Better Plan, Wisconsin

We received an email the other day from someone wanting to know if we had any samples of what industrial wind turbines sound like when they are loud.

We were happy to direct the writer to two recent national news segments which provide samples of what turbines sound like. The first is from Charles Gibson of ABC news. He used a boom mike to capture the sound. His vocal mike is set to capture his voice and little back ground sound. When he lifts the boom mike, you can hear what people living with wind turbine noise are talking about. Notice there are no homes near by the turbines featured in this segment.

Go to the ABC website to watch it by CLICKING HERE

Below is a video which recently ran on CNBC which features stories about people who have had to move out of their homes because of wind turbine noise and other related problems.

 

Below is a video taken by the fire chief of the town of Byron in Fond du Lac county about wind turbine noise and shadow flicker from a turbine sited 1100 feet from a home.

And here is a video about the common statement made by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) which compares the sound of an industrial wind turbine to the sound of a refrigerator.  This also shows what wind turbines look and sound like at night

If your internet connection isn't fast enough to be able to watch these videos, click here to contact us and we will mail you a DVD copy free of charge.

Today we feature an update of the noise log kept by the Meyer family whose home is in the 86 turbine wind farm in Fond du Lac county. The turbines went on line in March of 2008. Gerry Meyer, who keeps the noise log, carried mail in his community for 30 years. He and his family have lived in their home for 37 years.

CLICK HERE to download the entire diary

Oct 1 –

2:30 AM Our son is up watching TV and eating, dressed for school. He said he has not slept this night.

At 5:00 AM he is still awake watching TV.

5:10 AM Wind W, dba 49.6, dbc 69.1.
Turbine 4 and 6 are loud.

3:40 PM Wind W, 15.3 rpms, dba 47.3, dbc 66.7. Turbines 4 and 6 are very loud with 6 the loudest. Turbine 6 is ¾ from the house. This is ridiculous.

9:40 PM wind W, 6 knots, 16.3 rpms, dba 47.9, dbc 64.1. We got home at 8:30 PM and the first thing
my wife said was “My goodness. It sounds like a war”, referring to the turbine sound of #4 & 6 fighting with each other for the loudest sound. During the Boston/LA playoff game we heard turbines. Yes, in the house is where our TV is located.

October 2 –

6:30 AM Wind NNW, 8 knots, dba 46.2, dbc 63.9, 15 rpms. Turbines 4 & 6 are still very loud with 6 loudest. The energy company and PSC says 50 db is acceptable. Often the sound dba is near 50 dbs sometimes over 50 db. More important is the dbc that almost always is more than 15 db higher. What ever is said to be acceptable is way, way too loud. Why should we put up hearing these large, industrial wind turbines affecting our lives on a daily basis both outside as well as inside our houses?

9:50 PM Wind N, 5 knots, 13 rpms. Fairly quiet tonight.

October 3 –

5:15 AM Wind N calm, 12.3 rpms, dba 44.1, dbc, 60.2. Loud motor running sound easily heard from outside our house. When my wife woke at 5 AM she said she had a headache at  base of her neck.. During the afternoon turbines were pointed in various directions and many not turning.

5:30 PM 0 rpms. Translation, no turbines turning. My wife said her ears were not ringing or buzzing. I commented to my wife and neighbor lady that we could near the birds chirping and making other noises as they moved around the tree and branches. It was so beautify peaceful. We are leaving for camping.

9:30 PM it is peaceful sitting by the campfire. My left ear is not crackling or buzzing. The sound of other campers talking and the smell of smoke is a great relief of being home and hearing the jet sound of industrial wind turbines.

October 4 –

7:35 AM Frying bacon over a campfire and no turbine sounds is great. I can hear the occasional sound of dumping stone into the crusher at the neighboring (one mile+) stone quarry. That sound last for seconds compared to the all day sound of the industrial wind turbines I am surrounded by.

10:30AM-1:00PM We drove home to meet a couple from another area about proposed turbines in their area. Most turbines are not turning. Some neighbors came by us for a discussion and then we went to see 4 other families and a drive to show our guests others with serious complaints of the turbines.

5:30 PM. Back at the campground it is wonderfully peaceful☺

October 5 –

7:30 AM At campground. No crackling in my left ear and it is so peaceful.

12:00 PM We just got home from camping. Of course we immediately hear the sound of the industrial
wind turbines as we get out of the truck. It is so sad to come home to this unnecessary sound
every time we go away. This should not be permitted. I feel a form of torture would be better
than this every day. In Guantanomo Bay prison camp underwear put on the head was
considered torture. That is nothing to constant industrial wind turbine sounds plus add in the
health effects that just seem to get overlooked by our legislators, PSC and DNR.

