View Poll Results: Can you Hear this ??

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  • I'm under 30 and I could hear it.

    6 24.00%
  • I'm over 30 and I could hear it.

    15 60.00%
  • I'm under 30 and I couldn't hear it.

    0 0%
  • I'm Over 30 and I couldn't hear it.

    4 16.00%
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Thread: Can you hear this?

  1. #1
    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Can you hear this?

    This is apparently the so called "Mosquito sound"

    the Mosquito sound is supposed to be only heard by teenagers and never by people over the age of thirty. It's designed to irritate teenagers and deter then from loitering around shops etc.

    However.. I'm not sure if it's just me, or my particularly acute hearing but I can hear it and it annoys the pants off me.. and I'm over 30 !

    Just wondering if you can hear it and what age group you're in

    anyway apparently it's been converted into a ring tone for use "out and about"

    here's the sound

    EDIT

    Also I should add.. how effective would this be at keeping teenagers away from your property? I'm dubious to it's effectiveness as it would drive ME mad
    Last edited by Beowulf; 17th-January-2008 at 02:55 PM.

  2. #2
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf1970 View Post
    This is apparently the so called "Mosquito sound"

    the Mosquito sound is supposed to be only heard by teenagers and never by people over the age of thirty. It's designed to irritate teenagers and deter then from loitering around shops etc...
    I can hear the mp3 linked to, and I don't remember 30.

    However I doubt the mp3 sample linked to is the "mosquito" sound. There are various issues in MP3 conversion, and aliasing is one of them. Aliasing means that high frequencies can be converted to lower frequencies. MP3 conversion involves reducing the data transmitted by removing frequencies that cannot be heard, and I do not think the format was devised by teenagers.

  3. #3
    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by bigdjiver View Post
    I can hear the mp3 linked to, and I don't remember 30.

    However I doubt the mp3 sample linked to is the "mosquito" sound. There are various issues in MP3 conversion, and aliasing is one of them. Aliasing means that high frequencies can be converted to lower frequencies. MP3 conversion involves reducing the data transmitted by removing frequencies that cannot be heard, and I do not think the format was devised by teenagers.
    Ah of course,

    I have been reliably informed (by a friend of mine I emailed about this) that school kids use this as a ring tone for THEMSELVES so they can hear their texts / phone ringing etc but their teachers can't.

    So what was designed to deter them is now being used by them to circumvent "oldies" spoiling their fun!.. Kids of today eh?

  4. #4
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    I couldn't hear it at first, then I moved slightly and it hurt my ears!

    Strangely, I pass all hearing tests at the doctors, but I have a serious problem hearing people talking when there's background noise. No, not when it's really loud either and I know it doesn't affect everyone because others seem to be able to have conversations around me.
    My step-father has the same trouble and he worked in power stations all his life, whilst I worked with helicopters and guns. I suspect that the two are related, but it's odd that it doesn't get picked up on hearing tests???

  5. #5
    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    I heard it clearly but I think its one of those sounds that I'd get used to very quickly and very soon (about another minute) my mind would simply shut it out
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  6. #6
    Registered User Twirly's Avatar
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    I couldn't hear it at first, then I moved slightly and it hurt my ears!

    Strangely, I pass all hearing tests at the doctors, but I have a serious problem hearing people talking when there's background noise. No, not when it's really loud either and I know it doesn't affect everyone because others seem to be able to have conversations around me.
    My step-father has the same trouble and he worked in power stations all his life, whilst I worked with helicopters and guns. I suspect that the two are related, but it's odd that it doesn't get picked up on hearing tests???
    Haven't tried it yet, as my work PC doesn't have a sound card...

    Gav - I have the same problem as you (but haven't worked in a noisy environment). Mine did get picked up on a hearing test - apparently I have very good hearing except for human speech wavelengths/pitches (or whatever they call them). I wonder if there are different types of tests? Mine was at a private GPs (BUPA check up through work).

    I find it's particularly bad with background noise (and that could just be other people in the group talking if there are more than 4 or 5 people), and it's why I hate people trying to talk to me on the dancefloor - a few people manage to do it, but they've learnt that they need to put me into a sway for example, to talk right into my ear.

    I'm always getting told that I talk too loud at work... have to keep reminding my boss that I've got some hearing impairement Had my appraisal yesterday, and went in determined that if I got hassled again, that I'd threaten to get HR involved and get some sort of disability grievance going - fortunately it wasn't necessary. And I'm not that loud... it's just that my office is so very very quiet

  7. #7
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    This isn't a fair test (in terms of science) to conduct as I believe speaker volume will influence the test as I have just found out when showing this to my parents, I put the sound onto my phone and had it on low, I walked downstairs with it playing and asked my parents and my nan to be quiet and asked if they could hear anything, when I put my phone on full volume they said they could hear a "low buzz".

