Loud music from over-the-fence is causing offence...

portyforty · Nov 21, 2017

After recently becoming somewhat broke, my wife and I were forced to settle in a small town in a very Wild-Westy part of New Zealand: Deepest darkest Southland. Like many of the inhabitants of this hillbilliyish community, our hard-smoking, hard-drinking, benefit-frauding 'neighbours' on the north side, are unable to function without a constant diet of loud 'music'.

(I use the term 'music' in the loosest possible way. It's just repetitive, thumping noise)

I won't detail all of the hoops we've jumped through to try and get this racket to cease. Suffice to say we've exhausted almost all options, except, of course, moving elsewhere. We can't afford it.

However, it occurred to me that, as these trogs like their noise so much, it might be helpful if I were to amplify the waves that beam over the fence, and feed it back to them.

I have a fairly powerful amp and a few spare speakers, but I'm sure I can cobble together something else if it's required.

Advice will be appreciated.

Tha fios agaibh · Nov 21, 2017

Sorry to hear about your situation.
If you can prove fraud, report it.
If talking to them hasn't worked, you could take the high road and add acoustic insulation to your walls and floor to block out sound.
Or, you could take the low road and build one of these;

Audioguru · Nov 21, 2017

If you amplify their sound and feed it back to them then you will have acoustical feedback howling since a sound goes in your mic and out your speaker then back in your mic again and out your speaker again over and over. Your noisy neighbours might like it but you will not like it.

kellys_eye · Nov 21, 2017

Tha fios agaibh said:

add acoustic insulation to your walls and floor to block out sound.
Click to expand...

Sad to say - this is usually the only option.

If your local authorities are on the ball you can (and should) keep a record of the noise.... times, volume (recordings of it if possible) and even noise levels (there are sound level measuring apps for mobile phones these days). Not sure of your local legal situation but many are now taking such 'pollution' quite seriously and will act accordingly. But the key is evidence.

If your evidence can't support your claim (i.e. you're simply seen as a whingeing old goat who doesn't appreciate the subtleties of rap....) then it's down to insulating yourself from it. But if you have a legit case then the council are 'obliged' to act and you can taken THEM to task if they don't get it curtailed.

There are no practical counter solutions that would be effective other than (possibly) something called a 'mosquito'. This is a noise-making system designed to chase off anti-social kids and works by making high pitched noise that only the young can hear. Other people say they've had success by playing orchestral music loudly in response but that usually ends up as a tit-for-tat war.

I'd even go so far as to say 'look up EMP devices' but that's, perhaps, a step too far!

gunnadoo · Nov 21, 2017

hi porty , if ya can't beat em, join em ", seriously though , i would not aggravate them [yet]. have you tried diplomacy, ie", taking a few drinks and try and get onside with them. if this goes ok ,maybe ask nicely if possible to face speakers the other way or/and turn it down a tad. if this fail's , well ,maybe use your imagination. i got rid of a unwelcome daughters boyfriend few years ago. after a few subtle hints i enlisted the help of my mates sons m/cycle club. amazing what a few harleys revving out the front at 5am can do. i don't advocate violence, but sometimes u have to fight fire with fire

NMNeil · Nov 21, 2017

Don't know anything about NZ law, but the first thing is to talk to your neighbors and explain the situation. Yes it's unlikely anything will happen, so next check local laws for 'public and/or private nuisance' and use that law to make a formal complaint.
As you say you can't afford to move I'm assuming that you own the house, if so and you used a realtor for the transaction there may be a full disclosure requirement, such as the pig farm next door, the toxic waste lake etc. tell them you will be making a claim against them for failing to disclose.
As a last resort, when their 'music' finally stops, wait for 30 minutes then repeatedly play Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" for a few hours. (set the volume level to 'stun')

BobK · Nov 21, 2017

<sarcasm>
Here in the U.S. we have the 2'nd amendment to deal with this kind of situation.
</sarcasm>

Bob

NMNeil · Nov 21, 2017

BobK said:

<sarcasm>
Here in the U.S. we have the 2'nd amendment to deal with this kind of situation.
</sarcasm>

Bob
Click to expand...

