Moan about drone

Jun 5 2009 by Alan Shaw

THE STORY about the hum has been back in the news recently.

No, it’s nothing to do with the socks in my laundry basket, it’s about a low frequency drone which many people have heard in various locations across the country and across the world.

There have even been many stories about the Largs hum, which has been heard in the town for the past two decades.

So what is it? Theories range from the perfectly plausible to the downright ridiculous. Underground pipes, mobile phone masts, traffic, industry and even unearthly alien activity have all been suggested. The answer, I suspect, is simple – and it includes all of the above (well, maybe not the aliens) and a lot more besides.

We live in a world that is awake 24 hours a day. Every minute of every day and night people are travelling to or from work, lorries are delivering goods to the shops, the heavier freight is on the rails. We all have running water which needs pumped to our homes and our constant demand for electricity sets the national grid buzzing under the strain.

The sounds coming from all of those combine and multiply and travel for miles. That’s before you add in local annoyances, like the cars which sound as if they have a constant flatulence problem and the neighbours who decide their music is so good that everyone in the entire street should be able to hear it.

Even inside the home – there are motors in the fridge, central heating and computers adding to the ever-increasing din. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if anyone is able to hear themselves think any more.

But interestingly, not everyone can hear this.

Researchers have discovered that the body has an internal gain, which is able to amplify certain sounds and frequencies that we are concentrating on.

So it would appear those who are bothered most by this constant hum are actually listening out for it, often subconsciously.

Or to put it another way, we only hear what we want to hear.

I’ll talk to you on the Breakfast Show on 96.7 West FM, Monday to Friday from 6am, and remember we’re online too at www.westfm.co.uk