> A friend has been giving me grief for some few weeks about
> noise she says is coming from a microwave tower about 300m
> from her home and keeping her awake in the quiet of the night.
> She describes the sound as a constant high-pitched tone. I have
> every reason to believe she is not crazy, and she assures me she
> has not got tinnitus or any other hearing problems. She may be
> dwelling on the problem (though she says she isn't), which might
> tend to aggravate any auto-suggestion. I'm getting all this from a
> woman who is quite frazzled and cranky after many sleepless night
> but who hasn't lost the plot. She's still quite rational about possible
> causes, but not being technical at all she has a limited number of
> causes to think about. There aren't many houses around where this
> tower was put up so she hasn't neighbours to discuss it with
>
> She reckons she's being fobbed off or stonewalled by the owner
> of the tower (BCL) and the local council and as she doesn't seem
> to be getting anywhere on her own I've offered to try and gather
> evidence. Including, if I have to, trying to record the noise to
> present to someone as hard evidence. What she has so far are
> just opinion and supposition.
>
> I haven't heard the noise myself, she's quite some distance away
> and a visit hasn't been possible yet. She said a tech, ISTR, had
> suggested (I don't know the circumstances or context of the
> conversation) it was 15kHz, which made me think perhaps a
> switch-mode with something loose, but the tone she sung over the
> phone is nowhere near 15kHz. Probably more like 3/4 the way up
> a piano, definitely within almost everyone's hearing range, which
> you'd think would be easily heard by anyone. A late-shift engineer
> came to her home and thought he kind of heard something, but
> seems not in the "my god, how do you sleep with that racket ?"
> league or a problem would have been immediately apparent
>
> If the tower is in fact putting out this mysterious tone, I wonder
> about a couple of things
>
> (1) Apparently the sound is no louder at the tower. I would have
> thought it would be, given the sqrt law unless -
>
> (2) there is some beat frequency being created at her home by
> two or more inaudible frequencies, and she just happens to lucky
> enough to be at a place where a combination of beat frequency
> and distance make a node
>
> Any thoughts ? Any similar experiences ?
>

> A friend has been giving me grief for some few weeks about
> noise she says is coming from a microwave tower about 300m
> from her home and keeping her awake in the quiet of the night.
> She describes the sound as a constant high-pitched tone. I have
> every reason to believe she is not crazy, and she assures me she
> has not got tinnitus or any other hearing problems. She may be
> dwelling on the problem (though she says she isn't), which might
> tend to aggravate any auto-suggestion. I'm getting all this from a
> woman who is quite frazzled and cranky after many sleepless night
> but who hasn't lost the plot. She's still quite rational about possible
> causes, but not being technical at all she has a limited number of
> causes to think about. There aren't many houses around where this
> tower was put up so she hasn't neighbours to discuss it with
>
> She reckons she's being fobbed off or stonewalled by the owner
> of the tower (BCL) and the local council and as she doesn't seem
> to be getting anywhere on her own I've offered to try and gather
> evidence. Including, if I have to, trying to record the noise to
> present to someone as hard evidence. What she has so far are
> just opinion and supposition.
>
> I haven't heard the noise myself, she's quite some distance away
> and a visit hasn't been possible yet. She said a tech, ISTR, had
> suggested (I don't know the circumstances or context of the
> conversation) it was 15kHz, which made me think perhaps a
> switch-mode with something loose, but the tone she sung over the
> phone is nowhere near 15kHz. Probably more like 3/4 the way up
> a piano, definitely within almost everyone's hearing range, which
> you'd think would be easily heard by anyone. A late-shift engineer
> came to her home and thought he kind of heard something, but
> seems not in the "my god, how do you sleep with that racket ?"
> league or a problem would have been immediately apparent
>
> If the tower is in fact putting out this mysterious tone, I wonder
> about a couple of things
>
> (1) Apparently the sound is no louder at the tower. I would have
> thought it would be, given the sqrt law unless -
>
> (2) there is some beat frequency being created at her home by
> two or more inaudible frequencies, and she just happens to lucky
> enough to be at a place where a combination of beat frequency
> and distance make a node
>
> Any thoughts ? Any similar experiences ?

