, had several calls reporting the same thing. They checked all over their city, and even the police department was unable to locate anything, including a blown transformer, car accident, or train derailment. I suspect this fire department may have been in Macomb County.

Anyone hear any loud, unexplainable noises the past few nights?

73s

Ron
 

rcvmo

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2004
Messages
433
Location
Romulus, Mi.
The cat tapping on your face saying wake up, wake up, feed me?

I was long gone to bed, didn't hear a thing.

rcvmo
 

SCPD

QRT
Joined
Feb 24, 2001
Messages
0
Location
Virginia
Loud booms

Thunderbolt:

The thought that crosses my mind is ultra fast aircraft, maybe military.
I think, and someone here will know for sure, at a certain speed, that aircraft can cause what I thought was called a sonic boom. If they go fast enough. What is that, faster than the speed of sound or something? I can't remember for sure what that's all about.
 

skip21

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
53
Location
Area 51
Maybe a sonic boom from a military jet? If it rattled your dishes it was pretty powerful. I live about 25 miles East of AA. The only thing I hear at those late hours is the wife snoring(and sometimes that rattles my dishes).
 

freqs

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2004
Messages
1,435
Location
warren michigan
Thunderbolt said:
Last night, just after midnight, I heard a loud explosive like sound that rattled the dishes in my house. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Dept. received several calls reporting an explosion on the east side of the county. Moreover, the same sound occurred tonight at 01:10 hours but from another direction. However, nothing was found by the police after each incident.

An unknown fire department on 154.355 MHz, at 02:10 hours, had several calls reporting the same thing. They checked all over their city, and even the police department was unable to locate anything, including a blown transformer, car accident, or train derailment. I suspect this fire department may have been in Macomb County.

Anyone hear any loud, unexplainable noises the past few nights?

73s

Ron
the 155.355 is hear in macomb st clair shores fd tone out
 

Universaldecoder

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 21, 2003
Messages
405
Location
Michigan
I've heard and seen a methane gas explosion. It was at the intersection of 12 mi/John R in Madison Heights. It blew the manhole cover about 3 ft into the air, and it was a really loud boom that rattle my dash. The manhole cover roled on it's edge for a few seconds and fell right back in place. It was the oddest thing, and I don't know what causes it. Possibly a chemical reaction from something poured down the drain???

I bike around quite a bit in the summer, and now and then I'll come upon manhole cover that is off of it's sewer hole. Now I know a pretty good reason why. Before I'd often conclude it was a bunch of idiot teenagers goofing around.
 
Last edited:

KMTC

Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
189
Location
Shelby Twp, MI
Wyandotte said:
Thunderbolt:

The thought that crosses my mind is ultra fast aircraft, maybe military.
I think, and someone here will know for sure, at a certain speed, that aircraft can cause what I thought was called a sonic boom. If they go fast enough. What is that, faster than the speed of sound or something? I can't remember for sure what that's all about.

A few weeks ago Toledo F-16s were confusing people down in Ohio after doing some supersonic runs over land. I'm not sure why they werent doing it out over the lake, especially since I'm pretty sure they have designated airspace over Lake Erie just for that purpose.

But yeah you're pretty much on track, an aircraft traveling past the speed of sound will create a shock wave and a sonic boom. The speed of sound is a function of temperature so it will actually change depending on the altitude of the aircraft.
 

Combustion

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2002
Messages
59
Location
New Boston, MI
Noise that rattles dishes but cannot be tracked, perfect description of a sonic boom. I heard them many times when I was younger when the military aircraft were free to go supersonic over land. I did not hear the noise described a couple of days ago but I am in the zone where I should have. My home is soundproofed as part of the airport noise abatement program. Supersonic flight over land rarely takes place but if there is a military aircraft flying they certainly only have to have a lapse of discipline for a few seconds to pass through the sound barrier. We've been able to fly supersonic for 60 years but guidlines were established many years ago (like 40 years) to limit the disturbance to the general public.
 

studgeman

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
685
The speed of sound is somewhere around 750Mph, depending on air density. (included for stupid trivia effect) The really cool thing is they are working on designs that dont go BOOM, but POP.
 

KMTC

Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
189
Location
Shelby Twp, MI
studgeman said:
The speed of sound is somewhere around 750Mph, depending on air density. (included for stupid trivia effect) The really cool thing is they are working on designs that dont go BOOM, but POP.
760 MPH to be exact for std atmosphere at sea level (~60 degrees F) and 707 MPH at 20,000 ft
And techinically, for a nearly perfect gas like air, the speed of sound is directly proportional to just air temperature; if you are using air density then you also need to consider the air pressure.
 
Last edited:

philkoz

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 12, 2004
Messages
182
Location
Anchor Bay, SE Michigan
xconfusionx said:
I am still hearing SCS tone out on 154.355. Perhaps they are using both?

Xcon, you're right. St Clair Shores FD tones out on 154.355 only.
There are still a few depts that tone out on 154.130, but mostly for volunteer alerting.
As of a few weeks ago, all Mac Co FD's were officially on 800 Mhz, altho a few still simulcast. Sterling Heights for sure, I believe Mac Twp & Clinton Twp also.
 

rcvmo

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2004
Messages
433
Location
Romulus, Mi.
I am still hearing SCS tone out on 154.355 too.
I used to work on their police and fire apparatus many moons ago.
rcvmo
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top