For the unknown radio station in GTA V, see Shortwave Radio Number Station. |
The Big Ear is a large radio telescope located on the top of a desert mesa in Bone County. There are various smaller buildings and shacks around the satellite dish itself that make up the entire satellite complex.
On the official GTA San Andreas website, if one clicks on the Big Ear on the interactive map, the following text appears:
“ | Massive satellite installation. Locally known as The Big Ear. Locals are often born with no ears, due to radiation poisoning from this thing. | ” |
Myths[]
Unknown Radio Station[]
This myth is slightly associated with The Big Ear. It is about an unknown radio station that appears when the player is near the Big Ear. While driving a vehicle, players say that the strange radio station will be picked up by the car's radio. The radio station has been said to appear under these titles:
- "▪▪▪▪▪▪"
- "Unknown"
- "(blank)"
- "..."
- "(random characters)"
This can also be backed up by the GTA SA official website, where the section for the Big Ear plays shortwave radio transmissions in the background, which reads as:
- "10-13 in Satellite in Bone County, picking up some weird... stuff-
- *Distortion*
- "Cockle-doodle Doo!"
The sounds that come from the station are said to be static, fuzzy noises. The strange sounds are said to be the transmissions from UFOs picked up from the Big Ear.
SETI[]
The Big Ear in real life is a replica of the structure by the same name that was part of Ohio State University's SETI project that was designed to search for extraterrestrial radio transmissions.
On August 15, 1977, The Big Ear received a strange narrow-band radio signal that was not from the earth nor the solar system. The signal, nicknamed The Wow! Signal, has been the subject of significant media attention, and there has been much speculation in the past as to whether or not the signal was artificial or natural. This same signal is used again in the Beam Me Up sculpture in Grand Theft Auto V.
This information leads players to speculate that the weird static sounds are in fact extraterrestrial transmissions, where logically, sounds like these were never proven at all.
Other myths[]
Planes also can regularly be seen crashing into it. This is mentioned sometimes by CJ's girlfriend Barbara Schternvart, stating how there was a plane crash there. This is a common occurrence, and happens when the plane tries to fly near CJ, but hits the satellite because it is placed too high in the air.
A rumor states that the player can summon Mothman by crashing their plane into the Big Ear, and when they spawn at the Fort Carson Hospital, Mothman can be seen flying away from the crash. This claim has never been conclusively proven, however.
Also, there are rumors about Mutants appearing there during the night. The sand dune located at the northern flank of the Big Ear is rumored to be the location of the Sandmen.
Video Investigation[]