> Jinx  wrote:
> > A friend has been giving me grief for some
> > few weeks about noise she says is coming
> > from a microwave tower about 300m from
> > her home
>
> I'm sure she is not able to determine the direction of the ultrasound,
> until, of course, she is a bat.
> I am not about getting into  RF version here.
>
> Most probably the sound is emitting inside her house.
> It could be some old swollen battery or accumulator (say, from
> cellphone) emitting air through the micro-hole or something similar.
> It's hard but still possible to locate the aprox place in the room
> where sound is at max amplitude on average.  Here she is to seek the
> little screaming creature.
>
> Regards,
> MS

>
>
> > It is commonly reported that incoming meteorites are sometimes "heard"
> > by some people. (Is that indefinite enough :-) ). If this is not a
> > psychological generation of apparent audio by visual stimulus then it
> > *must* be caused by perception of RF signals as the sound path from
> > the events in the very high atmosphere, if there was one, would take
> > vastly longer than the viewing time.
>
>
>
>  I can speak to that.
>
> Two friends and I were crossing the bridge in iroquois point, Oahu,
> Hawaii, at about 9 or 10 PM.
> It was completely dark, and we all three heard a noise we couldn't
> identify, and were looking around, for about a second, then a bolide
> appeared, crossing from east of us to north of us.
> The light was bright enough to cast a shadow, a bright green.  The noise
> was sort of a sizzling, not loud.
>
>

>>Get her to switch off the power to her house and see if the
>>sound disappears. It's a quick test and will quickly narrow
>>it down to "us" or "them"
>
>
> She tried that quite early on, and it made no difference
>
>
>>But Jinxs' original problem (or more correctly his friends
>>problem) could be caused by bolt corrosion on the tower
>
>
> The tower has been there for just a few months, so that's
> unlikely, but not impossible. That it is a recent structure and
> she had no problems before is another reason I think she's on
> to something. We just have to figure out what the "something"
> is
>
>
>>Another alternative may be metal joints within her house (- does
>>it have a galvanised iron roof?) doing the same thing
>
>
> Will ask
>
>
>>I have heard of bed springs rectifying signals from AM radio
>>stations
>
>
> And here's me buying a tuner like a sucker
>
>
>>as well as metal tooth fillings causing problems when cracked
>
>
> She has had dental work recently, notably having almagam
> fillings removed and replaced with composite
>
>
>>The last one should be easily verifiable by going to another
>>place with high RF fields - get her to visit you Jinx and go for
>>a drive along scenic drive through the ranges behind you, past
>>another BCL tower ;)
>
>
>>Another possibility - is it really coming from the tower?
>
>
> Two suggestions I put to her. This list has really honed my
> investigative process. Assume nothing about what the complainant
> "says" it is
>
> I asked her if she experienced this around any other tower, and
> lord knows there are plenty of them. She said no, and will try it.
> Whether I get a love-struck ride with an attractive single blonde
> (-ish) Swede is something I was working on anyway ;-)
>
>
>>It could be coming from the fuse board, and be due to a ground
>>fault condition, causing ground currents from neighbouring
>>consumers to come down the neutral and then to
>
>
> I thought of perhaps buried cables, could be power or data, or
> even someone in the area (she's not completely remote) who may
> leave a faulty monitor on at night
>
> One suggestion I gave her was to look at some sort of Faraday
> cage. Some quick way of isolating herself from the RF to see if
> that is what is really causing the problem. We discussed what
> might be a suitable experiment, and came up with a grounded
> panel van and aluminium foil. Whether this will be practical, I
> don't know, but she's at straw-clutching stage. Was careful to
> stay away from tin-foil hats and the wearers thereof, but if she
> got a good night's sleep I actually think she might up for it
>

