Taos Hum

Darragh29

Has anyone ever heard of this??? I read on the internet years ago about the Taos Hum, it was first apparently observed in Albaquirqe in New Mexico and is basically a sound that has been described as being similar to a old diesel engine idling at a distance. The thing about this noise is that despite many attempts to locate its source, all attempts proved futile. There are theories that point to US Many ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) waves that are used by the Navy to communicate with its submarines and this could be the cause of this mysterous hum. Anyway, myself and herself have recently been hearing a noise that sounds like a far away diesel engine and this Taos hum thing came into my head. We can both hear it and are completely mystified by this, because we cannot find the source of the noise. We live in the Firhouse area, just wondering is anyone else hearing this hum???

Darragh29

http://www.earthpulse.com/src/subcategory.asp?catid=2&subcatid=8

Supermanscat

I cant look at the link! It just comes up access denied

littlebug

I go through phases where I hear this. I hadn't a clue what it was at the start but it was so loud I was looking out the windows to see what feckin' eejit had left a truck idling out on the street at 3am! I still hear it sometimes but not quite so loud though. No one else in the house can hear it and I hear it more in one ear than the other. I have no idea if I can just hear lower frequencies in that ear or if it's all just in my head:P It could also be a form of tinnitus:o

hiorta

This, or a similar noise was prevalent at Largs on the River Clyde estuary, Scotland, some 20 years ago. The noise was always in early AM.

All official investigations drew a blank as to an explanation.

However, further up-river was located the nuclear submarine base at Faslane.

Hhhmmh.

Oryx

Dunno about a diesel engine, I get high pitched tones, but I assume its my ears doing something odd. Lasts for about 10 seconds at completely random times. And its not that feedback ringing you get after being in a loud environment.

Years ago I used to get 'white noise' sounds when everything was dead quiet, say late at night. Also something like a radio playing a mile away, that you can barely hear.:) My husband's heard that too, and we live in the sticks, no one close. But havent noticed that for years, probably cos I have kids now and dont get much quiet.

Slow Motion

Oryx wrote: »

Dunno about a diesel engine, I get high pitched tones, but I assume its my ears doing something odd. Lasts for about 10 seconds at completely random times. And its not that feedback ringing you get after being in a loud environment.

Years ago I used to get 'white noise' sounds when everything was dead quiet, say late at night. Also something like a radio playing a mile away, that you can barely hear.:) My husband's heard that too, and we live in the sticks, no one close. But havent noticed that for years, probably cos I have kids now and dont get much quiet.

I think that you like myself (I do have it) probably have Tinnitus (too many loud discos and headphones on at full blast when young) that's the white noise and the high pitched sounds, it can't be cured but I don't think it deteoriates into anything worse. To the medical forum with you

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Oryx

Slow Motion wrote: »

I think that you like myself (I do have it) probably have Tinnitus (too many loud discos and headphones on at full blast when young) that's the white noise and the high pitched sounds, it can't be cured but I don't think it deteoriates into anything worse. To the medical forum with you

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>

I have tinnitus (clicking) in my right ear. The ringing I would assume is part of that. The only sound I mentioned that I would find interesting in a paranormal way is the 'far away radio' one. Cos my hubby heard it sometimes but we never found a source.

littlebug

There are some good alternative explanations on the taos wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum

Darragh29

Oryx wrote: »

I have tinnitus (clicking) in my right ear. The ringing I would assume is part of that. The only sound I mentioned that I would find interesting in a paranormal way is the 'far away radio' one. Cos my hubby heard it sometimes but we never found a source.

I don't think it is this...

Oryx

Darragh29 wrote: »

I don't think it is this...

Prolly not, I did say in the first post I havent heard diesel engines.

Skeptic_Desu

Brian Dunning did a very good Skeptiod podcast on this subject.
http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4090

miamigal

I'd never heard of this before but funnily enough I read this story on the bbc earlier

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/suffolk/7571870.stm

sounds like the same sort of thing

Darragh29

I'm not hearing the noise tonight which is the first night I haven't heard it this week. I'm in the Firhouse area in Dublin. Both myself and the gf hear it, always at night and it stops for a few minutes and then starts up again. Sometimes it's louder than others. We were thinking would it be some kind of resonance coming into the apartment from a water pump underground or maybe above ground and resonating into our place from a water pipe or something like that.

faceman

I have tinnitus too.
God damn aliens!

