| Strange Noise |
From Christine Bampton-Smith
Monday, 30 March 2009
Since October a strange noise, low humming, vibrating and persistent has been seriously affecting a number of my ward members living around Nest Estate.
It has caused pressure headaches and loss of sleep, when the noise is through the night. People have had to have medical checks because the effects are so severe. The problem is that two or more people can be in a room and only one or two can hear it, so maybe it is an electronic frequency issue.
The Environmental Health officers cannot hear it but are convinced there is 'something', especially as there have been similar reports elsewhere in Calderdale. They have nothing to go on to identify the source.
So, we need help! First, will anyone else who has experienced this noise and cannot identify the source, let me know, please. Second, if there is an expert out there who has some ideas, or someone who knows of anything that could be creating it,( that started around October), could you contact me?
The situation is really causing those who can hear the noise considerable distress and discomfort.
My contact details are: ~Tel: 01422 881073 or cbamptonsmith@yahoo.co.uk.
Christine Bampton-Smith
Liberal Democrat Councillor
Luddendenfoot Ward
From Richard Hull
Monday, 30 March 2009
How typical of Calderdale that their environmental health 'experts' (hah!!) cannot identify this. Anyone with any sense can set up devices to monitor low frequency vibrations. Sounds to me like faulty electrical junctions, either on telegraph poles or in junction boxes.
From H Gregg
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Low frequency sounds are notoriously difficult to locate. But as Richard points out - it should not be beyond the wit or imagination on the environmental health 'experts' to devise a detection method. If you try mapping those on the estate who are most affected - you can then use this as a clue to point to the possible source of the sound. The most affected will be closest to the source (possibly an electrical sub-station transformer??).
Then again... it could be aliens :-)
From Tharg
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
The earthling H Gregg is using sarcasm? Let him laugh on the other side of his puny human features when I vapourise his little village.
Muhahahahaha!
From Chris Barnett
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
I came across a strange and bizarre website devoted to "The Hum": not sure whether it's relevant, and it may be complete nonsense, but it's interesting......
From Christine Bampton-Smith
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
The Enviromental Health dept are going to investigate with a machine that detects low frequency.
From John Billingsley
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
I wrote articles a few years back on various aspects of what's come to be called 'The Hum'. There's a side of it that appears to be a natural phenomenon, noted by, e.g. Gilbert White of Selborne, and some correspondents to Manchester newspapers in the late 1800s, at a time when the technological aspect of low-frequency noise was unlikely to be a factor (unless of course it's them aliens, or offcumdens as we like to call 'em here).
But there's a different and very contemporary experience which seems to be related to technology, amplified by resonance in contsruction materials in modern buildings. There are various sources - a washing machine or dehumidifier for instance can set up a vibration that can be felt some distance away, often when one puts one's head on the pillow to sleep - as the bed itself becomes an amplifier.
Harder to fix than to hear, of course, unless we shut everything down!
My articles were in Fortean Times and Northern Earth; I don't know about FT, but the NE ones can be found here
The one mentioned in the post above, deals solely with the technological aspect.
From Christine Bampton-Smith
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
A good number of people have contacted me to report they too are affected by an unidentified noise, causing headaches and sleeplessnes and pressure around the ears and jaw. I experienced the pressure when I visited affected properties although I could not hear the noise.
An Enviromental Health Officer and I visited the site on Good Friday Evening with a frequency detecting machine, and although the residents could hear the noise, the machine did not pick up any very low or high frequencies. So, we are still searching for an answer.
Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about this issue.
From John Billingsley
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
This inability of machines to pick up the disturbance, despite human perception of sound/resonance, is a familiar feature of the variety of infrasound, whether occurring naturally or through some presumed technological interference.
From Lou R
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
This was on the BBC website this morning - it would appear that the strange hum is also happening elsewhere ...
From N Yorke
Tuesday, 19 May 2009