>-----Original Message-----
>From: TakeThisOuTpiclist-bouncesEraseMEspam_OUTmit.edu [RemoveMEpiclist-bouncesTakeThisOuTmit.edu]
>Sent: 06 September 2006 17:20
>To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public.
>Subject: Re: [OT] Transmission tower noise
>
>
>>Set governors of each to exactly the same engine revs.
>>Natural differences will cause a beat frequency between
>>the two engines.
>>Engine shed will sum air pressure waves and produce a
>>high amplitude somewhat subsonic signal.
>>Whump a Whump a Whump a .....
>
>I have experienced something similar during the day with a
>single engine. It was idling along as it went past my
>grandfathers house, but you couldn't hear it, but you could
>sure feel the air pressure change. I suspect the engine was
>idling with the absolute minimum of fuel combustion to keep it
>idling over, and this meant the thing was behaving as an air
>pump, and not making any noticeable exhaust noise.

> > ^If it is high pitched then it can be attenuated by a good set
> > of ear protection.  Preferably a combination of expanding ear
> > plugs and some wrap around headgear
>
> She has tried earplugs + earmuffs, no joy
>
> Also, most people will find that you get used to a constant noise. She's
> tried music and white noise (one of those "subliminal message" ***
> tapes with the waves and the seagulls") to try and block it out
>
> Unfortunately that wasn't a complete success because the only tape
> she could find was a New Agey one with a choir and other
> distractions. I could make a white noise CD or mp3 though, that
> hadn't occurred to me until now
>
> > How far away from the antenna must she get to lose the audio ?
>
> Good question. Don't know. Poor answer
>
> Having another chat with her tomorrow
>
> *** not the "You will hear an irritating and inescapable tone" one ;-)
>

> You might try using a piezo microphone to see if her head is vibrating
> in response to some external noise.  Have her bite hard in it and not
> move, record through the human hearing range, and then play it back to
> her loudly while running it through a software filter to see if you
> can pick out the frequency.
>
> If earplugs don't work, and her head isn't vibrating, then I don't see
> a way the cilia in the ear are moving, meaning that there's no audio
> component, even though she percieves it as an audio annoyance.
>
> Since it's localized to the tower, then I'd suuggest having her spend
> a week at a friend's house away from the tower and see if it occurs at
> other locations/times.  If not, then probably the best option is to
> move - it's going to take longer and be more aggravating to get the
> tower people to change than it's worth.
>
> If she does have the problem at other times/places, then it becomes
> interestingly more complex.
>
> -Adam
>
> On 9/6/06, Jinx <RemoveMEjoecolquittEraseMEEraseMEclear.net.nz> wrote:
> > > ^If it is high pitched then it can be attenuated by a good set
> > > of ear protection.  Preferably a combination of expanding ear
> > > plugs and some wrap around headgear
> >
> > She has tried earplugs + earmuffs, no joy
> >
> > Also, most people will find that you get used to a constant noise. She's
> > tried music and white noise (one of those "subliminal message" ***
> > tapes with the waves and the seagulls") to try and block it out
> >
> > Unfortunately that wasn't a complete success because the only tape
> > she could find was a New Agey one with a choir and other
> > distractions. I could make a white noise CD or mp3 though, that
> > hadn't occurred to me until now
> >
> > > How far away from the antenna must she get to lose the audio ?
> >
> > Good question. Don't know. Poor answer
> >
> > Having another chat with her tomorrow
> >
> > *** not the "You will hear an irritating and inescapable tone" one ;-)
> >
> > --

>the tone disappears when she goes over a ridge (ie out of sight
>of the tower) and reappears on the way back home
>
>It does seem to be present all around the house, inside and
>out. Volume seems not to change with listening position
>
>I've still to do some work with her, eg testing other towers,
>trying to get some sort of recording and so on
>
>If/when we ever find out what it is, y'all be the first to know

