Special Report to Enjoy The Music.com
Magnetic Poles
Our intrepid investigative reporter finds that aligning your system's cables to allow for the second Pole may not be needed... It already exists!
Article by Karl Lozier

  What if we follow a compass needle northwards? Irrespective of our starting point, we end up in the most northerly region of the Americas. As our stereo system cables deliver a type of signal that can be affected by said magnetic sources, it may be best to understand the implications and advantages of proper alignment. There is a place in the Canadian artic where the compass needle refuses to indicate a distinct direction (so this may explain those wacky Canadians!). The Earth's magnetic field points downward into the ground, this being the so-called magnetic North Pole. Seemingly compasses were first documented in China in the eleventh century and in Europe during the twelfth century and were used commonly as a navigation instrument in the fourteenth century. It was commonly believed that it indeed pointed true north. It is a popular, but incorrect belief that Christopher Columbus discovered magnetic deviation. This above paragraph is basically a quote from "Ultima Thule", Ravnetrykk no. 7, University of Tromso, Norway.

Here I must make it perfectly clear that magnetic deviation means that the magnetic North Pole and the true North Pole, the axis upon which Earth revolves along with the true South Pole, are not located at the same spot or place! Not only that, I have discovered that the exact location has changed and is changing! Naturally it is best to lay your cables to take best advantage of the Earth's magnetism. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? In the next paragraph I am quoting the Geological Survey of Canada, so remember that my two cents of American wisdom is really worth nearly three cents Canadian. My magnetic reasoning here can be easily verified and updated by going to the Geological Survey of Canada website.

"The North Magnetic Pole is slowly drifting across the Canadian Artic. The Geological Survey of Canada keeps track of this motion by periodically carrying out magnetic surveys to re-determine the Pole's location. The most recent survey, completed in May 2001, determined the updated position for the Pole and established that it is moving approximately northwest at 40 kilometers per year. The observed position for 2001 and estimated positions for 2003 and 2005 are given in the following table:

Year     Latitude (N)      Longitude (W)
2001        81.3                 110.8
2003        82.0                 112.4
2005        82.7                 114.4

This is not good. Something like the Magnetic North Pole should simply stay put. If you decide to setup a stereo system there, it would be nice for it to be at the same place next year. This movement can create all sorts of music reproduction problems. Navigational charts have to be updated regularly and this is not easily done.

At this point in my annual April First article I was simply going to propose that an official south magnetic pole be established. It would be located exactly where the geographical South Pole is located. This would be so neat, relatively simple and eventually a real boon in many respects including navigational. The creation of a magnetic South Pole exactly where the geographical South Pole is located would solve a number of problems and everything concerned would be referenced to the perfectly placed nonmoving magnetic South Pole. I had been aided and abetted in my thinking by engineer Wylie Sanders. You might remember his name as I mentioned in last years "Dark Sucker Theory" article. That article has taken on a life of its own with almost eighteen thousand references to it on the Internet as of the latest count!

As I started referencing my brief study of the South Pole, I was actually stunned to find out that a magnetic South Pole already exists! I called Wylie Sanders and told him about my findings. "No way, he said, you are just pulling my leg again and I'm not going to fall for it." Well the following paragraph is a text only quote from the British Antarctic Survey of 2002.

"The magnetic South Pole was first reached during Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition (1907-1909) by Professor David and Sir Mawson (Australian geologists) and Mackay who claimed the surrounding Victoria Land for the British Crown. To be consistent with the previous format for position changes of the magnetic North Pole. I'm interjecting the same style table for the results for the magnetic South Pole.

Year      Latitude (S)      Longitude (E)
1909         71.6                152.0
2002         65.0                139.0

In 1909 the magnetic South Pole lay within the Antarctic continent; today it lies far out to sea and is traveling at the rate of 10 to 15 kilometers northwesterly each year! My original idea for this April first article got "shot down" because unknown to me and nearly everyone else, there has always been a magnetic South Pole! So now, there is no need for my proposal to create one -- wrong. The need for one still exists, but it needs to be fixed and preferably coincidental with the geographical South Pole.

My proposal now needs to include two components. Number one is to neutralize the present mobile magnetic South Pole by whatever means needed to ensure the best from your audio system. Number two would occur after determining the amount of magnetomotive force required and the corresponding quantity of magnetite needed. Then a huge hole would be created into which the magnetite would be buried and sealed, thus insuring proper music reproduction for all involved. This would complete my original goal of replacing our "traditional" magnetic North Pole, which has been found to be ever moving, with a stable magnetic reference, a created magnetic South Pole. So in conclusion, for best sound align your cables accordingly and move them slightly each and everyday to true magnetic North.