October 6 –

5:15 AM Wind E, 10 knots. I can hear turbines 4 and 6.

1:00 PM Wind NE, 11 knots, 18.3 rpms, All day windy.

9:15 PM Wind NE. Not wind as earlier so turbine 4 louder than earlier.

10:15 PM I can hear turbine sounds between words while watching TV.

October 7 –

7:15 AM Wind SW, 9 knots, gust to 16 knots, 17.3 rpms, dba 51.6, dbc 66.3. Jet sound.

10:30 AM Wind SW, 18.3 rpms, 11 knots. Reporter here today-

9:30 PM Wind SW, 13 knots,Low jet sound over the sound of the wind and rain. In the house at the computer I can hear thethump of turbines.

October 8 –

5:15 AM Wind W, 8 knots, drizzle, low clouds. Easy to hear turbine 4 with # 6 a louder
thumping sound.

7:30 AM Wind W, 0 knots, 14 rpms. Loud hum.

6:30 PM Wind SW. Loud ripping sound. All day as I worked outside on our porch the sound from various turbines was loud enough to be nauseating. My wife told me as she picked raspberries she could hear 3 of
the turbines. On is ¾ of a mile way.

10:35 PM Wind SW, 9 knots, dba 52.3, dbc 65.4 Turbines 4 and 6 are especially loud either like a jet flying over or a Chinook helicopter. I can also hear turbine 73 which is 2480’ away. Before I went outside to measure sound and video record I could hear either turbine 4 or 6 or both from our family room☹

11:55 PM I can hear the thump of turbines at the computer and dining room. dba 49.4, dbc 63.4 – 12 inches outside the houseat the patio door (dining room)

October 9 –

6:20 AM Wind W, 9 knots, 18.3 rpms, dba 47.0, dbc 63.4. The sky is filled with turbine  sounds. I hear turbines 4, 6, 3a and 73 plus maybe more. To the south the air is filled with sound. At time this morning turbine 6 is louder than turbine 4 with loud ripping sound. Turbine 6 is ¾ mile away from the house. 6:55 AM In my family room by the TV (TV off) the room is quiet other than turbine sounds. dba 39.6, dbc 65.4 in the family room. Thumping sound.

Last night when I told my wife I could hear the turbines in the family room and bed room she said
she could not hear the sound because of the buzzing and ringing in her ears.

5:00 PM Wind SW. All day the turbines to the north (4 & 6) were loud and annoying as I worked outside.

10:10 PM Wind W, 4 knots, dba 43.3, dbc 60.6. I can hear turbines 4, 3a and 6 quite loud for a quiet night.

12:50 AM Our son is down, dressed and can’t sleep due to turbine sound. In the dining room door I hear jet sound of # 4. My ears are buzzing or crackling.

October 10 –

6:50 AM Wind NNE, calm, 11 rpms. Fairly quiet this morning, just a loud hum. As I mentioned yesterday our son was up at 12:50 AM. I convinced him to go back to bed and try and sleep. He said, “I’ve tried that”. He did go back, but soon was back.

At 5:00 Am he was still awake watching TV.

At 6:20 AM he was ready to sleep and now the turbines were quiet. Mywife woke up with a headache.

10:00 PM Wind SE, 5 knots, dba 50.2, dbc 66.3. Loud. I can hear turbine sounds at the computer.

October 11 –

6:40 AM Wind NE, 11 rpms. Whoosh, whoosh sound.

5:00 PM Wind SE. All day the turbine sound has been loud an annoying as I worked on the porch. I did find relief for a while when I had a portable radio on close to where I was working.

9:35 PM Wind Se, 3 knots, dba 46.9, dbc 63.6. Loud whooshing sound.

11:15 PM Wind SE from 12 inches outside the dining room patio door. Dba 46.2, dbc 61.3. I can hear from the family room turbine 4 and/ or 6 from the computer room either them or turbine 73.

October 12 –

5:40 AM Wind S, 3 knots, 14.3 rpms. Low rumble.

5:10 PM Wind SE, 3 knots, 17 rpms. It has been loud all afternoon as we worked in the yard from turbines 4, 6, and 73. This morning at our cabin it was quiet and peaceful. (no turbines there).

9:45 PM Wind SE, 3 knots, 8rpms, dba 51.5, dbc 63.3. Loud jet sound with 73 competing for the loudest.

