Today was different.  For one, we had a shorter day planned…only ten river miles from Mud Island to Ensley shipyard.  Second, we had the media join us on the boat to relay the exciting research we were doing.  Channels 3 and 24 came, along with the Commercial Appeal, the local newspaper.  For an hour we entertained the media, answering questions and deploying the seismic equipment.  After they departed, we continued our journey downriver. 

Soon thereafter, the team of researchers on the stern received a call from the lab saying that they were receiving noise of 60 Hz.  This is similar to a 110V house outlet.  We have a number of outlets running to the back of the boat.  Strange thing was that we had set out the equipment and cables the same today as we did the day prior with no 60Hz interference.  We moved the equipment around, re-wound the cables, lifted them off the boat into the air…maybe even tried standing on one foot…but nothing seemed to help.

A phone call to Rick Voyles at the University of Memphis machine shop in the Herff College of Engineering resulted in wrapping the cable connectors and the geode box in aluminum foil.  The 60 Hz noise went away.  Of course as logic would have it (stated sarcastically), we removed all of the foil to make sure that was it and the 60 Hz noise was still gone.  Oh well…it was gone and we were happy.