NEED HELP WITH A SOCIAL ISSUE

[KP2Z]

This is not a direct ham radio issue. But it does affect my enjoyment of the hobby.

I moved with my wife two years ago to her little home town in South East Puerto Rico. In recent months there have been several illegal substance abusers hanging around on our street corner all the time. I've been working on getting the government here to take action but they don't seem to care. Now I'm thinking of some kind of electronic devise that would be very uncomfortable for anyone in earshot. I know they have been used in the UK with some success around stores and other places where noisy people may congregate. I believe there is some controversy in the UK over their use. Also, when I did see a commercial  product on line the price seemed out of line for such a simple devise. What I have in mind would be like a small hand held parabolic receiving dish, but instead of receiving could transmit audio that would be very uncomfortable where pointed. Is this a workable possibility, or have I watched too much Flash Gordon when I was a child. So I thought I would turn to my fellow resourceful hams for possible suggestions. No guns please.

73,
Tony  KP2Z

[K0OD]

Years ago I read about a shopping center that had gangs of teens hanging around. They experimented with different kinds of piped in music and discovered that one song above all sent  kids scurrying: The Mr Ed Theme song. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_PZPpWTRTU

[N0ZNA]

We have a problem with gangs in St Louis


mo.The stores play county music or clasical.Hehe...73s de n0zna/John

[N4JTE]

Tony, just keep calling the police, last thing you need is some ahole suing you for hearing loss.
Bob

[KG4YMC]

Boy, this is gonna sound off the wall, but see if a local church has the guts to bring a christian rock band and put on an outdoor concert, Not onely could they turn them on to something positive , might change there lives. If that doesn't work, therre is  always polka music , southern gosphel   or  square  dancing   .   could always bust a sewer line, ( see  pdd daton thread) kg4ymc

[AD6KA]

You can't fight the drug gangs with "Sonic Defense" devices.
For personal safety, I would not do anything more to
draw attention to myself other than playing obnoxious music loudly.
Besides, they might retaliate by pulling up in cars tricked out with loud
sound systems and just park in front of your house.

Go to the Police? In Puerto Rico? Some of THEM might be in the pay of the gangs.
Tread carefully here my friend. You could end up with a brick or
Molotov Cocktail sailing through your front window if the sellers
think you are making things difficult for them.

It's your wife's house? So I assume she was raised there and/or
has family and friends living there for generations?  Use her and them
as a resource to *quietly* make inquiries as to solutions.

AS far as annoying music, absolutely NOTHING can compare
with the theme music and lyrics from the Disneyland/Disneyworld
ride "It's a Small World". Inside sources reveal that the CIA really
learned Bin Ladin's location by forcing prisoners to listen to that song
endlessly for hours and hours. The recalcitrant prisoners were
forced to go on the actual ride!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Y7RX8rVzQ

THAT should be against the Geneva Convention!

[KP2Z]

Thanks Guys for the responses. Humor always helps. I have a couple of plans in the works. But today is going to be very busy. So I'll update you in a couple of days.

73,
Tony  KP2Z   

[K0OD]

"The United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights have banned the use of loud music in interrogations, but it is still being widely used."

"When the United States invaded Panama in December 1989, Noriega took refuge in the Holy See’s embassy on December 24, which was immediately surrounded by U.S. troops. After being continually bombarded by hard rock music, including Van Halen's hit song Panama[4], and “The Howard Stern Show” for several days, Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990.[5][6]"

You can probably buy a stack of Jim Neighbors records on eBay for a buck. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_in_psychological_operations

[KA5N]

Have you considered that if you start playing loud music or other irritating noise, that the
gangs might not just hang around, they may start banging around ...  ON YOU !!!!

Move to Coasta Rica they tend to treat yankees OK.
Allen

[K8AXW]

AD6KA:  I followed your provided link and listened to "It's a Small World" for 2 minutes.  That was all I could stand!  Very good solution.  LOLROFLMAO!!

[N0YXB]

Tony, I have had problems with the neighborhood juvenile delinquents congregating near my house and am very interested in this topic.  I am familiar with the device being used by shop owners in the U.K. to discourage loitering.  Seems like it was called the Mosquito and is very expensive.  It produces audio frequencies that juveniles can hear but most adults can't.  I have been unable to find a schematic for this device but have been playing around with a 555 timer as an audio generator and built a simple audio amplifier with a horn tweeter.  It can produce sounds that adults cannot hear but my teenage kids sure can.  It works, but the range is limited, so I'd be interested in your findings.  

Vince

[AD6KA]

"When the United States invaded Panama in December 1989, Noriega took refuge in the Holy See’s embassy on December 24, which was immediately surrounded by U.S. troops. After being continually bombarded by hard rock music, including Van Halen's hit song Panama[4], and “The Howard Stern Show” for several days, Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990.[5][6]"

I read another popular song they played was Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good". 

[KE3WD]

I don't think the reference is to playing music content of any kind. 

There were indeed some units that made sounds high up in the audio frequency band that couldn't be heard by adults all that much, but that drove the younger ears of teenagers nuts and thus they would not want to hang around areas such as the front of places of business. 

http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/2005/11/30/anti-teenager-sound-weapon-in-wales/

THE MOSQUITO: 

http://www.dynatracsystems.com/ultrasonic-youth-deterrent.html

There are also some softwares available that purport to do this task:

http://www.neuroinnovations.com/teen_away.html

Perhaps this is the type of passive device that the OP is remembering. 

Being a ham and lifelong electronics experimenter, I kludged one together using 555 chips, audio output transistors and piezo tweeters.  It did seem to work with teenagers out in front of the old shop, but there was also a problem with background noise of the city - and some youngsters who seemed to be already deaf enough that it did not concern them, presumably from use and abuse of headphone devices, etc. 

Place it hidden, put it up at a time when you can do so discreetly - and don't say a word to anyone about it...


73

[K0OD]

From Maynard G. Krebs on Dobie Gillis:  Anything that contains the word "Work."

[W3LK]

From Maynard G. Krebs on Dobie Gillis:  "

You're showing your age, Jeff.

Krebs remains one of my all-time favorite characters.