6th

Do you here the hum when you go outside your apartment or outside the building? I'm only up the road from you and haven't heard anything.

Darragh29

6th wrote: »

Do you here the hum when you go outside your apartment or outside the building? I'm only up the road from you and haven't heard anything.

No, don't think I've heard it outside but I went outside once to see if I could hear it and I couldn't and came back inside but couldn't hear it inside either so I assumed it had stopped, but next time I hear it I'll go outside and see if I can hear it...

heather53

I thought it was a brain tumor, I have the clicking in my left ear. At first I thought it was sinus problem (not) I grew up in the late 60's did a lot of concerts Led Zep, Doors, loved loud music still do. I just looked it up and one of the causes besides loud music is aspirin overuse. That's me.
Thanks for the HUM
Heather
Taos NM

echter

This drives my mother looper!, now and again we can hear the distant rumbling/hum, i've checked outside, it's not a car. the noise is consistent, but we can only ever hear it from the kitchen. She's constantly muting the TV and trying to figure out what it is.

I've hear of the Taos hum before, but she thinks i'm talking crazy talk.


another thing that's weird is, i live in leixlip and we have two train stations - i happen to live nowhere near the tracks, yet if i'm in my room i can hear the train, very loudly

Oryx

echter, I live 15 miles from the train track, but if the conditions are right, I can hear the train clearly. So I suppose that might be common enough.

echter

it's quite freaky though :P

quad_red

When I go back to my parents house I can hear the ultrasonic rat control thing from the shed out the back.

Probably would freak me out if I didn't know what it was.

Could be something like that?

Kamili

Could it be the road works on the M50?

I remember when they were originally building the M50 around firhouse/dundrum/sandyford they had to do a lot of digging and drilling.
Some of it was through a rock face and the road works caused a humming noise, which used to drive me crazy till a friend of mine pointed out what it was to me one day.

They've recently started up road works again on that stretch of road and I know they sometimes work at night, could it be that?

Garlic Suplmnt

Apologies for the necro etc - but is anybody else hearing anything like this? I live in Dublin 8 and hear a low pitched hum at certain times of the day and night, have done for a good few weeks now. I have spent hours trying to source this noise but can't find anything that could be the cause, including walking up and down the street and back lane. My girlfriend can't hear it at all. I'm stumped as to where this might be coming from.

Cheers

Kamili

Garlic Suplmnt wrote: »

Apologies for the necro etc - but is anybody else hearing anything like this? I live in Dublin 8 and hear a low pitched hum at certain times of the day and night, have done for a good few weeks now. I have spent hours trying to source this noise but can't find anything that could be the cause, including walking up and down the street and back lane. My girlfriend can't hear it at all. I'm stumped as to where this might be coming from.

Cheers

I've started hearing it very loudly particularly badly from about 5am but it has been going through the day time too. So loudly in fact that I'm losing sleep over it. It's driving me crazy to be honest.

I can't seem to find any reference to roadworks or drilling in the vicinity. Had thought it was a quarry at one stage. Anyone else experiencing it? I'm In south Dublin.


I'm exhausted from lack of sleep over it and getting bad headaches as a result. Been up the last hour trying to find the source....

Happyhunter

Darragh29 wrote: »

Has anyone ever heard of this??? I read on the internet years ago about the Taos Hum, it was first apparently observed in Albaquirqe in New Mexico and is basically a sound that has been described as being similar to a old diesel engine idling at a distance. The thing about this noise is that despite many attempts to locate its source, all attempts proved futile. There are theories that point to US Many ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) waves that are used by the Navy to communicate with its submarines and this could be the cause of this mysterous hum. Anyway, myself and herself have recently been hearing a noise that sounds like a far away diesel engine and this Taos hum thing came into my head. We can both hear it and are completely mystified by this, because we cannot find the source of the noise. We live in the Firhouse area, just wondering is anyone else hearing this hum???

Maybe it's a far away diesel engine. Not being smart but you haven't given any reason why this isn't the case.

Garlic Suplmnt

Kamili wrote: »

I've started hearing it very loudly particularly badly from about 5am but it has been going through the day time too. So loudly in fact that I'm losing sleep over it. It's driving me crazy to be honest.

I can't seem to find any reference to roadworks or drilling in the vicinity. Had thought it was a quarry at one stage. Anyone else experiencing it? I'm In south Dublin.