>
> > Do you mean Browns Bay, on the North Shore ?
>
> I had a friend over tonight who's Nokia field tech, and he
> pointed me to this site
>
> spectrumonline.med.govt.nz/licence-search.html
>
> Select Auckland for the district and Pine Hill for the transmitter
> location to bring up what's on the tower in question. I remember
> now that Woosh was the last service added, just before the
> trouble started

> >> Serious suggestion:    Try enclosing in a ferrous metal screen
>
> >> It MUST be iron/steel and not a non ferrous material.
>
> > You may have missed my comment last night that I'd discussed
> > with her borrowing a friend's panel van and foiling the windows
> > and grounding the whole lot.
>
> FOIL will not do, as per my above comment, unless it's steel foil,
> which we (usually) have not got.
>
> And, grounding is unlikely to be necessary or useful as long as you
> get full ferrous enclosure. Grounding would help electrostatic
> coupling, which this probably isn't.
>
> A van etc is not a good choice as you can easily introduce long thin
> slits which RF just loves to creep through. There are enough solidly
> steel fully enclosed things in the world that seeking one out is
> liable to be worthwhile. An old tin trunk, as used of yore for moving
> house, would suffice. A cabinet type clothes drier (once common, now
> seldom seen) would be ideal. Just watch the door closures, although
> these are usually well overlapped.
>
> As a bonus, if the cabinet drier worked, although I doubt that it
> would, she could use one as an escape haven or even bed !
>
> The Salvation army have an extremely good Op Shop just down from you
> (as I imagine you know)(among the best I've met :-) )(pre-selected
> dumpster diving at only slightly higher price)  and it's just the sort
> of place to have a cabinet drier or a tin trunk.
>
> Worth a try if a solid steel cabinet etc cannot be easily obtained is
> 'chicken wire' or similar. Fine mesh best. Making a continuous cage
> with well scrunched together joins would not be overly hard or
> expensive. I may have some I could lend you if you have none.
>
> I suspect that, sadly, none of these solutions are going to work and
> that she is more likely to be dealing with a psychosomatic problem.
> I'd be pleased if it was not so and that there turns out to be a
> bricks ad mortar (or RF and fillings) solution as the alternative can
> be most intractable. These can be exceedingly real - but the product
> of the wonderful and arcane workings of our brains. Even the sanest of
> people can have the strangest problems with selected aspects of their
> brain functions. Coming to terms with such things when you are
> otherwise 103% normal can be a challenge.
>
>
>
>
>        Russell
>

> Dennis,
>
> On Thu, 7 Sep 2006 07:36:22 -0300, Dennis Crawley wrote:
>
>> You can make an Ultrasound converter. I can't find the diagram.
>> NE602 work substracting the PLL frequency to the sound frequency.
>> It deliver a sound in 500 to 5000 Hz range. eg setting the PLL in
>> 20KHz you get 20.5 to 25.5KHz in a range 500Hz to 5KHz.
>
> Ah, good thinking:  a Bat Detector!  I have one that I'm sure would
> work, if there wasn't a planet between it and the problem area.
>
> Jinx: Do you have a Bat Detector to hand, or someone who could lend
> you one?
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> Howard Winter
> St.Albans, England

