Etheric beam locator
An etheric beam locator was a device frequently carried by the Doctor. It was presumably used to locate etheric beams, and was also useful for detecting ion-charged emissions.
When captured by Kaleds on Skaro, the Fourth Doctor had an etheric beam locator in his pocket. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) He also had it in Victorian London. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang)
When faced with a bomb, the Sixth Doctor searched his pockets for an etheric beam locator. (AUDIO: The Condemned)
The Doctor later searched for a type 7 enhancer for his etheric beam locator. (AUDIO: The Raincloud Man)
While in Hexen Bridge, the Seventh Doctor had a sub-etheric beam locator in his pocket. (PROSE: The Hollow Men)
On Hyspero, Sam and Gila traded a dismantled and useless etheric beam locator for some bread. (PROSE: The Scarlet Empress)
While on Janus Prime, the Eighth Doctor had a sub-etheric beam locator in his pocket. (PROSE: The Janus Conjunction)
The Tenth Doctor used one of these at one point whilst searching for an etheric energy emission. (PROSE: Needle Point)
Behind the scenes
The item that doubled as the Fourth Doctor's etheric beam locator in Genesis of the Daleks and The Talons of Weng-Chiang was (in real life) a Varian Klystron VA220 valve used in microwave transmission and oscillator equipment, such as television transmissions and radar technology. [1]
The parodic Comic Relief story The Curse of Fatal Death had its version of the Master outfitted with etheric beam locators, which were "Dalek bumps" placed in such a way that they appeared to give the Master "breasts".
Footnotes
- ↑ Microwave Amplifier & Oscillator Tubes. The Vintage Technology Association. Retrieved on 6 July 2013.