I'm exhausted from lack of sleep over it and getting bad headaches as a result. Been up the last hour trying to find the source....

Yeah it's becoming louder and more distinct all the time. In the last 3 months I've heard it in Portobello, Drumcondra, Celbridge, Greystones and the Isle of Man. Not got to a stage yet where it's a nuisance though.

I find it drops off early to late evening then drifts back in about midnight. It seems to be at it's loudest between 4/5 am and midday.

P.S. The tone I hear it at is like D #, though it does osciallate slightly.

Kamili

Garlic Suplmnt wrote: »

Kamili wrote: »

I've started hearing it very loudly particularly badly from about 5am but it has been going through the day time too. So loudly in fact that I'm losing sleep over it. It's driving me crazy to be honest.

I can't seem to find any reference to roadworks or drilling in the vicinity. Had thought it was a quarry at one stage. Anyone else experiencing it? I'm In south Dublin.


I'm exhausted from lack of sleep over it and getting bad headaches as a result. Been up the last hour trying to find the source....

Yeah it's becoming louder and more distinct all the time. In the last 3 months I've heard it in Portobello, Drumcondra, Celbridge, Greystones and the Isle of Man. Not got to a stage yet where it's a nuisance though.

I find it drops off early to late evening then drifts back in about midnight. It seems to be at it's loudest between 4/5 am and midday.

P.S. The tone I hear it at is like D #, though it does osciallate slightly.

Yep that's exactly what I'm hearing, it's bizarre. It did stop altogether for Christmas day and then again on new years eve.

Heard there was oil found in Dublin Bay and that they were drilling for that but I'm not sure it was related. Or howvtrue that is!

At one point I thought it was my neighbours central heating...

The noise is on a frequency that just drives me potty, it's almost constant. Would lOve to know what it is. Can hear it now and it hasn't stopped all night!!

Riamfada

Kamili wrote: »

Heard there was oil found in Dublin Bay and that they were drilling for that but I'm not sure it was related. Or howvtrue that is!

Not true unfortunately. I live beside the M50 so there is always a distant hum in the evenings but I would love to hear this. There is no chance of getting a recording?

Kamili

Riamfada wrote: »

Kamili wrote: »

Heard there was oil found in Dublin Bay and that they were drilling for that but I'm not sure it was related. Or howvtrue that is!

Not true unfortunately. I live beside the M50 so there is always a distant hum in the evenings but I would love to hear this. There is no chance of getting a recording?

I live close to the M50 too and it's not the same hum.

Tried recording it but it's not coming out, too low a frequency. Sometimes I feel the vibrations rather than hear it as if it's coming up from the foundations. The next door neighbour's central heating theory might be the case but I can't prove it... I'm starting to doubt if it is that.

Riamfada

Sounds like it might be a good idea to apply some of the metering equipment used to search for ghosts in this case.

Kamili

Riamfada wrote: »

Sounds like it might be a good idea to apply some of the metering equipment used to search for ghosts in this case.

Might put my mind at rest too cOs I've had several people say they can't hear it, a few said they can though. Which is making me feel like I'm losing the plot!

Riamfada

Stolen from Wiki

Tinnitus
Generated by the body, the auditory or the nervous system, with no external stimulus. However, the theory that the Hum is actually tinnitus fails to explain why the Hum can be heard only at certain geographical locations, to the degree those reports are accurate. There may exist individual differences as to the threshold of perception of acoustic or non-acoustic stimuli, or other normal individual variations that could contribute to the perception of the Hum by some people in the population and not by others.

While the Hum is hypothesized to be a form of low frequency tinnitus[12] such as the venous hum, some sufferers claim it is not internal, being worse inside their homes than outside. However, others insist that it is equally bad indoors and outdoors. More mystery is added as some notice the Hum only at home, while others hear it everywhere they go. Some reports indicate that it is made worse by attempted soundproofing (e.g., double glazing), which serves only to decrease other environmental noise, thus making the Hum more apparent. Tinnitus is also generally worse in places with less exterior sound.
People who both suffer from tinnitus and hear the Hum describe them as qualitatively different, and many hum sufferers can find locations where they do not hear the hum at all. An investigation by a team of scientists in Taos dismissed the possibility that the Hum was tinnitus as highly unlikely.

Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions
Human ears generate their own noises, called spontaneous otoacoustic emissions, which about 30% of people hear. The people that hear these sounds typically hear a faint buzzing or ringing, especially if they are otherwise in complete silence, but most people don't notice them at all.