>> On 11/11/2011 4:05 AM, TakeThisOuTalan.b.pearce.....TakeThisOuTstfc.ac.uk wrote:
>>>> Now you've done it.
>> When I was a kid there was a story telling radio program called "Can You
>> Top This".
>> In that spirit, I suggest this story is the winner.
>> http://www.b-47.com/stories/lappo/lappo.html
>
> A bit flowery and long winded (and that's Russell saying that :-) )
> BUT a good story.
>
> I can't immediately think of one to top that, but ...
>
> __________
>
> - As noted a few posts back, Captain Fred Ladd flew a Grumman Wigeon
> (AFAIR) under the Auckland Harbour Bridge and got the usual treatment.
> Not as exciting as Lappos' RB-47E underflight but probably more
> dangerous (and then not very dangerous).
>
> __________
>
> This minor story is true but nobody would ever confirm it. It has no
> 'point' per s, but my camera would have liked to be there:
>
> My brother in law used to own  a farm which was about 1 square mile
> and long and thin. It started on a road ridge, ran down a gentle slope
> to a flat plain and then rose to a hill line at the far end. The
> farmhouse was on the road ridge with a nice view down the farm. The
> RNZAF operates Orion aircraft for maritime patrol and notional
> antisubmarine response. Our crews have on occasion won against
> international competition in antisubmarine events so they know their
> atuff - and anyone with years in an Orion knows where the  extremes of
> his craft are as well as a cat knows where it's whiskertips and paws
> are.
>
> My brother in law's children had a school friend home to stay for the
> weekend. Said friends dad was in the RNZAF. He was a navigator. In an
> Orion. That weekend dad and friends came visiting. The Orion popped
> over the hills at the far end of the farm, dropped to about fence
> level and proceeded towards the farmhouse. Maybe he overflew first to
> get their attention. Some time ago so memory dims, but i recall that
> they saw him coming. Up the farm up the farm up the farm - wheeee....
> . Not quite wheel marks on the roof but that was because the wheels
> were up. Bye dad ... .
>
> _____________
>
> This is also true:
>
> Our capital city of wellington is known for its wind and its steep
> hills and its not so nice to approach airport which at one stage got
> nasty ratings from international pilots due as much to poor support
> services as the actual airport, Sensible behaviour and good navigation
> and all is well. Even at night in fog. As long as the navigation
> beacons behave. Story had it that there was a complex echo situation
> and that in some conditions the beacon system would misreport an
> aircraft's position. Pilot's complained. Investigations happened
> without finding any problems. Nothing changed. Back then a DC8 was a
> respectable aircraft and Air NZ had a modest fleet of them.
>
> In Newmarket in Auckland there was a PCB shop named Circuit Graphics.
> Good prices, good services, good response time. Hobbyist friendly.
> Probably not the most leading edge facilities From memory, back then
> they did not do PTH, but, back then many people didn't. Proprietor Don
> was friendly, helpful, cheerful. Nice guy.
>
> 1975. Standard dark and stormy night as I recall.  DC8 inbound from
> Fiji on final over hilly hillside suburb of Newlands. Nearby the
> Newlands beacon decided this was the night for a spurious echo. Yee
> ha. Residents reported a DC8 appearing out of the clouds and flying
> down the valley below rooftop level in some cases. Probably made
> buzzing a farm feel tame. Go around power please. Pilot managed to
> respond fast enough and well enough to save the day. Only only only
> just from various accounts.  Usual inquiry. Pilot suspended. Vilified.
> Found responsible and cashiered. Loud yelling by all and yon.
> Investigation. Beacon problems identified and remedied. Pilot
> exonerated. By then he'd moved on. Never came back to the company.
> Compensation payout etc. National hero of sorts.  He bought a small
> PCB company in Newmarket. Nice guy. I never knew that he was the man
> concerned till years after he'd sold the business and moved on to
> other things. Last I knew he was running a graphic arts business in
> Helensville.
>
>
>             Russell
> --

