Testing 1,2,3 Testing... Can You Hear This Now?

[Guest Monica]

A new ringtone, The Mosquito, is now available. Its claim is, that it can be heard only by teens on their cellphones. Its a very high pitched tone. Those who are of an older age cant hear it, due to normal hearing loss that occurs as part of the aging process.

http://www.phonesherpa.com/phonesherpa

Here is a preview on the web.

Be sure to adjust your volume level on your speakers to a normal level.

Can you hear Both previews, or just one, or none? What did you hear?

What do you think about it?

[pushka]

I just heard a long note, not too high pitched, nothing special about it at all..I wouldn't recommend it as a ringtone...it's the sound my tv makes when a channel has closed for the night!

[shanstress70]

I've heard about this, and wanted to see if I could hear it, so thanks.

Hard as I tried, I could not hear the first one, but I could hear the second. I'm at work right now, but I want to try this with my young child... I'm sure he can hear it. And I'm sure my cat will be able to hear it too.

[pushka]

I just picked up this report about the Mosquito on another website:

[www.telegraphindia.com]

Mosquito to bug teens

BY TOSIN SULAIMAN

London, Nov. 13: For teenagers, it is a sound as irritating as their mother’s nagging: a high-pitched shriek that refuses to go away. For adults, the sound is ... silence.

It is called the Mosquito and it is designed to deter young people from loitering outside shops. It emits a piercing, high frequency sound that is audible only, in 90 per cent of cases, to people under the age of 20. While teenagers are forced to run for cover, most adults remain oblivious.

Nearly 100 stores and some local councils have placed orders for the device, which went into production on Wednesday. A retail chain also plans to introduce it in its corner shops.

The Times tested a prototype at a Hallmark newsagent’s shop in Wembley, northwest London, where staff said they were powerless to deter congregating youths.

“The worst time is when school finishes, between 2 pm and 3.30,” Gunapal Murugan, who lives above the shop, said. “They make trouble... they come and fight. You can’t do anything. They’re under age.”

At first Murugan was sceptical about the Mosquito, which he could not hear — and was surprised by its £500 price — but when some young customers came to the shop he watched their reactions.

“It’s like a dog whistle but I’m not a dog,” a bemused Shaker Zaman, 17, said.

Sunil Pankhania, also 17, said: “I can feel it - it hurts. It’s like your ears are blocked. It’s hurting my teeth. I’ve got sensitive teeth.”

Not everyone was convinced, however. Ekta Shah, 17, said: “It’s not annoying enough, but it is annoying. If someone wants to make trouble, they’re going to do it anyway. It’s not going to stop them.”

By the time the teenagers had left, Murugan was a convert. “I think it would make a difference,” he said.

The Mosquito was invented by Howard Stapleton, who came up with the idea after reading how hearing levels changed with age and had spent “a couple of hundred hours” researching the subject.

[pushka]

Btw, you can download a free 14 day trial version of a more accurate Frequency Generator, which you can programme for the frequencies you want to hear.

I altered the frequency from 1000 gradually up to 10000 and I could only hear up to 9000...I couldn't hear anything at 9500.

The screen looked complicated at first, but if you look just under the task bar towards the right hand side of the screen there is a box which has the current frequency displayed, eg. 1000...just alter the numbers accordingly and the frequency will rise and fall as you do so.

I presume I have poor hearing...I always thought I did. There's somebody here with me, in his 30's and he can hear above the 10000 range.

http://www.softpile.com/Education/Mathemat...ad_21743_1.html

[shanstress70]

Yep, this very article is the one I had heard about. I look forward to messing around at the site you provided, Pushka... thanks!

[pushka]

Let me know what's the highest frequency you can get to, it only allows you to go up to 22000 I believe.

Can anybody explain how to convert Hz into Decibels when testing your hearing with this Frequency Generator? How can I tell if my maximum of 9,000 is considered 'hard of hearing' or not?

[Christos]

Decibels are a measure of volume, frequency is a measure of pitch.

I can still hear 19000hz but if you wanted to keep me out of your grounds, set it to 17000, it sounds like am having a migraine! Horrible!

BTW, do any of you get high pitch sounds when you get migraines? This applies to headaches as well.

The lowest I can hear is 68, but it is more of a vibration than a sound.

Arghhh! 17000 is really digging into me now. It isn't instant, it takes a while for it to affect you.

It is like a dentist drill.

I can even smell the sound, so sterile and metallic.

[pushka]

I tested my kids tonight with the Generator programme, my daughter went to around 12000 and my son to 15000, I rose to 10000, perhaps I had the sound up louder tonight...My daughter found her limit unbearable! It was really weird sitting there not hearing anything and the kids complaining that it was too severe..