Colliding ocean waves
Researchers from the USArray Earthscope have tracked down a series of infrasonic humming noises produced by waves crashing together and thence into the ocean floor, off the North-West coast of the USA. Potentially, sound from these collisions could travel to many parts of the globe.[15][16][17]

Kamili

Definitely not tinnitus I already have that plus doesn't explain how my mum can hear it also.
It's gotten loud enough for me to hear outside now too and my dog has started barking at things that aren't there (could be his over reactive imagination though)

Bit sceptical about the waves thing, it's a droney vibration that's constant.

I think the neighbours central heating is the closest I can get to an explanation

kylith

I get a hum in my house too, but it's caused by small-scale manufacturing in the house behind mine, so be on the look out for any home factories in your area.

I get the high-pitched squeal too, but I've always believed that it's some kind of effect from the telly that I'm just more sensetive to it than OH, and I know that one of my friends gets it the odd time too.

Kamili

kylith wrote: »

I get a hum in my house too, but it's caused by small-scale manufacturing in the house behind mine, so be on the look out for any home factories in your area.

I get the high-pitched squeal too, but I've always believed that it's some kind of effect from the telly that I'm just more sensetive to it than OH, and I know that one of my friends gets it the odd time too.

I get the telly squeal too, can vary depending on brand, tis wierd.

the hum hasn't voiced its opinion all day today so I'm a happy camper. Still would love to know what it is.

squonk

I always used to hear a hum in my house because it was very quiet. There are a couple of possible causes that I've always put this down to. Firstly, fridges. They make a fairly low frequency noise and they're pretty quiet but you do notice the sound when it's quieter and I would believe that some elements of the noise are low frequency enough to travel around the house. Secondly, some power supplies make a noise. Again, it's a low frequency thing that could travel around the house. Thirdly, any sort of fans e.g. hard drives on a computer etc could cause that noise. My thought is that the intersection of the frequencies could cause the alternating sound like a diesel engine.

Kamili

After a respite of three months the noise is back again only louder. We've since installed triple glazing windows and it's not making a difference. It's like hearing a diesel engine idling in the distance, only I can feel the vibrations too. Not tinnitus as I can feel the sound. I can actually hear it outside now also. It has been constant for the last few days getting louder after midnight. So much so that the white noise app I have no longer drowns it out....

maccored

I havent heard this in a while, but a few years back there used to be what sounded like a diesel car or van idling outside our house some nights, but yet you'd go outside, there'd be no noise, and nothing there. I would hear it again though when I'd go back inside. Always made me believe it was something to do with wiring or something in the house since in reality, the the sound was coming from inside the house, not outside.

kylith

Kamili wrote: »

After a respite of three months the noise is back again only louder. We've since installed triple glazing windows and it's not making a difference. It's like hearing a diesel engine idling in the distance, only I can feel the vibrations too. Not tinnitus as I can feel the sound. I can actually hear it outside now also. It has been constant for the last few days getting louder after midnight. So much so that the white noise app I have no longer drowns it out....

Have you ruled out causes inside the house? Some suggestions off the top of my head: fridge, fish tank, PC fan, something in the heating system, it could even be in your neighbour's house.

dmcronin

Another Irish hum in the news lately, in Kerry...

http://www.kerryman.ie/lifestyle/getting-to-the-root-of-that-annoying-beaufort-hum-3076905.html

krd

A place I lived down the country. There was an audible hum. It was weird. I eventually found what it was. It was a wooden telegraph pole - and for some reason - I think there may have been some booster attached to it - the whole wood pole vibrated and hummed.


Power transformers for domestic and farms hum. And where there is little other sound, that hum can travel.

nierbo

I know it is a while since you posted,but I have heard this hum since end of last year:mad: I know for a FACT it is not tinnitus as my aunt has suffered for years with it and I know all the symptoms. I hear it mostly at night,but hear it in the day also,it actually hums through my pillow:mad:. I thought that the drilling had started in Dalkey already. Apparently mostly men hear bass line notes or e# more than women,well I am female and my hearing is too good I would be glad if I was not the only one hearing this, as my partner doesnt,he just knows I have good hearing.

Kamili

kylith wrote: »

Have you ruled out causes inside the house? Some suggestions off the top of my head: fridge, fish tank, PC fan, something in the heating system, it could even be in your neighbour's house.