> On 12 November 2011 07:28, RussellMc <.....apptechnzRemoveMEgmail.com> wrote:
>>> On 11/11/2011 4:05 AM, RemoveMEalan.b.pearcespamBeGonestfc.ac.uk wrote:
>>>>> Now you've done it.
>>> When I was a kid there was a story telling radio program called "Can You
>>> Top This".
>>> In that spirit, I suggest this story is the winner.
>>> http://www.b-47.com/stories/lappo/lappo.html
>>
>> A bit flowery and long winded (and that's Russell saying that :-) )
>> BUT a good story.
>>
>> I can't immediately think of one to top that, but ...
>>
>> __________
>>
>> - As noted a few posts back, Captain Fred Ladd flew a Grumman Wigeon
>> (AFAIR) under the Auckland Harbour Bridge and got the usual treatment.
>> Not as exciting as Lappos' RB-47E underflight but probably more
>> dangerous (and then not very dangerous).
>>
>> __________
>>
>> This minor story is true but nobody would ever confirm it. It has no
>> 'point' per s, but my camera would have liked to be there:
>>
>> My brother in law used to own  a farm which was about 1 square mile
>> and long and thin. It started on a road ridge, ran down a gentle slope
>> to a flat plain and then rose to a hill line at the far end. The
>> farmhouse was on the road ridge with a nice view down the farm. The
>> RNZAF operates Orion aircraft for maritime patrol and notional
>> antisubmarine response. Our crews have on occasion won against
>> international competition in antisubmarine events so they know their
>> atuff - and anyone with years in an Orion knows where the  extremes of
>> his craft are as well as a cat knows where it's whiskertips and paws
>> are.
>>
>> My brother in law's children had a school friend home to stay for the
>> weekend. Said friends dad was in the RNZAF. He was a navigator. In an
>> Orion. That weekend dad and friends came visiting. The Orion popped
>> over the hills at the far end of the farm, dropped to about fence
>> level and proceeded towards the farmhouse. Maybe he overflew first to
>> get their attention. Some time ago so memory dims, but i recall that
>> they saw him coming. Up the farm up the farm up the farm - wheeee....
>> . Not quite wheel marks on the roof but that was because the wheels
>> were up. Bye dad ... .
>>
>> _____________
>>
>> This is also true:
>>
>> Our capital city of wellington is known for its wind and its steep
>> hills and its not so nice to approach airport which at one stage got
>> nasty ratings from international pilots due as much to poor support
>> services as the actual airport, Sensible behaviour and good navigation
>> and all is well. Even at night in fog. As long as the navigation
>> beacons behave. Story had it that there was a complex echo situation
>> and that in some conditions the beacon system would misreport an
>> aircraft's position. Pilot's complained. Investigations happened
>> without finding any problems. Nothing changed. Back then a DC8 was a
>> respectable aircraft and Air NZ had a modest fleet of them.
>>
>> In Newmarket in Auckland there was a PCB shop named Circuit Graphics.
>> Good prices, good services, good response time. Hobbyist friendly.
>> Probably not the most leading edge facilities From memory, back then
>> they did not do PTH, but, back then many people didn't. Proprietor Don
>> was friendly, helpful, cheerful. Nice guy.
>>
>> 1975. Standard dark and stormy night as I recall.  DC8 inbound from
>> Fiji on final over hilly hillside suburb of Newlands. Nearby the
>> Newlands beacon decided this was the night for a spurious echo. Yee
>> ha. Residents reported a DC8 appearing out of the clouds and flying
>> down the valley below rooftop level in some cases. Probably made
>> buzzing a farm feel tame. Go around power please. Pilot managed to
>> respond fast enough and well enough to save the day. Only only only
>> just from various accounts.  Usual inquiry. Pilot suspended. Vilified.
>> Found responsible and cashiered. Loud yelling by all and yon.
>> Investigation. Beacon problems identified and remedied. Pilot
>> exonerated. By then he'd moved on. Never came back to the company.
>> Compensation payout etc. National hero of sorts.  He bought a small
>> PCB company in Newmarket. Nice guy. I never knew that he was the man
>> concerned till years after he'd sold the business and moved on to
>> other things. Last I knew he was running a graphic arts business in
>> Helensville.
>>
>>
>>             Russell
>> --
>
> I believe Wellington is one of the safest airports around - because
> you can guarantee that both pilot and copilot are fully awake and
> paying attention to what's going on!
>
> RP
>