Re: Scam or Contravention of the Principle of Conservation of Energy ?

There is no provision for powering the 'electronics'

Yes there is, it uses the received signal as a power source.

"So how about the claim that it is an electronic device? The unit contains > only passive elements (resistors and a capacitor). It has no active

elements

nor any power source to activate them. The operation of the device is > therefore not electronic within the accepted usage of the term. "

The components use the power from the received signal to power them. Not having an obvious power source does not make a circuit non-electronic. I could knock up a radio capable of receiving AM signals that does not have a battery, PSU or similar external power source but will produce a decent signal for an earphone.

Regarding the components, What you describe sounds like an RC filter which would not boost the signal. If the resistors were inductors then you could have an LC resonant circuit that would boost the signal to some degree. I suspect that the device will work, only enough to make it legal and only in some circumstances (ie close proximity to the transmitter).

I suspect that you are correct in that it is of a low enough value that people will write it off rather then return it.

As an aside the best "low value write off" scam I heard of was a 'miracle' penis enlargement pill. Men sent off the money but received a company cheque refunding their cash and a note saying that it failed FDA approval. The biggest problem was that the cheque had the company name "The Penis Enlargment Company" plastered all over it so very few men cashed them. Probably untrue but still clever.

Andy

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Andy
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I read an article in the magazine Practical Wireless around 1960 or so on how to build a transistor radio that did not need any batteries or PSU. It consisted of a crystal set with smoothing capacitors across the output instead of headphones. This output was used to power a two transistor receiver which could be freely tuned to any frequency. The idea was that anyone who lived close to a powerful transmitter could use the power of that transmitter to run the two transistor receiver and listen to other stations than the one supplying the power. There was a discussion about wether or not this was legal and I don't believe the issue was ever resolved.

Clough

Reply to
Clough

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