True, but in NZ when discussing possible solutions to such problems, they don't argue which would be the most suitable; .223, 7.62x39 30.06, .308 or .50BMG.

Externet · Nov 21, 2017

If everything fails, your 'fairly powerful amplifier' can play this over the fence while you go away or to the beach :
---->

Audioguru · Nov 21, 2017

I didn't play the dogs barking and I couldn't remember which song was Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" so I played it. It gave me goosebumps and made my hair stand up. She sang it very well didn't she? It is a shame she is gone.

Like PINK, I also cringed when Aguilara messed up Whitney's "The Bodyguard" song at the AMA Music Awards a few nights ago.

Bluejets · Nov 21, 2017

I've seen this as a common problem in Thailand.
Cure there is to strap a mattress over the incoming windows.

Then when all is quiet the other end, give them a blast from your own set-up.
Or maybe just move......

portyforty · Nov 21, 2017

Thanks for your comments, people.

However, as I said earlier, I've already tried most options.

I've had a few beers with the 40-year old unemployed ex-con father of the three teens that live with him. (There's also a daughter's boyfriend).

I've fixed his computer, refusing any payment other than him keeping the noise down.

I've complained to the council so often that the guy who heads the Noise Control department told me he's now ordered the enforcement officers - who work for an independent security firm - to ignore my calls.

(The Council's website states that they will respond to reports of any type of noise, whether day or night. But their system is ineffective for us. We live around 40 minutes away from the security firm's base, and often the officer or officers would arrive during a lull in the racket, or even after the guy had stopped broadcasting. However, every visit results in a charge to the council, so the total eventual cost was obviously considerable. By now, naturally, the guy is aware that a 40 minute rock session can be indulged with impunity)

I've talked to the Police (one community constable) and this sort of problem is apparently not of interest.

I've talked to half a dozen neighbors, who all agreed that they'd heard the noise and were aggravated by it, but who, apart from one elderly but balsy lady, were reluctant to lodge a complaint. This is partly because of the nature of the community's attitude - don't make waves - and partly because the noise is much louder for us than anyone else, many of whom are partly deaf anyway. I think they're also intimidated by the guy - stocky, muscular, bushy beard, bush singlets and camo gear - and an aggressive reputation.

I've spoken to the guy's mother, who has, she said, had trouble with her son for years - 'He's 'bi-polar'.

Hmmm. A convenient cache, IMHO. I mean, who isn't bi-polar to some degree?

As to the benefit fraud, it's only a supposition. But very likely, for various reasons that I won't go into. However, if I did blow the whistle on the guy and his crew, it'd probably result in them spending even more time at home and that is definitely counter-productive from our point of view.

Plus it could provoke further retaliation. He's already thrown rocks onto my roof following one of the rare occasions when the the security guys arrived, this time at 1:30 am. They confirmed the noise and banged on the guy's door. They even heard the subsequent rock throwing and returned to the property to admonish the guy.
And what did the Police do about that? Zip.Zilch. Zero.
'Sir, has your property been damaged?'
'Probably not.'
'Nothing we can do.'

There's more but this post is lengthy enough as it is.

So, I'm almost out of options. I'm 77 and my quiet-natured part-invalid wife is 54. We're certainly not about to confront several fit and strong males with dubious agitation thresholds But why should we have to? Shucks, the rates in this tiny town are just as high as the 40k distant city, where noise complaints are accorded rapid responses.

Like life, it ain't fair.

Bluejets · Nov 21, 2017

I for one , do not see any electronic fix for your application.

davenn · Nov 22, 2017

OK we will leave this thread at this point, before truly gets into illegal response activities

thread closed

Loud music from over-the-fence is causing offence...

portyforty

Tha fios agaibh

Audioguru

kellys_eye

gunnadoo

NMNeil

BobK

NMNeil

Externet

Audioguru

Bluejets

portyforty

Bluejets

davenn Moderator

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