New High Frequency Ring Tone I Can't Hear

[Coppermine]

And here's a perfect example of how a story can start bouncing around the news business, even though, as you'll see, it's really meant for radio.

On the front page of yesterday's New York Times, "A Ring Tone Meant to Fall on Deaf Ears." It's about an invention from Britain called the Mosquito Teen Repeller, a device that sends out a high-pitched tone that most adults can't hear (audio). The intention was to disperse groups of teenagers with the annoying noise, but youngsters quickly figured out how to use the high frequency signal as a ringtone for incoming cell phone text messages. Kids in classrooms could hear the tones, but the older teachers couldn't.

Back on May 26, Melissa Block talked with the Mosquito's inventor and his 16-year-old daughter and played the tone for listeners. The New York Times doesn't mention the NPR story, but does refer to "British newspapers." ATC's Elizabeth Tannen says she found the story on the Web site for the U.K. tabloid Metro, a handy Web stop for a researcher on story patrol. The Associated Press had the story yesterday as well, with no attribution.

You can here the tone here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=5483203

I caught this story on ATC, and I have to say that I cannot hear this tone; then again, you're not supposed to if you're over 20 years old, although depending on the frequency, most of the tones teens are using as ringtones can be heard by people up to the age of 30.

[CadensDad]

Ummmm yea,.........this is just odd.


I can slightly hear the tone though, its almost like a radio frequency or something. I had the volume all the way up and barely heard it. I'm 22 so does this mean I'm lsoing my hearing?

[Coppermine]

Ummmm yea,.........this is just odd.


I can slightly hear the tone though, its almost like a radio frequency or something. I had the volume all the way up and barely heard it. I'm 22 so does this mean I'm lsoing my hearing?

No, I'm 24 and I can't hear a damn thing.

Kids these days their ring tones.

[acsguitar]

My ring tone is Tom Sawyer by Rush. Its awesome. So if you are ever at a rockies game and hear Tom Sawyer on a cell phone its probably me.

I could hear that and so could everyone else in my office. I did turn it up to max though.

And it hurt my ears

[Omaha Red Sox]

I heard something similar to this a while ago. As you age, your ears become desensitized and sensitized to varying pitches. Certain pitches you can hear at certain ages, but not others. I can't remember what it pertained to exactly.

[Art Vandelay]

I'm going to set the brown frequency as my ring tone.

[bigh0rt]

Ummmm yea,.........this is just odd.


I can slightly hear the tone though, its almost like a radio frequency or something. I had the volume all the way up and barely heard it. I'm 22 so does this mean I'm lsoing my hearing?

No, I'm 24 and I can't hear a damn thing.

Kids these days their ring tones.

I'm 22, and I hear it. Be glad you can't. It's just an annoying squal type dead air frequency whistle.

[acsguitar]

I really thought I killed my hearing by playing the guitar loud all the time

[Coppermine]

The Pussycat Dolls killed my hearing.

[Nomar4prez]

I always used to complain about my family's old big screen TV making a sound very similiar to this, and my parents would always look at me like I was insane. Now I know why.