The above circuit is a proven device that is capable of detecting small to large disturbances in the electromagnetic field around it. When adjusted properly it can signal when large metal vehicles come near it or airplanes fly over it.

At the heart of this design is the 1490 digital compass and the 16F84A microcontroller.

You could hunt down each part and build the thing yourself with the above schematic which is generously given for free along with some detailed notes on the construction by the fascinating website that goes by the name of Imagesco.com.


If you're short on time Imagesco will sell you a kit with all the parts and instructions for 65 bucks. If building isn't your thing you can spring for their fully assembled unit for 95.




I think this circuit is a good place for the home builder to start from. Maybe someone out there will figure out a way to adapt it to a cell phone so one could have multiple sensor stations postioned to form a circle around your house or trailer. Once the unit was triggered it could call your home computer to report a disturbance. If a person was equipped he or she could have several such stations scattered around the globe or county depending on your level of curiosity.

Image credit goes to ufopictureblog.com for the cool flying saucer diagram.

If the high cost of 3rd generation infrared night goggles gives you sticker shock like it did me then you might want to consider some of the more low tech UFO detector options available for the home builder on a budget.

A simple google search will show how hundreds of folks have been experimenting with home made designs that detect slight disturbances in the normal magnetic field. This research has been going on since the 1950's and in my opinion has produced enough head scratching results to merit further study.

Stay tuned for future posts on the wide variety of approaches back yard researchers have taken in the past. The intention will be to provide as much data as possbile for the home experimenter once we determine if any of these methods are legitimate.

Image credit goes to Disinfotainment for the 3D model of the UFO detector he built when he was a kid. The drawing on the left is thanks to the amazing mumeson.org, who took it from an informative 1961 article in Flying Saucers magazine by Arthur C. Aho.