October 13 –

6:10 AM Wind SW, 10 knots, feels calm, 18 rpms, dba 47.4, dbc 63.6. I have found that the sound level seems to be just an indicator. There can be identical reading, yet the sound to the ears is louder than another time at the same reading. Today is loud jet sound which is strongest from turbine 4, but also loud from 6 and 73. 6:10 PM Wind SW, 10 knots, 15 knot gusts, 16.6 rpms, dba 48.3, dbc 66.7. It has been loud ALL day as I worked on our porch. Loud jet sound between turbines 4 and 73 and I also hear # 6. 9:50 PM Wind SW, 13 knots, gust to
18 knots, 18 rpms, dba 49.7, dbc 64.3, cloudy, mist. It has been loud all day. I hear turbines 4 & 6 from our family room. I hear turbine 73 or 74a from the front room and I hear turbine sounds from our bed room. It makes me so angry that Renew Wisconsin’s Michael Vickerman can say “At 1000’ wind turbines are barely audible”. That is a horrendous lie.

11:35 PM Wind SW, dba 50.5, dbc 62.4. It souinds like a squadron of jet fighters in the sky. I can hear turbines
4 and 6 in all rooms of our house downstairs. This morning when my wife went upstairs to wake up our son she was not sure of the strange sound in the stair area. It was like a vibration.Yes, it was the turbine sound.

11:40 PM One foot outside the patio door dba 50.1, dbc 60.2.

October 14 –

Wind SW, 5 knots, 16.3 rpms, dba 41.7, dbc 58.5. Turbine 4 low hum which is louder than our refrigerator and I can also hear turbine 6. 4:30 PM Coming home from Madison approximately ½ of the turbines are not turning. 10:35 PM Wind SW, calm, 11.3 rpms, low him from turbine 4.

October 15 –

6:30 AM Wind SW, calm, drizzle. Low hum.

10:10 AM Wind SW, calm, 11 rpms. The turbines have not been turning much. Turbine 4 just started a while ago.

7:35 PM I just got home and before I got out of the car I could hear turbines 6 and 4 ripping the sky apart. Very loud. Turbine 6 is ¾ mile away.

7:55 PM Wind NW, dba 58.9, dbc 88.7. The sound is terribly loud between turbines 4 and 6. turbine 6 is louder much of the time. Michael Vickerman of Renew Wisconsin says, “At 1000’ wind turbines are barely audible”. His lies are criminal unless he is referring to the little toy I made with paper and pinned to a pencil eraser as a
child.

10:15 PM Wind NW, 18 rpms. Loud, loud sound from turbines 4 and 6.

October 16 –

6:15 AM Wind NW, 17 rpms. When I first went outside I thought I heard the train coming up the “Byron hill”, but it was turbine 4. 7:30 AM Wind NW, calm. Fairly quiet, but audible at 1560’.

6:20 PM Many turbines not turning.

10:35 PM Wind SE, 11 rpms, calm and QUIET☺

October 17 –

4:30 AM Area turbines are not turning.

7:30 AM I am now at our cabin north of home 90 miles. It is so peaceful here.

4:00PM In the hunting stand the woods is so quiet. I hear the leaves floating to the ground and making their soft landing. I hear the birds chirping and the squirrels running around in the leaves and up the trees. We don’t have that at home anymore.

10:30 PM There barely a sound outside. It is so wonderfully calm and peaceful.

October 18 –

5:45 AM. In the hunting stand it is quiet. Leaves are falling.

At 6:25 the woods comes tolife with birds chirping, squirrels running around and turkeys communicating to each other. There are NO turbine sounds here. I noticed my ears have not been crackling or ringing.
During the day we shingled the roof on our cabin.

4:00-6:30 PM I hunted. It was quiet with the sound of the breeze in the tree tops. There were lots of squirrels scampering around and right at quitting time the careful, slow sounds of foot steps in the leaves. It was a deer, but too late and dark to shoot.

11:30 PM It is so quiet other than a few dogs barking in the distance.

October 19 –

5:45 AM On the hunting stand it is very quiet. I can hear the talk of turkey and squirrels that are nearby.

2:30 PM Wind S. We just got home from the cabin. Before I was out of the truck I could hear turbines 4 and 73 ripping the sky apart. It’s disgusting and depressing.

10:10 PM – I hear turbine 4 and 6. It’s ridiculously loud. I hear turbine sound at the computer.

11:25 PM I hear turbine 4 in the family room over the TV.

October 20 –

5:35 AM Wind NW, 11.6 rpms. Loud whooshing sound. I have crackling or ringing in my
left ear.