  8. #8
    Registered User Crazy Shark's Avatar
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Im definatly under 30 and can hear it. It's definatly irrating!!! Well im won't be a teenager in 14 days

  9. #9
    Lovely Moderator ducasi's Avatar
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by bigdjiver View Post
    I can hear the mp3 linked to, and I don't remember 30.

    However I doubt the mp3 sample linked to is the "mosquito" sound. There are various issues in MP3 conversion, and aliasing is one of them. Aliasing means that high frequencies can be converted to lower frequencies. MP3 conversion involves reducing the data transmitted by removing frequencies that cannot be heard, and I do not think the format was devised by teenagers.


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  10. #10
    purplehyacinth
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    I'm over 30 and could hear it. It was a lot more than an irritation to me. I heard it as a piercing tone, which went right through my head and was quite painful to my ears.

  11. #11
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by bigdjiver View Post
    ...However I doubt the mp3 sample linked to is the "mosquito" sound. There are various issues in MP3 conversion, and aliasing is one of them. Aliasing means that high frequencies can be converted to lower frequencies. MP3 conversion involves reducing the data transmitted by removing frequencies that cannot be heard, and I do not think the format was devised by teenagers.
    Alas, not relevant. I have discovered that the device works at 17,000 hertz (What a good name for this frequency!) and aliasing should not be a problem with this.

    It does raise the question Why use all of this technology to deter teenagers when a Ceroc playlist would do.

  12. #12
    Registered User Crazy Shark's Avatar
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by bigdjiver View Post
    It does raise the question Why use all of this technology to deter teenagers when a Ceroc playlist would do.
    So true

  13. #13
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    I could hear it, it's just that my speakers can't reproduce it.

  14. #14
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Over 30 and definitely couldn't hear it.

  15. #15
    Registered User RedFox's Avatar
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    If you want to test this a little more accurately, you can download SigJenny for free. It doesn't have a 'mosquito setting', but from my (brief) research the ring tone seems to be 14,400Hz, and the original deterrent at 17,000Hz. My speakers / sound card will go up to 14,688Hz and it's certainly very piercing at that level!

    Do read the warning about frying your speakers on this page this page first. And start with your volume right down to 0 to avoid frying your ears.
    Last edited by RedFox; 17th-January-2008 at 09:11 PM. Reason: link added

  16. #16
    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by RedFox View Post
    If you want to test this a little more accurately, you can download SigJenny for free. It doesn't have a 'mosquito setting', but from my (brief) research the ring tone seems to be 14,400Hz, and the original deterrent at 17,000Hz. My speakers / sound card will go up to 14,688Hz and it's certainly very piercing at that level!

    Do read the warning about frying your speakers on this page this page first. And start with your volume right down to 0 to avoid frying your ears.
    I am (sorry correction .. I was) a software engineer working in frequency analysis and digital signal processing .. so I'd actually been writing a clunky signal generator program myself to test this theory.

    But SigJenny is much easier to use than my beast

    Both the SigJenny output and my program output had the same result. I could just about hear it.. but after a second it vanished completely unless I concentrated on listening for it. Sort of like the Tardis's perception filter I suppose

  17. #17
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf1970 View Post
    I am (sorry correction .. I was) a software engineer working in frequency analysis and digital signal processing .. so I'd actually been writing a clunky signal generator program myself to test this theory.

    But SigJenny is much easier to use than my beast

    Both the SigJenny output and my program output had the same result. I could just about hear it.. but after a second it vanished completely unless I concentrated on listening for it. Sort of like the Tardis's perception filter I suppose
    Ummm, was a software engineer....

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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by batnurse View Post
    Ummm, was a software engineer....
    Does that go like Papa was a rolling stone... ?

  19. #19
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    Quote Originally Posted by batnurse View Post
    Ummm, was a software engineer....
    Resists temptation to post a variant on one of the Pick pin on badges
    "Hard where?"
    Thanks to Red Fox for the link.

    There has been research that supports my long held theory that our ears and brains can perceive higher frequencies although we do not "hear" them. The brain filtering them out accouts for the fading effect.

    From my ancient SF book shelf comes the simple test. Sit on a chair, head fixed in one position, and close your eyes whilst someone moves around silently and claps their hands, Most people can point to the direction of the sound. That is easily explainf by stereophonic hearing. But the source can still be pointed to when the hands are clapped directly above your head. The explanation given in the article was that that is why we have ears. All of those curvy knobbly bits diffract and reflect the sound, and our brains are sophisticated enough to extract direction information from those effects. From the dimensions of the knobbly bits it is likely that it is the higher frequencies that enable us to do this. Cats bats and dogs have directional ears and use these sounds for hearing. To a bat a mosquito is yummy, but too small to detect ell by echo location. That is used to avoid stuff.

  20. #20
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    Re: Can you hear this?

    i'm over 30 and could definately hear it also it sent my 2 puppies dashing round the room- must be a similar frequency to a dog whistle is spose

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