Definitely not anything in the house as I can hear it outside too. It's a lot deeper of a rumble to be any of the above, it's almost a drilling sound. Very low frequency deep vibration that seems to make the ground shake. Even when I'm outside.

nierbo wrote: »

I know it is a while since you posted,but I have heard this hum since end of last year:mad: I know for a FACT it is not tinnitus as my aunt has suffered for years with it and I know all the symptoms. I hear it mostly at night,but hear it in the day also,it actually hums through my pillow:mad:. I thought that the drilling had started in Dalkey already. Apparently mostly men hear bass line notes or e# more than women,well I am female and my hearing is too good I would be glad if I was not the only one hearing this, as my partner doesnt,he just knows I have good hearing.

Yep you've pretty much described what I'm hearing/feeling. I have tinnitus which definitely doesn't cause the same sound. It's a deep deep noise like one you would nearly feel more than hear if you were standing near a huge subwoofer at a concert or the like.

Very frustrating!

nierbo

you know I think you could be on to something there,I wont settle until I find the reason for this hum, thank`s for that link. I rang my dad who plays trombone,and I asked him what e# (flat) sounds like,so i hummed it to him first,he said I knew my music,I said no I dont I just hear it all the time!!!!!

nierbo

sorry,I am new to this and just posted ,not sure if I have it right yet so just put up with me a while.......this thing is so driving me mad ,I also want to state that I first heard this hum at the end of last year,I lived in Raheny,I have moved to a more solid older house on the same side of town and I can still hear it.Also,my theory is that the drilling for oil has started in secret ,or at least prep work has.My reason for this is,the sound is almost 24/7 BUT there are times when it is silent and when it starts you can put a time on it,for instance it was quiet yesterday before 12pm,then at approx 12.30 it started.Last night it was quiet until 12am,then shortly after it started,because I had to reach for the ear plugs.Im sorry to seem like a crazy lady but if there is a reason then it is almost acceptable,so I like to know why, where,and what for???????????????

guinnessdrinker

I just seen this thread now. I thought I was the only one to hear this. I only started to hear this noise about two years ago when I moved into my house. At first I thought it was something electrical in the house but as the noise was so annoying I tried in vain to locate it. I turned off everything electrical on numerous occasions including the fridge and freezer and walked around the house in circles trying to find where the noise was coming from.

One night it seemed so loud, around 3 or 4am so I got up and got a torch and went outside the house. I could still hear the noise outside, this was when I figured out for the first time that the noise was not coming from inside the house. I walked down the road a bit and could still hear the hum. I eventually went back to bed after failing to figure out where it is coming from. I have tinnitus also but this noise is completely different, my tinniutus is high pitched where as the noise I am describing is a low frequency humming noise that seems to vibrate.

My only guess is that maybe it is coming from an overhead powerline somewhere. Also I thought maybe it was coming from the sea, i.e. waves crashing but it is an almost constant hum so I am not too sure about my waves theory.

At least I know other people are experiencing this noise also. I think if I knew what the noise was or where it was coming from I would not find it so annoying.

Kamili

Yep it deffo does stop and start alright. I find it gets louder at around 4am too.

I agree with guinessdrinker if I knew what it was I'd be less annoyed by it. I've downloaded an app in iTunes called ambience that has a cat purr which drowns it out just about. It's my saviour. There are times where this doesn't work though.

nierbo

Yes I too agree,if I knew where it was from It would be half the battle. OK I have to ask this now,at the risk of being mad,but did any one notice a big quiet time the last 2 days?and nights?
could it be bad weather stops play?? Also what are they doing in the liffey? that involves pounding into the ground pylons? not sure that is what they are called,are they building another bridge?If it is that ,they have build a bridge not so long ago and would explain others hearing the noise way back,if it involves drilling deep in the ground we may hear it! Some music friends of my dad said there is some building work going on in town(I use music because it is an E# sound) ,a 3 story car park under ground,that involves drilling deep.

Kamili

Yep have noticed the quiet time alright!
The bridge on the Liffey is for the Luas. You might be on to something with that... Bad weather and risen water levels might have stopped play.

I definitely think its drilling of some description, it has the same sound as when they were drilling the rock on the section of Dundrum M50.

maccored

that hum sound in kerry ... isnt there drilling off the coast of cork? If that was affecting a shelf of ground that then ran on to Kerry, surely that could cause some kind of vibration hum/sound?