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One of the big problems with SETI is, it is limited to monitoring radio wave frequencies in the range of about 5 megahertz to about 40 gigahertz. Other signals higher than 30 gigahertz are absorbed by the atmosphere and never has a chance to get to the receiving collector dishes. It is also based on the presumption there is intelligent life in outter space that either communicates over these waves lengths, (as we are accustomed of doing), or use these wave lengths for other purposes. Getting into the kilohertz range involves filtering out much background noise, and consequently runs the risks of maybe filtering the signal out too, assuming if there are any.
It could very well be that if there are civilizations out there, they could be communicating in the light-wave range, (like communicating by lasers, masers, etc,), or they could also be communicating through brain waves that are measured in the ultra-low frequencies meassured in hertz. Afterall, we can measure our own brain wave activities and how they affect us. We have just not evolved enough to learn how to communicate with them. Also, they are in sync and overpowered alot by what the earth produces, particularly around the 1 to 14 cycle realm. There is always that possibly there could extraterrestrial civilizations that have no need to communicate or never evolved to use the same transmissions as what we do. Nor does SETI monitor gravity waves. It is theoretically possible to communicate over them, or at least detect any disturbances in local time-space by vehicles they may have using electro-gravitic propulsion. The Navy is far ahead of everyone else in monitoring not only ulta-low frequencies, but in magnetic and gravitational disturbances as well. The academics at SETI have failed to solicit help from the Navy. The Navy has abandoned many of its submarine long wave frequency communication sites and, are well suited for interspace explorations at these frequencies if you rebuilt the transducers facing towards outter space rather than picking up signals through the ground and in the oceans. So in summary, because SETI has based its existence on rather limiting assumptions, it has unintentionally limited itself in sophistication, diversity and abilities in detection to monitor any other possible forms of extraterrestrial transmissions, and thereby limited its potential success at finding anything. I, for one, would certainly hope that the SETI program is successful enough to one day find life on another planet, but I am afraid that the funding axe is going to come down way before it ever gets the chance to do that. People's limited attention span and patience, along with it's self-limiting assumptions and detection capability are what is going to kill it. You might want to check: www.setileague.org/articles/ham/quantify.pdfl to see where SETI is going. Don H.
Source & References:
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